Farmworker and union leader Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino was taken into custody by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) on Tuesday, March 25^th. An explicit politically-motivated targeting of a union activist, Zeferino’s detainment occurred in Sedro-Woolley, WA while he was driving his partner to her job. Zeferino defended himself by exercising his 5^th Amendment rights and refusing to exit his vehicle, to which ICE officers reciprocated by breaking his car window. He is confirmed to be a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Zeferino helped found Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a farmworker union in Skagit County, WA as a teen. He is also a volunteer with Community to Community Development (C2C) and a former member of the City of Bellingham’s Immigration Advisory Board.

House Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) remarked, “The Trump administration and ICE have claimed that they are going after ‘the worst of the worst’ — but there is no indication that Alfredo Juarez Zeferino and the other people detained today represent the worst of the worst … Immigrating to the United States is legal. Union organizing is legal.”

Zeferino is currently being held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, according to an ICE spokesperson. The illegal detention of Zeferino is not just a sign of the continued attacks on immigrants, but a direct attack on the labor movement. Class-oriented trade unionists must take the lead in standing up against these fascist attacks. If we don’t, in the near future we may hear, “First they came for the immigrants …”

The post ICE Targets Organized Labor: Farmworker Union Leader Detained in Washington State appeared first on Labor Today.

After the strike began, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) filed an injunction to stop the strike and resume operations. The injunction was denied on the morning of Monday, the 17^th. VTA immediately refiled the complaint, which was denied again later the same day.

ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh stated, “At this point, I think the public sees what the truth is … They are exploring every other option outside coming to the table.”

VTA also reached out to California Governor Gavin Newsom, requesting that Newsom intervene and stop the strike. Governor Newsom declined, urging the two parties to negotiate. VTA also argues that the ATU violated a “no-strike” agreement in effect and filed another legal complaint against the Union. Union members and VTA have a hearing scheduled on March 26^th to determine if the Union violated the “no-strike” clause.

ATU Local 265 represents over 1,500 workers including fare inspectors, mechanics, operators, dispatchers, and customer service representatives. In negotiations, Union leaders call for an annual raise of 6% over 3 years. However, VTA proposed wage increases of 4%, 3%, and 2% over the next three years and a one-time payment of $1,500 for union members.

On March 24, workers rejected a new low-ball offer from VTA management. In a statement put out by ATU Local 265 they stated:

“In a resounding declaration of solidarity and strength, the members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265-San Jose, CA, have voted decisively to reject the latest insulting contract put forth by the VTA yesterday. …

“The sticking points remain the same. The VTA refuses to put forth a proposal with living wages that allow their workers to live in the communities they serve. They continue to propose unfair grievance procedures and regressive overtime calculations along with no assurances that the agency will not discipline or sue workers who went on strike. Furthermore, the agency has failed to improve workplace conditions following the tragic mass shooting in May 2021 that took the lives of Local 265 members.”

It is clear management at VTA care neither about the well-being or safety of their workers.

The post Striking Workers Represented By ATU Local 265 in Santa Clara Reject Latest Contract Offer appeared first on Labor Today.

Senator Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), the bill’s sponsor, stated:

“Workers deserve to be able to exercise their right to collectively bargain for fair wages and safe workplace conditions… This is a practical, low-cost step to ensure workers are not intimidated out of exercising that fundamental right because they are worried about putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their head.”

Then on March 20^th, the Oregon State Senate passed SB 916 which allow for unemployment benefits for workers still on strike after a two-week waiting period. On the Bill, Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor said:

 “The passage of Senate Bill 916 is a major win for working people because the economy and the system that we work with in it is so imbalanced.”

LUEL stands in support of the passage of unemployment benefits to striking workers. Bills like this level the playing field for workers against the repression of the bosses as workers inability to sustain themselves and their families is a leading cause of strikes failing. Unemployment benefits would also lessen the burden on strike funds making unions more financially stable.

