Greetings from the Burgh, where Payday is 69% of the way to raising our goal to replace a lost grant.
69% Towards Replacing Lost Grant
Good news, folks, we have now raised 69% of our fundraising goal to replace a $35,000 grant that we lost last year. We need your help to create a sustainable future for labor reporting.
Western PA Democrats Win Suburban Upset
Yesterday, Democrat Brendan Duke scored an upset victory in winning a state representative seat in Butler County that Trump won by 18% in 2024. The district consists of the growing suburban hub of Cranberry and several neighboring rural areas.
Democrats celebrated the win as a sign that they could penetrate Western PA in the upcoming election.
“Tonight’s result not only shows what can be accomplished when Democrats are willing to fight everywhere, but it sets the stage for this November’s midterm elections,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale said in a statement.
For more on the race, check out Stephen Caruso in Spotlight PA.
Boeing Union Recommends Voting Down Contract
In late July, Boeing reached a tentative agreement with SPEAA (Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace), which represents more than 18,000 technical and engineering employees at Boeing. Now, the Bargaining Unit Councils of SPEAA are recommending that members vote down the contract and are asking for permission to strike.
Many union members say that the salary increases are just not enough. Wages would increase based on inflation, but also increase partially based on the individual performance of workers. Many fear that they would be denied raises under this scheme.
“The last four years, if you’re a high performer, you’ve been getting the same raise as a low performer,” a worker told the Seattle Times. “We have no confidence that Boeing is going to change that.”
For more, check out the Seattle Times.
Target Field Workers Not Happy with $20-an-Hour Minimum Wage
At Target Field in Minneapolis, concession workers, employed by the contractor Delaware North and represented by UNITE HERE Local 17, have gone out on two one-day strikes already. The unexpected strikes often sent management scrambling at the last second to find workers to replace them.
Now, Delaware North has agreed to raise workers’ wages to $20-an-hour. Union members told KTSP that they are not happy with the offer.
Flight Attendants and Pilots at Highest Risk for Cancer
Finally, a new study published by JAMA Internal Medicine medical journal shows that pilots and flight attendants are at higher risk of dying of cancer than any profession, even higher than workers who work directly with radioactive material. From the AP:
The researchers found that flight attendants had about 50% higher odds of dying from a radiation-related cancer than the general working population, and pilots had about 36% higher odds.
In terms of absolute risk, about 6.9% of flight attendant deaths were from these cancers — roughly 1 in 14. Among pilots, it was 6.7%. For the general working population, it was 5%, said the study’s first author, Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School.
The authors acknowledged some limitations in their study. They do not know how much exposure each flight attendant and pilot got in the air or from other sources. It’s also possible occupations were misclassified on some death certificates.
They also could not account for another possible contributor specific to the professions: Cancer risk can be worsened by frequent disruption of the body’s internal clock, which can be affected by jet lag, crossing time zones and irregular work schedules.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Mass General Brigham nurses decry CEO’s 9% raise to $9.2M amid contract negotiation standoff
- Samuel Adams brewery workers declare intent to unionize
- University of North Alabama workers launch union
- Nebraska sues City of Omaha over $15 minimum wage ordinance for youth workers
- California Uber and Lyft drivers’ union could be certified in less than 30 days
- Canadian unions slam Carney government over silence on Bank of Canada’s use of scabs
- Finally, a father of six was killed while working at Cleveland Cliff’s plant in Burns Hill, Indiana
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
