Striketober!

[gounion]

Go strikers go!

Who is striking?

There have been some 185 strikes at 255 locations this year, with at least 40 occurring in October, according to the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations' tracker. The researchers behind the tracker define a strike as a "temporary stoppage of work by a group of workers in order to express a grievance or to enforce a demand," that "may or may not be workplace-related."

Among the most prominent is the ongoing strike of 10,000 John Deere workers across more than a dozen plants who are represented by the United Auto Workers. Some 1,400 workers represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union are also on strike at Kellogg's plants across four states.

The Cornell researchers also collect data on "Labor Protests," defined as a collective action by a group of people as workers but without withdrawing their labor in order to express a grievance or enforce a demand. The group has tracked an additional 19 labor protests this month, and a whopping 554 in 2021.
MORE: Why business leaders need a 'wake-up call' to take burnout seriously right now

The group collects information on strikes from Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services data, Bloomberg Law's work stoppage database, major media outlets, organizational press releases and social media. The researchers then follow a set of verification protocols to determine which instances constitute a strike or labor protest.

In 2020, as the pandemic raged, the Cornell ILR School recorded at least 54 strikes and eight labor protests.
Why now?

"I think it's a combination of things, but certainly influenced by the pandemic and the kind of economic situation coming out of that," Alex Colvin, the dean of the Cornell ILR School and a professor of conflict resolution, labor relations and law, told ABC News.

"People feel like they contributed a lot during the depths of the pandemic and now they're looking for some of the returns when the economy's doing better and companies are doing better -- profits are up, stock prices are up," he added. "We're seeing similar effects going on with quit rates going up, people more willing to leave their jobs now and look for something better."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a release earlier this month that the number of people who quit their jobs in August jumped to the highest since its record-keeping began, representing nearly 3% of the entire workforce. The record-high quit rate bested the previous high of 2.7% that was set in April of this year, and then repeated in June and July.

As the number of people quitting their jobs has reached record highs in recent months, so have the number of job openings, the BLS data indicates.

[Libertas]

Good thread, LOVE unions!

[gounion]

The John Deere strikers will vote on a tentative agreement tomorrow that could end the strike:

An outline of a new contract between the company and the union released Sunday afternoon shows that 10,100 striking UAW members will receive 10% wage increases, compared to what they made earlier this year. That's up from a 5% or 6% increase that Deere offered in an earlier proposal, which nine out of 10 union members rejected Oct. 10.

The company will also continue its pension program for new hires, which Deere was going to cut under the prior agreement. And, compared to that agreement, the new proposal pays a higher rate for future retired workers. A 25-year employee would see an extra $150 a month.

The company also added lump sum payments that can reach six figures for future retired employees.

I urge everyone to read the entire article.

Here's my thoughts as a twenty-year+ union official:

First, this is UNHEARD OF. The company CAVED, big time. They've sweetened the contract by a huge amount, so the union can claim complete and unadulterated victory, and this will embolden workers everywhere.

If I were a company, I would never come back to the table after two weeks, as the strikers have felt no pain yet. The problem is the companies have no leverage right now. They won't be able to find workers that will cross a picket line, even at much higher wages. And UAW strikers get $275 a week in strike benefits, AND they have plenty of jobs to choose from to make supplement their strike pay. For insurance, they can immediately go on ObamaCare.

So they can hold out.

So, the second thing. I don't know what the vote will be, I don't know these folks. Having said that, don't be surprised if it's not turned down. They haven't felt the pain that makes them reasonable yet, and they may see the company caving as weakness on the company's part (which it is, no doubt). As to the company's threat that, if this is turned down, they won't return to the table for several months, that is nothing more than an empty threat. They HAVE to get people back to work.

Having said that too, I would hope they vote to accept and go back to work. If they say no, and make the company dig even deeper, that will cause John Deere to see them as a group that can't be dealt with, and will work to start moving the work to other countries and possible non-union facilities, to get rid of the union. At this point, they can - rightly - say that the company has unfairly screwed the workers every chance they get, and now is the time to pull some of that back, and start anew, with the workers being treated fairly and with respect. But to me, the union must be an entity that can be dealt with by a company.

