Atlanta, GA – Community members gathered to watch and talk about the documentary Finally Got the News. The documentary was about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, who fought against racism and for better conditions in the Detroit auto factories.

New York, NY – A new, militant group of rank-and-file unionists formed within the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) this week, called “ASAP – Alliance of Substitutes and Paraprofessionals”.

The new group, mainly consisting of members of the union’s reform caucus MORE (Movement of Rank-and-File Educators), was formed to meet a pressing need in the union. In the NYC Department of Education, substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and substitute paraprofessionals are the most neglected workers. So, union members are banding together to change this. In addition, the inequality in pay and conditions takes on a nationality, racial, and gendered character with many substitutes and most paraprofessionals being Black, Latino, immigrant and women.

Chicago, IL – 100 nurses and their allies gathered outside the Cook County Pension Fund in downtown Chicago on Augurst 27 demanding the fund sever ties with Palantir, a surveillance technology company. National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S., organized the Chicago protest, as well as seven others across the country.

NNU’s campaign to “Purge Palantir” comes as many hospitals establish deeper ties with the company. Some hospitals use Palantir to automate nurse staffing, laying off local managers and worsening working conditions. Other hospitals share patient data with Palantir, which then uses that information so ICE can target and deport immigrant patients.

New Orleans, LA – On August 27, about 30 people gathered for a demonstration against Palantir, a data analytics corporation notorious for its use in mass surveillance and the Palestinian genocide. New Orleans Nurses United led the protest alongside National Nurses United (NNU) locals in seven other cities.

“We nurses are outside the federal building in New Orleans today because one in four people detained by ICE are taken to Louisiana detention centers,” said Hannah Miller, an ICU nurse and NNU member.

The crowd chanted “Purge, purge Palantir!” and raised picket signs that read “Palantir Out!”.

Anaheim, CA – On Saturday, August 15, 300 Disney workers took to the streets in front of D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center to demand a fair contract from Disney. D23 is Disney’s official fan club that started in 2009.

Fort Morgan, CO — On Monday, August 3, nearly 1500 Cargill workers in Fort Morgan voted on a proposed contract negotiated by Cargill Meat Solutions and Teamsters Local 455. The vote comes after the employer locked out the union workers for nearly three months. When the ballots were counted, the workers had voted to reject the proposed agreement by a margin of 25 votes, 749 to 724.

In anticipation of a strike, Cargill stopped processing beef on April 23 and later locked out the Teamsters Local 455 members on May 20. Before the lockout, the plant had already gone nearly a month without processing cattle, as Cargill directed cattle to other facilities. The Fort Morgan plant processed roughly 4000 cattle per day last year. Cargill reported $154 billion in revenue in 2025 and was ranked by Forbes as the largest privately-held company in the United States.

New Orleans, LA – On August 13, IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) Local 632 filed a lawsuit with the Civil District Court of New Orleans against the city’s Roman Nelson, the city’s fire superintendent. The union is fighting against unsafe practices like ordering unqualified fire fighters to operate the fire engines, a practice that puts workers and New Orleanians at risk.

Although staffing shortages have historically plagued the department, qualified operators could earn overtime to keep the engines running. “[But] now, we're being told we won't be compensated for this dangerous and often unqualified work. And if we refuse, we risk being fired,” explained Aaron Mischler, president of Local 632.

The conflict between Local 632 and the city came to a head in the beginning of August, when three fire stations were forced to temporarily cease operations due to severe staffing shortages. “When we took this drastic measure, the city finally relented and allowed us to pay guys overtime to keep services up and running,” said Aaron Mischler.

Seattle, WA – On Saturday, August 15, dozens gathered outside Embassy Suites Hotel to picket in support of hotel workers with UNITE HERE Local 8. The workers have been negotiating their contract for six months and have been on strike for 59 days.

The strike began on June 12 after Embassy Suites repeatedly failed to meet workers' demands, which included year-round healthcare, higher wage increases and protection from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The organizers of the picket said that negotiations with the company have been difficult and unproductive.

Rockville, MD – On August 14, Teamsters Local 639 at Verbal Beginnings, an education center for autistic children, held a rally as they entered their fourth week on strike. The workers at Verbal Beginnings organized just a little over a year ago and have garnered attention from the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) community due to being one of the first workplaces in their field to unionize.

The striking workers held signs reading, “Fair pay in ABA!” and chanted “What do we want? Contract!” Members of Montgomery County Educators Association, city council members, and several community members and activists joined them on the picket line in solidarity.

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.

By M. R. Framboise

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.

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.

Workers from across the sprawling distribution center walked from the parking lot, across the floor together and confronted supervisors in their office, demanding immediate recognition of their union. Employees say they are fed up with unsafe conditions, short staffing, constant turnover fueled by low pay, and impossible production standards.