NEWS ROUNDUP

Forero family | SBWU rallying | Farmworker pay

Monday, September 22, 2025

STRIKES

► From First Alert 4 — Union members ratify settlement offer, call on Boeing to accept deal — According to the union, the proposal is for a four-year contract offer that aligns 401(k) contribution percentages with Boeing employees around the country, more fairly raises wages for top-of-scale members, and includes a compromise on the ratification bonus that approaches the level Boeing provided for IAM Union members in the Pacific Northwest and non-union workers in South Carolina. “Our members stood up with courage and voted for a fair, responsible pathway to end this strike,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Now, Boeing must honor that decision, accept this deal, and show respect for the skilled workers who are the backbone of its defense business.”

 

LOCAL

► From 19th News — A family’s detention and deportation through a mother’s eyes — The family, originally from Colombia, had been living in Seattle for two years, where Orozco Forero worked as a child care provider for children with disabilities. Her eldest son, Juan David, has a serious kidney issue and was being treated at Seattle Children’s Hospital…They arrived in Bogotá with nothing. They’ve been in Colombia for a little over a month now, living with Orozco Forero’s grandmother — their only family left in the country. They’ve started to work as street vendors at night again, and they’re scouring the city for a doctor who will see Juan David. An appointment alone can cost about $1,000, if they can even secure one. But she hasn’t quite given up on returning just yet. She’s continued taking early childhood courses remotely through the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families, just in case a path opens up for them.

Editor’s note: You can still support WFSE sister Nicolle by donating to the family’s GoFundMe — funds are being used to get care for her son in Colombia.

► From My Northwest — Starbucks workers to rally at 12 p.m. Monday at Reserve Roastery — Baristas, elected officials, and community supporters are planning to rally at Seattle’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Monday at 12 p.m., demanding a fair contract…“We need a contract more than ever. Starbucks says it can’t afford to pay us more, but they gave the CEO a new office and a private jet? Meanwhile, we are dealing with understaffing and being overworked,” Trent Lytle-Hogue, a Seattle barista of two years, said in an announcement of the rally. “Wait times are long, customers are angry, but the management is only concerned with enforcing the new dress code. Our union is strong and we are ready to do what it takes to win our contract!”

► From the Stranger — WA Supreme Court Deciding if Live-In Caregivers Deserve Minimum Wage — In court filings, six plaintiffs who worked for Assurecare Adult Home LLC testified that they often worked up to 24-hour shifts with no overtime pay or sick leave, taking care of vulnerable patients who often need to be physically lifted up and assisted, were forced to sleep in hallways and on floors and frequently get woken up in the middle of the night for emergencies, and for this exhausting work often ended up making as little as $2 to $3 per hour—less than a quarter of the state minimum wage of $16.66. Represented by the legal nonprofit Fair Work Center, these plaintiffs sued in King County Superior Court for labor rights violations. It was decided on summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, but was passed up to the Washington State Supreme Court, because it addresses constitutional questions.

► From the Tri-City Herald — ‘Dramatic change.’ Downtown Pasco small businesses hit hard as customers fear ICE sweeps — ICE has already made one arrest in downtown Pasco, said Ana Ruiz Kennedy, community organizer and 2024 candidate for the Legislature. She said that ICE agents came to one downtown Pasco business to arrest someone. The person was not there, but another worker was detained instead. Earlier this year, a Pasco father of three was arrested and detained and deported in June. “That news spreads,” Ruiz Kennedy said. “And it’s affecting the economy in every aspect.”

► From KUOW — New placards are coming to King County food businesses. But they’re not about food safety — You know those placards that show a restaurant’s food safety rating? Soon there will be another sign next to it that says whether that business has unresolved wage violations. The King County Board of Health approved new rules adding the placard, and allowing additional inspections of businesses that are dinged for unpaid wages or other labor violations. “We think in this moment where we see weakening standards at the federal level, having greater coordination amongst entities between jurisdictions is the right thing to do.” said Board chair Teresa Mosqueda, who sponsored the amendment.

