Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Arlington County and Alexandria City Workers Secure First Contracts
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Workers in Arlington County, Virginia, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, ratified their first contracts. They unionized last year with AFSCME, and the two units represent more than 500 workers who work on essential public services such as water treatment, traffic enforcement, and parks and recreation. The Arlington contract includes 12.25% across-the-board wage increases over the course of the three-year agreement, 6% increases to all starting and maximum salaries for every position, a new grievance procedure and other gains. In Alexandria, the three-year contract guarantees an 8% raise over three years, plus a $1,000 bonus in 2024.
“With inflation and this ‘silent recession’ that no one wants to talk about, having those raises be automatic is definitely going to make me feel a lot more at ease,” said Jaleesa Morris, a parking enforcement officer with the city of Alexandria for more than six years.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/29/2023 - 10:00Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Margaret Jaramillo
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Margaret Jaramillo of UNITE HERE.
"I grew up in New Mexico with my grandfather (who is Apache and Navajo) about 2 miles away from the Pueblo of Isleta reservation, and I learned a lot about my Indigenous culture," said Margaret Jaramillo. "I have been a union shop steward for years, and I’m proud that we won a great contract because it protects us, our pension, our raises, our safety and everything else that is important. I’m proud to say that I’m part of the Culinary Workers Union, and I’m proud of my Native American heritage."
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/28/2023 - 16:28Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Collin Smith
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Collin Smith of AFSCME.
Whether he’s operating the snowplow, responding to traffic accidents or filling potholes, Collin Smith—a highway maintenance worker for the New Mexico Department of Transportation—does everything he can to keep the roads safe, the same roads his family and neighbors drive on. Smith can draw his heritage back to the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and takes great pride in working to maintain the critical roads that run through New Mexico’s native communities, including the Pueblo of Isleta. As a steward for AFSCME Local 1211, Smith ensures that he and his coworkers have everything they need to do their essential work safely and effectively.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/28/2023 - 16:28Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Maine’s Woodland Pulp Union Members Vote to Accept Improved Contract Offer; Strike Is Over
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After weeks of negotiations, members from Machinists (IAM) Local 1490, in collaboration with 20 millwrights from Millwrights Local 1121 and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) District 330-3, have accepted the latest offer from Woodland Pulp, ending the strike that commenced on Oct. 14. The contract includes job classification improvements, wage increases, improved vacation benefits, paid sick leave and other benefits.
“I appreciate the Baileyville community, SEIU, Millwrights, Maine AFL-CIO and our IAM members and staff for their support,” said IAM District 4 Business Representative Danny Loudermilk. “I am grateful to the Food AND Medicine organization for providing groceries and turkeys for the 86 members and their families during this strike. Their donation was greatly appreciated."
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/28/2023 - 10:45Native American Heritage Month Profiles
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people.
Here are the profiles we've featured this year:
- Donna Lahr, PASS
- Robert Gilson, CWA
- Russell Denny, USW
- David Midthunder, IATSE
- Eric Moore, IATSE
- DeLanna Studi, SAG-AFTRA
- Patricia Salway, AFGE
- Christina Riley, LIUNA
- Richard Reynolds, LIUNA
Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Richard Reynolds
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Richard Reynolds of LIUNA.
"I enjoy being a part of the Laborers union, not only as a source of income for myself and family, but it's also helped me over the years learn so many different skill sets," said LIUNA member Richard Reynolds. "Along with using many different hand tools to equipment, I've gotten the chance to work with many companies and learn their trade, including road work, dirt work, pipe laying, scaffolding, and bridge work. I've gained lifelong friendships and skill sets in this workforce, and it helped me be a better worker every day."
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/27/2023 - 10:12Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Medieval Times Buena Park Workers End Strike, Return to Work
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Show performers and stable hands at Medieval Times in Buena Park, California, ended their nine-month strike and returned to work Wednesday morning without a contract agreement, said the union representing the workers, the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). The union made an “unconditional offer to return to work.”
“We felt that it was in our best interest to continue to try to work toward the collective bargaining agreement while returning to work,” said Erin Zapcic, who plays a queen at the Buena Park castle and serves as a union steward. “Our fight’s not over, and just because we’re going back to work doesn’t mean we’re not 1000% committed to getting a collective bargaining agreement that makes Medieval Times as safe and equitable as it possibly can be.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/27/2023 - 10:02
This Is the Story of How Workers Win
It has been a monumental month for American labor.
