Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I am battling some health issues, but very excited by all the battling going on in the labor movement. While I don’t have a lot of original reporting today since I have been sick, I did wanna keep folks updated on all the things going on.
Big thanks to everyone who donated to help me get back on my feet after being sick for so long.
AFGE Urged Democrats to Cave on Shutdown
Yesterday, the US Senate, with the help of 8 conservative Senate Democrats including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, voted to agree to the Republican budget demands to end the government shutdown.
In early October, Payday Report covered how AFGE, the largest federal workers union in the country, called on Democrats to cave and vote for the Republican measure.
“Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley wrote in a statement first shared with NBC News. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.”
AFGE caved despite the fact that other federal unions like NTEU or IFTPE did not cave and agree with AFGE.
At the time, Payday covered how a group of rank-and-file AFGE members launched a petition calling for Democrats to continue to hold out saying that the rank-and-file of the union were not tallied or formally polled on the matter.
“AFGE’s unconditional calls to end the shutdown serve only to pressure our congressional allies to give up on the fight for a better budget for federal employees and all Americans,” the group said in a statement. “As public servants, we cannot support a policy position that puts our right to an on-time paycheck above the basic rights of all Americans to affordable healthcare, or accelerates unconstitutional overreach by the executive branch.”
Writing on Facebook, Rutgers labor studies Professor Eric Blanc attributes the weaknesses of the federal unions to giving cover to Democrats, who wanted to fold on the measure.
“The main rationale provided by the American Federation of Government Employees president for supporting the Republican ‘deal’ was that his members were suffering economically from the shutdown. But AFGE’s leadership could have decided to pressure Republicans rather than Democrats to end the shutdown,” wrote Blanc. “The fact that other unions representing federal employees like IFPTE and SEIU chose not to cave to Republicans puts into sharp relief that AFGE made a political choice.”
For more, check out Blanc’s piece “Democrats Caved in the Shutdown Fight. Unions Let Them” on his newsletter Labor Politics.
Boeing Workers to Vote on Improved Ratification Bonus
In October, Payday Report covered how Boeing workers rejected the company’s offer by a narrow margin of 51%-to-49%. Now, the company has presented another offer, which has more money upfront as a ratification bonus and less on the back end in stock options.
In writing, Boeing declared that they would rehire workers now, but wouldn’t in the future if they don’t vote for the bonus.
“As you know, we have already hired permanent replacement workers as we moved into the next phase of our contingency plan and are fully staffed in some areas,” wrote Boeing. “Despite that, we will guarantee that all IAM 837 members will be returned to work if this offer is ratified. No one would be displaced. This is not something we will be able to guarantee moving forward,” Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), wrote to the company’s 3,200 jet fighter workers in St.Louis.
The Machinists Union is urging that members vote yes on the new proposal from Boeing.
Bari Weiss to Eliminate “Standards and Practice” Division at CBS News
Last week, Payday Report covered Bari Weiss' history of union busting, attacking pro-DEI staffers, and even crossing the picket line at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now, Weiss has indicated that she plans to eliminate the “Standards and Practices” division at CBS News. The Independent has the story:
There are growing concerns within CBS News that Bari Weiss could gut or even disband the network’s Standards and Practices team, with multiple sources telling The Independent that the new editor-in-chief has complained that the unit has “too much power” and she doesn’t see the point of keeping it around.
The internal rumblings within the CBS newsroom come as the head of Standards and Practices announced her resignation and the network disbanded its vaunted Race and Culture unit during parent company Paramount’s brutal and morale-crushing layoffs last month.
Sources explained to The Independent that the Race and Culture team – which advised on “context, tone and intention” of news programming – was initially supposed to be folded into the standards unit and largely survive the sweeping layoffs. Instead, only the unit's head – executive producer Alvin Patrick – was retained, and the rest of the team was let go.
“The team is responsible for ensuring editorial standards are met on scripts and provides daily reporting guidance. They literally uphold journalistic standards,” one CBS News reporter said, adding that it would be “crazy” for the network to dissolve Standards and Practices.
The Independent has reached out to CBS News for comment.
“I’ve been hearing that standards will be eliminated or severely cut back. Bari has told people that she wants to get rid of standards and is shocked that they have so much power. She also asked openly, ‘What’s the point of standards?’” one CBS News insider claimed.
For more, check out The Independent
Post-Gazette Union Declares Victory, But Is The Strike Really Over?
Finally, yesterday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette union declared victory in their three year-long strike with headlines on their website reading “Post-Gazette Strikers Win Three-Year Strike.”
“Though the paper has continuously flouted federal labor law for the better part of a decade, the combination of its workers’ strike and a circuit court ruling corners the union-busting operation,” the union said in a statement.
Their declaration of victory came after a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor that the company had unlawfully changed the terms of conditions of workers’ employment without first bargaining with them.
Even national AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler declared victory in a press release sent to reporters nationwide.
“Working people don’t back down from a fight, no matter how long it takes or how tough it gets. The members of the Pittsburgh News Guild-CWA have proven that time and again for the past three years. I am thrilled to congratulate them on their resounding victory,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
Indeed, many workers had reason to celebrate as the ruling likely will grant workers thousands of dollars of backpay.
However, it's unclear if the remaining 26 workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be returning to work anytime soon. (Over 90 workers have crossed the picket line to keep the newsroom running) The order from the three-judge panel does not provide any sanctions or order compelling the Post-Gazette to reinstate the 26 unionized employees still on strike.
The Blocks, owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pledged to appeal the decision by the panel of three appeals court judges to the full (en banc) Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which could take some time to repeal the decision. The Blocks have also vowed to take the ruling to the Supreme Court, a case, which the Supreme Court may take in order to damage the enforcement powers of the National Labor Relations Board.
Finally, the company said in a statement issued Monday evening that the decision “will likely force the closure of the Post-Gazette — ending nearly 240 years of continuous service to the people of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.”
WESA reporter Chris Potter, who was once a very pro-union member of the Post Gazette union, spoke to their former labor lawyer Ernest Orsatti:
“ The parties are so still so far apart and we still have a long way to go before I think we see a final resolution of this dispute,” Orsatti said.
The Post-Gazette has 14 days to appeal to rehear the case en banc, meaning a larger panel of judges from the Third Circuit will decide whether to reconsider the case. And after that, the Post-Gazette can petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, though the chances of the court taking the case are extremely low.
The process of appealing en banc will likely take months and that means that, if the Post-Gazette does ask the Supreme Court to hear the case, it will not be considered by the highest court until next fall.
“ I'm still not completely optimistic that [workers and management are] ever gonna reach an agreement,” Orsatti added. “Knowing that they've got experienced lawyers from out of town who know the system and they know how to work the system, and knowing how weak our labor laws are…I have to temper my optimism with the fact that it's not over.”
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Walgreens cuts paid holidays for hourly workers after Sycamore deal
- Springfield factory workers strike after chairs removed, forcing them to work on knees
- Inside ICE’s plans for A bounty hunter army
- Hyundai Motor's Alabama suppliers use prison labor, affecting wages, worker safety: report
- Detroit Institute of Arts workers form a union, shedding light on labor power in the art world
- A study of how Wall Street sank Mamdani-style municipal plans back in 1975 — and how the left can get prepare for a similar fight.
- Finally, Iranian oil workers launch historic strike
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
