Posts tagged safety
Whatever happened to the effort by workers to unionize KY’s EV battery plant?
July 11, 2025 // The KyPolicy report says pressure from successful UAW bargaining at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant and Ford Assembly Plant, and at Bowling Green’s General Motors Corvette facility has resulted in non-union plants across the state to boost wages. In December, BlueOval said starting wages would increase by between $2.50 and $3.50 per hour to as little as $21 per hour and as much as $32 per hour.
Ford, SK On battery park workers at BlueOval SK may soon be faced with a major decision
July 1, 2025 // BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and South Korean company SK On, had contested the election petition, arguing an imminent union election would wrongly leave out the preferences of thousands of yet-to-be-hired employees. The company also drove an aggressive anti-union campaign, both at the plant and in online advertisements. "Bringing in a union would slow progress, force new training, and reset everything we've built," one BlueOval SK ad said. "Don't let unnecessary changes hold us back."
Unionizing NYC’s Board Game Cafés
June 17, 2025 // Following the lead of Starbucks workers, employees at board game cafés across New York City unionized in 2023 as Tabletop Workers United. After impressive shows of customer support and a credible strike threat, TWU has just won its first tentative agreement.
When Union Leaders Cross the Line
June 12, 2025 // SEIU represents hundreds of thousands of essential workers. Their focus should be on improving wages, working conditions, and safety, not interfering in federal law enforcement or fueling divisive political narratives. When union leaders act like activists first and representatives second, it is the workers who lose. This moment is a wake-up call. America needs unions that are fair, transparent, and focused on results, not organizations that tolerate or even celebrate lawbreaking from the top.
AP Exclusive: US meatpacking workers win back pensions in new union contract with JBS
May 27, 2025 // The United Food and Commercial Workers union said Thursday that 26,000 meatpacking workers at 14 JBS facilities would be eligible for the pension plan. The new contract, which was ratified by workers this week, also adds paid sick leave, wage increases and new plant safety measures.
Grand Forks International Airport Firefighters Vote to Unionize for Expected Benefits
May 23, 2025 // At a Thursday, May 15, Airport Authority Board meeting, it was announced that the firefighters had voted to unionize. Among the benefits that led them to make this decision, according to Burrows, were additional training opportunities, additional health benefits, access to an international peer group, the ability to support research regarding firefighter safety — such as cancer and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — as well as the ability to participate in charitable events like the Fill the Boot campaign and Toys for Tots.
The Crucible workers are unionizing
May 22, 2025 // O’Neill was also part of the safety committee, an elected faculty representative, and a lead organizer with the union. They had been raising the alarm about safety issues at The Crucible due to insufficient staffing. The Oaklandside reviewed numerous emails from employees sent to the board and Steward during the past few months that cited ongoing safety and staffing issues. “Over the past year, The Crucible has struggled against financial hardship, affecting faculty and staff,” a letter sent to the board and signed by 74 employees stated. “The financial peril we have navigated has resulted in extreme cuts to the overall budget, reductions to already slim staffing, materials ordering and scarcity of supplies, unsafe studio maintenance, lack of proper training, development opportunities, and more.”
More than 2,500 nursing home workers across WNY plan to strike
May 13, 2025 // Caregivers from the following facilities are expected to walk off the job starting May 20 at 6 a.m.: Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Comprehensive Rehab and Nursing Center at Williamsville Elderwood at Lockport Elderwood at Williamsville Ellicott Center Garden Gate Manor Gowanda Nursing Home (excluding Pros/Techs) Newfane Rehabilitation & Health Center North Gate Manor Ascension Living Our Lady of Peace Absolut Care of Gasport Safire Rehabilitation of Northtowns Schofield Residence The Grand at Delaware Park Williamsville Suburban Care Center
Over 150 Sea-Tac aircraft fuelers vote ‘overwhelmingly’ to authorize strike
May 7, 2025 // A similarly sized group of aircraft fuelers working for Swissport, many of them immigrants, voted to strike in 2018, but they never made it to that stage before earning a new contract.
Salt Lake City librarians officially unionize, but likely referendum to determine next steps
May 5, 2025 // Ninety-two percent of Salt Lake City librarians voted to unionize, joining AFSCME Local 1004. A new state law, HB267, bans public sector collective bargaining agreements. A likely referendum on the bill will determine the future of public union negotiations in 2026.