Hundreds of Latinx Workers Strike in Milwaukee - Biden Orders Halt to Worksite ICE Raids -150 Group Home Workers Go on Strike in Connecticut

Folks, 

Greetings from the Burgh, where Payday just purchased a plane ticket to Los Angeles to cover the likely strike of over 60,000 IATSE members. 

Big thanks to our readers who donated so we could purchase the ticket. 

We’re still accepting donations as every donation helps us pay for food, baggage fees, and the always unexpected expenses that happen when you’re out on the road. 

If you can, donate today. 

IATSE Negotiations Continue Today 

With little negotiation progress being made by IATSE and the Alliance for Motion Picture and Television Producers, many union members are fired up and mobilized to strike. 

This will be the first time IATSE has ever gone on an industry-wide strike against the AMPTP. 

As a result, many members feel that by striking — even if just for a few days — they will be making a statement about the power of the union. 

Payday is closely monitoring this story and is in constant contact with union sources on the West Coast. 

We will update you as we find out more. 

Hundreds of Latinx Workers Strike in Milwaukee 

In Milwaukee, hundreds of Latinx immigrants went on strike yesterday to demand immigration reform as part of the “Day Without Latinx and Immigrants” strike. 

“It’s important for me to be here today because as an essential worker, during the pandemic we suffered a lot,” Basilisa Hernadez told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “On one hand, it was a blessing to still have work available, but we were at risk and some of us got sick.” 

For more, check out the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. 

Biden Orders Halt to Worksite ICE Raids 

Today, the Biden Administration announced they were halting the use of worksite ICE raids. 

During the Trump Administration, worksite ICE raids targeted large groups, sometimes hundreds of Latino immigrants, employed by a particular employer. 

“The deployment of mass worksite operations, sometimes resulting in the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of workers, was not focused on the most pernicious aspect of our country’s unauthorized employment challenge: exploitative employers,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in a memo announcing the decision. “These highly visible operations misallocated enforcement resources while chilling, and even serving as a tool of retaliation for, worker cooperation in workplace standards investigations.” 

For more on the decision, check out The Washington Post. 

150 Group Home Workers Go on Strike in Connecticut 

In Connecticut, group home workers at 28 homes throughout the state are on strike over low wages. 

Many workers make only $17 an hour and struggle to pay for their high-deductible insurance plans. 

“I’m tired. I’m drained. I’ve been at Sunrise for 24 years. It’s time that they do the right thing. No one at our agency takes insurance because it is not affordable. We haven’t had a pay raise in 15 years,” said Jennifer Brown, a direct-care worker in a statement issued by her union SEIU. 

For more, check out CT Post. 

News & Strikes Happening Elsewhere

• 21,000 California healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente vote to authorize a strike.
• 3,400 Oregon healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente vote to authorize a strike.
• John Deere workers have rejected a contract by large margins and could strike as early as Wednesday.
• Northwest Carpenters Union (NWCU) narrowly passed a new contract after strike; it was the fifth contract voted on to reach a resolution. 
• 3 St. Paul public sector unions have rejected their latest contract offer and are threatening to strike.
• The St. Vincent’s nurses strike in Worcester, Mass., has hit its 7th month.
• NYC homeless shelter guards, many of whom face homelessness themselves, rally behind the Safety in Our Shelters Act, which will raise their wages and give them health insurance.
• Harvard custodians rally against their union to delay the start of negotiations, saying SEIU 32BJ is not listening to issues brought up by the workers’ bargaining committee. 
• Finally, Pittsburgh-based Wall Street Journal reporter Kris Maher is out with a new book Desperate – An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia. My friend John Miller has a review of it at The Daily Yonder. 

Alright, folks, that’s all for today. Please keep sending tips, stories, ideas, questions, and comments to melk@paydayreport.com. 

Donate to Help Us Travel to Cover the IATSE Strike. 

Please, sign up as one of our 625 recurring donors today. 

Love & Solidarity,

Melk