UAW ratified powerful new contracts with each of America’s Big Three automakers: Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
SAG-AFTRA reached an industry-defining tentative agreement with the television and film industry studios.
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 (UNITE HERE) reached its best tentative agreements ever with three Las Vegas titans: Caesars, MGM and Wynn.
And just last week, the Detroit Casino Council reached a terrific tentative agreement for thousands of casino workers in Michigan.
This is all incredible news with deals that will provide life-changing gains for America’s workers. And it was made possible by the unwavering strength of union members standing united for a better future, with all of our union family and people across the country standing in solidarity with them.
This moment is even bigger than these huge victories. This is about a labor movement. We’ve seen more than 300 strikes so far this year, involving more than 450,000 workers. Every industry. Every state.
Working people are reclaiming their power, taking on the companies that have given them the short end of the stick for too long:
- Look at WGA, who won an extraordinary deal for Hollywood writers with the major film and television companies.
- Look at OPEIU, IFPTE, and SEIU, who won a groundbreaking deal for health care workers with Kaiser Permanente.
- Look at the Teamsters, who won a historic deal for delivery and warehouse workers with UPS.
- Look at Starbucks stores all over this country. Two years ago, there were zero unions. Today, we have more than 360. And last week, the Red Cup Rebellion was the largest strike in Starbucks history.
And we’re not done. Workers are still holding the line and standing in solidarity as one labor movement so that every worker gets the fair contract they deserve. And we are growing our movement to bring in more working people, to elect more pro-labor leaders and to lead in the future of work on key issues like artificial intelligence (AI) and green energy jobs.
We can’t remember a moment when our movement had this kind of momentum. This is the story of how workers win.
So this Thanksgiving, we couldn’t be more grateful for workers and activists across the country and for every single person like you who has joined the fight. It truly is better in a union. THANK YOU.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/22/2023 - 11:12Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Christina Riley
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Christina Riley of LIUNA.
Graduating from the Northwest Laborers Apprenticeship program and continuing with ongoing training has paved the way for Christina Riley to have a successful career with endless opportunities for growth. She is grateful for the chance to mentor other members and serve as the co-chair of the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council Tribal Committee, where she collaborates with local tribes. Having been a member of Laborers (LIUNA) Local 252 for 17 years, she has witnessed LIUNA's dedication to the tribes, and she is proud to be a part of it.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/22/2023 - 09:16Service & Solidarity Spotlight: OPM Finalizes AFGE-Backed Locality Pay Bump for 32,900 Federal Workers
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued the final rule implementing a locality pay raise the AFGE sought for nearly 33,000 federal employees. Those working in Fresno, California; Reno, Nevada; Rochester, New York; and Spokane, Washington, are slated to get a locality pay raise on Jan. 1, 2024. New counties will also be added, so those working and living in these counties will get a locality pay bump as well.
This is a direct result of AFGE pushing the Biden administration to adopt the Federal Salary Council’s pro-labor recommendations that would increase pay for tens of thousands of General Schedule employees who in 2022 made 24.09% less than employees outside the federal government doing similar jobs.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/22/2023 - 09:13Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Patricia Salway
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Patricia Salway of AFGE.
Patricia “Trish” Salway is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe located in Browning, Montana, outside of Glacier National Park, and her family has lived on the Blackfeet Reservation for decades. Salway also has Cree and Sioux heritage. Salway has been an employee of the Montana VA Health Care System for 22 years and a member of AFGE for the past 13 years, serving as the local’s secretary for the last six years and treasurer for the last three.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/21/2023 - 10:06Native American Heritage Month Profiles: DeLanna Studi
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features DeLanna Studi of SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA member DeLanna Studi is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has over 25 years experience as a performer, storyteller, educator, advocate and activist. Since 2007, she has served as chair of the SAG-AFTRA National Native Americans Committee.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/20/2023 - 10:04Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Detroit Casino Workers Win Tentative 5-Year Contract
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After months of negotiations and 32 days on strike, the Detroit Casino Council’s 3,700 members reached a tentative agreement on Friday for a new five-year contract with the MGM Grand Detroit, the Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MotorCity Casino Hotel. The members will continue to strike until the contract is ratified. The coalition representing the workers includes UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 324, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Teamsters Local 1038.
The historic tentative agreement includes the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the Detroit casino industry’s 23-year history (including an immediate 18% pay raise on average), no health care cost increases for employees, workload reductions and other job protections, first-ever technology contract language, retirement increases and more.
