BlueCollarWriter Labor News Update

Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History

Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters will launch the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Thurs., Dec. 19. The nationwide action f

US Amazon workers go on ‘largest’ strike against company, Teamsters union saysEmployees at seven facilities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco take action in demand of contract talks

Amazon’s Sortation Centers Should Be a Key Target for LaborOrganizing Amazon is obviously a daunting project. Not only is the company willing to use all the tricks of its notoriously anti-union competitor Walmart, but it’s also growing rapidly. In 2022 and 2023, Amazon added 160 million square feet to its distribution network. That’s 10 million more square feet than Walmart’s entire distribution network. Amazon’s automation game has also taken off in the last couple years, and the company has launched two key new ventures, Supply Chain by Amazon (which provides logistical services for vendors) and Amazon Shipping (its parcel delivery operation).

Amazon Delivery Drivers at Seven Hubs Walk OutThe retail giant said it expected its operations to be largely unaffected by the strike of some drivers at contracting firms Amazon uses to deliver packages.

11K views · 421 reactions | Amazon Teamsters on Strike in Queens, N.Y. | Amazon Teamsters at the $2 trillion company’s DBK4 facility in Queens, N.Y., have helped kick off the largest strike against Amazon in American history.... | By Teamsters | FacebookAmazon Teamsters at the $2 trillion company’s DBK4 facility in Queens, N.Y., have helped kick off the largest strike against Amazon in American history....

Teamsters Local 89Our Amazon members at DAX5 in the City of Industry walked off the job this morning, joining tens of thousands of Teamsters across the country for a ULP strike against Amazon. The largest in history!...

15K views · 568 reactions | Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History | 🚨 BREAKING: The Teamsters Union has launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history. 🚨 Amazon has forced this strike by refusing to follow... | By Teamsters | Facebook🚨 BREAKING: The Teamsters Union has launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history. 🚨 Amazon has forced this strike by refusing to follow...

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Labor News

American Eagle Flight Attendants Demonstrated at 6 Airports as Part of Nationwide Day of Action During Busy Holiday Travel SeasonPSA and Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, demonstrated at five airports as part of the first nationwide American Eagle Day of Action happening as the busy holiday travel season continues.

Physician Union Drives Have Skyrocketed, Data ShowA new JAMA study finds that union drives by doctors rose dramatically in 2023 and 2024 compared to two decades prior.

Nine Unions Agree On Contracts With Keolis | WBZ NewsRadio 1030MBTA Commuter Rail operator Keolis has reached a deal with a coalition of nine unions representing workers.

Culinary Union reaches tentative deal on contract at Fontainebleau Las VegasThe Culinary Union says it has reached a tentative agreement for representing hospitality workers at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

WGA Members Ratify Deal With PBS; Read The Terms – UpdateThe writers at PBS were able to secure a new tentative deal with PBS as of Friday, the guild said

Salinas Valley Health nurses celebrate milestone with new 4-year contractThe California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) announced Wednesday that registered at the Salinas Valley Health Medical Center have voted overwhelmingly for ratifying a new four-year contract at the hospital.

Kemps Dairy Plant workers unanimously vote to join Teamster’s unionWorkers at the Kemps Dairy Plant in Le Mars have joined a union.

Gulf over VW German plant closures remains in marathon talks with unionGermany's IG Metall union has accused Volkswagen of delaying critical decisions toward an agreement over pay and job security, adding that both sides disagreed in key areas and that talks could still collapse.

Resources & Actions

From Bowers News Media: Re: Signatures needed: The workers who make the holidays possible need your support Bumping this up to the top of your inbox again, because the possibility of a strike at some Amazon warehouse in imminent.

A Labor-Themed Movie Guide for the Holiday Season

The holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, is a time to reflect on what matters most: family, solidarity, and the resilience of working people. For those of us who hold Labor close to our hearts, this time of year offers the perfect opportunity to dive into stories that highlight the courage, sacrifices, and victories of workers and unions. Whether you’re gathering with loved ones or enjoying a quiet evening at home, here’s a list of Labor-themed movies and documentaries to inspire, educate, and celebrate the power of working people.

Read the list

2024 Holiday Gift Guide v3 spreads

Support good jobs this holiday season with the Labor 411 Union Holiday Gift Guide. Browse hundreds of products.

Form a Union!

Organizing a union in your workplace is about getting more rights and more power. Thousands of working people—all across the country and in all kinds of jobs—organize unions every year because unions are the best way to secure the things you care about.

Workplace Safety & Health

Workers at BlueOval SK Battery Park aren't safe, and management isn't listening | OpinionManufacturing EV batteries involves dealing with hazardous materials. The workers at BlueOval SK are forming a union to address our safety concerns.

Study suggests union membership leads to a longer lifeA trio of statisticians at the University of Minnesota has found an association between union membership and lower mortality rates. In their study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, Tom VanHeuvelen, Xiaowen Han and Jane VanHeuvelen analyzed data mortality rates tabulated in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and calculated the impacts on longevity for people who belong to unions.

UNI's statement on Amazon manipulation on injury dataThe following statement can be attributed to Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union: “As the Senate report reveals, Amazon’s relentless pursuit of speed and profit comes at a devastating cost to its workers’ health and safety. This is not just a failure of corporate responsibility; it’s a moral failing. For years, workers have

NLRB News & Decisions

NLRB Petitions & Charges for Thursday, December 19, 2024Total Entries filed Wednesday, December 18, 2024: 47

Biden names Gwynne Wilcox NLRB chairPresident-elect Donald Trump likely will designate his own chair of the board when he takes office in January.

