Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I am preparing to leave for Latin America in 2 weeks.
54% of Our Venezuelan Solidarity and Travel Budget Raised
Good news, we have now raised $1,620 and are 54% of the way to our goal of $3,000.
U.S. Unions Demand Venezuelan Oil Be Imported On American Ships
While some unions are protesting the Trump Administration's attack on the sovereignty of Venezuela, other unions are hoping to profit from it.
Today, a coalition of The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), American Maritime Officers (AMO), the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots (MM&P), and the Seafarers International Union (SIU), comprising the majority of unionized seamen, wrote to the Trump Administration demanding that all ships exporting Venezuelan oil be American flagged-ships with American crews.
The four unions demanded that the Trump Administration not allow ships or workers from other nations to export oil from Venezuela into the United States. The unions that say that using American ships argue that it would be easier to impose sanctions on Venezuela.
“Requiring U.S.-flag transportation for Venezuelan crude entering the United States, the unions said, would provide reliable commercial cargo for U.S. carriers, enhance sanctions compliance, and reduce reliance on foreign vessels tied to adversarial interests,” said a release from the coalition of the major Maritime unions about their letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Greenland Union Leaders Vow to Fight Trump Takeover
Meanwhile in Greenland, union leaders are calling for international solidarity from unions around the world to fight back against Trump’s takeover of the territory. The majority of Greenlanders work in the public sector and increased American influence could erode their living conditions.
“Greenland is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and we have self-government, and we have agreements with the Danish government,” Jess Berthelsen, chair of SIK, Greenland’s national trade union confederation, told the Guardian. “That’s how things operate. If this is to change, we will take the initiative to change. It’s just hard to fathom the fact that that this is the climate among us at the moment.”
Fore more, check out the Guardian.
Post-Gazette Likely to Be Sold in a Bankruptcy Sale
This week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s anti-union management announced that they were closing the paper effective May 3rd. Management said that they would rather close the paper than agree to a union contract as ordered by repeated federal rulings.
However, some labor observers, including the local NewsGuild’s former attorney, Erine Orsatti, predict that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which still has over 81,000 paid subscribers, will likely be sold as part of a bankruptcy.
“I suspect that they will go bankrupt and that there will be a sale of assets in the bankruptcy. I know that they have been losing money for many years so that it will be easy for them to show that they are underwater,” Orsatti wrote in an email to Payday Report.
“There is a great deal of newspaper equipment that can be sold to someone interested in starting a new paper on a smaller scale,” said Orsatti. “There are about 500 talented newspaper people who could run it. There are advertisers who could make it profitable. Unfortunately, they would have to take less money in wages and benefits for it to operate in the black.”
WNBA Strike Likely
Finally, it appears that a WNBA strike is likely at this point. With the NBA owning 42% of the WNBA, female basketball players are demanding that they be given similar benefits as NBA players. From Front Office Sports:
WNBA players only have a limited number of post-career benefits written in the current CBA, including a 401(k) retirement plan and family planning reimbursement (i.e. adoption, surrogacy, fertility treatment) for players with at least eight years of service.
Unlike the NBA, which owns about 42% of the WNBA, players cannot earn health insurance for their families after retirement. (The NFL also offers retired players and their families full health coverage for five years after retirement for players who spent three years on a roster.)
Austin’s comments come as the WNBA is in the middle of negotiations with its union on a new CBA, where player benefits are a point of contention alongside increased player salaries tied to revenue sharing.
For more, check out Front Office Sports.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- SAG-AFTRA chief won’t “rule out a strike” heading into contract talks with studios & streamers next month
- British Mining Museum workers will extend their strike
- Telluride ski patrol union approves a new contract, ending strike and preparing resort re-opening this weekend
- With ballot challenges, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol unionization vote inconclusive
- Colorado Democrats, labor unions revive push to ease unionization rules
- Finally, ‘It was a big family’: Former Volkswagen assembly line workers will gather this weekend in Hempfield, Pennsylvania, where my mother and aunt both worked.
Alright folk, that's all for today. Keep sending tips, complaints, and comments melk@paydayreport.com
