Troublemakers Blog

Portland Grocery Workers Strike Together

Eight picketers, who appear mostly young and white, stand in front of New Seasons. Their screen-printed picket signs say "New Seasons Labor Union, On Strike, Unfair Employer, Do Not Patronize" in red ink with flourishes. Two hold a black banner with yellow letters, only partly visible but appears to say "On strike." They all stand near the curb, facing traffic, and one has a bullhorn.
October 29, 2024 / Paul Kirk-Davidoff
Over Labor Day weekend, 5,500 grocery workers in Portland, Oregon, went on strike across 38 stores—and two unions. A thousand workers at 10 New Seasons Markets, members of an independent union seeking a first contract, struck for one day on September 1, in their first union-wide strike. »

These Teamsters Don’t Buy Trump’s Lies

White and Black men and women march with picket signs that say "Teamsters Local 238, Marathon Petroleum Co, Unfair Labor Practices against Detroit refinery workers." Most of those whose T-shirts are visible are wearing messages like "Teamsters against Trump," "Trump is a scab," and "Harris-Walz" with an IBT local logo.
October 23, 2024 / Alexandra Bradbury
By the time Teamsters President Sean O’Brien finally announced in September that the union would not be endorsing anyone for U.S. »

UAW Picketer Killed by Drunk Driver Remembered as Personable, Funny

A dense line of picketers (at least 25 people are visible but it looks like there are more behind them) marches towards the camera on a leafy sidewalk alongside a factory. Many carry printed signs like "UAW on strike" and "Stand up for retirement security." Most visible faces are white but a few Black faces are also visible; there's a mix of women and men.
October 08, 2024 / Justin Yuan and Ethen Winright
A United Auto Workers member was killed on the picket line September 28 outside Eaton Aerospace, where workers have been on strike since September 16. Seth Webb, a member of UAW Local 475, was struck by a drunk driver. So were four other picketers, two of whom were rushed to the Henry Ford Hospital across the street with severe injuries. »

Welcome, Natascha and Kari!

Left: black-and-white headshot of Natascha, she has long dark hair and short bangs, and is smiling closed-mouth, looking up at the camera. Right: color headshot of Kari, a white woman with a shaved head wearing a wide smile and red glasses. Behind her is the mural in the old UE Chicago office.
September 26, 2024 / Labor Notes staff
Labor Notes is growing. Two wonderful new staffers joined us in September. »

AT&T Southeast Workers End Month-Long Strike

Black and white men, most in red union T-shirts, picket energetically on a streetcorner. Man in front, in turquoise shirt, is talking or chanting into a mic, arm outstretched. Everyone's pose is active. Printed signs say "honk if you support workers" and "AT&T unfair, CWA on strike, ULP." One handmade sign, partially visible, says "AT&T Unfair Labor." The man in the center is holding his sign high and wind or movement blows his red shirt.
September 19, 2024 / Dan DiMaggio
Seventeen thousand AT&T workers in the Southeast returned to work September 16 following a month-long strike. »

October 1: Nationwide Rallies to Save the Postal Service

Three photos. Upper left: white people stand outdoors with handmade signs like "Save our mail," "no consolidation," "protect good jobs in southern Oregon." Lower left: A racially diverse crowd outside a mail plant with printed APWU signs for better staffing, better service, respect at work, and safer conditions. Right: a Black woman with raised fist, Miriam, and a white woman smiling big, Sheri, hold signs: "Service matters! ""10-year plan is bound to fail, we don't want to delay the mail!"
September 16, 2024 / Miriam Brockman
The Postal Workers (APWU) will hold a national day of action on October 1, with rallies all across the country for better staffing and better service, a better contract that ends the two-tier wage system, and the right to speak to the board that governs the postal service. »

Dallas Black Dancers Fight for Their Union

A Black dancer dances joyfully on the picket line, her long hair streaming out behind her. She is wearing a blue AGMA shirt. A delighted crowd, also mostly Black, surrounds her watching and taking photos -- some also wear AGMA shirts. The photo is full of energy, motion, and joy.
September 12, 2024 / Rosemary Curts
Leave it to performing arts unions to make a picket line that grabs attention. The rally outside Dallas Black Dance Theatre included a drummer, line dancing, and spontaneous performances from the unionized dancers. »

Un Trabajador De Supermercado Y Miembro De Los Teamsters Recupera Su Empleo, Y Se Prepara Para Organizarse Para Obtener Más

En una habitación soleada, un hombre con una camiseta polo negra y jeans está de pie a la izquierda, hablando por un micrófono, mientras unas 30 personas sentadas en sillas a la derecha escuchan. La mayoría o todos parecen latinos.
September 09, 2024 / Luis Feliz Leon
Traducido por Natascha Elena Uhlmann Dieciséis meses después de su despido ilegal, Juan Vargas entró a trabajar en junio entre vítores y palmadas en la espalda de sus compañeros de trabajo en la empresa Anthony Marano, una importante distribuidora de productos agrícolas en el área de Chicago. Obtuvo el pago completo de su salario retroactivo. »

Worker Co-ops: A Pathway to Good Jobs for Immigrant Workers

A white woman, right, hands a baby to a Latina woman, left. They are in an apartment kitchen. Both are smiling big. The baby's face is not visible.
August 27, 2024 / Tareq Saghie
How can immigrants without work authorization avoid being hyper-exploited, and instead find work where they have some autonomy and collective power to raise standards? A movement that has been incubating in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, might offer some answers. Sunset Park boasts one of the highest concentrations of worker cooperatives in the United States. »

Workplace Safety Is Not a Game

Flipcharts on the wall list workplace hazards including combustible dust and bloodborne pathogens
August 22, 2024 / United Electrical Workers Education Department
Employer-sponsored “safety games” or “safety contests” may seem benign on the surface, but there’s a deadly motive. Employers are rediscovering an old scheme to con workers into undermining their own job safety. These games are designed to reward employees for not reporting accidents. »

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