Paul Prescod

Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Protect Their Hearing and Their Craft

Paul Prescod
Orchestra musicians on a stage, apparently performing or rehearsing (conductor's baton is raised). Everyone, including the conductor, is wearing matching blue T-shirts that say "Philadelphia Musicians Union Local 77-274" on the back.

Philadelphia Orchestra musicians have won first-in-the-nation protections against hearing loss. The groundbreaking provisions, which could serve as a model for other orchestras, are part of a contract just ratified by Musicians (AFM) Local 77-274.

They also secured a raise of almost 13 percent over three years, which will help keep pace with inflation and attract high-quality artists. But for the musicians, the most important gains related to their working conditions and artistic integrity.

Mississippi Transit Workers Strike for Better Protections and Service

Paul Prescod
A woman holds a sign reading Hold the Line while others stand on the picket line.

Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the U.S., and is a “right-to-work” state with only 4 percent of its workers in unions. But since July 13, Highway 80 near Jackson has been lined by chanting picketers. They’re on strike at JTRAN, the city’s public transit system.

Around 1,000 people rely on JTRAN’s services daily, and Transit (ATU) Local 1208 represents its 80 bus operators, mechanics, cleaners, and customer service representatives.

World Cup Leverage: California Stadium Workers Win the Right to Strike Over ICE

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A worker holding a sign that says: Red card for the bad boss
July 14, 2026

In a World Cup-fueled union win, concessions workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have won the right to walk off the job, should ICE pose a threat to their safety.

The stadium’s 2,000 cooks, bartenders, dishwashers, servers, and attendants had a major piece of leverage this summer: eight scheduled World Cup matches. Their victory came days after a 96 percent vote to authorize a strike.

Their next contract will expire at the end of April 2028, weeks before the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Can Transit Workers Escape the Death Spiral?

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A group of 10 people poses for the camera. One is in a wheelchair.
June 09, 2026

Public transit has been in a deep crisis since the Covid pandemic. Transit systems weren’t adequately funded to begin with. Then, as remote work increased, ridership declined. Now, emergency relief and infrastructure funds passed during the Biden administration have dried up.

How Rhode Island’s Labor Movement Made Its Weight Felt in Politics

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Fifty people pose on the stairs inside the Rhode Island capitol.
April 22, 2026

Over the last decade Rhode Island has been a hotbed of progressive, pro-worker legislation. But it wasn’t always this way. It took years of proactive organizing by the labor movement on legislative and electoral campaigns.

This “blue” New England state was led by Republican Governor Donald Carcieri from 2003 to 2011. During his term he cut 1,000 public sector jobs, passed a regressive property tax law, and attacked pensions for teachers and other public workers—actions that were enabled by centrist Democrats in the state legislature who were lukewarm towards labor.