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Farmworkers and Firefighters Are on the Front Lines of Climate-Fueled Catastrophe »

February 14, 2022 | Lin Nelson

Despite the short flurry of support (it seems so long ago) for workers on the front lines, many of the folks who help hold our health and the economy together feel abandoned and used up. The Covid calamity and the escalating climate crisis are creating worker sacrifice zones.
Young people of various races, fists in air, all masked. Some wear yellow "Gig Worker United" shirts and those in front hold a big banner with the group's logo and the initials of the Canadian postal union.

Viewpoint: Gig Workers Deserve Real Labour Rights, Not Backroom Deals Like This One Between Uber and UFCW Canada »

February 11, 2022 | David Bush

Less than 12 hours after co-sponsoring a labour-led discussion on the rights of gig workers, United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW) announced it had come to a deal with Uber to represent 100,000 of its workers.
Man in cap and vest in orange shirt at top center. Three tubs of lobsters below him and others around him as well. Window at top center. Blue drum at top center.

How Lobstermen Formed a Union Co-op to Claw Back Fair Prices »

February 7, 2022 | Bernadette King Fitzsimons and Rebecca Lurie

When you think of workers hamstrung by the “independent contractor” label, you probably don’t think of Maine lobstermen.
A woman wearing a red blouse and jeans and a serious, determined expression holds up a handful of "VOTA SINTTIA" leaflets, fanned out. She is standing in a sunny outdoor location, in front of a red car that has a poster taped on the side.

In a Landslide Victory, Mexican GM Workers Vote In an Independent Union »

February 4, 2022 | Dan DiMaggio | Luis Feliz Leon

Auto workers at a General Motors plant in central Mexico delivered a landslide victory to an independent union in a vote held February 1-2.
A worker in reflective vest walks alongside a train, holding a remote control device

Rail Unions Are Bargaining Over a Good Job Made Miserable »

February 2, 2022 | Joe DeManuelle-Hall

Contract negotiations covering 115,000 rail workers in the U.S. are expected to heat up in 2022.
Medical officer in blue scrubs, green bandana, and surgical mask preparing vaccine for administration

Labor Must Rise Against Vaccine Apartheid »

February 2, 2022 | Saurav Sarkar

My grandmother, Ila Bose, passed away in October after several days in the hospital. The exact trajectory leading to her death is not known—she had pneumonia towards the end—but my mother (also a physician) suspects she may have had lingering effects from a previous Covid case.
Crowd at rally behind bright green banner, woman with fist up, people holding signs, one SEIU sign visible, another for racial justice, picture at an angle

Steward's Corner: Making Rallies Look and Feel Powerful »

January 31, 2022 | Josh Yoder and Rachel Schragis

Have you ever been part of a truly great rally—but realized afterwards that there were no good photos to show your friends? Have you heard about a powerful strike or march, but struggled to find any photographic evidence?

Mexican Auto Workers to Choose New Union in Landmark Vote »

January 28, 2022 | Luis Feliz Leon and Dan DiMaggio

Update, February 3: Auto workers at GM Silao voted overwhelmingly for the independent union, SINTTIA, in an election held February 1-2.
Woman in blue coat facing sideways with hand up among many picketers with hands up, who are holding signs in support of St. Vincent striking nurses

Striking Massachusetts Nurses Outwait Corporate Giant Tenet »

January 25, 2022 | Sarah Hughes

Last year’s longest-running strike came to an end in early January when nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, overwhelmingly voted to ratify their new contract and return to work.

A diverse crowd, all masked, some with fists in the air, outdoors on steps. Printed signs read: "Transit can't work from home," "Hazard pay for transit workers," and "Call us heroes, pay us zeroes"

Bay Area Transit Workers Organize for Hazard Pay, Build Toward Contract Campaigns »

January 21, 2022 | Elana Kessler and Richard Marcantonio

Oakland transit worker Connie McFarland drove home after a long shift last July 28 and logged onto Zoom for a board meeting of her employer, AC Transit. She joined a chorus of 40 workers and riders who held up the start of the agenda with nearly two hours of public comment.

Mike Parker: A Labor Educator with Impact »

January 20, 2022 | Steve Early

Mike Parker, the author of four Labor Notes books and a close supporter and key strategist throughout our 43-year history, died January 15 of pancreatic cancer.

Rest in Power Mike Parker, 1940-2022 »

January 20, 2022 | Alexandra Bradbury

Mike Parker, the author of four Labor Notes books and a close supporter and key strategist throughout our 43-year history, died January 15 of pancreatic cancer.
25 people in front of a school, masked and bundled up. Handmade signs read: "Keep our parents, teachers, students safe!""Safe schools should not be a debate!" "Let us teach!" "15 out of 18 classes in my school had at least 1 covid positive case" "Porque tenemos que suplicar para tener escuelas seguras?" (in Spanish: Why do we have to beg to have safe schools?) "Little Village has a positivity rate of 26.9%" "Lori let us teach (remotely) until Jan. 18th #EndTheLoriLockout"

As Omicron Rages, Teachers and Students Fight for Safety Measures in Chicago and Elsewhere »

January 13, 2022 | Barbara Madeloni

Chicago Teachers Union members voted by 77 percent on January 4 to go fully remote until effective Covid mitigations to protect educators and students were approved by members and enacted, or until the current Covid surge subsided.
Corridor of shame pressure tactic in hallway at Reuterss - workers gathered along hallway.

Steward's Corner: Using Pressure to Settle Grievances »

January 5, 2022 | from the Union Steward's Complete Guide

What ultimately settles grievances? More often than not, it hinges on the union’s ability to pressure management to settle.

UPS Drivers Stage a Walk-in to Defend a Fired Co-Worker »

December 23, 2021 | Alexandra Bradbury

To protest the unfair firing of a co-worker, on the morning of Tuesday, December 21, 150 UPS drivers in Chicago took a simple action: they didn’t go into work early.

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