Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I am working on a longer story about a deportation defense training campaign.
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UAW Wins Narrow Vote in Kentucky
Last night, the UAW announced that they had won a narrow union vote at BlueOvalSK, a joint venture of Ford and Sk Battery, a Korean company.
“BlueOval SK workers won a majority of votes in an NLRB election to unionize their plant in Glendale, Kentucky, securing a hard-fought victory. This is a major step forward for workers who stood up against intense company opposition and chose to join the UAW,” the union said in a statement.
For more, check out the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Volkswagen Stalling on Contract Talks in Chattanooga
In Chattanooga, the UAW held a rally this week to call out Volkswagen for dragging its feet on agreeing to a first contract. Workers say given the high-injury rates in the plant, it’s vital that the company agree to a union contract.
"All of us were getting hurt," UAW bargaining committee member Caleb Michalski told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Two guys had torn rotator cuffs, I pulled a muscle in my back, another guy has a bulging disk."
For more, check out the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Spokane Outlaws ICE Warrantless Raids at Public Events
As local municipalities seek ways to protect immigrants, Spokane, Washington has outlawed ICE conducting raids at publicly permitted events unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.
From the Spokesman-Review:
“We just don’t feel like it’s safe right now to hold a Latino festival because we are being targeted right now,” said Fernanda Mazcot, executive director of Nuestras Raices Community Center, when the event was canceled in July.
But bill sponsor Councilman Paul Dillon and supporters hope the new law will provide some level of reassurance for future event planners and their attendees.
“Words cannot fully describe the way your blood freezes or the way your entire nervous system becomes an active live wire when you think you may have to be the person who stands against injustice and holds federal agents accountable,” said Nicole Ruiz, an organizer for Nuestras Raíces Community Center – a nonprofit serving the Latino community in Eastern Washington that hosts events like Tacos and Tequila.
“However, there is also something powerful when you know you are backed by the law,” Ruiz added. “Despite the fear, you stand a little straighter.”
The “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” law, originally proposed to impact public events in city parks, now potentially includes any event on public property outside of parks, following the independent city park board’s refusal to take responsibility for enforcement or administration. To qualify, organizers must coordinate with the city permitting office, clearly define the borders of the event with signage or barriers and give attendees “express permission” to enter, such as with a ticket or verbal permission.
For more, check out the Spokesman-Review.
DC Businesses Struggle as Workers & Customers Fear Coming in
In Washington, D.C, ICE agents and their deputies in federal agencies, walk the streets setting up patrols, looking for immigrants. Now, many restaurant owners and workers say that business has declined dramatically as a result of the fear that both workers and consumers fear about ICE agents raiding their establishments.
“When they come in, people get scared. They think they’re doing a raid or something. And you can feel the vibe change. Immediately, everybody gets quiet,” one restaurant owner told the Washingtonian. “Before, [the staff] were all very happy to see them. I know them by name, some of them.”
For more, check out the Washingtonian.
Whites Massacred Chinese Workers in Wyoming Town 140 Years Ago, Now Descendants Search for the Truth
Finally, the WyoFile has a look at the descendants of Chinese immigrants searching for the truth about a massacre of 28 Chinese migrants in 1885. From the WyoFile:
Inside the holes, six Grinnell College researchers are digging, scraping and screening the soil. Most have never been to Wyoming before.
They’re looking for artifacts from 140 years ago, when a mob burned down what was once Chinatown in Rock Springs. In the violence, the mob killed 28 Chinese migrant workers and injured another 14, making it one of the most violent bouts of anti-Chinese violence in U.S. history.
In 1885, labor tensions had boiled over in the Union Pacific Railroad’s coal mines, stemming from an argument over who had the best work opportunities. The mob, many of them also migrants, blamed the Chinese. The mob burned several blocks that once made up homes and shops full of imported goods, later razed to the ground and redeveloped.
For more, check out the WyoFile.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Brattleboro, Vermont using scab school bus drivers to bust union
- Cow manure just killed six workers on a dairy farm. It happens more than you’d think.
- New WNBA CBA By Oct. 31 deadline appears increasingly unlikely
- ‘Terrible place’: WA activist shares his story of 4 months in ICE detention
- Union workers welcome Sherrod Brown’s 2026 Ohio comeback — but can he win?
- Finally, as DACA recipients lose federal health benefits, Washington State offers immigrants an alternative
That’s all for today. Please, keep sending tips, ideas, and comments to melk@paydayreport.com