Government & Politics

How Labor Can Fight Trump’s AuthoritarianismFormer United Teachers Los Angeles president Alex Caputo-Pearl lays out a “block and build” strategy for labor to defeat the rising right-wing attacks on workers and democracy in the coming Donald Trump administration.

Federal employee unions dismayed—but not surprised—by sudden shutdown threatPresident-elect Trump and Elon Musk on Wednesday blew up a bipartisan deal to fund the government past this week, increasing the odds of a government shutdown Saturday.

Teachers union supports new law limiting classroom heatThe union representing public school teachers is applauding a new law that limits how hot a classroom can get.

Trump's Push to Reshape OSHA Will Shift Litigation LandscapeA coming reconfiguration of OSHA’s enforcement efforts under a second Trump administration will likely mean fewer legal challenges from industry groups to workplace safety standards but potentially more lawsuits from organized labor.

Social Security Fairness Act clears key Senate hurdle, heads to final voteSenators advance bill that would expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans with public pensions.

Senate may soon vote on a bill to change certain Social Security rules. Here's what to knowIn the final days of this congressional session, the Senate could vote to nix rules affecting certain pensioners that have been in place for decades.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren pushes bill to make it easier and cheaper to file for bankruptcySen. Elizabeth Warren says Americans seeking debt relief face an overly complicated, costly bankruptcy system.

Workers love Donald Trump. Unions should fear him The president-elect is no friend to organised labour

Trump now says bringing down grocery prices, as he promised, will be 'very hard' - WTVQ"I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard," Trump said.

Whatever You've Heard, Democrats Are Better for UnionsThe easiest way for Democrats to improve their standing among non-union workers is to "get a lot more Americans into unions.

Trump Promises To Fire Federal Employees Who Continue Remote Work“If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” the president-elect said.

Key union vows to fight back after Trump says he would end remote work for federal employeesThe president-elect said he would go to court to block the Social Security Administration's deal with over 40,000 unionized workers.

Special Report: Project 2025 and Unions

Trump’s Project 2025 is the 920-page document, written by at least 140 Trump advisers and former (and likely future) leaders in the Trump administration, that spells out what they plan to do during a Trump second term.

Jobs, Business & Economy

UnitedHealth’s Unchecked Growth Has Caused Widespread MiseryDespite antitrust regulators’ efforts to rein it in, UnitedHealth Group has been growing to control ever more of the health care sector. The corporation’s expanding power has meant worse care, higher prices, and a mounting human toll.

Some Walmart Employees Are Wearing Body Cameras. Here's why. | EntrepreneurWalmart has started a pilot program that they hope will deter situations with aggravated customers from escalating.

How Fast-Food Giants Hide Behind Their FranchisesAs major fast-food corporations like McDonald’s and Taco Bell transformed into almost fully franchised operations, the chains created a system that shields them from accountability on labor issues while maintaining strict control over working conditions.

Kroger-Albertsons merger: Lawsuit claims Kroger got ‘buyer’s remorse’ and purposely derailed deal - Cincinnati Business Courier"“The coffin is in the ground and the dirt has been poured on top of it."

Labor History in 2:00

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December 19 - Greyhound Strike Ends in Bitter DefeatOn this day in labor history the year was 1983. That was the day that a bitter national strike of Greyhound Workers came to a close. Nearly 13,000 bus drivers, mechanics and clerks had gone on strike. They were members of the Amalgamated Transit Union.

December 20 -The Father of American ManufacturingOn this day in labor history the year was 1790. That was the day that work for many living in the new country of the United States began to change in a significant way. Samuel Slater operated the first cotton spindle machine to spin yarn in the U.S in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The 48-spindle machine ran on the water power of Pawtucket Falls.

December 21 - Red Scare Hysteria Deportations BeginOn this day in labor history, the year was 1919. That was the day Red Scare deportations began. Two hundred forty-nine radicals, including anarcho-feminist, Emma Goldman, were packed onto the USS Buford and deported to Russia. The year 1919 had seen massive social convulsions. The Seattle General strike had kicked off the year. It was followed by coal strikes and steel strikes, bombings and race riots. There were increasing fears of Communist ideas and influence in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution. These events touched off a draconian response by the US federal government. Together with the young J. Edgar Hoover, Attorney General, A. Mitchell Palmer conducted mass raids and arrests of more than a thousand “suspected” working class radicals. The Department of Labor agreed that proclaimed membership in the Union of Russian Workers was a deportable offense and received the USS Buford on loan from the War Department to carry out the deportations. The ship set sail and docked in Finland, where trains transferred the deportees into the Soviet Union. The vast majority of those deported had no criminal records, and had never participated in acts of terrorism. They were expelled for speaking out about their political opinions. According to Regin Schmidt, author of Red Scare: FBI and the Origins of Anti-Communism in the United States, Employers’ Association fueled the anti-radical climate. They were engaged in an intense open-shop counter-attack against post-war organizing campaigns and strike activity. “The main goal was to discredit unions as subversive, Bolshevistic and alien to basic American values.” Donning the name, ‘The American Plan,’ closed shops were referred to as ‘Sovietism in disguise,’ and propaganda campaigns were waged to ensure blacklists, internal union dissension, yellow dog contracts and strikebreaking.

December 21 - The Santa Maria School MassacreOn this day in labor history the year was 1907. At 3:45 that afternoon the Chilean military opened machine gun fire on a school occupied by striking workers. It is estimated that between one and three thousand people died that day in what came to be known as the Santa Maria School Massacre.

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