Lancaster, TX – At midnight on Friday, December 19, roughly 300 warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) officially joined Teamsters Local 745, marking a major step forward in their fight for better conditions and real voice on the job. The vote reflects months of organizing and frustration, and it adds momentum to a growing wave of unionization among distribution and logistics workers.

By Vanessa Christaldi

Oviedo, FL – Workers from the Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) at the Oviedo Starbucks store on Mitchell-Hammock Road joined the nationwide Red Cup Rebellion strike on December 11, taking to the picket line to fight for a decent contract from the multi-billion dollar corporation.

Caracas, Venezuela – On December 17, the Constituent Assembly of the Venezuelan Working Class welcomed international delegates to share in their historic achievement of integrating the trade union movement into the national plan of resistance and advancing the cause of the working class in the national democratic Bolivarian Revolution.

Englewood, CO – On December 10, the Sheridan Educators Association (SEA) held a press conference outside of their district’s administration building to demand that the district resume recognition of the longstanding teachers union, a contract, and an end to union-busting tactics.

Chicago, IL – On December 20, over 175 people gathered in the Chicago Teachers Union Hall to stand in solidarity with Gustavo Petro and the people of Colombia as their country faces an intensification of U.S. aggression.

Petro has had his visa revoked by the Trump administration, and the country is seeing attacks in the form of sanctions, tariffs and military threats. These attacks have been because of his un-fearful stance against U.S. imperialism, from calling out the U.S./Israel’s genocide in Gaza to defending the sovereignty of Latin American nations. Petro is a popular and progressive internationalist.

Caracas, Venezuela – Dozens of Venezuelan trade unions representing public and private sectors ranging from national oil company workers to educators to motorcycle taxistas joined together in the Constituent Congress of the Working Class on December 15-17 in Caracas. They gathered as the culmination of over 22,000 assemblies of workers throughout the country involving nearly 67,000 elected delegates from October to December.

Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuelan trade unions gathered on December 15 to discuss plans and proposals to expand their participation in the defense of the country and the goals of the working class. The Congress of the Working Class invited international delegates to join them in solidarity.

This past year, horrifying accidents and the government shutdown have put many of us on alert about travel risks. It’s made more people reflect on how important flight attendants are. Their primary job, after all, is keeping passengers safe. As the year comes to an end, let’s put a spotlight on some working conditions that affect their own safety.

Physical injuries

Despite gendered stereotypes about being a flight attendant, the job causes serious physical strain. Strain manifests in several parts of the body, most consistently in the shoulders and back. The job requires lifting your own luggage, working aircraft doors (many of which are old and have levers that require lots of muscle to push and pull), and maneuvering beverage carts that can weigh up to 300 pounds. Even stepping out of tall crew vans in heels can be a fall or concussion risk.

Minneapolis, MN- On December 14, over 100 postal workers and supporters braved subzero temperatures to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using post office parking lots as staging areas. The action was organized by rank-and-file members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 9, which represents Minneapolis workers.

Clearwater, FL – Starbucks baristas and their supporters dug in outside the Starbucks location in downtown Clearwater as part of the nationwide “Red Cup Rebellion” starting on Thursday, December 11. Forming a picket, they chanted pro-union slogans such as “No contract, no coffee” and “Understaffing, lousy pay, that is how your coffee’s made,” they shut down the store for the duration of the strike.

River Ridge, LA – On December 11, Starbucks workers at the unionized store on River Ridge participated in the nationwide “Red Cup Rebellion” strike. This open-ended strike has expanded to over 180 stores across 130 cities, making it the longest work stoppage in Starbucks history.

San Jose, CA – Since the start of December, the Starbucks Workers’ Union (SBWU) has been on a national strike. In what has been dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion,” the aim of the workers has been to disrupt the Starbucks corporation during one of its traditionally most busy times, the holiday season.

Seattle, WA – On December 7, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Seattle hosted Joe Burn, a labor lawyer and author of Class Struggle Unionism for a discussion at the Seattle Public Library on building a fighting labor movement. Workers, unionists, and FRSO members joined in person and online to hear Burns explain why rank-and-file militancy is critical for winning real gains and challenging corporate power. The event highlighted growing interest in class-struggle politics as workers nationwide confront attacks on wages, their rights and union strength.

Palm Springs, FL – Starbucks workers in Palm Springs are entering the fourth day of a powerful strike that has already forced multiple store closures and exposed the company’s reliance on overworked, understaffed non-union labor.

The strike, organized by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), has seen strong participation from the vast majority of workers at the store, many of whom are balancing full-time school and second jobs but remain committed to standing up to corporate greed.

Washington, D.C. – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson released the following statement, December 11, after the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of a National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2026. That NDAA rolls back critical protections put in place after the tragic crash of Flight 5342, which killed all 67 onboard, including AFA PSA flight attendants.

Shelbyville, IN – In a decisive victory for their historic strike for union recognition, table games dealers and dual rate dealers at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino voted overwhelmingly on Friday, December 5, to join Teamsters Local 135.

In an expedited NLRB election ordered after the end of the government shutdown, striking casino workers delivered a landslide mandate for union representation and forced Caesars Entertainment, the corporation that owns the casino, to recognize their union. The vote took place on day 50 of the strike.

New York, NY – The MORE Caucus (Movement of Rank and File Educators), the opposition caucus within the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), held their third General Assembly of the school year, December 3.

Lancaster, TX – In a bold display of unity and shop-floor power, warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Lancaster marched on management this past Monday, November 17, to deliver a clear message – they are forming a union, and they want it recognized now. The UNFI workers have been organizing to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 745.

Arlington, TX – Plans are moving forward for UPS to automate much of the work at its Lonestar Hub. UPS has framed the automation push as “Modernization” and has favored a “Better, Not Bigger” policy which means reducing overall volume while increasing profits for the company. UPS is anticipating a 6% gain in revenue per package as a result of recent changes; however, they also expect to see a decline of 8.5% in average daily volume. They expect to achieve this by focusing less on volume and more on transporting goods that bring a higher profit per package delivered.

Salt Lake City, UT – It is an exciting time to be a labor organizer in Utah. In the past weeks, workers at the SunTrapp Bar in Salt Lake City struck against unfair labor practices, winning the love and support of the community, and nine Starbucks stores in the state have organized under Starbucks Workers United. Now, campus workers at both the University of Utah and Utah State University are flexing their organizational muscle as the United Campus Workers swells its ranks, building a wall-to-wall union of staff, graduate student workers, career instructors and faculty.