IAM votes today | Rivian unsafe | Overtime pay

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

MACHINISTS STRIKE at BOEING

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing Machinists appear split on offer to end strike as they cast ballots — After a 95% rejection of the initial contract offer in a September vote, interviews with Machinists since the latest proposal was published Saturday show a marked divide over the new offer — with the outcome too close to predict. Voting begins at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. The result — requiring a simple majority — will be announced at Machinists union headquarters in South Park and is expected after 9 p.m.

► From CBS — WATCH: Boeing workers voting on new contract that could end strike — “It’s a little like election day here and Boeing’s future is on the ballot.”

► From the Washington State Standard — Boeing reports $6 billion quarterly loss as union contract vote gets underway — Boeing on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss of $6.17 billion, blaming the dim financial report partly on the ongoing factory worker strike in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the strike, the company was trying to overcome problems with its safety record and had billions of dollars in debt stacking up. Critics of Boeing’s management are quick to highlight executive pay, including compensation for the company’s last CEO that totaled more than $32 million in 2023.

LOCAL

► From the NW Labor Press — One year in, still no contract at Elysian Brewing — When the union election was held Aug. 22, 2023, the vote was 20-12 in favor of joining. A year later, some anti-union employees called for a decertification vote, but the result of that Oct. 1 tally was 21 in favor of the union and 9 against. On Oct. 12, members voted to authorize a strike. Further bargaining is scheduled for Oct. 24-25. The union is calling for supporters to sign an online petition demanding that Anheuser-Busch return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract.

► From the Seattle Times — Reproductive health: Geography and religion — “It’s a dangerous combination when capitalism determines geographic proximity to care and religious health care organizations dictate what procedures are covered by insurance. Seattle, we are heartbroken that access to quality reproductive health is being eroded by the removal of the VM Birth Center downtown and by insurance restrictions for our bodily autonomy.” Heather Rosewarne, RNC, Seattle, Virginia Mason Birth Center charge nurse

► From the Seattle Times — Seattle Art Museum security staff will strike barring new contract — VSO Union members said two-plus years of bargaining is too long, and that the museum hasn’t provided meaningful counters on its economic demands, including a $27/hour starting wage, scaling pay rates, health care expansion for part-time workers, and reinstatement of employer retirement matching.

► From the union-busting Columbian — Vancouver could require landlords to have rental licenses, pay for regular unit inspections — Starting in 2026, landlords with long-term rentals in Vancouver may be required to obtain a $30 per unit annual license, as well as pay for regular private inspections. The Vancouver City Council is weighing a proposed rental habitability program similar to Seattle’s in hopes of ensuring a safe and robust stock of rental housing. “Whether it’s affordable or market rate, we want much rental housing to be preserved going forward, and we want tenants to live in safe and healthy rental units,” Samantha Whitley, Vancouver’s housing programs manager.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From Axios — Scoop: NewsGuild files unfair labor practice charge against NYT — The NewsGuild of New York has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the New York Times, claiming management violated the National Labor Relations Act by interrogating employees about their strike sentiments within the past six months. The complaint adds to growing tensions between the unions the NewsGuild represents and the Times’ management as the Tech Guild threatens to strike, possibly around the election.

► From Rail News — CSX, Norfolk Southern reach tentative pacts with IBEW — The tentative agreements include a 18.77% compound wage increase for over the next five years, changes to vacation benefits that allow workers to gain vacation time earlier in their careers; and the option to carry over up to four unused paid sick days per year to a maximum of 20 days. Employees will also be allowed to cash out unused days when they leave service, IBEW officials said in a press release.

ORGANIZING

► From The Hill — Return-to-office mandates are causing more federal workers to unionize — The drive to unionize among these attorneys was strongly catalyzed by the Justice Department’s decision to increase mandatory in-office days. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced that employees would need to work in the office six days every two weeks, a significant increase from the previous two days every two weeks. This policy change, aimed at standardizing work schedules, has been met with resistance from Environment and Natural Resource division attorneys, who argue that it disrupts productivity and work-life balance.