The post In Major Power Shift, State Senates in Washington, Oregon Pass Bills Allowing for Striking Workers to Collect Unemployment Benefits appeared first on Labor Today.

The Culinary and Bartenders Union Local 226, more commonly known as the Culinary Union, had their last contract with Virgin Las Vegas ended in June 2023, and negotiations had stalled up to the walkout. While Virgin claimed that the union’s demands “were economically unviable”, the union pushed for a similar contract won by workers at other Las Vegas businesses Per Treasure-Secretary Ted Pappageorge, Virgin’s proposals worked out to:

“An estimated $0.30 per year to wages over five years after deducting money for benefits, compared to non-tipped workers at [Las Vegas property] The Strat, who received over $4.00 an hour in wage increases this year alone. Virgin Las Vegas’ proposal is miles apart and insults every worker — which is why the committee voted unanimously to refuse to settle for a second-class contract.”

The local went on strike for nearly 70 days, with a 24-hour picket line impacting housekeeping, food and beverage, and restaurants on the property. The hotel also arrested workers for “trespassing,” even though they worked at the hotel. On January 25, 2025, an agreement was reached between the union and Virgin Las Vegas. The new 5-year contract with workers will see a 10% wage hike in the first year, with the rest of the pay increases coming over the remaining years of the contract the LA Times reported. The contract brings workers in line with similar workers on the Las Vegas strip.

The post After Months-Long Strike Culinary Union Reaches Agreement in Las Vegas appeared first on Labor Today.

Many of ONA’s primary demands do, however, affect the bottom line of hospital operations—the baseline need for adequate staffing. Understaffing is partially a function of a shortage of trained professionals—ironically, teaching nursing pays so much less than being a nurse, that there is a back-end educational crisis in which the system is failing to produce the workforce required to meet demand.

One would think this would make nurses more valuable in the labor market. However, healthcare in the US is not a ‘free market’ system—dominated by profiteering, healthcare in this country is controlled not by demand, and not by providers, by a vast intermediary “healthcare management” system comprised of insurance companies and other entities whose primary ‘value addition’ to the system lies in their ability to extract vast profit not least by denying services to theoretically ‘covered’ individuals, that is, people who have paid for medical insurance who are then denied coverage for life-saving claims.

Furthermore, Oregon is a vast and, in many places, sparsely-populated state. The bulk of Oregon’s population lives in the Portland metropolitan area, arguably stretching south along the I-5 corridor south, through the state capitol Salem to Eugene, the seat of the state’s university system. Then there’s the ‘rest’ of Oregon, southern and eastern, vast stretches where a ‘big city’ might have 50-100,000 residents and many towns and villages have residential numbers in the hundreds. Services can be hard to physically access, requiring drives of hundreds of miles, and there is little profit incentive for capitalist healthcare to provide more proximate infrastructure to the rural parts of the state.

Delivering more services with fewer staff is a Profitability 101 strategy, but unlike say package or entertainment delivery, healthcare still requires a high degree of one-on-one human interaction at all stages of its services. A profit-wringer’s alternative, then, is to vastly understaff the services being delivered, and call it good enough. Leaving aside ONA’s demands around pay equity and adequate cost-of-living adjustments, this is the real crisis underneath it. The situation is so bad that the Oregon labor movement did an end run around the bargaining process, and got the state legislature to pass hospital staff/patient ratio laws requiring that patients be provided adequate care through adequate hospital staffing. Providence, among others, has been deeply resistant to complying with these laws.

Additionally, the recent corporatization of Providence in particular has brought with it a new management that wants to more or less wipe the board (represented by collective bargaining gains over time) and ‘start fresh,’ something like when management fires everyone and makes them re-apply for their old jobs under new terms and conditions. Providence and the ONA have been bargaining for a next contract for years. Management has not bargained in good faith, meeting infrequently with ONA’s bargaining team, and offering little-to-no movement in proposals when they do. By all appearances, management seems to be in ‘last offer’ mode without actually saying so, because of course if they said so, labor law would move the process along, imposing an arbitration process that might be fairer than what management has in mind, even if arbitration threatens significant losses for the nurses, thus labor’s overall reluctance to turn the fate of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) over to the tender mercies of arbitration.

