IATSE & TV Studios Talks Hit Snag – 27,000 Virginia Teachers to Vote on Union on Monday

Folks,

Greetings from the Burgh, where I am getting ready to ship out to cover 27,000 teachers voting to unionize in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Help Pay for Weekend Work Covering Virginia’s Teachers Union Election

We have already conducted several interviews with teachers on the ground in Virginia and have several more scheduled.

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Tennessee Women to Strike Statewide

In Tennessee, some women plan to go on a statewide strike to protest the discrimination they face on the job. The workers plan to picket at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville as part of a nationwide effort to get women to strike.

“We are encouraging people who absolutely cannot do that to wear red or green in solidarity and show their support,” the group told WSVM. “We are standing for reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy, gender equality and gender-based violence. Especially in light of the new laws that have been passed just in these last couple of months relating to abortion, contraception, IVF and can you believe a national database for women who become pregnant!”

For more, check out WSVM.

Tensions Rise in IATSE Contract Talks

IATSE officials had hoped that they would be able to show a proposed tentative agreement by the end of this week. However, tensions at the bargaining table have risen. From Deadline:

The union announced Thursday that it had yet to reach a deal on the Basic Agreement nor the Area Standards Agreement, despite Wednesday being the last scheduled day of bargaining between IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

More talks are scheduled for this month and could start as early as next week. For now, IATSE must step aside for Teamsters Local 399 to begin negotiations, but Deadline hears its possible that the unions may bargain simultaneously in an effort to get both deals done before their contracts expire on July 31.

For more, check out Deadline.

IATSE Plans to Use Day-Time Emmys as Organizing Target

With frustration mounting over the pace of negotiations, IATSE has announced that they plan to picket the Daytime Emmy Awards tonite.

“Our industry is really good at recognizing the value that artists and technicians bring. It’s that work that makes shows like the Daytime Emmy Awards possible,” an IATSE spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “The IA is disappointed that the production team elected to do this non-union, and we are hopeful that we can reach an agreement similar to other awards shows, such as the Primetime Emmy Awards.”

For more, check out Deadline.

Healthcare Workers Picket American Medical Association Over Gaza Silence

Finally, healthcare workers are picketing the American Medical Association conference in Chicago tomorrow over the group’s ongoing silence on Gaza.

“We’re seeing hospitals being bombed, ambulances being bombed, doctors and other medical workers being targeted and shot,” Emily Hacker, a member of Healthcare Workers for Palestine told People’s Dispatch. “The AMA is the sixth largest lobbying organization in the United States, it’s bigger than Boeing. It’s bigger than Lockheed Martin, it’s bigger than the [National Rifle Association]. They have a tremendous amount of domestic and international influence, and because they carry such weight within the realm of health care, we felt it would be appropriate for them to use their voice in this way.”

For more, check out People’s Dispatch.

News & Headlines Elsewhere

Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments, and complaints to [email protected].

Donate to help us cover the Virginia’s Teachers Strike. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our 774 recurring donors today. Thanks again for all the support.

Love & Solidarity,

Melk

About the Author

Mike Elk