Posts tagged merger
Two unions announce opposition to UP-NS merger (revised)
July 30, 2025 // Two unions — the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, and the Transport Workers Union of America — have announced their opposition to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger proposed today by the two railroads. SMART said it will oppose the merger when it goes to the Surface Transportation Board for approval, while the TWU — which represents some Norfolk Southern workers — said it “strongly opposes” the deal and is urging regulators, lawmakers, shippers and unions to block the transaction. Other unions have also expressed concern about the creation of a coast-to-coast railroad that would cover more than 52,000 miles and employ more than 52,000 people, although few have done so in language as strong as that of TWU International President John Samuelsen. In a statement, he called UP’s safety record “shameful” and said, “There is no world where Union Pacific should be controlling a coast-to-coast rail network.
CBS News Digital Staffers Say Fight for Contract Improvements Continue a Year After WGA Unionization
June 20, 2025 // The unionized journalist, editors and social media producers call on management to meet “in good faith” ahead of their current last scheduled bargaining date of June 24
Fearing AI will take their jobs, California workers plan a long battle against tech
January 19, 2025 // More than 200 trade union members and technologists gathered in Sacramento this week at a first-of-its-kind conference to discuss how AI and other tech threatens workers and to strategize for upcoming fights and possible strikes. The Making Tech Work for Workers event was convened by University of California labor centers, unions, and worker advocates and attracted people representing dock workers, home care workers, teachers, nurses, actors, state office workers, and many other occupations.
US Steel Launches ‘Longshot’ Attack on Union in Merger Fallout
January 16, 2025 // While a union’s support or opposition doesn’t guarantee an outcome, it can be used to extract concessions or secure agreements from merging employers, Posner said.
Opinion: Mitch McConnell: Nippon Steel Isn’t the Enemy
January 10, 2025 // In Georgetown, Ky., hundreds of skilled workers build automotive parts at a facility owned by Nippon Steel. About 5 miles away, another Japanese firm, Toyota, employs nearly 10,000 people full-time at the company’s largest vehicle-manufacturing plant in the world. Toyota recently announced more than $2 billion in new investments to expand and modernize its facilities there. Japan likely wonders why the Biden administration considers a major investment in American jobs and manufacturing a national-security risk but not its purchase of cutting-edge American military technologies.
VIDEO: King Soopers, union agree to two-week contract extension
January 5, 2025 // “Workers are tired. They have been so overworked and really disregarded through this whole attempted merger that failed,” said Cordova. King Soopers representatives said they are prioritizing their commitment to invest in their associates with an improved wage offer, which shows that top-rate clerks would receive a 5.41% increase during their first year of the contract. A company spokesperson said their latest negotiation offer also removed a proposal to reset hours in the wage scale, which would allow employees to keep their hours within their progression as they move over.
Workers at Portland-area Fred Meyer stores to go on strike starting Wednesday morning
August 28, 2024 // Union leaders say the strike is necessary to encourage Kroger to reach a deal. The sides still disagree on pensions and wage scales, among other items. An unfair labor practices strike, often referred to as a ULP, is a common tool used by organized labor and, by definition, is a limited-duration protest. “A ULP strike is crucial to force Fred Meyer to comply with their obligations as an Employer to their Employees,” Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555 said in a statement, adding that members overwhelmingly approved the strike.
Amazon Labor Union moves to affiliate with the Teamsters union amid struggles
June 5, 2024 // If ratified, members of the Amazon Labor Union, which belong to one warehouse located in the New York City borough of Staten Island, will essentially join the Teamsters as an “autonomous” local union with the same rights and duties as a standard chapter, according to the agreement. The Teamsters said its board has already unanimously approved the affiliation, a step that will bring them closer to their goal of unionizing Amazon's non-corporate workforce.
How the Kroger-Albertsons merger could impact union workers, if it happens
March 5, 2024 // Antitrust experts have said that if the FTC lawsuit derails the merger, it could set a new precedent. It could also help cement the power of unions in the grocery industry and enable them to organize other workplaces. Perhaps more importantly, it goes beyond the more immediate concerns associated with a merger—such as layoffs—and raises broader questions about the long-term effects of undermining the right to strike for unionized workers. “I think it shows an innovative and creative approach,” Lieberwitz says. “The FTC’s concerns are, of course, broader, but this is a response that looks at the ways in which unionized workforces are essential to the welfare of labor and the labor market.”
Union, hospital workers voice concerns over proposed WHS-UPMC merger
October 6, 2023 // Petro said her husband, sister, and nephew work at WHS. “If UPMC takes over and cuts wages, benefits or staffing, you see how that won’t just be a problem for me, it will upend my entire family,” said Petro. She noted SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania’s recent complaint filed with the Department of Justice alleging UPMC, the largest private employer in the state, is abusing its position to suppress wages, increase workload, and keep workers from departing to other jobs. “A UPMC takeover will not be good for Washington. We can do better. We have to do better, for the 2,000 employees and their families that count on Washington Health System for their livelihoods,” said Petro. “In the Lehigh Valley, an MRI at St. Luke’s costs $650 whereas at the (Lehigh Valley Health Network), it costs $2,010. Good data suggests this price variation and the ability to command higher and higher prices by acquiring local hospitals is one of the key drivers of consolidations,” Gabriel said. “Larger hospitals want to get bigger and bigger and that’s important to note because frequently the reason they give for consolidation is lowering our health care costs.”