Posts tagged UAW
As Michigan’s childcare costs rise, workers debate risks of unionizing
March 31, 2026 // Instead of childcare workers unionizing against owners, the model most commonly seen in childcare unions across the country is owners unionizing against their state, as Henderson is advocating for — specifically, childcare owners who receive state reimbursement payments for care they provide low-income families and therefore can be considered state employees. The purpose is to get more robust and permanent public dollars through contract negotiation to fund things providers say they can’t currently afford because of limits on their revenue, like higher wages, insurance benefits, and overall more stability for the struggling industry. Critics of this model say childcare providers shouldn't be considered public employees just because they receive payments from the state or put in a position where they may feel they have to pay union dues. They also say the fractured layout of the industry doesn't lend itself well to unionization and could create division among already under-resourced owners and staff.
SAG-AFTRA Communications Staffers Attempting to Unionize
March 30, 2026 // The announcement comes as SAG-AFTRA takes a break from negotiations with Hollywood’s top studios and streamers over its next three-year film and television deal, with talks set to resume later this spring. Given that so many staffers in the union touch some part of these negotiations, that timing could improve the leverage of the workers, who are seeking voluntary recognition from their employer rather than an election at the National Labor Relations Board.
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.
Findlay Freudenberg union workers on strike
March 25, 2026 // UAW Local 1327 members left the facility, at 555 Marathon Blvd., and stood with signs reading “UAW on strike,” said Michael Willer, UAW Local 1327 Freudenberg Chair. “We've been going through contract negotiations, and we hit a stall point and we walked out at 11 a.m. today for our strike,” Willer said.
Non-tenured faculty members at New York University go on strike
March 24, 2026 // "Classes will continue today. We are committed to maintaining our students' academic progress during this strike. Substitute instructors and/or alternative plans are in place for every section affected.
United Auto Workers units finalize agreements with UC, avoid strike
March 24, 2026 // The three units – UAW Local 4811’s academic student employees unit, Research and Public Service Professionals-UAW and Student Services and Advising Professionals-UAW – represent more than 40,000 UC academic and research employees, including teaching assistants. The ratification marks SSAP-UAW and RPSP-UAW’s first contracts with the University, while UAW Local 4811’s previous contract expired Feb. 28. About 89% of academic student employees across the UC – and 85% at UCLA – voted to ratify the contract, as well as 98% of RPSPs and 99% of SSAPs, according to an email sent to UAW Local 4811 members.
NIH Withdraws Recognition from Union Representing Grad Students and Postdocs
March 19, 2026 // The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has withdrawn recognition from the union representing its postdoctoral and graduate student fellows. In the email announcing the decision, the NIH stated it withdrew recognition because the fellows are not “employees.” Unionization at federal agencies like the NIH is regulated by the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), rather than the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) which oversees labor relations in the private sector.
Columbia student worker union authorizes strike amid contract talks, Israel boycott demands
March 17, 2026 // Student Workers of Columbia, a union representing roughly 3,500 graduate and undergraduate student workers at Columbia University, has “overwhelmingly” authorized a strike as part of ongoing contract negotiations with the university, including demands for an institutional boycott of Israel.
UC-wide strike averted after tentative agreement with UAW
March 16, 2026 // A UC systemwide strike will likely be averted after UAW and the University of California reached a tentative agreement Friday after seven months of negotiations. UAW 4811, the union that represents 48,000 student employees, postdocs and academic researchers across the UC system, announced the tentative agreement in an email Friday night.
Lorain County files unfair labor practices charge against striking JFS workers
March 4, 2026 // Lorain County officials on Thursday filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union representing striking county Job and Family Services workers. The county accused the union of trying to force it to engage in "direct dealing" by bypassing designated negotiators, which is prohibited under state labor laws. The claim was filed two days after the union, United Auto Workers Local 2192, filed its own unfair labor practices claims against the county.