Posts tagged wages and benefits
SEIU Local 1000 is holding strike schools — what does that mean?
July 27, 2026 // A union that represents nearly 100,000 California state workers is holding strike schools starting this weekend to educate its members on what to know if a strike unfolds.
Workers at Swaybox Studios, Home to Batman Animated Movie, Vote to Unionize
July 23, 2026 // Unless valid challenges are presented, a group of 137 workers at the studio including animators, digital puppetry artists, CG modelers and other workers will soon join the union. The organizing campaign — tackling a film that IATSE claimed is budgeted at $90 million — was “one of the largest organizing drives in film and television production undertaken by IATSE in recent years,” the union said in a press release.
Union and Troubled Home Care Company Maintained Close Partnership, Records Show
July 21, 2026 // Home health aides the company employs have decried missed paychecks, glitchy software, and hours-long waits on the phone, among other issues. Last month, PPL agreed to a $162 million settlement to resolve claims of wage theft, and the US Department of Justice sued the company, alleging Medicaid fraud. The powerful health care union 1199SEIU is currently seeking to unionize PPL’s roughly 200,000 workers, who care for disabled and elderly New Yorkers. But 1199 has also been working closely with the PPL for years, according to internal records obtained by New York Focus.
A Union for Home Care Workers? Many Are Wary.
July 17, 2026 // New York Focus independently spoke to more than a dozen aides for this story, and eight were either against it or leaning in that direction. Saba Nakhai, 32, who cares for her mother in Westchester full time, told New York Focus that she doesn’t see a place for the union in her work. “Maybe if I was working at a corporation, I would want a union,” she said. “But here, who’s the enemy, my mom?” Saba Nakhai, a young woman, stands smiling behind and holds the arms of her older mother, who is seated and wearing sunglasses. The room seems celebratory; a cake is on the table in front of them, and pictures of Saba hang from the ceiling. Saba Nakhai cares for her mother in Westchester full time. | Courtesy of Saba Nakhai To win, 1199 must convince workers like Nakhai that they need an advocate — not against their patients, but against the sprawling bureaucracy that sets their wages and benefits. If it’s successful, 1199 — already one of New York’s political kingmakers — will become even more powerful. Its membership and dues revenue will balloon, enabling more organizing and lobbying.
Detroit automakers, union to negotiate amid EV pressures and tariff tensions
July 15, 2026 // As the automobile industry transitions to electric vehicles, various workforce challenges are set to arise. Apart from the obvious labor disruptions, the skills required to manufacture electric vehicles differ significantly from those needed for internal combustion engines. Additional training will be necessary for the workforce as automakers invest in new manufacturing technologies. The implications of these workforce-related disruptions will be deeply felt in labor negotiations between automakers and unions.
PECO union will strike on July 4, three months after contract expired
June 25, 2026 // As a result of this impending strike, roughly 1,600 PECO workers responsible for maintaining gas and electric systems are expected to step away from their positions. The Union says that PECO is not offering serious counterproposals to their proposals, despite the months-long negotiations. They also say that the members of the Union are paid 30% less than workers at other utilities.
LTE: Unions Place Culture Wars Front and Center
June 22, 2026 // Instead of focusing solely on issues like wages and benefits, union representatives demanded that the company allow different pronoun pins. They also demanded that the company cover abortion and gender-affirming care in its health plans, which the company already did. I expected the union to focus on more important issues. In 2025 the union demanded the store become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement sanctuary. If the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which the U.S. House recently passed, was the law of land, government arbitrators could look at other union contracts or union demands like those I saw and force them on workers at other companies.
2028 Olympics could bring big wins for Los Angeles labor unions
January 25, 2026 // “We are going to have a force ... of working people to do whatever it takes, including striking if we have to during the Olympics in 2028,” Petersen said. “The Olympics can’t happen without the workers.” A coalition of labor groups, community organizations and religious institutions are pushing for the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee — known as LA28 — and the city to pay for building 50,000 housing units, pass a moratorium on short-term rentals like Airbnb, and protect immigrant workers.
Yakima hospital workers vote to authorize strike amid negotiations with MultiCare
January 5, 2026 // Federal law requires Teamsters Local Union 760 to provide a 10-day notice to MultiCare if a strike is to occur. MultiCare stated that the hospital will remain open and fully staffed in the event of a strike.
Gig Drivers Unionize Without Employee Status Under State Plans
July 17, 2025 // Unlike in California, Lyft and Uber remained publicly neutral on the Massachusetts ballot measure and Uber recently vowed to do the same in Illinois. For the companies, the bargaining schemes have the benefit of keeping drivers classified as independent contractors. “As we’ve said for years, we’re willing to work with state legislators on benefit and protection legislation that prioritizes preserving drivers’ independence and flexibility,” said Uber spokesperson Josh Gold.