Arlington, TX – Plans are moving forward for UPS to automate much of the work at its Lonestar Hub. UPS has framed the automation push as “Modernization” and has favored a “Better, Not Bigger” policy which means reducing overall volume while increasing profits for the company. UPS is anticipating a 6% gain in revenue per package as a result of recent changes; however, they also expect to see a decline of 8.5% in average daily volume. They expect to achieve this by focusing less on volume and more on transporting goods that bring a higher profit per package delivered.
Salt Lake City, UT – It is an exciting time to be a labor organizer in Utah. In the past weeks, workers at the SunTrapp Bar in Salt Lake City struck against unfair labor practices, winning the love and support of the community, and nine Starbucks stores in the state have organized under Starbucks Workers United. Now, campus workers at both the University of Utah and Utah State University are flexing their organizational muscle as the United Campus Workers swells its ranks, building a wall-to-wall union of staff, graduate student workers, career instructors and faculty.
Colorado Springs, CO – On November 13, workers from the Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) rallied with their allies at a unionized Starbucks store in Colorado Springs to begin their “Red Cup Rebellion, ” strike against unfair labor practice. SBWU called this strike after Starbucks refused to finalize a union contract earlier in the year that would address worker demands for higher pay, better staffing, and address hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.
Muskegon, MI – On November 13, plumbers and apprentices working for Moore Mechanical Grand Rapids began picketing outside the Shaw Walker Project in Muskegon, Michigan. They were joined by other union members of UA local 174 as well as a handful of community members.
Dallas, TX – On November 13, Starbucks workers who are represented by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), began and open-ended strike over unfair labor practices they say that Starbucks has committed. The SBWU workers say that Starbucks has been unwilling to bargain in good faith to reach a first contract with the newly formed union.
Shelbyville, IN – Thirty days into their historic strike for union recognition, the Horseshoe Indianapolis table games dealers and dual rate dealers marked the milestone the way striking workers always have: together, in solidarity, and in full public view.
At noon on November 15, striking workers and their supporters gathered for “Labor Day in November,” a large cookout held directly across from the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino. Despite being one month into a bitter showdown with casino giant Caesars Entertainment, morale on the line was high and the sense of momentum unmistakable.
Brooklyn, NY – On November 13, the national Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) launched an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike targeting Starbucks for its unwillingness to reach a contract with the union.
New Orleans, LA – On November 11, dozens of nurses represented by National Nurses United held a picket line demanding retention, an end to merit-based raises, and good faith contract negotiations. This three-day strike marks the fifth since University Medical Center (UMC) nurses won their union in December 2023. The New Orleans Nurses United is the first private-sector healthcare workers union to form in Louisiana.
Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of Saturday, November 8, the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, Local 59 (MFE59) announced that they had reached a tentative agreement between MFE59 and Minneapolis Public Schools. This announcement came less than three days before union members were set to go out on strike.
Shelbyville, IN — The historic strike at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino has taken a dramatic and scandalous turn.
Since October 17, table games dealers and dual rates—workers who deal cards part of the week and serve as floor leads the rest—have led a militant strike demanding that Caesars Entertainment recognize their union with Teamsters Local 135 and bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions.
Shelbyville, IN - The strike for union recognition at the Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino has now entered its fourth week, marking more than 23 days on the picket line for table games dealers and dual rate dealers. These workers, who greet one another each day with the call-and-response “One day longer” and “One day stronger,” are carrying out one of the most significant and courageous private-sector labor battles in modern Indiana history, and one of the only major recognition strikes seen in the United States in decades.
NYC, NY – On November 5t, in Midtown Manhattan, the Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE Cacus), the opposition caucus within the United Federation of Teachers, held their second General Assembly of the year. The event was called “Hands Off Our Schools: Building Union Power Under Authoritarianism” and heard from at least 40 teachers from across all 5 NYC Boroughs.
Tampa, FL – On November 4, Graduate Assistants United (GAU) negotiated with the University of South Florida (USF) Board of Trustees over the union’s pending contract. GAU’s stipend proposal was made on July 17. However, after months of stalling, the USF negotiations team returned with a measly 2% increase in their counterproposal.
On Wednesday, a group of more than 600 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners held a one-day strike against their employer, Minneapolis-based Allina Health. The primary and urgent care providers work at over 60 clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin and are organized with Doctors Council SEIU Local 10MD.
On October 15, a White House memo boasted a $13 billion investment in five Midwestern plants by automaker Stellantis. It also announced projects by Whirlpool, General Electric and others. Thanks to tariffs, Trump tells us, the prodigal sons of industry have returned.
But how does the scoreboard really add up for reindustrialization?
Not quite as advertised. These aren’t new factories; they’re old ones being retooled. Tariffs shoot manufacturers in the foot, since they drive up prices for supplies. Investing in new technologies takes skilled workers. This is a hard sell when ICE just deported over 300 Korean technicians from a Georgia car factory. Auto corporations, hearts full of liberal compassion, fear that “first they came for Hyundai.”
Colorado Springs, CO – On October 29, organizers with Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) gathered at a unionized Starbucks store in Colorado Springs to hold a practice picket in preparation to strike. Members of the Colorado Springs Labor Council, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Democratic Socialists of America joined the practice picket.
Springfield, IL – Four buses departed from the parking lot of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) headquarters at sunrise on Wednesday morning, October 29. They carried hundreds of educators, students and parents to the State Capitol in Springfield where they joined people from all over the state mobilized by the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT). All united to demand fully funded schools across the state.
New York, NY – On October 24, in Midtown Manhattan the NYC Educators For Palestine convened an event to launch their divestment campaign for the new school year.
The Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) for the Ccty of New York currently holds $112million of stock in Israeli companies. The “TRS Divest” campaign, made in combination with teachers in the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York (PSC-CUNY), seeks to bring more teachers into the fold to organize against their retirement funds being invested in Israeli stocks, including notorious weapons manufacturers such as Elbit Systems.
Milwaukee, WI – On October 25, employees of Discovery World Museum, along with other union and community members stood together on a picket line to tell Discovery World management that they will not tolerate their refusal to recognize the workers union.
Rosemont, IL – Hundreds of people marched in the No Kings protest on Saturday afternoon, October 18, near O’Hare International Airport. At the head of the column was the leadership of the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), including outgoing President Dan Montgomery and newly-elected President Stacy Davis Gates. Protesters demanded fully-funded public services and an end to Trump's federal invasion of Illinois.