Last summer, Providence nurses led a three-day walkout of Providence hospitals across the state, which turned into a lockout when management refused to let nurses return to work, the week before they’d contracted with scab agencies. The current strike is open-ended, indefinite, and has seen nurses picketing for going on a month now, sometimes in severe winter weather, with no end in immediate sight.

Donations to the ONA Strike Fund can be made at:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-providence-strike-fund
Even very small donations are meaningful expressions of solidarity, and add up.

The post Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) Strike at Providence Hospitals – A Brief Analysis appeared first on Labor Today.

Alissa Azar is a member of NWU and an independent journalist whose case was reported in Prism by fellow member Jen Byers. NWU wrote a statement of support that was submitted to the court on Alissa’s behalf, following a similar letter by other media organizations. Today we learned that public pressure won. This is Alissa’s story in her own words.

On May 2nd, 2024, I was arrested while reporting on the ground at Portland State University. I was documenting the police’s actions as they cleared an encampment and library occupation in support of the liberation of Palestine when, later that evening, I was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau while filming the violent arrests occurring in the park in front of the PSU library.

Following my arrest, I faced consistent harassment from the police until I was finally let out of jail early the next morning. This harassment included racist remarks, sexual harassment, misogyny, a cop taking a selfie with me as I was in handcuffs, and the persistent interruption of all my phone calls.

This experience has highlighted the critical importance of press freedom and the rights of journalists to report on public events without fear of arrest or intimidation. The need for transparency and accountability in our institutions grows increasingly urgent. And under a Trump presidency, protecting our First Amendment rights is more important than ever.

My trial was set to begin on January 27th. I was offered a plea deal multiple times, but I refuse to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit. My commitment to uncovering the truth and informing the public remains steadfast, even in the face of these challenges.

As of this morning, after seeing all of the support and the pressure campaign to drop the charges, the DA’s office dismissed the case. The new DA is highly concerned with optics at the moment, and worried about the increased attention, so I genuinely don’t think this would have been possible without all of your support.

I urge our community to continue advocating for our constitutional rights. I appreciate the union’s support during this time and I want to offer my deepest gratitude for standing by my side. 

Article originally published on nwu.org. | Photo courtesy of National Writers Union.

The post CASE DISMISSED: Charges Dropped Against Independent Journalist Alissa Azar appeared first on Labor Today.

Earlier this year in June, the BNSF Railway Company had been ordered to pay the Swinomish Indigenous Tribe $394M for trespassing trains carrying crude oil across the Swinomish Reservation several times from 2012 through 2021. Court documents state that up to 250,000 tanker cars carrying crude oil crossed through Swinomish tribal land throughout this time period. The dangers of these trains can be seen in the March 2023 derailment on Swinomish territory of a BNSF train which spilled 3,100 gallons of diesel fuel in Anacortes, WA.

A BNSF train also carrying crude oil derailed near Custer, WA in December 2020. Despite no casualties, cars leaked and caught fire, causing an environmental hazard with between 5,400 to 8,000 gallons left abandoned.

“We’re concerned about not only our safety and the safety of our brothers and sisters that we’re working with, but the public and the communities that we’re moving our trains through”, said Herb Krohn, a train conductor and the Washington State Legislative Director for SMART-TD. Train derailments in the state of Washington had more than doubled over a ten year period ending in 2023.

As long as the US rail system is under the mercy of for-profit, private interests, cutting costs at the expense of public and environmental health will undoubtedly continue to occur. It has become obvious that only a democratically-run, publicly-owned railroad can reduce these catastrophes. That is why groups such as Railroad Workers United are leading the charge for the nationalization of the railroads through the Public Rail Now campaign.