“A contract of this significance makes me feel proud to work in Detroit’s casinos once again,” said Alicia Weaver, a guest room attendant for 24 years at MGM Detroit and member of Local 24. “Cleaning hotel rooms is a really tough job that gets tougher every year, so the fixes we made in this contract to reduce my daily workload mean less strain on my body and more energy for my family when I get home from work. Everyone on both sides worked hard to get this done.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/20/2023 - 09:57Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Eric Moore
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Eric Moore of IATSE.
Eric Moore has been a Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 728 member for 25 years and is currently a rigging CLT on "Mayans M.C." He is half Hopi from Arizona and half Tewa from the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico. “Being a member of Local 728 has been a wonderful career choice. The entertainment industry is filled with interesting projects and amazing people. It is an honor to work with members of my local and the other guilds and locals in our industry.”
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/17/2023 - 09:14Service & Solidarity Spotlight: President Shuler Calls Out Detroit Casino Ownership in Visit to ‘Strike City’ Picket Line
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler joined workers on the picket line at MotorCity Casino Hotel on Wednesday night for a rally as they continue their negotiations with management of the three casinos in Detroit. Unions participating in the strike include UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 324, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Teamsters Local 1038. The negotiations are reportedly boiling down to core issues, and hundreds of workers joined the rally.
“Union casino workers kept this industry alive during the pandemic,” Shuler told Michigan Advance. “But despite Detroit casino owners making record profits, they are refusing to take care of their workers. This is unjust, unfair and unethical. It is time to pay the workers who keep you in business a living wage, to provide health care that allows workers to care for themselves and their families and to guarantee the job security their employees have earned. We stand in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters on the strike line as they fight for the contract they deserve.”
This was Shuler’s fifth visit to Detroit since Labor Day. Local unions have dubbed the town as “Strike City,” given the number of large strikes that happened concurrently this fall and the collaborative strike actions that have been executed among the various unions.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/17/2023 - 09:07Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Russell Denny
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Russell Denny of the United Steelworkers (USW).
Russell Denny, an electrician and instrument technician at Elk Petroleum, serves as unit recording secretary of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 12-477. Denny and his fellow workers at Elk Petroleum attended the union’s first gathering of Indigenous members in the U.S., where activists from numerous tribes exchanged ideas on how unions can improve their responsiveness to issues important to Native American members, communities and peoples.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/15/2023 - 10:30Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Cannabis Workers in Massachusetts Join UFCW
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Cannabis production workers at Holistic Industries in Monson, Massachusetts, voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1459. The win comes after months of organizing and after major layoffs left the workers short-staffed, which led to long hours and work well outside their job descriptions. The workers are also concerned about low pay and hazardous working conditions.
“Before, I’d come into work every day and say to myself, ‘There’s room for improvement,’” said Jessica Bozenhard, packaging associate at Holistic Industries. “This victory means we can start making improvements. The union gives us a voice and the support we need to make change possible.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/15/2023 - 10:17Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Robert Gilson
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Robert Gilson of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7019 member Robert Gilson has worked for Lumen for more than 24 years, where he works as a broadband technician. He has been a proud union member the entire time. A descendant of the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona, Gilson served seven years in the U.S. Army before going to work at U.S. West Communications (now Lumen). He encourages his workgroup to be active in the union so they will always have a voice at the table and because the union knows how to ensure equality for all.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/14/2023 - 10:11Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Home Chef Workers in Illinois Join UFCW
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After a four-month campaign, production and distribution workers at the Home Chef facility in Bedford Park, Illinois, voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546. Home Chef is a Kroger-owned meal-kit delivery and prepared foods provider with more than 450 workers at the Bedford Park location.
“Workers at this Chicago-based location came together to seek better working conditions, higher pay, improved benefits, along with management accountability,” said Local 1546 Organizing Director Carlos Cartagena. “We listened carefully to the workers’ concerns and relied heavily on a strategic mobile organizing approach; a strong sense of unity among co-workers; and workers learning from past lessons of failed corporate promises and divisive rhetoric.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/14/2023 - 10:07Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Donna Lahr
Throughout Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Donna Lahr of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS).
“Oki nitanikoo Donna Lahr!” this Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) member says. Born and raised on the 1.5 million acre Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, Donna Lahr’s traditional name is Ksiistsikomaakii, Thunder Woman. She began her career with the Federal Aviation Administration in 2006 after serving in the Marines. Lahr currently works at Southern California TRACON as the National Airspace System Operations manager.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/13/2023 - 11:41
