Posts tagged pay and benefits
University of Alaska staff vote to unionize
April 5, 2026 // University of Alaska staff announced a vote to form a union on Wednesday. The union would represent 2,300 permanent staff across the three universities and a dozen community campuses. Staff voted to form the union Coalition of Alaska University Staff for Equity, or CAUSE, which would be part of the national United Auto Workers union, in a 1,106 to 610 vote, with 64% voting yes. UA staff that would be represented by the union include student services staff, researchers, fiscal and administrative staff, development staff, science communicators, information systems specialists, library workers, athletics coaches
First Student bus driver strike averted after tentative agreement reached, union announces
March 31, 2026 // The union voted last week to authorize a strike, saying it showed that drivers are willing to do what it takes to get the agreement they believe they deserve. Key issues for union leaders included pay and benefits. The union said this new deal includes better retirement benefits, improved health care access, and contractual protections for all union members. Union members will be able to vote on the new agreement in the coming weeks, the union said.
A Columbia Student Strike May Foreshadow the End of Unions
March 28, 2026 // Columbia graduate students this month voted to authorize a strike, their second in five years. Their list of demands naturally include things related to pay and working conditions. They are seeking $76,000 a year in pay, about twice the stipend I got as a graduate student (adjusting for inflation) and a more than 50% increase from the current level.
The Trump administration paid these employees not to work for more than a year. It just called them back
March 26, 2026 // “The department made the choice to bring these employees back to work to focus on other, non-DEI related tasks,” the spokesperson said. “To be good stewards of taxpayer money, it was common-sense to repurpose these employees to carry out the department's mission. We are proud to say the department will no longer push a woke agenda like DEI initiatives which were designed in the previous administration to divide America.” In the intervening year, employees who did not seek other employment frequently felt like they were on the verge of losing theirs. “The year has been marked with depression and anxiety,” the employee said. “We would hear rumblings that something would happen ‘soon’ but that would be said several times and nothing would happen.”
Union Agrees to US Refineries Contract, Averting Nationwide Strike
February 10, 2026 // The U.S. United Steelworkers union adopted on Friday a national agreement on pay and benefits, averting a nationwide strike that could have affected 30,000 workers at 26 companies operating crude oil refineries and petrochemical plants.
California teachers unions consider strikes amid ongoing contract disputes
December 15, 2025 // There are at least 14 school districts around the state that are at an impasse with teachers unions over contract negotiations. They are: Los Angeles Unified, San Francisco Unified, Oakland Unified, Berkeley Unified, Madera Unified, Evergreen School District, Little Lake City, Upper Lake Unified, Duarte Unified, Newport-Mesa Unified, Oak Grove Union, Apple Valley Unified, Twin Rivers Unified and Natomas Unified.
Workers at more Chicago cultural venues are unionizing, even during a precarious moment for museums
December 12, 2025 // Still, the process of unionization may not be smooth at every site. At Chicago Botanic Garden, there’s a disagreement between workers and management with what steps should be required to establish a union. Employees who are advocating for better pay, health care and safety on the job and are represented by CMRJB Workers United say they are asking employees to sign union cards. However, Chicago Botanic Garden leadership opposes that approach in favor of a secret ballot election to vote on the union. “To skip that step would really be disenfranchising those eligible employees,” Chicago Botanic Garden President and CEO Jean Franczyk told the Chicago Sun-Times. “The process has multiple steps and options that you can pursue. But the one that we think protects individual eligible workers’ rights is that supervised election.”
Teachers in West Contra Costa Unified go on strike
December 6, 2025 // The teachers are expected to picket outside dozens of schools located in El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo. The union and school district are at impasse after 10 months of negotiations for a new contract. The teachers union authorized the strike Monday. It seeks a 10% pay raise over the next two years, better health care and smaller class sizes. The district is offering a 3% raise and increased health benefits.
UnityPoint nurses union vote rescheduled for Dec. 7–9
November 24, 2025 // The vote could change operations, labor relations and staffing decisions at Methodist, Methodist West, Blank and Lutheran hospitals.
Spirit Airlines unions agree to pay cuts for flight attendants, pilots
November 19, 2025 // The Air Line Pilots Association said it has agreed to Spirit's plans to reduce hourly pay by 8% and slash its retirement account contributions by half from 16% to 8%. The amended collective bargaining agreement will last from the beginning of 2026 through the end of 2027. The airline agreed to incrementally restore the pilots' pay starting in August 2028 with a 4% raise and then another 4% in January 2029. Retirement contributions will return to 16% by July 2029.