 

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From Reuters — GE Aerospace reaches five-year labor deal with 600 striking UAW workers — GE Aerospace reached a five-year labor agreement with more than 600 striking workers of the United Auto Workers union at its Ohio and Kentucky distribution facilities, the aircraft engine supplier said on Friday. The agreement ends a three-week strike at GE Aerospace’s Evendale plant in Ohio that produces marine and industrial engines for the U.S. Navy and its Erlanger facility in Kentucky that supplies parts to some of the company’s engine plants.

► From the Huffington Post — Starbucks, Union Approach 4-Year Mark Without A Contract — On Friday, more than 40 groups wrote Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol saying they would stand by the baristas if they went on strike. The letter was signed by the AFL-CIO labor federation, a dozen major unions, and groups like Greenpeace USA, the League of Conservation Voters and the Democratic Socialists of America. “We will continue to back union workers’ fight, including by not crossing barista picket lines at Starbucks if they feel striking is necessary,” they wrote. “We may even join them on the picket line if progress toward a fair contract isn’t being made.”

 

NATIONAL

► From Grist — Farmworkers already face harsh conditions. Now they may have to deal with a pay cut. — But labor groups contend that farmworkers — whether they are guest workers, U.S.-born, or undocumented — are not paid a fair or even livable wage. “What the Trump administration just did, it essentially liberalizes the entire labor market in the food system,” said Jose Oliva, campaigns director at the HEAL Food Alliance, a coalition of groups representing workers in the food supply chain. The resulting financial precarity would add another layer of risk to a profession that’s already one of the lowest paid in the country — as well as on the front lines of the climate crisis.

► From NPR — Inside the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world, talk of tariffs — It’s a chance for them to network and share ideas and commiserate with other women doing this work. These are physically demanding jobs. They also pay well and come with benefits. And, Ayesha, for decades, there have been efforts to grow the share of women in these jobs. But progress has been incredibly slow, and some people here are worried it’s stagnating. Overall, women still account for just 4% to 5% of those out on job sites working with tools.

► From the Washington Post — Many Americans can’t buy houses, get jobs or move in stuck economy — A mix of high borrowing costs, dwindling job openings and growing economic and political uncertainty have left many U.S. households at a standstill, with many Americans saying they feel unable to buy new homes, take new jobs or move to new cities. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut last week — the first of the year, with the expectation that more will follow — may have boosted stock prices, but it isn’t likely to make much of a difference to everyday Americans, economists say.

► From the Washington Post — Low-income Americans slash spending, a worrying sign for the economy — Americans’ long-running spending boom is showing signs of faltering as consumers of all income levels scale back and hold out for discounts, leaving the economy on shaky ground. This shift is most pronounced among lower-income consumers, who are disproportionately vulnerable to rising prices and other economic pressures eroding their purchasing power, industry analysts say. “U.S. consumer spending is not just softening overall, it’s doing so in a fragmented way … and that’s a real problem,” said Claire Li, a Moody’s vice president of credit strategy. “If the benefits and the pressures are not shared broadly, then we’re not looking at a balanced or a healthy state of the U.S. consumer base.”

► From the New York Times — Hamburger Helper Sales Rise as Americans Try to Save on Food — And it’s not just Hamburger Helper. Sales of foods commonly purchased by consumers when financial times get tough are on the rise, according to industry analysts. Purchases of rice are up 7.5 percent this year. Distressed shoppers are also buying more cans of tuna, salmon and sardines. Sales of beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese are also strong, based on data from the research firm Circana. Uncertainty about the economy and higher tariffs levied on goods from a variety of countries have led many consumers to refocus their spending on essentials or items that are good values, while cutting back on extras or unnecessary spending.

► From the 74 — Half of Teachers Expect to Buy Food for Students This School Year, Survey Finds — The American Federation of Teachers published the findings Sept. 10 after research company Grow Progress surveyed 705 members about classroom expenses and federal education policy changes. The union also collected personal insights about student hunger, an issue that previous studies have found is prominent at school and could be impacted by impending government cuts to food assistance programs.

