Labor Rights News Thread

[firestar464]

Canada Post workers walking off the job after government demands reforms

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada ... -1.7644025

[caltrek]

Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Collect Strike Pledges as Company Stalls at Table
By Luis Feliz Leon
October 16, 2025

Introduction:

( Labor Notes) Volkswagen has dug in its heels in first-contract negotiations at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where workers won a landslide victory in last year’s union drive.

“We’re still waiting for the company to agree to a proposal that simply affords us a fair share,” auto worker Steve Cochran testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on October 8. “We are living with health care that forces people into bankruptcy. We are living with no protection from inflation.”

In March, Volkswagen cut shifts, sowing fear and uncertainty during contract negotiations. In late September it presented its “last, best, and final offer,” and issued threats about job and benefit losses if workers authorized a strike. The union is gathering pledge cards for a potential strike.

The 3-to-1 yes vote covering the plant’s entire 4,300-member workforce in April 2024 was a landmark victory for the United Auto Workers, which had lost plant-wide elections here in 2014 and 2019. This was the first auto plant in the South to unionize through an election since 1940, and the first foreign-owned factory.

But Volkswagen hasn’t accepted defeat. “The company has repeatedly violated labor law to delay us our fair share,” Cochran told Congress. “They have unlawfully cut jobs at the plant. They have unlawfully refused to bargain in good faith.”

Read more here: https://www.labornotes.org/2025/10/te ... lls-table

[firestar464]

[caltrek]

Michigan’s Undocumented Workers Have No Right to Workers Compensation. A Legal Appeal May Change This.
By Nina B. Elkadi
October 28, 2025

Introduction:

(Sentient) A lawsuit before Michigan’s Supreme Court alleges that, for 17 years, undocumented workers have been illegally denied benefits when injured on the job. The suit was filed by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in 2022, challenging a decades-old decision that has served as legal precedent to deny these benefits. In the original case, two undocumented workers suffered workplace injuries and were denied compensation due to the “crime” of their undocumented status.

Undocumented employees often work in dangerous and difficult work environments, including slaughterhouse and meatpacking work. Agricultural jobs in slaughterhouses are some of the highest-risk labor in the United States, and the large corporations that control much of the meat sector in the U.S. rely on immigrant and migrant labor to keep plants running. However, the plaintiffs argue, in Michigan, employees are not protected if they are injured on the job.

Under Michigan caselaw, workers are only entitled to medical and wage loss benefits “until their undocumented status is identified.” Once the employer finds out, “wage loss benefits cease to be available.” If the appeal to the state’s Supreme Court is successful, the decision would make it so undocumented workers in Michigan are now eligible for benefits. The term “undocumented” refers to immigrants here in the U.S. without legal status.

“Justice for undocumented workers who keep their neighbors housed and fed is at stake, and so are the rights of all Michiganders to challenge their state’s illegal conduct in court,” David Muraskin, Managing Director for Litigation at FarmSTAND, who argued for the Center, said in a statement.

The Center is represented by two legal advocacy groups, FarmSTAND and the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice. The plaintiffs are seeking an end to the state’s practice of “shielding employers and insurance companies from responsibility” when an undocumented worker is injured on the job.

Read more here: https://sentientmedia.org/michigans-u ... l-appeal/

[firestar464]

[caltrek]

Boeing Defense Workers Ratify New Contract to End 3-month Strike in the Midwest
By Rio Yamat
November 13, 2025

Introduction:

(ABC) Several thousand Boeing machinists in the Midwest who assemble military aircraft and weapons voted Thursday to approve a new contract, ending a three-month strike that saw them reject four earlier offers from the company.

The breakthrough five-year labor agreement includes a 24% wage hike across the life of the contract and a $6,000 signing bonus, according to the union representing the 3,200 workers who walked off the job on Aug. 4.

“We’re proud of what our members have fought for together and are ready to get back to building the world’s most advanced military aircraft," the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a statement.

With their new contract in hand, the machinists are set to return to work Sunday at manufacturing plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, as well as in Mascoutah, Illinois. The workers build fighter jets, weapons systems and the U.S. Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft at those facilities.

Boeing said in a statement that it looks forward to "bringing our full team back together.”

