Minneapolis, MN – United Food and Commercial Workers 663 workers at Seward Community Co-op have been working without a contract since their previous one expired on August 20 of this year, and in bargaining for a new agreement, management has fought against workers’ demands on nearly every issue.
We in Freedom Road Socialist Organization stand with the 75,000 workers of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the 65,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) who are striking for not only higher wages and benefits but also against the threat posed by automation.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity with the 1400 workers of UE Locals 506 and 618 who have been on strike against Wabtec Corp since June 22, 2023.
Seattle, WA – On August 21, around 60 people gathered for a picket outside of Homegrown Cafe in the neighborhood of Queen Anne. The picket was organized to demand a better contract and safer conditions for Homegrown workers. Backed by a full drum kit and the rhythmic honking of passing cars, the crowd chanted “Brad, Brad, give us cash! Power to the working class!”
Detroit, MI – United Auto Workers (UAW) members voted overwhelmingly, August 25, to grant authorization to call for strikes during ongoing contract negotiations between UAW and General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis motors companies if needed to win their demands in bargaining. Union members voted to authorize the strike by an average of 97% of voters who work for the three companies.
For several weeks, UPS Teamsters voted by phone and by computer on whether or not to accept a recently negotiated tentative agreement on terms for the next union contract. On Tuesday August 22, The International Brotherhood of Teamsters released the results of that vote.
Atlanta, GA – Screen actors, writers and trade unionists rallied August 22 at the Teamster Local 728 union hall in support of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The rally was part of a national day of solidarity called by the two unions on strike in conjunction with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates.
Minneapolis, MN – At their August 17 meeting, the Minneapolis city council voted 7-5 to pass the “Fair Drives Safe Rides” ordinance that would enact a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers as well as protections for drivers against “deactivation” – the companies’ term for firing their drivers.
Seattle, WA – Usually at Angle Lake Park, the noise of jets taking off from nearby SeaTac International Airport drowns out the sound of everyday activity. But on the morning of August 15, it was chants of “Pay us or chaos” that could be heard over everything else, as hundreds gathered for the Day of Solidarity informational picket in support of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA’s fight for a new contract.
Milwaukee, WI – On the morning of August 14, 15 workers at Ascension Saint Francis Hospital (SFH) represented by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP) Local 5000 marched to the top hospital administrator's office with a stack of 144 individual grievances. Administration denied the union workers at SFH a bonus while providing it to the non-bargaining unit workers at the hospital and to workers at all of the other non-union Ascension hospitals in the state.