READY FOR A VOICE AT WORK? Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

NATIONAL

► From Bloomberg — Cracked Skull, Fractured Bones Show Danger for Rivian Factory’s Workers — These are among the injuries suffered by workers at Rivian Automotive Inc., which has only one factory yet has racked up more US safety violations initially deemed “serious” than any other automaker since the start of last year. And there are incidents alleged by workers at the plant in Normal, Illinois, that haven’t made it into government reports. One former employee interviewed by Bloomberg News said she complained to doctors last year of vomiting bile with a “Rivian blue” hue after painting automobiles without a respirator.

► From ABC News — GM’s profit nears a record a year after UAW strike — Revenue rose more than 10% to $48.8 billion, topping forecasts by nearly $800 million and rising far faster than the 5% increase in the number of vehicles it sold. GM last year estimated that the strike cost it $1.1 billion. The company had argued during the strike that it couldn’t meet union wage demands and remain competitive with nonunion automakers, but it eventually agreed to give workers an immediate 11% raise and additional raises that will increase wages at least another 14 percentage points over the next four years.

► From The Daily Targum — Rutgers faculty unions host teach-in to discuss academic freedom at U., national level — Hank Kalet, a part-time lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies and vice president of PTLFC for the New Brunswick campus, said educators receive complaints about course content, though the gravity of these complaints has harsher effects for part-time educators. He said the exclusion of an “academic freedom clause” in their contracts fails to protect these educators and places them in a position where they may have to carefully select the content and the style they teach with.

► From the LA Times — As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle become shocking Central Valley tableau — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a program to pay back farmers for production loss due to the virus. But there is no program to pay farmers or dairy workers who are affected by the virus, which is a concern for infectious-disease experts, as well as farmworker advocates who say there is no incentive for dairy workers to report symptoms and isolate for 10 days (the current guidance). “The majority of dairy workers in California have no protections. Most of them are immigrants. And I would say at least half of them are undocumented,” said Elizabeth Strater, national vice president and director of strategic campaigns for United Farm Workers.

POLITICS & POLICY

► From Fast Company — During his first term, Trump cut overtime pay for millions of people. A second term would be much worse — Though former President Donald Trump presents himself as a champion of the working class with promises to cut taxes on overtime, his record as both a businessman and president paints a different picture. Trump and his businesses have faced multiple accusations of failing to pay workers overtime they were owed. Once he was in office, Trump’s Department of Labor issued a rule that reduced by millions the number of workers who would have become eligible for overtime pay under an Obama era rule.

► From the Washington State Standard — The Washington Democrat who sees a political toll if she reveals her vote for president — Dan Bentson, a retired educator, said Monday he gets it but he still came to Fat Moose Bar & Grill, to hear if Gluesenkamp Perez would share what “good advice” she would give to undecided voters in the race for president. “I’d be interested to know what she is worried about,” he said. “I would love to see her be more liberal but then she might lose this thing. I’m not going to be an armchair quarterback on this.” Gluesenkamp Perez is campaigning as a moderate, touting the willingness she’s shown to work with Republicans on issues and to oppose President Joe Biden on his border security and student loan forgiveness policies.

► From CBS News — Trump’s Social Security plan would hasten insolvency, lead to bigger benefits cuts, analysis finds — Under Trump’s plans, Social Security’s trust fund would become insolvent in 2031, which is three years earlier than currently projected by the Congressional Budget Office. At that point, the program would need to cut benefits by 33%, a steeper decrease than the 23% reduction forecast by the CBO in August. A cut of that size would mean that the typical monthly benefit check of $1,907 in 2024 would be reduced by $629 per month, leaving recipients with average payments of $1,278.

► From Cascadia Daily News — Access to abortion services a priority for Democrat candidates — The issue was selected by Whatcom County residents as among the five most important questions for Cascadia Daily News to ask candidates through its Citizens Agenda project. U.S. District 2 incumbent Rep. Rick Larsen, a Democrat, told CDN that he’s fighting not only for his seat in Congress but for the party’s efforts to gain control of the House, and retain control of both the Senate and the presidency. If they are able to do so, Larsen said he expects Democrats to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which is legislation that would codify the provisions of Roe v. Wade.

The Stand posts links to local, national and international labor news every weekday morning. Subscribe to get daily news in your inbox.