► From the Washington State Standard — Rural hospitals often scrap labor and delivery services after mergers, study finds — Over the past five years, more than 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies or announced they’ll stop in 2025, according to the most recent data from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Less than half of rural hospitals still offer labor and delivery services. Gaynor and a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern University and the University of Georgia examined how hospital mergers have affected access to obstetric care in rural areas, and the quality of that care. They found that rural hospitals were part of more than 450 mergers from 2006-2019.

► From Variety — Christopher Nolan Elected President of Directors Guild of America — Christopher Nolan has been elected president of the Directors Guild of America, taking over the reins as the union prepares for upcoming negotiations with the major studios…“To be elected President of the Directors Guild of America is one of the greatest honors of my career,” Nolan said. “Our industry is experiencing tremendous change, and I thank the Guild’s membership for entrusting me with this responsibility. I also want to thank President Glatter for her leadership over the past four years. I look forward to collaborating with her and the newly elected Board to achieve important creative and economic protections for our members.”

 

POLITICS & POLICY

Federal updates here, local news and deeper dives below:

► From People’s World — Union leaders applaud Senate bill to restore collective bargaining rights for federal workers — In the House, despite the GOP leadership’s blockade, Golden and Fitzpatrick lead the charge for the bill. Labor is lobbying lawmakers to defy the leaders and sign a seldom-used “discharge petition” to bring the bill to the floor for an up-or-down vote. That needs the signatures of a majority of House members—218—to overcome the House GOP leadership’s ire.

► From KUOW — Trump’s new $100K fee on H-1B visas will hurt the tech companies trying to woo him — The president on Friday signed an executive order adding a $100,000 fee for high-skilled workers to enter the country through the H-1B visa program. It’s a steep and dramatic overhaul for a program that many large companies have used to hire thousands of software engineers and other highly-specialized workers…Whatever the ultimate impact on workers, Trump’s steep new fee for H-1B visas is a slap in the face for the tech industry, which hires thousands of foreign-born workers every year. This year, Amazon has sponsored the highest number of workers on H-1B visas, followed by Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google. Tesla, the electric carmaker run by onetime Trump ally Elon Musk, also heavily uses the H-1B program (and has been accused in a lawsuit of using it to underpay workers).

► From the Washington Post — Judge strikes down Trump’s $15 billion suit against the New York Times — A federal judge in Tampa struck down President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, saying that the 85-page complaint was “decidedly improper and impermissible” under the rules governing civil proceedings in federal court. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, issued a scathing ruling on Friday, lambasting the president and his lawyers for the lawsuit.

► From Axios — Bureau of Labor Statistics postpones key data report with no explanation — The BLS — charged with collecting critical data on employment, prices and more — did not explain the reasoning for the delay or when it might ultimately be released. There is heightened concern about the future of U.S. statistics, including the politicization and accuracy of crucial data that affects the stock market and interest rates.

► From Bloomberg Law — EEOC to Close Workers’ Disparate Impact Discrimination Charges — The EEOC plans to administratively close by the end of September all pending worker charges based solely on unintentional discrimination claims, with limited exceptions, according to an internal agency memo obtained by Bloomberg Law. The memo instructs Equal Employment Opportunity Commission staff to conclude those cases by Sept. 30 and issue “right to sue” letters that allow workers to bring their disputes in federal court by Oct. 31. It’s the latest major enforcement shift for the civil rights agency based on executive orders from President Donald Trump.

 

INTERNATIONAL

► From Behan Box — Platform Work Unions Are Fighting Gender And Caste Bias, Clearing New Paths To Resistance — Platform workers operate in fragmented, opaque supply chains, under the gaze of algorithms, without social or economic protections and workers’ unions are fighting to secure democratic and legally binding rights for them, as we reported in the first part of this series. In the concluding part, we talk about the older social hierarchies that these unions have to battle – caste and sexism. These movements, like their predecessors, tend to be male-dominated, shaped around men’s work, their time, their priorities. Unpaid care work, family norms, and now gendered gigs in digitally scattered platforms keep women from fully and freely participating.

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

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