Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

strike

By staff

Striking workers rally at the University of Washington in Seattle.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Seattle, WA – On Tuesday, September 10, over 100 members of WFSE Local 1488 walked out ahead of their current contract expiring in a few weeks. The union, representing food service, custodial, maintenance and other workers at the University of Washington, has been bargaining since the beginning of June for a strong contract, with university administration stalling.

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By Simon Rowe

Tampa, FL – On Friday morning, August 30, a group of AT&T workers and community supporters picketed their workplace in Tampa. The Communication Workers of America union called an unfair labor practice strike against AT&T in the Southeast. The strike started August 16 with over 17,000 workers across nine states.

The contract between AT&T Southeast and the CWA ended August 3. During negotiations, the CWA pointed out that AT&T has not bargained in good faith. The CWA then filed an unfair labor practice charge. On August 21, federal mediation began between the CWA and AT&T Southeast.

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By staff

Washington, DC – On August 28, flight attendants at United Airlines who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) voted on whether or not to authorize a strike if needed in contract negotiations with the carrier. The flight attendants filed for federal mediation eight months ago, after working under what they call an amendable contract for the last three years. After not seeing the movement at the table that they needed, the flight attendants decided to take the next step let their members vote over whether to authorize a strike.

The results were loud and clear. A near unanimous majority of 99.99% of ballots cast voted to authorize a strike; over 90% of United flight attendants participated in the vote.

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By Richard Berg

University of Illinois Health transplant and ICU nurse Maria Baba is an INA leader and member of the bargaining committee.  | Richard Berg/Fight Back! News

Chicago, IL – Working as a nurse in a large university hospital is a hard job. Large numbers of patients roll through. Vulnerable people look for hope, remedy and help. Despite this persistent pressure, hospital administrators ask for quick patient turnover. Supervisors ask overstressed nurses to do the work of housekeepers, food service, technical staff and others, who are often in short supply. Some doctors are nice, while others boss nurses around.

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By Jack Saucier

CWA picketers gather at street corner.   | Staff/Fight Back! News

New Orleans, LA – On Friday, August 16, the 3rd District of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) stopped work and walked off the job at AT&T after contract negotiations broke down. The previous contract expired on August 3. Picketers across the Southeast were demanding that AT&T negotiate in good faith.

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By staff

Rally of striking Minneapolis park workers.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Minneapolis, MN – On July 4, round 100 members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 363 walked off their jobs and began what was intended to be a limited-duration strike set to end on Wednesday, July 10.

Right from the start the attitude was one of feisty resolve from these workers. This is the first time in the Minneapolis Park Board’s 141 year history that the workers went on strike, and the strike was authorized by a 94% majority.

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By Eliza Schultz

Illinois Amazon drivers strike against union busting.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Skokie, IL – Amazon workers are striking the Skokie delivery center known as DIL7, because of the company’s union-busting tactics which violate federal laws. The drivers have faced Amazon’s unfair labor practices, a response to the workers’ efforts to organize with Teamsters Local 705.

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By Hannah Keith

UCLA workers strike after crackdown on pro-Palestine activism.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Los Angeles CA – On Tuesday, May 28, hundreds of workers and students at the University of California Los Angeles walked off the job in response to the university’s brutal crackdown on pro-Palestine encampments earlier this month.

The striking workers are graduate students and academic researchers represented by the United Auto Workers union local 4811 (UAW) which represents 50,000 workers across the UC school system. The UAW declared the university’s response to the protest an unfair labor practice and will be on strike until at least June 30 or later if the strike is extended.

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By Clio Jensen

Some of the victorious Homegrown strikers. | Fight Back! News/staff

Seattle, WA – On Wednesday, March 13, Homegrown workers across Seattle voted 100-1 to ratify their contract, after a successful strike to win reinstatement for their fired coworker.

Homegrown workers at the sandwich company’s Redmond and Southcenter cafes have also officially ended their strike and returned to work after the reinstatement of union leader Sydney Lankford, who was fired illegally on October 30.

Last month, the company agreed to a deal that allowed Lankford to return to work with $10,000 in back pay. Her coworkers, who have been on strike for her reinstatement since October 30, have returned to work as well, with their heads held high. Southcenter Mall Homegrown workers are back to work as well, 80 days after joining the strike.

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By staff

Atlanta, GA – On February 19, about 40 workers and community members gathered outside of Amazon’s ATL6 Sortation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, to support the ongoing strike by Amazon drivers and dispatchers in Palmdale, California.

The picket targeted the two main entrances to the facility to draw the attention of the workers at ATL6. The unfair labor practice strike began June 2023, expanding its picket lines to about a dozen cities, including Atlanta.

Participants kept the energy high during the event, holding signs and chanting, “Jeff Bezos, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”

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