Read more here: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireSt ... 127499649

[caltrek]

‘Don’t Cross the Picket Line’: No Kings Alliance Backs Starbucks Boycott During Workers Strike
by Brad Reed
November 14, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) The No Kings Alliance on Friday announced that it was mobilizing in support of Starbucks workers who went on strike this week to demand a fair contract.

The alliance, which organized one of the largest demonstrations in US history last month with nationwide “No Kings” protests against the President Donald Trump’s administration, pledged solidarity with the striking workers, while highlighting the massive disparity in pay for Starbucks baristas and the company’s CEO.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol was paid $96 million for just 120 days of work in 2024, paying himself 6,666 times what the average barista made—the worst CEO-to-worker pay inequity in the country,” said the alliance. “At the same time, Trump and his billionaire backers are doing their best to scare people out of speaking up for their rights on the job and in their communities.”

“Don’t cross the picket line,” the alliance urged its supporters, while also encouraging them to sign the “No Contract, No Coffee” pledge, an online petition demanding that the company negotiate with Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) on a just contract.

“I call on you to bargain a fair contract with Starbucks Workers United baristas!” the pledge reads. “I support Starbucks baristas in their fight for a union and a fair contract, and pledge not to cross the picket line. That means I will not patronize any Starbucks store when baristas are on [unfair labor practices] strike.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/star ... ed-strike

[caltrek]

U.S. Farm Workers Sue Trump Administration to Save American Farm Jobs and Wages
November 21, 2025

Introduction:

(UFW Foundation) Washington, D.C. – Today, 18 individual farm workers, the United Farm Workers of America, and the UFW Foundation filed a lawsuit to reverse the Trump administration’s wage cut rule that dramatically undercuts the wages of U.S. workers in agriculture and risks drastically expanding the exploitative H2A agricultural guestworker program. The H-2A guestworker program already has no annual visa cap and has grown 7-fold since 2005, with nearly 400,000 foreign workers in 2024 alone. The Trump wage cut rule represents one of the largest wealth transfers from workers to employers in U.S. agricultural history.

On October 2, the Department of Labor announced a new rule that cuts the wages of H-2A workers between $5 to $7 per hour, directly transferring $2.46 billion dollars in wages from workers to employers annually, according to the administration’s own estimates. This rule will also immediately lower the wages of any U.S. citizen workers sharing job sites with H-2A workers, and make it financially easier to hire foreign H-2A guest workers over U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The rule was released without giving the public an opportunity to provide feedback, as required by the Administrative Procedure Act. The first Trump administration attempted to implement a similar rule in 2020 but was stopped by a UFW and UFW Foundation lawsuit. A federal court found the 2020 rule adversely affected the wages and working conditions of American workers, a violation of federal law.

The new worker lawsuit seeks to reverse President Trump’s wage cut rule and to protect American farm worker jobs and wages. It was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Plaintiffs are represented by Covington & Burling, Farmworker Justice, Martinez Aguilasocho Law, and the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. Plaintiffs include U.S. farm workers from Michigan, Georgia, California, Washington, Texas, and Missouri.

Read more here: https://ufwfoundation.org/u-s-farm-wor ... nd-wages/

[caltrek]

Democrats Win Another Discharge Petition, This Time to Force Vote on Federal Worker Bargaining Rights
By Mike Lillis and Emily Brooks
November 20, 2025

Introduction:

(The Hill) Legislation to restore union rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers is headed for a House vote.

The bill is opposed by the GOP leaders who control the lower chamber, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week very quietly secured the required 218 signatures on a discharge petition to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and force the proposal to the floor.

The breakthrough, which was overshadowed by the week’s intense focus on the Jeffrey Epstein saga, sets the stage for the House to pass legislation returning the collective bargaining rights to federal employees who were stripped of those powers under an executive order signed by President Trump earlier in the year.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), the lead sponsor of the legislation, said House rules will allow him to call the bill for a vote as early as Dec. 2.
Labor supporters celebrated the development, with some hammering Trump and GOP leaders for attacking working-class people during a period when economic anxieties are already prevalent. They’re eager to highlight the issue with a House vote — and predict it will pass easily on the floor.

