Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato has been taking unusual steps to raise awareness about lantern fly.
Allegheny County Executive Horrifies Kamala by Killing a Lanternfly
On Wednesday, when landing at the airport in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Executive went out to greet Kamala Harris on the tarmac. As she went to shake Kamala’s hand, suddenly a lantern fly landed on the Vice President.
Innamorato immediately flicked the lanternfly off of the Vice President and proceeded to crush it with her foot and said “Welcome to Allegheny County.”
The Vice President looked at Innamorato in pure horror. Later, Innamorato explained to Harris that the lantern flies are an invasive species and environmentalists encouraged people to kill them to stop their spread. Both laughed, hugged, and began to joke.
“Spotted lanternflies: If you see them, stomp them,” Harris wrote in a viral Tik Tok post. “Great to be back in Pittsburgh!”
Watch the hysterical video on Tik Tok
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6,300 Pitt Staff Members Unionize as Steelworkers Expand Higher Education Presence
Today, more than 6,300 Pitt staff voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the Steelworkers.
While the UAW is now nearly a third university employees, the Steelworkers don't have as large of a presence. Their victory at Pitt in organizing 6,300 staff members adds to their union’s rank at Pitt, where the Steelworkers organized 3,000 faculty members in 2021.
Later this year, 2,000 graduate student employees are expected to vote for a union. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) has yet to schedule an election date.
A win there would grow Steelworkers’ higher education presence to nearly 12,000 members, giving them a foothold to expand into other areas.
For more on the union drive, check out WESA.
Biden Admin Attempts to Avert East Coast Port Strike
With the International Longshoreman Association contract on East Coast and Gulf ports set to expire on Tuesday, the Biden-Harris Administration is finding themselves in a pickle.
If the White House intervenes to stop the strike, Harris could be seen as anti-worker. On the other hand, if the strike proceeds and the economy tanks as logistics in many parts of the East Coast are shut down, Harris could be seen as causing an economic disaster.
Therefore, the White House has kicked into high gear to force the ports to agree to that contract that would prevent a strike by the International Longshoremen Association.
The White House has so far refused to invoke Taft-Hartley to stop a strike on the ports.
"We've never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson told CBS News. "We support collective bargaining. We believe it's the best way for both American workers and employers to come to a fair agreement — one that benefits the workers in a way that reflects the success of the companies."
35,000 Homecare Workers Win Union Rights in Michigan
A few years ago, it appeared that the Michigan labor movement was on the ropes. The state, traditionally a bastion of union support, took a hit when “right-to-work” was passed in 2012.
In February “right-to-work” was repealed, likely boosting the rolls of unions by hundreds of thousands union members. (BLS wont release the numbers until next year)
Now, 35,000 Michagan homecare workers have won the right to unionize in Michigan.
“We know that more and more Michiganders are going to need care, that number is not going to go down, they should have access to adequate care and it’s about building a union but it’s also about making sure that every single person in the state of Michigan has the care they deserve and the care that they need,” Beth Menz, Deputy Director of SEIU Healthcare Michigan told WILX.
Deindustrialized Western PA Town Targeted over Haitian Immigrant Influx
Finally, a local Western PA town, Charleroi, devastated by plant closings, is being targeted by Donald Trump because many Haitian immigrants have begun moving there.
Now, local Republicans in Charleroi, like State Senator Camera Bartolotta, are pushing back on the stereotypes about Haitians. Pittsburgh native Allan Smith has the story:
“At a rally earlier this month, Trump mentioned that Charleroi, with a population of 4,000 people, had experienced a significant wave “of Haitian migrants under Vice President Kamala Harris” that was “costing local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.” He claimed the town was now “virtually bankrupt” as immigrants brought “massive crime to the town and every place near it.”
Soon after, right-wing influencers began parachuting in, hoping to document evidence of immigrant malfeasance and uncover divisions in the town. Rumors of migrant workers being “bused in” quickly spread online.
So Bartolotta took to social media. On Facebook, she said the recent immigrants to her community were there “LEGALLY to WORK, and pay taxes, and raise their children, and be part of the community, etc.” On X, she pushed back against videos claiming to show migrants being bused in, imploring the right-wing Libs of TikTok account to “Please, check the facts before posting information [that] jeopardizes the safety of good, hard-working people.”
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Nearly 3,000 Hertz Teamsters in nine states prepare to strike at several major airports
- Montreal longshoremen approve potential strike as Canadian waterfront conflicts intensify
- University of Illinois feel the affects of the strike
- Solidarity flourishes on Boeing picket line
- Spirit Aero reviews furlough contingency plans amid Boeing strike
- SAG-AFTRA filing for a union of Intimacy Coordinators
- After failed UE vote in May, Princeton graduate students reflect on years-long unionization campaign
- Finally, in Peru, there is a militaristic crackdown on a bus drivers strike
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
