Chicago, IL – In the early hours of Monday morning, October 19, Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600 (CCCTU) announced a tentative agreement on a contract for staff and faculty at City Colleges of Chicago, after months of bargaining. After negotiations finally concluded around 4 a.m., CCCTU President Tony Johnston declared, “I am proud of our negotiating teams, of our members who were prepared to strike, and of this contract.”

Michigan City, IN – Table games dealers and dual rate table games dealers at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa voted to join Teamsters Local 135 in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election held October 16 and 17. The final tally was 30 votes for the union and 18 against. Two challenged ballots were not enough to affect the outcome.

This marks the second time this year that Blue Chip workers have voted to become Teamsters. In late July, the casino's slot attendants and dual rate slot attendants won their own NLRB election by a landslide of 18 to 2, despite a union-busting campaign by management. They began bargaining for a first contract with Blue Chip in late summer, and the dealers now plan to join them at the table. Once they win a contract, Blue Chip will be the first Boyd Gaming property in the country with a Teamsters contract.

By Haze Leviathan and Talison Crosby

Tacoma, WA – On Wednesday, October 14, around 40 people gathered outside the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in support of immigrants in detention. Community members rallied for Kuya Desmon, whose final hearing was scheduled for later in the day. “Kuya” is a title of affectionate esteem used in the Philippines. Members of SEIU 6 also came out strong in support of two janitors who were detained on October 3.

“Immigrants rights are workers rights,” said Ceci Hooks, executive board member and security officer of SEIU 6. “When immigrants, workers and janitors and security officers and airport workers are under attack, we all suffer.”

Porto, Portugal – On Saturday, October 17, the rage of the people in the streets of Spain and France over the deteriorating quality of life for working-class and young people fully arrived in Portugal. Unions led massive marches around the country, and encampments led by young people demanding affordable housing were reestablished in Porto, after government repression earlier in the week. The protests spread to the capital of Lisbon and other cities.

Minneapolis, MN – Students, families and educators of Minneapolis Public Schools have been busy over the past month organizing the community to reject the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) district’s “Transformation Plan.”

The district’s plan, announced on September 15, would close around 15 of the district’s best schools starting in the 2027-2028 school year. In response, the educators represented by Minneapolis Federation of Educators, Local 59 (MFE 59) have been holding rallies and feedback sessions, and using every public forum they can, to raise their concerns with the plan and educate the community around the impacts the plan would have.

Minneapolis, MN – On the afternoon of Saturday, October 3, hundreds of community members rallied in downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for all victims of ICE violence and to drop the charges against anti-ICE protesters.

Baltimore, MD – Licensed deck officers at Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) and Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) are fighting to turn their overwhelming 2024 union votes into first contracts. The companies, both owned by Saltchuk, have met the workers’ decision to organize with prolonged resistance and delays.

Anderson, IN – Teamsters at Coca-Cola Consolidated's distribution center in central Indiana have been on an unfair labor practice strike since September 2, and their fight has spread well beyond Madison County.

On September 22, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) announced that the strikers had extended their picket lines to Coke Consolidated facilities across Ohio, where more than 300 Teamsters refused to cross the line. Strikers from Anderson, Indiana have effectively shut off the company's Ohio operations at locations in Akron, Toledo and Twinsburg. A week later, members of Teamsters Local 377 in Youngstown began honoring the picket line as well.

Gainesville, TX – After a week-long strike, more than 350 workers represented by Teamsters at Safran Seats have won a three-year contract eliminating mandatory overtime. Members ratified the agreement October 1 with 93% voting in favor, according to the union.

Joliet, IL – Dozens of nurses and their supporters rallied in the pouring rain September 30 to call attention to Prime Healthcare’s closing of the Obstetrics and Special Care Nursery departments at Saint Joseph Hospital in Joliet, Illinois. Prime Healthcare is a nationwide “for-profit” corporation that is known for eliminating services that are not making enough money. These cuts affect working-class poor people the most.

Since acquiring Saint Joseph in March 2025, Prime has closed the inpatient pediatric unit, closed a 30-bed acute care for the elderly unit for a year, closed the post-surgical unit and is seeking to permanently close pediatric inpatient services.

Gainesville, TX – More than 350 workers at Safran Seats began an unfair labor practice strike on September 24, after their rejection of a tentative agreement for a next contract, which contained mandatory overtime provisions. The workers manufacture airplane seats for commercial airlines and are represented by Teamsters Local 767.

On September 18, the union members voted down the proposed tentative agreement. Local 767 bargaining committee members returned to the table, making it clear that an agreement retaining mandatory overtime provisions would be rejected, but Safran refused to offer a revised agreement removing the provision.

Los Angeles, CA – On Sunday, September 20, a group of 30 rank-and-file members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union met at Magic Johnson Park in South LA. The Teamsters work for Republic Services and met to discuss strike preparedness for their upcoming contract expiration.

On September 30, the union contracts of roughly 3000 Teamsters Local 396 sanitation employees across different companies and yards will expire. These Teamsters haul waste across a large geography of cities in LA County, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Carrollton, TX – Workers at two DHL delivery service providers operating out of the same facility won unanimous union victories. The new union workers joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The vote followed a campaign marked by aggressive union busting and retaliation against worker leaders by management.

New York City, NY – The Alliance of Substitutes and Paraprofessionals (ASAP), a new group of militants within the NYC United Federation of Teachers, held a “Para RESPECT Check Town Hall” over Zoom on Wednesday, September 16.

The meeting was held to hear the voices of paras, the most underpaid education workers in the city, on the new “RESPECT Check” legislation which recently became law and which led to a controversial lawsuit against NYC City Council by Mayor Mamdani’s office.

Salt Lake City, UT – On Labor Day, September 7, dozens of community members gathered at the Utah Worker’s Center for a labor organizing and community activism discussion and a film screening. Attendees heard firsthand reports from the frontlines of the people’s movements in Salt Lake City.

Denver, CO – On Monday, September 7, more than 80 workers gathered near the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment office for a Labor Day rally under the slogan “Workers Over Billionaires!”

Emcees Katherine Draken and Miles Thompson started the rally with a brief history of Labor Day and some historic strikes in the United States. They stressed that the struggle still exists to this day, and it is important to continue to fight in the face of continued repression from the Trump administration.

San Jose, CA – On September 10, over 50 students, faculty and other campus workers rallied for labor rights on San Jose State University campus. Organized by the recently formed San José State Labor Coalition, the action sought to build solidarity with regards to core issues facing laborers such as low wages and hazardous working conditions.

Denver, CO – On September 8, 75 people stood outside of the Frontier Airlines headquarters in Denver, Colorado with one message: give workers what they deserve. This group was composed of members from the community, various unions, and a group of flight attendants, all gathered to support the call for a better contract for flight attendants working for Frontier.

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, September 2, Teamsters Local 700 voted to approve a two-year contract with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The final vote was a close 88 to 82. The strike lasted for two weeks before the administration gave into some of the demands of the workers.