Studios Forcing Overtime on IATSE Before Strike – 10,000 John Deere Workers Strike – Starbucks Union Drive Gets Dirty

Strike signs being prepared in Burbank as 60,000 IATSE members prepare to strike (Twitter @runolgarun)

Greetings from the Burgh, 

Things are very busy today as we prepare for some exciting projects covering the IATSE strike. 

Studios Forcing Overtime on IATSE Members Before Strike 

With a strike set to begin on Monday, many Hollywood studios are forcing employees to work weekends and extra overtime to finish production before the strike begins. 

“It is SHAMEFUL that during a negotiation focused on unsafe hours and other abusive working conditions, some @AMPTP companies are intentionally choosing to risk the health and safety of our members to serve their own selfish interests,” IATSE announced on its Twitter page. “It highlights the urgency of our issues.”

For more, check out IATSE’s Twitter page. 

10,000 John Deere Workers Strike

At John Deere factories in Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois, more than 10,000 John Deere workers have gone on strike, demanding better wage increases than the $1.20-an-hour increase offered by the company. 

“Our members at John Deere strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with dignity and establish fair work rules,” Chuck Browning, vice president and director of the UAW’s Agricultural Implement Department, said in a statement.

For more and to see a full gallery of photos, check out the Quad City Times. 

Rural Kentucky School Bus Drivers Strike 

Right outside of Louisville, Kentucky in Bullitt County, more than 30 school bus drivers went on a sickout strike over low wages that can start at $16.67 an hour. 

“We want to be there for our students and parents,” bus driver Nicole Marshall told WLKY.” We love all of them but we also need to get more money coming in so we can get drivers in here before we lose even more and they have to self-transport all year long.”

For more, check out WLKY. 

Starbucks Closes Two Stores Wanting to Unionize 

With Starbucks workers unionizing at five Starbucks locations in Buffalo, New York, Starbucks has decided to suddenly close two of them, citing the need to remodel as the justification. 

However, union activists question if that was their true motive. 

“We were supposed to get a refurbishment earlier this year, but it’s happening now,” barista Jaz Brisack told Vice. “As soon as we petitioned for a union election, they said ‘[the remodel] is definitely happening.’ Their goal is to separate and disconnect us.” 

For more, check out Vice.

Strikes and News Happening Elsewhere

Alright, folks, that’s all for today. Please keep sending tips, stories, ideas, questions, and comments to [email protected]

Donate Today to Help Us Cover the IATSE Strike. 

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Love & Solidarity,

Melk

About the Author

Mike Elk
Mike Elk is an Emmy-nominated labor reporter and alumni of the Guardian. In addition to filing nearly 2,000 stories from 46 states, Elk traveled with Lula from Sáo Bernando do Campos all the way to the Oval Office in the White House. Credited by the Washington Post for being the first reporter to track the strike wave systematically, Elk started Payday Report using his NLRB settlement from being illegally fired for union organizing in 2015. He lives in his hometown of Pittsburgh and works frequently in Rio de Janeiro, where he attended college at PUC-Rio. He speaks both Portuguese and Pittsburghese fluently. His email is [email protected]

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