Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we are getting ready for Payday’s 9th anniversary party tomorrow at the Hemlock House.
Payday’s 9th Anniversary at Hemlock House Tomorrow
Tomorrow, we are throwing an epic blowout 9th birthday party for Payday Report at Hemlock House in Regent Square where I grow up (Of course, it’s a cash bar - we can’t afford to cover everyone’s drinks)
Come tomorrow to 1126 S. Braddock Ave in Regent Square, Pittsburgh 15218. Details can be found here.
Can’t make it? Donate here. (Or Venmo us @PaydayReport)
GM Lays Off Rochester Workers Due to Electric Vehicle Cuts
In 2019, Payday camped out at GM’s facility in Rochester, where many workers were hoping to make more electric vehicles.
During the Biden Administration, there was a dramatic expansion of electric vehicle production. Now, with President Trump talking about cutting electric vehicles, the facility has announced that they are laying off GM workers.
“There’s a lot of uneasiness, going into the unknown,” UAW Local 1097 President Dan Maloney told WHEC. “Everybody wants some certainty and with the change of administrations the old push under the Biden regime was for green energy technologies, everybody was investing in EVs but the regime change is drill baby drill with the Trump administration, they want to go back to gas and diesel engines.”
US Senator Meets with Wrongfully Deported SMART Union Member
This week, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with SMART Union member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Initially, he was denied the ability to meet with him, but refused to leave El Salvador. Today, the El Salvador government allowed Van Hollen to meet with Abrego Garcia. Hollen brought news of the massive movement that has sprung up to see him returned
“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love,” tweeted Van Hollen today. “I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
See this photo of Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia on twitter.
Utahans Collect Twice as Many Needed Referendum Signatures Needed For Collective Bargaining Ban Repeal Ballot Initiative
Earlier this year, Utah passed a bill that would outlaw collective bargaining for public employees in the state. Now, more than 320,000 Utahans have signed a petition to have a ballot initiative to repeal the bargaining ban.
“House Bill 267 is wildly unpopular and the public spoke out very loudly but the legislature ignored us, the governor shrugged and signed it into law anyway. So you know what we did? We took it to the people and the people, in just 30 days, showed up,” Nurse Jessica Stauffer told KTVX.
Cannes Documentary-Featured Journalist Killed in Gaza Strike
Finally, Payday mourns the death of Fatima Hassouna, who was killed by an Israeli attack on Gaza. For more, check out Le Monde:
The last ephemeral Instagram stories of Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna disappeared a few hours after her death, at the age of 25. She had earlier published striking images of the sunset, taken from her home, accompanied by these words: "It's the first sunset in a long time." She was killed on Wednesday, April 16, along with 10 members of her close family, in the bombing of their family home located in the Al-Touffah neighborhood, in the north of Gaza.
A multimedia graduate from the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, this Palestinian had been documenting, since October 7, 2023, the daily life of the residents of the enclave, to which Israel bans access to foreign journalists. She captured it all: the forced displacements following evacuation orders from the Israeli army, the devastation caused by strikes, the death of her compatriots under the bombs, their return after the ceasefire from January 19 to March 18, but also the smiles of children amid the ruins.
Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive, an estimated 200 journalists have been killed. Contacted about Hassouna's death, the Israeli army stated it targeted "a Hamas member" involved "in attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians." It specified that "precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties."
"Fatem [a diminutive of Fatima] was a sun," confided director Sepideh Farsi, who made a documentary, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, from nearly a year of video exchanges with the photojournalist. The day before the young Palestinian's death, the Association for Independent Cinema and its Distribution (ACID) had just announced the film's selection for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- LA teachers union trains and bargains to defend immigrant students
- At least 26 states have launched their own version of DOGE
- Hundreds of NYC beer delivery workers go on strike
- Alamo Drafthouse strike ends after deal Is reached in New York
- A Kaiser strike by mental health workers drags on — setting a US record — as talks resume
- Ohio University faculty union says attempts to block union election are meritless
- Finally, Cal Matter has a look at how labor killed a bill that would let wildfire victims sue Big Oil
Alright, hope to see yinz tomorrow at the fundraiser at Hemlock House in Regent Square (Details can be found here)
Donate to help us stay alive as a publication. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today. Thanks for the support.
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
