Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where Payday is busy with a new project to track “Days Without Immigrants” strikes across the country.
Help Us Map “Days Without Immigrants” Strikes in Over 60 Cities
Despite “Days Without Immigrants” events having occurred in more than 60 cities, the national media largely ignored the story. This is the largest day of mass strike action since June 2020 when George Floyd was killed during the pandemic.
Back in 2020, the disproportionately white national and (even some white leftists) media also dismissed those actions. However, Payday was the first outlet to quantitatively track the uprising and our maps changed the discussions.
(See Payday’s landmark July 2020 piece, “How Black & Brown Workers Are Redefining Strikes in the Digital COVID Age”)
Eventually, publications like The Washington Post, NPR, and The Economist all picked up on Payday’s coverage of the growing strike wave. Now, we want to do it again with the “Days Without Immigrants” movement.
Donate to help us map the growing “Days Without Immigrants”
AFGE Gains 11,162 Members in One Month
Trump and Elon Musk’s attack on federal workers appears to be growing the ranks of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation’s largest federal union.
Under federal law, membership in federal unions is “open shop,” and workers can decide to opt-out or opt-in. However, the union reports that it has seen an unprecedented surge in workers joining the union in the last month.
AFGE reported gaining 11,162 union members since January, according to a report in The Bulwark. In comparison, the union only gained 14,699 members in all of 2024. (Note, these numbers do not include other unions that also represent federal workers).
The added union membership will provide extra funds for the union as it engages in serious resource organizing and legal battles against the Trump Administration.
Meanwhile, only 20,000 federal workers, less than 1% of the federal workforce, have accepted Trump’s offer of a buyout. A sign that many federal workers intend to stay and fight for their union.
Trump Admin May List Temu as Forced Labor
In an unusual move, the Trump Administration announced that they were considering adding Temu and Shein to the Department of Homeland Security’s list of companies that use forced labor.
While several major online retailers such as Amazon have been accused of selling products made by forced labor, Temu and Shein are both owned by Chinese companies. Both companies are also rivals of Amazon, which is owned by one of Trump’s top billionaire backers, Jeff Bezos.
Utah Labor Defeats Collective Bargaining Ban
In Utah, public employees have celebrated a rare victory. Last week, the Utah House passed a bill that would ban public employees from collective bargaining.
However, a bill moving in the Utah State Senate would now allow public employees to collectively bargain if 50% of total employees in a workplace voted to unionize.
“Lawmakers heard us, they heard you. And while this fight is not over, it's a testament to what's possible when public workers stand in solidarity,” Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney said at a rally this week.
Colorado University Blocks Resident Physicians from Joining a Union
In Democratic-governed Colorado, where collective bargaining rights have long been restricted, the state is now refusing to allow resident physicians to unionize.
Resident physicians are puzzled by the move as the University already meets with the residents’ associations to set pay.
Residents began to unionize after the university did not follow on promised raise increases reached with the staff association, leading residents to want to unionize.
For more, check out The Colorado Sun.
Worker Policy Watch Launched by NELP
Finally, the National Labor Employment Law Project has launched a Worker Policy Watch. The tool allows workers to track the changes that Trump is making to labor laws at the federal level.
For more, check out Worker Policy Watch.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- 10,000 unionized Colorado King Soopers workers could strike on Thursday
- 600 New Orleans nurses prepare for two-day strike at University Medical Center this week
- Florida A&M staff join United Campus Workers with union aiming for higher pay, back pay for severe weather cleanup
- Starbucks agrees to mediation with union
- Veteran labor reporter David Bacon has a long look at the evolving tactics of organizing around immigration issues
- Finally, Morocco braces for general strike on 5-6 February
Alright folks, that’s all for today.
Donate to help us track the growing “Days Without Immigrants” Strikes. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today.
Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com. Thanks again for reading and all the support.
Melk
