Posts tagged contract negotiations
The UAW vs. The Big Three: Why the union’s wish list isn’t ‘going to happen’
August 15, 2023 // The UAW's wish list would amount to $25 billion-$30 billion per automaker over the life of the contract. "That adds $35 to $40 per hour to active labor cost — an increase of roughly 60%," the source said. The impact being that automakers would return to the "bankruptcy era" and more than double the labor costs for GM, Ford, and Stellantis versus non-union automakers like Tesla (TSLA).
Powell’s Union Workers Say They Will Strike Sept. 4
August 15, 2023 // In a statement, Powell’s defended its offer as fair. “Powell’s proposal includes immediate wage increases for every employee in the bargaining unit and annual wage increases every year of the contract, making our wages competitive with the majority of retail wages in Portland,” the company said in an email. “In addition, we proposed reduced health care monthly premiums for the majority of employees, eliminating deductibles for the majority of doctors’ visits, and an enhanced 401(k) retirement plan match.” The company expressed optimism that it would reach a deal at the bargaining table. The union says that in a recent strike vote, 92% of workers voted to walk off the job. They last struck Powell’s in 2003 but now plan to hold a one-day “unfair labor practices strike” Sept. 4 before negotiations resume Sept. 4 and 6.
Potential rail union strike could shut down Metro-North this fall
July 11, 2023 // The union said trains cannot function without inspectors, which means a potential strike could disrupt the commute of many Metro-North Railroad riders. In a recent tweet, the TWU of America said the vote to approve a strike upon release from mediation was nearly unanimous. The tweet also said, “Make no mistake, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is on a strike trajectory at the nation's second largest commuter rail system."
UAW Skipping Ceremonial Handshake to Start Contract Talks
July 11, 2023 // “The members come first,” UAW President Shawn Fain said Monday in a statement. “I’ll shake hands with the CEOs when they come to the table with a deal that reflects the needs of the workers who make this industry run. When the 150,000 autoworkers at Ford, GM, and Stellantis receive the respect they are due for their sacrifice in generating the historic profits of the past decade, then we can proceed with a handshake.” Talks with Stellantis begin Thursday, followed by Ford on Friday and General Motors on July 18, according to the union. Change is in the wind The move to skip the handshake is completely inline with Fain’s militant approach, which is reminiscent of past tough talking UAW leaders like Stephen Yokich, Owen Bieber, Doug Fraser. However, recent union presidents have been less firebrand and more businessman.
Starbucks union wants to enlist customers to organize pickets
July 10, 2023 // The Workers United union plans to hand out flyers during a 13-city bus tour to customers with a QR code that takes them to a sign-up sheet to organize their own protests during a "national 'Adopt-a-Store' day of action" on Aug. 7, according to copies of the flyers seen by Reuters. "(Employees) voted for bargaining not buses," the company said, adding that stalled negotiations have led workers to be so frustrated that they filed petitions to kick out the union at several stores. The union's tour has two legs: one travels through the Midwest, South and East, while a second leg will run up the Pacific coast, arriving in Seattle around Aug. 7, the union said. The tour will also target Starbucks board members such as Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford, whose likeness was carved into a statue made of butter that union members delivered to the creamery's Minneapolis headquarters in April.
UPS, Teamsters accuse each other of walking away from contract talks
July 6, 2023 // The Teamsters Union said on Wednesday United Parcel Service "walked away" from negotiations over a new contract, a claim the shipping giant denied, lobbing its own accusation that the union had stopped negotiating. The two sides traded salvos in early morning statements as they attempt an agreement to prevent a strike when the current contract, which covers some 340,000 workers, expires at the end of the month.
Southwest Airlines pilots approach potential strike with request to leave negotiation proceedings
July 6, 2023 // In the transportation labor negotiations process, the National Mediation Board mediates contract discussions between the carrier and its employees. When a party requests a release from mediation, the board must determine whether continuing with the negotiations process would be productive. If the answer is no, the NMB allows "a cooling-off period" of 30 days, after which a strike can happen. SWAPA pilots are planning a nationwide picket on Aug. 31 in five cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Earlier this month, Southwest reached agreements in principle with its flight attendants union — whose board later rejected the agreement — and its aircraft mechanics union, which moved forward with a tentative agreement.
Sean O’Brien’s summer of the strike
June 26, 2023 // It’s the spark for the combative spirit that permeates Teamsters headquarters, where a whiteboard charts a long-term battle plan on a timeline — “practice picketing,” “CAT trainings” (for “contract action teams”), “identify strike teams” … and finally, on the July 31 spot that marks the end of the current contract: “STRIKE.” Why strike now? As O’Brien himself acknowledged in his Senate testimony, UPS already offers the most plum jobs in the logistics industry, with driver salaries starting at $93,000. But O’Brien argues that the pandemic gave UPS workers the greatest leverage they’ve had in decades. In 2020, union members risked their health to keep packages moving. UPS’s profits surged and have remained high, with customers still hooked on the online shopping habits they adopted during the lockdowns. “Our members are fed up” and remain convinced, he said, that “the only concern that was being addressed was UPS’s bottom line and their balance sheet.” No better time, O’Brien reasons, for workers to go to the mat to demand wages beginning at $20 an hour, tighter safety provisions and an end to the two-tier employment system ushered in by the last contract.
Erie’s United Electrical Workers Strike at Wabtec
June 26, 2023 // On June 10, Wabtec offered workers what was described as their "last, best, and final offer" in the ongoing contract negotiations. On June 22, the membership voted not to ratify it. Wabtec executives expressed disappointment in a letter, stating that it is an "unfortunate decision" that the labor would "engage in a strike at this time rather than return to the bargaining table." They added that a walkout benefited no one and argued that they had "repeatedly informed the UE" that the Erie plant's labor costs were burdening and their work rules too restrictive. "UE members have rejected these terms," the company continued, "and are striking in support of Union proposals that would significantly increase our wage and benefit costs, further limit operational flexibility, and create an on-going risk of disruption in our manufacturing operations." Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was no mention by the company of the costs of Wabtec executives as a burden. According to the AFL-CIO, Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana received over $11 million in compensation in 2021 alone. Explained in another way, $11 million is equivalent to nearly 150 employees earning $75,000 each. For additional context, as described by the Economic Policy Institute, the CEO-to-worker compensation disparity has increased significantly over the decades: 15-to-1 in 1965, 44-to-1 in 1989, to now hundreds of times more today (between 200 to 300).