Read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/561 ... hts-bill/

caltrek’s comment: Assuming this passes the House, which I think is a pretty safe assumption given the number who signed the discharge petition, it will be interesting to see what happens in the Senate. If it passes the Senate, it will then be interesting to see if Trump signs the legislation. As with the Epstein case, Trump may be reluctant to veto the measure given the wide level of support. He may sign just for the sake of keeping the Republican party together.

[caltrek]

Ahead of Black Friday, Report Reveals Attacks on Garment Workers’ Right to Organize
By Julia Conley
November 27, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) With clothing companies that will be offering discounted Black Friday deals this week relying heavily on the labor of tens of millions underpaid and overworked garment workers across the Global South, two reports by the human rights group Amnesty International make the case that ensuring these employees are afforded the right to organize their workplaces is key to ending worker exploitation across the fashion industry.

The organization interviewed 64 garment workers in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan from 2023-24, including 12 union organizers and labor rights activists, for its report titled Stitched Up, about the denial of freedom of association for workers in the four countries.

Two-thirds of the workers Amnesty interviewed were women, reflecting the fact that the garment workforce is mainly female, and many described the long hours, poverty wages, and abusive working conditions that the industry is known for.

But beyond that, the workers told Amnesty about the “climate of fear” they work in, with all but two of the 13 workers in Bangladesh reporting they had faced threats of retaliation at work if they joined or tried to form a union.

More than two dozen union organizers in the four countries described harassment, dismissal, and threats that they and their colleagues had faced for organizing their workplace.

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/garment-workers

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

LEGO Tears Down Unionization Effort at Downtown Disney Store
By Chauncey K. Robinson
December 10, 2025

Introduction:

(PopularResistance.Org) Buena Park, CA — Usually, LEGO is associated with physically building things up, but in this case, workers are accusing the company of tearing down their chances of getting union representation. Employees at the Downtown Disney LEGO store are claiming that the company is using illegal union-busting tactics and violating their rights.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324, the union supporting LEGO Store workers’ unionization efforts in Downtown Disney, announced on Friday, Dec. 5, that it has filed an unfair labor practice charge against LEGO. The union alleges that LEGO has unlawfully restricted employees from discussing unionization at work and “heightened its enforcement of work rules in response to the workers’ organizing activities.”

Two months ago, workers publicly announced their effort to unionize the flagship LEGO Store. Since that time, employees, referred to as “Brick Specialists” in LEGO corporate-speak, have reported that the company has attempted to undermine support for forming a union. A so-called “labor educator” has shown up at the store to lobby employees against the union. The UFCW alleges that this person refuses to tell workers their last name or who they are employed by. This individual is said to be attempting to meet with workers at the store one by one, working in “apparent coordination with store managers.”

This comes on top of reports that LEGO has flown numerous company managers in from out of state to work in the store, despite workers’ complaints that they themselves are blocked from working more than 27 hours per week.

Brick Specialist Melissa Gonzalez expressed her frustration with LEGO’s behavior. “We started organizing because we felt like the low pay, lack of benefits, and understaffing [were] a fixable problem, and with all the union members around us at the Disney Resort, we just wanted equal treatment,” she said. “I asked for a voice on the job, not a target on my back.”

Read more here: https://popularresistance.org/lego-tea ... ey-store/

[caltrek]

To Protect Underage Farmworkers, California Expands Oversight of Field Conditions
By Robert J. Lopez
December 5, 2025

Introduction:

(Capital & Main) California officials said they are launching new enforcement actions to protect underage farmworkers, including enhanced coordination among two state agencies charged with inspecting work conditions in the fields.

The actions follow an investigation by Capital & Main, produced in partnership with the Los Angeles Times and McGraw Center for Business Journalism, which found that the state is failing to protect underage farmworkers who labor in harsh and dangerous circumstances. Thousands of children and teenagers work in California fields to provide Americans with fresh fruit and vegetables. While laborers as young as 12 can legally work in agriculture, many described being exposed to toxic pesticides, dangerous heat and other hazards.

The new enforcement efforts will be overseen by the state Labor and Workforce Development Agency, which directs key agencies charged with regulating child labor and worksite safety laws, officials said.

Officials said the state’s Bureau of Field Enforcement, which regulates child labor and wage and hour laws, is developing plans to conduct joint operations with an existing agricultural enforcement task force assigned to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA.

