Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we are getting ready to cover Trump's visit to Pittsburgh tomorrow.
Donate to help us cover the protest.
Nationwide Farmworkers Strike This Week
Last week, a farmworker died while attempting to escape from an ICE raid in Ventura County, California. Now, farmworkers' groups say that they plan to go on a nationwide strike from Wednesday to Friday against Trump's immigration policies.
"We are not machines. We are not criminals. We are the backbone of our food system, and we are tired of being treated as disposable," said Flor Martinez Zaragoza, an organizer who has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, during a news conference on Los Angeles' historic Olvera Street.
Help Us Cover Farmworkers' Strikes
Throughout the United States, there has been a growing movement of grassroots immigrant worker strikes. Earlier this year, Payday tracked how there were "Day without Immigrants" strikes in 120 Cities & 40 States, but the mainstream media largely ignored it.
Now, Payday Report hopes to draw attention to more grassroots immigrant rights strikes. Labor reporting like this is so important because it inspires workers nationwide to take action.
Donate to help us cover the growing immigrant rights strikes nationwide. Please sign up as one of our recurring donors.
U.S. Public Support for Immigration at Record High
A new poll by Gallup shows that American support for immigration is at its highest level in the 24-year history of the firm polling on the issue. From our friend Brad Reed at Common Dreams:
"Furthermore, the Gallup poll shows that 85% of Americans now support "allowing immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over "some time and 78% support "allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time."
Support for deporting all undocumented immigrants back to their home countries, meanwhile, garners just 38% support from Americans, which is a drop of nine percentage points from the 47% of Americans who said they supported deporting all undocumented immigrants one year ago.
Voters surveyed in the poll also had decidedly negative views of U.S. President Donald Trump's handling of immigration, as just 35% approved of how he was handling the issue while 62% disapproved. The numbers get even worse for Trump when it comes to Latino voters, who were a key constituency that Trump made major gains with in the 2024 presidential election.
"At 21%, Hispanic Americans' approval of Trump's handling of immigration is 14 points below the national average," writes Gallup. "With respect to immigration levels, Hispanic adults are slightly more likely than U.S. adults overall to say immigration should be decreased (39% vs. 30%, respectively) as well as to consider immigration a bad thing (25% vs. 17%), but the majority in both cases still express pro-immigration views."
For more, check out Common Dreams.
Amid Boycott Over Deportation Flights, Avelo Airlines to Close West Coast Hub
For months, the budget airline Avelo has faced boycotts and protests over operating deportation flights outside of its West Coast Hub in Burbank.
Amid negative publicity from the boycott call, the airline has said it has seen a decline in ticket sales, causing it to close its West Coast hub in Burbank, California. Activists celebrated the decision.
"This change in Avelo's business operations is some evidence that being on the right side of history, while being principled and persistent, can make a difference," local Burbank activist Nancy Klein told Reuters.
NFL Players Union Accused of Covering Up Collusion
Last week, the news broke that the NFL Players Union head, Lloyd Howell, had kept secret an arbitration ruling that the players' union had engaged in collusion.
Now, it has been revealed that Howell had been working with the Carlyle Group to purchase a stake in an NFL Team. Some within the union are now pressuring Howell to resign. From ESPN:
Last August, the NFL named three private equity firms and a consortium of firms, including Carlyle, to a list of approved funds that can invest in minority franchise stakes not to exceed 10%.
A month later, a senior union lawyer spoke with Howell about whether it was appropriate for him to continue working as an operations executive in The Carlyle Group's aerospace and defense investment team, sources told ESPN.
The union lawyer asked Howell to consider resigning from the private equity firm to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest if the firm takes an ownership stake in an NFL franchise, a source with knowledge of the situation said. Howell declined to step away from Carlyle, the source said.
Doctors Accuse of Cleveland's University Hospitals of Union Busting
In Cleveland, two pediatricians at University Hospitals are accusing the chain, which has more than 150 locations in Ohio, of illegally firing them for union organizing.
"When we were fired, thousands of our patients' lives were affected," Dr. Lauren Beene told WJW.
Sean Astin to Run for SAG-AFTRA President
Finally, Sean Astin, the star of the hit 1993 movie "Rudy" has decided to run for president of SAG-AFTRA. Astin's mother, Patty Duke, served as president of the union in the 1980s, and Astin has served on five different national bargaining committees within the union.
"It feels like this moment is a culmination of all of that work," Astin told Hollywood Reporter. "The time feels like it's absolutely right and I'm excited to do it."
For more, check out Hollywood Reporter.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- ICE raids scare off L.A. workers rebuilding fire-torn areas
- Up To 2,000 UAW legal services workers to strike this week
- Philly city workers to begin voting on tentative agreement
- Turmoil continues at World Cafe Live following walk-out
- Tulane librarians to vote on unionizing in New Orleans
- How U.S. immigration raids hurt summer pleasures, from berries to barbecues
- Finally, Bryan Cranston addresses "Lone Wolf" troubles & vows not to film or promote a movie "until every cast and crew member is paid in full"
Alright, folks, that's all for today. Keep sending tips, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
Donate to help us cover the farmworkers strike this week. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today. Thanks again for all the support.
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
