AWPPW | Strike authorized | International solidarity @ Utøya

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

TODAY’S MUST-WATCH

► From IUPAT — IUPAT Young Workers Visit Utøya for Global Youth Forum — IUPAT Young Workers Committee traveled to Utøya Island in Norway for the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Youth Committee meeting. In 2011, Utøya was the place of a terrorist attack that took the lives of 69 people, mostly teenagers. “The far right movement, the thing they are most afraid of, is us, the unionists: how we stand together and how we keep going on.” -Jon Erling, union member from Norway

STRIKES

► From Michigan Public Radio — “I threw their proposal in the trash”: American Axle strike continues after negotiations stall — Josh Jager is the bargaining chair for the United Auto Workers Local 2093…Jager said Dauch’s proposal disregarded discussions the two sides had regarding cameras inside the American Axle plant, adding that both sides appeared to agree that video from the cameras would only be used against employees accused of egregious behavior like theft or assault. “I threw their proposal in the trash because I was so upset that we’re not listening to what we’re doing at the table and you’re going back and doing your own thing in your own room.” Despite the setback, Jager said he’s still hopeful the union can outlast Dauch. He claimed the company is getting close to running out of the automotive parts it stockpiled in anticipation of the strike.

LOCAL

► From OPB — LISTEN: Washington union supports workers and their families after deadly Longview mill disaster — The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers in Vancouver, Washington, is the union that represents the nearly 400 workers who were working at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. when a chemical tank ruptured at the paper mill last month. Eleven employees died, all of whom were union members…Josh Estes, a spokesperson and former local union president at AWPPW, says the union supports the demands for answers and accountability from victims and their families to ensure that a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again. Estes joins us to share the union’s focus on supporting workers and their families and the importance of this industry to the local economy.

► From the Cascadia Daily News — St. Joe’s staff concerned about patient safety in specialized unit after alleged rape — Concerns include intermingling of vulnerable adults and vulnerable minors, as well as limited employees on the unit with specialized behavioral health training, according to PeaceHealth medical staff with knowledge of the incident and operations of SECU, who spoke to Cascadia Daily News on condition of anonymity…The Washington State Nurses Association is calling for an internal investigation into the incident to identify potentially systemic issues. This isn’t the first time nurses in the unit have raised concerns, states a May 28 news release from the association.

► From the AFL-CIO:

Our @IAM_union brother Maximo Londonio was unjustly detained by ICE last year.

But, his union family jumped into action, fought back and won. That is the power of our solidarity. pic.twitter.com/hyDQWC6EVe

— AFL-CIO ✊ (@AFLCIO) June 8, 2026

► From KPTV — Portland teachers’ union files class action grievance over district-wide layoffs — The Portland teachers’ union has filed a class action grievance against Portland Public Schools over planned district-wide layoffs. The grievance filed Monday comes as the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) says the school district has sent layoff notices to at least 82 teachers for the coming school year. Of those, the union says at least 77 violate collectively bargained layoff procedures…“To issue this scale of layoff notices without adhering to the negotiated layoff processes shows a clear contempt for educators, their voices, and the collective bargaining process,” the [union] statement said.

► From the union-busting Columbian — PeaceHealth accused of denying worker’s paid time off — In a Nov. 13 letter, the Employment Security Department ordered PeaceHealth to pay Daniels $680.64, the amount of paid time off taken from her, within 30 days, with 1 percent interest accruing every day after that. PeaceHealth didn’t send a check until February of this year, two months after the deadline set by the Employment Security Department, but it didn’t include interest. “It was a mess,” Daniels said. PeaceHealth Human Resources sent an email to Daniels in March stating no additional funds were owed to her, despite an Employment Security Department ombudsman telling Daniels otherwise.

► From the Yakima Herald-Republic — Scammers targeting Spanish-speakers injured at work, state warns — No complaints have been filed yet in Washington state, but the state attorney general’s office is warning that injured workers should be wary of scammers pretending they are official government employees, attorneys or judicial staff. To appear legitimate, the scammers send messages including government agency seals, addresses and even signatures by government officials. They are reaching out to injured workers by phone, email, video call, text message, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and other social media apps…If you think you received communication that appears to be from L&I or the Washington Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, don’t send money or personal information. Verify by contacting L&I at 360-902-4229 or by email at InsServLanguageAccess1@LNI.wa.gov.

AEROSPACE

► From the Everett Herald — Boeing’s Everett 737 MAX production line takes off July 6, CEO says — Boeing added the Everett line to aid the aerospace company’s 2027 target production goal of 52 jets per month, a jump from its current approved monthly rate of 47. The North Line, where the company will manufacture 737s in Everett for the first time, will be capable of building all 737 MAX models but will initially focus on producing the 737 MAX 8, 9 and 10, the Daily Herald previously reported. The Everett production line will replicate the Renton factory’s building process, aside from introducing the 737 Wing Transport Tool, which transports partially completed wings for final assembly in Everett.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From the Seattle Times — Seattle hotel workers authorize strike ahead of the FIFA World Cup — Employees at Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square overwhelmingly voted Friday to authorize a strike over faltering union contract negotiations, with 94% of union members voting in favor. The vote means Unite Here! Local 8, the union representing around 7,000 hospitality workers in Washington and Oregon, can call a strike at any point in the future…“The World Cup is a huge, huge thing,” Jus Adsuara, public areas attendant at Embassy Suites, said in a phone interview Friday. “It’s really unfair that those of us who are making this happen for, like, the owners of hotels, for the owners of the stadiums, have to struggle.”