Read more here: https://capitalandmain.com/to-protect- ... onditions

[caltrek]

Trump Administration Moves to Nix TSA Union Contract — Again
By Sam Ogozalek
December 12, 2025

Introduction:

(Politico) The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it is dissolving a union contract covering the agency’s baggage screeners at airports nationwide — even though it attempted to do so earlier this year and was blocked by a federal judge.

The latest maneuver is expected to be challenged in court, too.

The agency said it will ax a 2024 collective bargaining agreement covering more than 47,000 screeners on Jan. 11. That’s based on a determination made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sept. 29 that screeners are primarily focused on national security and that union representation is “inconsistent with efficient stewardship of taxpayer dollars and impedes the agility required to secure the traveling public,” according to the agency.

TSA added that it will stop using its computer system to collect union dues from screeners’ paychecks.

The Friday announcement sparked immediate condemnation from the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents screeners. The labor group vowed to sue over the issue.

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/ ... 00689888

[firestar464]

US Senate confirms Trump nominees for labor board paralyzed after member's firing

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-AA1SD4ym

[firestar464]

Two Republicans join Democrats to oppose Trump order

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-AA1SZqND

Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Democrats as co-sponsors of a bill that would undo President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting collective bargaining for most federal unions. A Senate vote remains uncertain.

This bipartisan support in the Senate is noteworthy, but likely not enough to overcome hurdles if Republican leadership opposes the bill.

The House recently passed Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-ME) American Workers Protection Act with the help of 20 Republicans.

The measure’s Senate companion from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) now sits in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “Republicans and Democrats alike are recognizing that you can’t run a functioning government by attacking the very workforce that keeps Americans safe. The bipartisan momentum in the House only strengthens our hand in the Senate, and I intend to build on it,” Warner said.

[firestar464]

[caltrek]

One way for workers to gain more power in their work-place is through unions. There is another way:

Worker Owned Cooperatives are Rising in New York
By Camille Luong
December 28, 2025

Introduction:

(Popular Resistance.org) Brooklyn’s Boyfriend Co-op Shows Power of Shared Oownership.

At most workplaces, there is a boss and an employee. The boss calls the shots — how much employees get paid, what drinks get put on the menu, what the exterior and interior design of the workplace will look like and more. If workers get burnt out, they either get fired or quit, with little say on how things get run or how they could change.

What if, instead, the binary between worker and owners was shattered, and workplaces were run collectively by worker-owners?

This was the question that Boyfriend Co-op, a lesbian cafe-bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn, sought to answer when they opened nine months ago, joining a movement of more than 85,000 worker-owner cooperatives around the world. Boyfriend Co-op currently consists of four worker-owners and two workers on the track to becoming worker-owners. Compared to a traditional workplace, Boyfriend Co-op worker-owners make decisions collectively.

“There’s a different chain of command and hierarchy,” said Hena Mustafa, one of the founders and worker-owners of Boyfriend Co-op. “Basically nobody is structurally above anybody else. It’s one person, one vote, and we all get equal pay, equal say.”

Mustafa described exploitative past work experiences as one of her key motivations in envisioning a more equitable workplace.

Read more here: https://popularresistance.org/worker-o ... new-york/

[firestar464]

Video game giant Ubisoft closes Halifax studio, cutting 71 jobs

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-sco ... -9.7036470

[caltrek]

Largest Nurses Strike in New York City History as Nearly 15,000 Healthcare Workers Hit the Picket Line
By Brad Reed
January 12, 2026

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Thousands of nurses are hitting the picket lines in what will be the largest nurses strike in the history of New York City.

The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) on Monday announced that nearly 15,000 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian are going on strike after “greedy hospital management at these wealthy private hospitals have given frontline nurses no other choice.”

The NYSNA posted a long list of sticking points on contract negotiations, including “safe staffing for our patients, protections from workplace violence, and healthcare for frontline nurses.”

NYSNA president Nancy Hagans said that any patients in need of care at these hospitals should enter them, emphasizing that “going into the hospital to get the care you need is not crossing our strike line.” She also encouraged patients to join the picket line with the nurses after receiving care.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out in solidarity with the striking nurses, while also emphasizing the importance of “ensuring New Yorkers have the care they need... especially during flu season.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/nyc-nurses-strike