Los Angeles, CA – On Sunday, July 26, over 100 activists from different organizations came together to celebrate the launch of Bulosan – a network fighting for the labor movement in the United States and international solidarity with unions and workers in the Philippines.
“The core of our organization is made up of union organizers and workers who understand the importance of building genuine trade unions, building solidarity between workers in the Philippines and workers in southern California, and organizing overseas Filipino workers to contribute to the struggle back home. Before launching our organization, we grew to include several more organizers and workers and we are now growing every week,” said one of the Bulosan organizers.
San José, CA – On Friday, August 7, the Bureau of the Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor reported that the U.S. economy had lost 23,000 jobs in July. This was much lower than what economists had estimated, which was of a gain of 80,000 jobs. To make matters worse, revisions to the reports for May and June showed that 100,000 fewer jobs were created than reported earlier.
Rockville, MD – In the early morning of July 20, Teamsters Local 639 at Verbal Beginnings, an education center for autistic children, went on strike in order to get a decent contract.
Chicago, IL – On Thursday morning, July 30, the Chicago Board of Education passed an amended budget to avoid over 1000 layoffs of workers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The revised budget counts on the state of Illinois to allocate an additional $150 million to CPS for the 2026-2027 school year. The amount is a fraction of the funding Illinois committed to provide to school districts under the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act, passed back in 2017. Unions, community organizations and other stakeholders are pressuring the general assembly and Governor J.B. Pritzker to follow through on these commitments.
Michigan City, IN – Slot attendants and dual-rate slot attendants at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa voted overwhelmingly to unionize with Teamsters Local 135 in an NLRB election held July 30 and 31. 18 workers voted yes, only two voted no, and one ballot was challenged, equating to a 90% landslide for the union. Every eligible voter cast a ballot.
The outstanding victory caps off more than a month of organizing that began June 23, when slot attendants marched on the boss and delivered a union recognition letter to General Manager JC Rieger. After Blue Chip refused voluntary recognition, Teamsters Local 135 filed for an NLRB election that same day.
New Orleans, LA – On July 15, former Dollar General employees rallied at the site of their former store on Earhart Boulevard to protest the company’s decision to close the store and terminate all employees without notification, severance pay or the ability to transfer to the only remaining location in Orleans Parish.
Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 15, over 200 National Nurses United (NNU) nurses from Illinois and across the country held a rally and picket outside of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin’s condo in Lakeview.
They demanded that Durbin reject and return all campaign contributions from Palantir Technologies, the AI tech company responsible for collecting civilians’ personal data on behalf of government agencies such as the US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Department of War, and the Israeli military. About 15% of Palantir’s revenue comes from healthcare, and its software is currently managing 21% of U.S. hospital beds.
Crockett, CA – On Monday, July 13, members and allies of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 turned out in force for a picket at the C&H Sugar Factory in Crockett. This is the fifth week of an all-hands strike in protest of bad-faith bargaining offered by C&H.
Chants of “Union power!” and “Contract now!” rang out across the factory gates as workers marched en masse to the entrance, undeterred by vans full of scabs and private security. In addition, picketers demanded justice for the “Negros Nineteen,” who were massacred on April 19 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Among those killed were labor organizers Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem, from the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington state, respectively.
Indianapolis, IN – Drivers for uniform and workplace-supply company Vestis walked off the job at 2 a.m. Monday, July 13, launching an unfair labor practice strike organized by Teamsters Local 135.
The union says the strike is about accountability. Local 135 alleges Vestis threatened workers for engaging in protected concerted activity, a right guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Minneapolis, MN – On July 1, over 200 people rallied in support of the MN 15, a group of Minneapolis community members that were indicted on bogus conspiracy charges relating to ICE resistance in the Twin Cities. 14 of the 15 were due in court to enter not guilty pleas to federal charges.
Chicago, IL – On June 26, members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-1 and their families held a solidarity rally and marched outside of British Petroleum's (BP) Chicago corporate office. The rally was attended by USW members from locals all over Indiana, Illinois and beyond, as well as by members of USW International executive board. In support were local officials, members of the Chicago Teachers Union, community members and union workers from all around Chicago.
Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, June 26, city letter carriers at the North Milwaukee Post Office took a united stand against a recent uptick in disrespect and harassment they say has been directed at them by management.
Detroit, MI – Over 900 delegates of the United Auto Workers (UAW) gathered at the Huntington Place convention center from June 15-18 to determine the path that the union would take in the coming years.
The 39th Constitutional Convention was held at an important time in the labor movement. Recent times have seen attacks on public sector workers from the Trump administration, heavy investment in AI threatening jobs, and at the same time, auto workers in the South have struggled to win union recognition. All of these things directly impact the UAW and its members. At the convention, UAW members reflected on the past four years of developments.
San Jose, CA – On a June 25, in front of the Dr. MLK Jr. Library, hundreds of union city workers gathered for a rally to continue their fight for a decent contract with the city of San Jose. The workers are organized with IFPTE Local 21 and AFSCME Local 101, also known as the Municipal Employee’s Federation (MEF).
Michigan City, IN – Slot attendants at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa marched on management Tuesday, June 23, to demand voluntary recognition of their union with Teamsters Local 135.
Joined by Teamsters from Locals 135, 364 and 142, approximately 15 slot attendants and supporters marched through the casino before presenting a union recognition letter to General Manager JC Rieger on the gaming floor. The letter was read aloud before being handed to Rieger, who accepted the demand letter but offered no response.
Milwaukee, WI – In early May 2026, around 1300 city letter carriers across the country – primarily newer carriers with less than six years of service – received surveys via text message asking what they thought about the idea of restructuring their work week.
Billings, MT – On June 19, more than a dozen United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and community members rallied outside the post office in downtown Billings to protest changes to mail-in voting.
Lisbon, Portugal – On Thursday, June 18, thousands of workers marched outside the Assembly of the Republic demanding that the right-wing government kill the anti-worker “labor package” they were poised to vote on. The next day, in a vote that shocked most pundits, the labor package was voted down by the legislators even though there is a right-wing majority in the assembly.
Lawrenceburg, IN – Workers at Batesville Products Inc. (BPI) have been on strike since May 11 after voting unanimously to withhold their labor and demand recognition of their union, Teamsters Local 135.
Chicago, IL – On the morning of June 10, nurses organizing with Teamsters Local 743 rallied against Endeavor Health’s union busting campaign and demanded the reinstatement of two pro-union nurses recently terminated at Evanston Hospital.