The post The State of the Railroads in Washington and the Need for Public Rail appeared first on Labor Today.

LA CRUCES, NM—UE Local 1498 ratified a three-and-a-half year contract on November 22, following seven grueling weeks at the bargaining table with their employer, New Mexico State University. The contract fight included management stalling and stonewalling in the bargaining room, imposing deadlines to finish bargaining, calling police to a peaceful action by the membership, and changing bargaining locations multiple times to restrict members’ access and attempt to isolate the bargaining committee. Despite the tough negotiations, members were able to win their top priority – more tuition coverage.

The local’s members, graduate workers who teach and conduct research at New Mexico’s public land-grant university, were faced with an expiring contract at the end of the year. The new agreement, brokered with only a few weeks remaining in the semester, includes six credits of tuition coverage – a priority for members – that can be stacked on top of coverage from other sources, a two percent wage increase, and the ability to reopen negotiations on tuition coverage and wages every March. Denials of leave requests must now be in writing, the lead time for management providing contract letters for employment has been lengthened, workers have an extra day to delay an investigatory meeting if they cannot find an available steward to represent them, and outcomes from labor management committee meetings can now be reduced to writing and formalized as a memorandum of agreement between the parties.

Identifying Widespread Needs

On the evening of September 10, UE Local 1498 members ratified five bargaining priorities at the local’s monthly general membership meeting, after a survey collected responses about bargaining priorities from members over the summer. Soon after, the bargaining committee delivered their intent to bargain to administration on NMSU campus, with a rally which included speeches from union leadership.

Energy was high as the priorities for the upcoming bargaining season came into focus: tuition coverage, a wage increase, paid time off, a streamlined health insurance reimbursement process, and a centralized job board for assistantship postings. These five priorities affect members across the local and span workplaces and job descriptions. “The graduate workers at NMSU are a diverse group of 1000 scholars with vastly different experiences based on their field of study, their specific department, and even what state or country they’re coming from,” said bargaining committee member Ezra Huscher. “It was clear that connecting with as many of these folks as possible was the only way to seek out the most widespread needs around campus. We held in-person discussions and conducted a series of surveys to seek out these concerns, big and small.”

The issue that rose to the top of the local’s priorities was winning improvements in tuition remission. New Mexico State University does not offer full tuition coverage to graduate workers, and when paying full tuition, the average graduate worker at NMSU can fall below the federal poverty line.

A Battle at the Bargaining Table

Bargaining began on October 9, with the union and university negotiating teams meeting in a previously unused bargaining location on campus, access to which was highly restricted. As had become the norm, an armed police officer was present outside the bargaining room. It quickly became clear that the location would severely hinder the ability of the local to turn members out to bargaining sessions, and preparations were made to switch to a new location. Little progress was made in the first session, with the university wasting time by attempting to impose restrictive ground rules, which the local’s team refused. President of Local 1498 and bargaining committee member Lindley Hornsby said, “As a UE local whose lifeblood is our membership, we said ‘hell no!’ to such an egregious proposition and further, we demanded a new bargaining location that equally served both parties.  Even though the employer tried to make us feel as though we were subservient to them, we continually reminded them that we are on equal terms.”

After another slow session in the same restricted-access location, with management working to strip current rights from graduate workers, the teams agreed to a new location that was accessible. Organizing began for an action that would bring members to the building to put pressure on the university and join in a caucus with the union bargaining committee to discuss the economic counterproposals presented by the university. The newly formed Contract Action Team (CAT) was behind the organizing and led organizing efforts for the duration of the bargaining season. “Camaraderie is central to the process, especially when we’re having to negotiate in such frustrating conditions, and having a body of directly engaged members was a real boon to morale and mobilization,” said CAT member Gus Enger. “We had the space to collaborate with our collective expertise and varied skills, and I think that was key to getting so many new cards signed in the relatively short window that we had.”