► From NPR — SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize strike ahead of World Cup — The union representing the workers said on Friday its members, including cashiers, concession workers, bartenders, dishwashers, cooks and food attendants, voted 96% in favor of a strike. “Workers could walk off the job at any moment if their demands are not met,” UNITE HERE Local 11 said. Workers’ demands include higher pay, security on the job and protections against subcontracting and other potential threats to the erosion of union jobs. A top concern among workers is the role of federal immigration enforcement officers at the games, amid the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

► From the Washington Post — Actors’ union approves 4-year contract with studios and streamers — The ratification was widely expected and a walkout never seemed to be in the cards during drama-free negotiations, but the vote assures there will be no repeat of the 2023 actor and writer strikes that seriously shook the entertainment industry. More than 90% of votes from members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists approved of the agreement, with about 19% of eligible voters casting ballots.

NATIONAL

► From People’s World — AFL-CIO’s 30th Constitutional Convention kicked off in Minneapolis — On the opening day of the AFL-CIO’s 30th Constitutional Convention, hundreds of delegates gathered in downtown Minneapolis and re-elected President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond to new terms, welcomed the return of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) after more than two decades, and set an ambitious course for the labor movement in a moment defined by both renewed vitality and deepening peril…No moment at the convention carried more emotional weight than the tribute to Minnesota’s labor movement, which has been on the front lines of resistance to the federal government’s immigration “enforcement” operations.

► From Deadline — SAG-AFTRA & WGAE Condemn CBS News’ ’60 Minutes’ Firings, Call Terminations An Assault On Independent Journalism — SAG-AFTRA called the firing of Scott Pelley and other correspondents “shocking,” characterizing it as management’s “continued assault on the foundations of CBS News.”…SAG-AFTRA’s statement continued, “Following the company’s decision to shut down CBS News Radio and lay off employees across multiple platforms in March, the 60 Minutes decisions can only be seen as part of a broader strategy to gut the crucial independent journalism that is so important to our democratic system.”

POLITICS & POLICY

► From KUOW — New WA law seeking to protect immigrant workers takes effect this week — Starting June 11, House Bill 2105 will require employers to give workers at least five business days’ notice that any federal agency is auditing their I-9 forms or any other worker records…Employers will also need to provide information about workers’ rights and resources, and they will need to give employees the results of the audit within five days of receiving them.

► From the Washington State Standard — Why AG Nick Brown wants the Supreme Court involved in WA’s redistricting fight — “When we have a substantial change in the underlying case law that the original decisions were based on we think it’s important that the court follow the current standard and the current precedent,” Brown said in an interview late last week…Brown said [Callais] is “a horrible decision. It undermines the voting power of black and brown communities all across this country, including in Washington state. It really flies in the face of 40 years of precedent.” But to be “honest brokers” representing the state means asking the court to grant the petition, vacate the 9th Circuit Court judgment and allow that panel to decide whether its prior decision still applies under existing case law.

► From KUOW — Transgender ballot initiative could require genital exams for WA secondary school students — Language in the initiative claims that kids are already required to undergo verification of their “biological sex” before they can play sports. But KUOW spoke with medical professionals and a school sports official who said otherwise. Paperwork used by medical professionals in sports physicals also shows that the initiative would be a departure from current state requirements for athletic participation…Former school nurse Katie Johnson, who also supports the No Hate in Washington State campaign, said schools with large populations of students who don’t have regular access to doctors typically complete the sports physicals in “batches,” so a volunteer doctor may come in for a day and examine students in a large gym or public setting. “ Students don’t take their clothes off. They’re fully clothed,” she said. She was dubious that any school would want to assume the liability of verifying biological sex.

► From Reuters — US Senate passes $70 billion ICE funding; fails to ban Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund — The U.S. Senate handed President Donald Trump a victory early Friday morning, passing a bill that would provide the Department of Homeland Security with an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement and sending it to the House of Representatives for final ‌consideration. The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the legislation, with no support from Democrats and no provision to ban a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that could compensate Trump’s political allies for allegations that the government mistreated them. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski, voted against the bill.

► From the Washington Post — House bill rolls back food aid for pregnant women, children — Under the legislation, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — more commonly known as WIC — would lose $141 million in funding for fruit and vegetable benefits for the nearly 5.4 million children and pregnant and postpartum women enrolled, according to an estimate from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

► From Reuters — US judge invalidates Trump policies targeting immigrants from 39 countries — President Donald Trump’s administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 travel‑ban countries from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship, a U.S. federal judge ‌ruled on Friday. Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled, opens new tab that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had adopted a series of unlawful policies targeting people from 39 African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries.

► From KUOW — WA governor’s office warns agencies to prepare for ‘significant budget shortfalls’ — Chapman-See added: “This year’s revenue forecasts will likely not provide sufficient support for the maintenance of current programs, let alone any expansions.” She emphasized that it’s still unclear how large a gap the governor and lawmakers will have to solve. But she said that, “A ‘business as usual’ approach will not meet the need of this moment.” Agency directors will have until Sept. 14 to submit their budget requests to the Office of Financial Management. Chapman-See told them they should plan to pause the phase-in of most new programs and not propose new ones.

INTERNATIONAL

► From the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives — Why are Ontario social and community service workers striking? — In response to growing workload, worsening working conditions, and wage suppression, 4,000 Ontario Public Sector Union (OPSEU) workers are on strike at 24 picket lines across the province. They work in social services agencies, Children’s Aid societies, community health clinics, developmental services providers, and other caregiving facilities.

► From the Guardian — ‘Historic’: Canadian warehouse workers sign first-ever union deal with Walmart — But the union says the deal with a corporation long hostile to organized labour is only an opening salvo in a broader fight to unionize major employers across the country…“These members were determined to have workplace democracy and they stuck with it,” said Lana Payne, president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union. “Their courage and determination, their decision to be part of a collective bargaining table with one of the biggest corporations in the world, is why they made labour history.”

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