Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I took a couple days off after a wild couple of weeks
In the last three weeks, I covered the capture of the killers of Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro, the historic UAW election at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, and the re-election of Summer Lee in Pittsburgh.
$340 Short of Closing Budget Hole on UAW Coverage at Volkswagen
We are still $340 short of closing our budget hole to fully cover the costs of our UAW coverage at Volkswagen.
Donate to Help Us Cover the Costs of UAW Coverage at Volkswagen. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our 774 recurring donors tonite.
University of Texas Faculty Strike in Solidarity with Student
Yesterday, images of the Texas Department of Public Safety beating anti-war protestors at the University of Texas went viral. Now, faculty at the University are striking until the Texas police authorities are removed from campus.
“There can be no business as usual when our campus is occupied by city and state troopers, who are preventing our students from engaging in first amendment rights,” said a group of faculty supporting the strike.
Amazon Alabama Workers May Vote to Unionize Again
The momentum could keep going down south as workers may be gearing up for another vote at Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama
In 2021, workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama lost a union election by a margin of 2-to-1. In 2022, the workers voted again, but the vote has never been counted as both the company and the union have challenged more than 300 ballots.
Now two years later, the union may get its second chance at an election. From NPR:
Now, the NLRB judge will review the 311 ballots that are still uncounted. Both sides have filed other objections to the vote, accusing each other of breaking rules. The judge will consider that too.
Also on the agenda is an order by a regional NLRB director issued last year. It alleges that Amazon had violated labor laws, including by interrogating, surveilling and threatening pro-union workers, plus setting “overly broad” restrictions on workers’ access to the warehouse in their off hours.
Witnesses will begin to testify on Monday and continue into July.
What the judge decides could either establish the outcome of the last union election or set that election aside in favor of yet another do-over. Given high turnover at Amazon warehouses, this rerun would be the first time many current workers would have a chance to vote.
Links
- Poll: Alabama Strongly Supports Unionizing Mercedes Workers
- 1,000 General Motors Aramark Win 43% Raise
- Italy’s state TV journalists to strike over Meloni government’s grip
- Writers Guild of Canada overwhelmingly votes to authorize strike over AI, Fair Pay
- Months after a strike deadline was set, why aren’t Virgin Hotels workers walking off the job?
- 1,550 Kansas State Faculty Vote to Unionize
- Finally, Starbucks has returned to the bargaining table with its union after a year-long impasse.
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending story ideas, tips, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com.
Donate to Help Us Cover the UAW Election at Mercedes in Alabama. Please if you can, sign up as one of our 774 recurring donors today.