The following week, members turned out and turned up the heat. Management refused to begin bargaining until three armed police officers were present to ensure that no members “threatened their safety.” Meanwhile, the graduate workers present stood silently with signs, not obstructing access to the bargaining room or causing any harm. While waiting for hours to join the caucus, many kept working, grading assignments or doing their research while sitting on the floor and holding their ground.

“We spent a lot of time getting people there to make a point about what’s going on in bargaining, and we were really focusing on being civil and making our voices heard while making sure we weren’t instigating anything,” said CAT member Caedmon Ragland, who served as one of the hall captains for the action. “It really did surprise me that they brought two more people with guns, when all we were doing was standing there.”

“The impact of member involvement”

“We definitely saw the impact of member involvement in this round of bargaining,” said Communications Chair Caroline Klocksiem, who agreed about the efficacy of the action. “Having members available to caucus during bargaining solidified our priorities and strengthened our resolve, and our peaceful demonstration throughout the bargaining day drew the attention of students and press. The fact that our employer felt it was necessary to have several armed police officers present throughout the day speaks volumes about the heavy-handed power wielding and lack of dignity we experience at our workplace.”

Following this successful action that visibly shook the university’s bargaining team, management contacted the union’s bargaining team the afternoon before the next session. Citing “safety concerns,” management abruptly changed the location for where the teams were scheduled to meet, dictating that bargaining would be held on the very edge of campus. Recognizing this violation of a verbal agreement between the two parties to mutually agree on bargaining locations within 48 hours’ notice of any changes, the union’s bargaining team waited for management at the originally agreed upon location. Management did not show. 

“Throughout the entire time of bargaining, it felt like a very one-sided conversation,” said Chief Steward Juan Gil.. “So, I liked how, when they changed the location on us with very short notice, we let them know where we stood, how unprofessional it felt, and how inconvenient the sudden change made it for everyone on our team.

“I felt like ever since we did that, the conversations following seemed to be more back and forth, and we did manage to finish in a timely manner with what I feel is a good outcome. I believe that us planting our feet down and saying ‘no, you will listen!’ contributed to us reaching an agreement.”

Final Session and Ratification

The last scheduled bargaining session was held on November 22, and per the union’s request, the two teams met at a new location, the fourth location across eight sessions. Six hours and many tense debates later, the parties agreed on a tentative agreement. Reflecting on the bargaining season as a whole, Vice President Riley Schaner said, “During our time negotiating with them, they did not want to recognize us as equals. It was really challenging because they were calling all the shots about where we were holding negotiations, when we could hold negotiations, which articles we could negotiate on, etc. It seemed like they wanted nothing to do with us and were often not bargaining in good faith. It took us a long time to [agree on] a few articles but then we got many done at the end, so it really wasn’t about the content but was rather about power and control, how much they had of it.”

The union’s elections committee swiftly got to work preparing communications and the ballot, and the bargaining committee held a town hall on December 2 to inform the membership about what the contract contained. Ratification was unanimous, with 69 percent of the membership voting. The new contract will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Though not everything aimed for was won in the contract fight, the local succeeded in building its leadership and organizing capacity to prepare for contract enforcement and future bargaining seasons. “This victory, hard won against significant opposition, exemplifies the power of solidarity and collective action and is a significant step forward,” said bargaining committee member Abdul Al-Nouman.

“I’m very proud of our bargaining committee for negotiating an entire contract ourselves; this is a huge milestone for our Local,” said President Hornsby. “I am deeply inspired by our Contract Action Team which fought tirelessly to organize around negotiations, often mobilizing on short notice to militantly remind the employer that grad workers run this university.  By shining a light on NMSU’s continued union-busting and poor allocation of resources, this contract fight yielded a new crop of organizers that will maintain the fight for dignified wages and working conditions after our inaugural organizers graduate and move on to raise hell at their next place of employment.”

