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Why the Alabama Mercedes Union Campaign Faltered »

May 21, 2024 | Jeremy Kimbrell

I’m still hot as hell three days after losing a union election at the Mercedes factory complex in Alabama.

A group of retirees protest with signs saying Medicare Advantage is a Danger to Us All

Retired New York City Teachers Rise and Run »

May 20, 2024 | Jenny Brown

They’ve really stepped in it. The incumbent Unity Caucus that runs the huge teachers union in New York City is facing a challenge from the Retiree Advocate slate who hope to take leadership of the powerful 70,000-person retiree chapter within the union.

Alabama Mercedes Workers Lose First Union Election, Vow to Fight On »

May 17, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon | Jane Slaughter

A no-holds-barred campaign by Mercedes management convinced a majority of workers at its Alabama factory complex to vote against forming a union.

A large crowd, mostly viewed from behind, is arrayed on a hillside or steps of a university campus; banners identify it as UCLA. A few in the crowd hold Palestinian flags and one handmade sign reads "Stay strong." A row of parked vehicles is visible in the distance, at the foot of the hill, backs to the crowd. Dramatic sunlight silhouettes everyone.

How UC Researchers Began Saying No to Military Work »

May 17, 2024 | Isabel Kain and Becker Sharif

Our union of 48,000 academic workers has just authorized a strike over the University of California’s unfair labor practices in repressing peaceful protest, retaliating against members for protesting, and prohibiting pro-Palestine speech at the worksite.

Auto workers with signs saying no bucks, no trucks and Tick Tock Time for a Record Contract march towards the camera

‘Tick Tock’: Daimler Truck Workers Use Strike Threat to Win Big »

May 16, 2024 | Dan DiMaggio

North Carolina heavy truck and school bus manufacturing workers won 25 percent pay increases and ended wage tiers after an energetic contract campaign and strike threat against Daimler Truck.

A CSX train with JB Hunt containers heads towards the camera.

‘No More Closed Doors’: Reformers Win Rerun Election in Rail Machinists »

May 16, 2024 | Joe DeManuelle-Hall

Reformers in the Machinists rail union have ousted incumbents in a Department of Labor-supervised election.

Three guys in red Stand-Up Strike (UAW) t-shirts, two bearded, stand outside on grass with arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling big.

What It's Like Voting Union Inside Alabama Mercedes Plant »

May 15, 2024 | Jane Slaughter

In the election on whether to join the United Auto Workers, being held over five days this week at the Mercedes plant in Vance, Alabama, the union negotiated rules to try to minimize management influence. The vote is taking place inside the plant.

Marchers march away from the camera with signs reading UAW for a Permanent Ceasefire

Unions Support Student Protestors Against Campus Administrators and Police »

May 14, 2024 | Caitlyn Clark

As campus protests—and violent police repression—continue to roll across the country, some unions are getting involved.

A group of 33 Black and white women and men stands in a union hall, smiling and looking determined, many holding fists in the air. Many hold printed union signs. Yellow ones say "Union Yes." Red ones say "We are Alabama, we are UAW" and "No voice, no choice." Various signs on the wall behind them, including a big blue banner that says "Workers joining together for the mutual aid and protection of each other and their common interests."

Mercedes Enlists a Pastor in Its Union-Busting Campaign »

May 13, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

As Mercedes workers began their 12-hour shifts at 6 a.m. today, their phones buzzed with a company text message: “Here in Alabama, community is important, and family is everything.

Picketer in IAFF hoodie and ballcap stands on a sidewalk, speaking and gesturing. Over his shoulder is a printed picket sign that says "End the Boeing Lockout. Boeing Firefighters - Fighting for Your Safety!"

Locked-Out Firefighters Picket Boeing »

May 9, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

The aerospace giant Boeing locked out 125 firefighters across multiple facilities in Washington state May 4 after contract negotiations broke down.

Several people sit around a table in discussion.

Steward’s Corner: Taking Bottom-Up Action Changes the Balance of Power »

May 9, 2024 | Ellen David Friedman

Consider two different ways a union can take action to solve problems. A top-down approach may solve the immediate workplace problem, but it may not change the balance of power. Engaging as many members as possible in a bottom-up approach may accomplish both goals.

Seen from the side/back, Shawn Fain in a red hoodie holds up a battered purple copy of A Troublemaker's Handbook. Arrayed in front of him can be seen a huge seated crowd in the ballroom for the closing plenary.

The Origin of A Troublemaker’s Handbook »

May 8, 2024 | Dan La Botz

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain recently called A Troublemaker’s Handbook his “other bible.” Author Dan La Botz recalls how this classic Labor Notes book came to be.

Workers in high-visibility vests picket with ‘Amazon workers on strike’ signs picket by a road, one handmade sign reads ‘Stop the captive audience’

The End of Lean Production... and What’s Ahead »

May 2, 2024 | Kim Moody

For three and a half decades, lean management drove the production and movement of goods. But now logistics and manufacturing employers are shifting to a new model. To maximize our leverage, workers should understand it.

In Relay Race to Organize the South, Volkswagen Workers Pass the Baton to Mercedes Workers »

April 30, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

Michael Göbel, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, stepped down from his post yesterday, according to a video message that workers were shown.