Strike vote ahead

Minneapolis, MN – Teachers and education assistants in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul will hold a joint march on February 12 to call for the safe and stable schools that their students deserve. The Minneapolis educators are members of the Minneapolis Teachers Union, and the Saint Paul educators are members of Saint Paul Federation of Educators. Both groups have been in bargaining over their next contract.

Denver, CO – On January 21, the United Food and Commercial Workers’ (UFCW) Local 7 reached a tentative agreement with Kroger subsidiary King Soopers after an all-night bargaining session. The picket lines that had been established ten days earlier went down and the strikers returned to work.

Minneapolis MN – Trails of frozen breath rose above hundreds of workers, January 19, as they chanted and picketed in subzero temperatures in front of county buildings throughout Hennepin County, the most populous county in Minnesota. The picketers are members of AFSCME Local 34 and AFSCME Local 2822 and work as library workers, social service workers and more. Earlier that morning the union members filed notice to go on strike February 2.

Denver, CO – On Monday, January 17, grocery workers represented by UFCW Local 7 entered day six of their Unfair Labor Practices strike against King Soopers. King Soopers is a subsidiary of Kroger.

Fight Back! interviews Carol McMillian, a bakery worker from Denver currently on strike against the unfair labor practices of King Soopers, a division of Kroger. Fight Back!: Why are you out here today on the picket line?

Denver, CO – On January 3, King Soopers workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 (UFCW) in Denver and Colorado Springs approved an Unfair Labor Practices strike by a 97% margin. On January 7, the union announced that workers would walk off the job and onto the picket line starting next Wednesday, January 12.

Denver, CO – On January 3, King Soopers workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Worker’s Local 7 (UFCW) in Denver and Colorado Springs approved an Unfair Labor Practices strike. Workers across 87 King Soopers locations approved the motion by a 97% margin.

Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg’s workers are continuing the fight after a rejection of a proposed contract last week. At the Battle Creek headquarters, there is determination to hold the line despite the company’s plan to permanently replace 1400 workers.

Minneapolis, MN – On December 13, over 3500 Hennepin County clerical and social service workers who are members AFSCME Locals 34 and 2822 rejected the county’s “last best and final” contract offer and authorized a strike across both locals. The two locals represent the largest blocks of organized workers in the Hennepin County system.

Phoenix, AZ – For many striking concessions workers, this is the first Thanksgiving they are not working. At Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, HMS Host hospitality is the biggest concessions service, with hundreds of workers. Those workers are fed up with four years of failure from HMS to agree to a decent contract. Four days into their indefinite strike, Unite Here Local 11 HMS Host workers are fighting for a contract that includes raises, affordable health insurance, an employer-paid pension, protection for workers' tips, and strong contract language for equal opportunity and protection from discrimination.

Lancaster, PA – On Friday, October 29, the Haverford/Bryn Mawr, or Bi-Co, Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society drove to Lancaster in solidarity with striking Kellogg’s workers. SDS had coordinated a canned food drive in the week leading up to the event and dropped these goods off at the local BCTGM 374-G (Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union) Union Hall.

Tuscaloosa AL – On October 28 a Tuscaloosa judge granted a temporary restraining order filed by the Warrior Met Mine where around 1,100 members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) have been on strike since early April after voting down an offer from the mine by a 95% majority. The order prohibits “picketing or other activity” within 300 yards of the mine entrances and any activity that interferes with “the conduct and operation of Warrior Met’s business and supporting activities”.

Battle Creek, MI – Over 200 striking workers and supporters rallied outside the Kellogg’s headquarters in downtown Battle Creek on October 27. As Kellogg’s corporate bosses looked down from their offices, striking workers and their families listened to energetic speeches.

Waterloo, IA – At Midnight on October 14, 10,000 United Auto Worker union members went on strike across four Midwestern states and Colorado, with over 90% of workers having voted to strike. The workers rejected a six-year contract that would eliminate their pensions, preserve a two-tier wage system that disadvantages new workers, and would have raises that don’t keep pace with inflation.

Battle Creek, MI – Workers on strike at the Kellogg’s plant in Battle Creek walked the picket line Thursday, October 7. They discussed two major issues leading to the strike. The first, a proposed two-tier payment system, where lower seniority employees have significantly lower pay and worse benefits. The second issue workers cited was overwork during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many employees working seven days a week with no days off, for months on end.

Memphis, TN – At midnight on Tuesday, October 5, workers at Kellogg’s factories across the United States went on strike. Union workers in Memphis say the company made an unacceptable offer at contract time.

Portland, OR – On September 18, more than 1000 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), who work for Nabisco across five states, voted in a split decision to accept a new contract offer from Nabisco and end their 39-day strike. The workers had been on strike in Portland, Oregon; Richmond Virginia; Chicago Illinois; Aurora, Colorado and Norcross, Georgia.

Chicago, IL – Several hundred striking workers and supporters rallied September 4 at the Nabisco plant on Chicago’s South Side. Strikers marched through around the plant, and even staged a sit-down action on company property.

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, August 26, window cleaners in Minneapolis reached a tentative agreement with their employers and ended their open-ended strike after ten days on the picket lines.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 20, the strike continued for around 50 SEIU Local 26 union members who clean the majority of the tall buildings in downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Through their first five days of the strike the window cleaners picketed in locations all around downtown Minneapolis. They also held multiple larger events for members of other unions and the community to show their support for the workers and their strike over wages and safety.