The UE Local 1498 bargaining committee consisted of President Lindley Hornsby, Vice President Riley Schaner, Chief Stewards Alexander Allison and Juan Gil, and College Representatives Ezra Huscher and Abdul Al-Nouman. They were assisted by UE Field Organizer Jason Santos.

Research Director Karl Zimmerman, Staff Coordinator Kimberly Lawson, General Counsel Nicholas Stonecypher, and Digital Organizer Samantha Cooney also made contributions towards the campaign.

The post UE: Local 1498 Sees Impact of Member Involvement at the Bargaining Table appeared first on Labor Today.

The IAM rank-and-file voted 94% in favor of rejecting the contract, and 96% in favor of a strike. The vote participation was also astonishingly high, with over 32,000 votes being cast.

The vote occurred under an already tense atmosphere amongst Boeings employees as tens of thousands of IAM-represented machinists voted almost unanimously to sanction a strike earlier this year in T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The rejected TA sparked widespread controversy among IAM machinists, with many complaining about Boeing lowballing the IAM membership with a wage increase counteroffer of 25% instead of the 40% that was initially discussed. Another major issue for IAM membership is the reinstatement of a pension plan eliminated in 2014, which is not mentioned in the TA. Layoffs, a delegation of work to Boeing’s only non-union factory, and mass distrust of Boeing’s capabilities to compensate its workers have also left a foul taste in the mouths of IAM rank-and-file members.

The Boeing corporation seemed desperate to avoid the strike leading up to the TA, with Boeing’s computer screensavers being changed to an image that attempted to persuade IAM members to vote yes.

Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s new CEO, in a panic-fueled public statement, stated “I know the reaction to our tentative agreement with the IAM has been passionate… I understand and respect that passion, but I ask you not to sacrifice the opportunity to secure our future together, because of the frustrations of the past.”

Jon Holden, President of IAM Local 751, stated, “We will be back at the table whenever we can get there to drive forward on the issues our members say are important.”

The post IAM Machinists Strike After Underwhelming Tentative Agreement Proposal appeared first on Labor Today.

Back in 2018, Amazon launched its DSP program and has now grown to employ over 280,000 workers, but Amazon claimed the drivers were subcontractors even though the company controlled the drivers terms and conditions of employment. This led to Amazon sidestepping federal labor laws and committing dozens of unfair labor practices (ULP) in Palmdale, California including holding captive audience meetings, threatening job loss, and intimidation.

“Amazon drivers have taken their future into their own hands and won a monumental determination that makes clear Amazon has a legal obligation to bargain with its drivers over their working conditions. This strike has paved the way for every other Amazon worker in the country to demand what they deserve and to get Amazon to the bargaining table.”

• Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.

DSP drivers from Palmdale have been on a ULP strike since June 24, 2023 after Amazon refused to recognize the newly formed union of 84 drivers, maintaining it did not employ the drivers. The Palmdale Teamsters have grown their picket line to over 50 Amazon warehouses, including Skokie, Illinois who also launched a ULP strike in June 2024, citing low pay, dangerous working conditions and their refusal to bargain with the Teamsters. Workers in the San Bernardino, California KSBD warehouse, as well as the Hebron, Kentucky KCVG Warehouse have also gone on strike recently over unfair labor practices.

“We wear Amazon uniforms, we drive Amazon vans, and Amazon controls every minute of our day. Amazon can no longer have all the benefits of their own fleet of drivers without the responsibilities that come with it. The time has come for Amazon drivers across the country to organize with the Teamsters and demand what we deserve.”

• Brandi Diaz, Amazon driver and Teamsters Local 396 member

The NLRB’s next step will be to issue a complaint against Amazon and bring the company before an NLRB judge for trial. The Teamsters are hoping the ruling from the NLRB on the Palmdale drivers will include DSP workers nationwide.

The post New NLRB Ruling States Amazon DSP Drivers are Employees, not Contractors appeared first on Labor Today.