If they say no, look for the company to be back to the table with a new proposal, only slightly sweetened, in a month. If that's accepted, it'll be okay. But at some point, the workers have to be reasonable.

I'll be looking forward to seeing the results of tomorrow's vote.

[Number6]

Interesting in what the company is offering.
10% pay increase. Is this 10% immediate or over the life of the contract?

Continuation of pension program for new hires. It would pay a higher retirement pay to future (current workers) retirees.

Lump sum payments upon retirement.

The company will put in a 5-figure sum in the worker's retirement account when they retire. It would be $2,000 for each year they worked for the company.

Hourly wages would increase from $20.12 to $22.13 per hour. Electricians would receive increases from $30.04 to $33.05.

I don't know if this is a good deal or not but considering the average work will make about $3,800 more with better retirement benefits. The link doesn't mention how the medical benefits are affected. The two items workers tend to lose on in contract negotiations are in in healthcare and retirement benefits. It looks like the retirement benefits got boosted but most of the workers won't see that benefit for year. Considering what is going on with the economy, worker shortage, etc.. it doesn't look like a bad deal. They could reject it and hold out for more but how long would they have to work to recoup their losses from going on strike.

According to CNN, this is a six-year deal.

[gounion]

Interesting in what the company is offering.
10% pay increase. Is this 10% immediate or over the life of the contract?

Continuation of pension program for new hires. It would pay a higher retirement pay to future (current workers) retirees.

Lump sum payments upon retirement.

The company will put in a 5-figure sum in the worker's retirement account when they retire. It would be $2,000 for each year they worked for the company.

Hourly wages would increase from $20.12 to $22.13 per hour. Electricians would receive increases from $30.04 to $33.05.

I don't know if this is a good deal or not but considering the average work will make about $3,800 more with better retirement benefits. The link doesn't mention how the medical benefits are affected. The two items workers tend to lose on in contract negotiations are in in healthcare and retirement benefits. It looks like the retirement benefits got boosted but most of the workers won't see that benefit for year. Considering what is going on with the economy, worker shortage, etc.. it doesn't look like a bad deal. They could reject it and hold out for more but how long would they have to work to recoup their losses from going on strike.

According to CNN, this is a six-year deal.

Hmmm. I’d hazard to guess it’s life of the contract. And, if it’s a six-year deal, that’s NOT a good deal, unless they have a COLA too (Cost-Of-Living-Allowance). They may. I’ll have to see if the actual proposal is online.

[Number6]

Hmmm. I’d hazard to guess it’s life of the contract. And, if it’s a six-year deal, that’s NOT a good deal, unless they have a COLA too (Cost-Of-Living-Allowance). They may. I’ll have to see if the actual proposal is online.

If it's just for the life of the contract then when it comes up for renewal in six years it would be hard for the company to take pay raises or retirement benefits away with the workers approval. Rarely, would a union approve of pay cuts or cuts to healthcare and retirement but I wouldn't say it hasn't happened before, elsewhere.

[gounion]

Found it! From UAW Local 838 FB page:


Wow, this is pretty big. So, 10% raise the first year, 5% the third, 5% the fifth. Lump sum bonuses of 3% the 2nd, 4th and 6th year. Full COLA, so inflation can't eat up the raises.

$8,500 signing bonus.

Health care remains unchanged, zero premiums, deductibles or coinsurance. Copays unchanged.

All employees can now take a defined benefit plan. I'll have to say, though, $48 per month per year of service is low for traditional pensions. But $36 was REALLY low! It's quite a bump. The retirement bonuses help. They aren't THAT big a deal, companies often offer buyouts in line with that or higher. Especially these days. Trust me

In my 20+ years of full-time service, I have NEVER seen a contract like this. Probably not since the seventies. And this isn't thanks to the UAW, it's thanks to the solidarity of the workers. Because unions are a strong as their workers. The UAW should have known their workers wouldn't accept the first proposal. They haven't been good for several decades of listening to their members.

[gounion]

If it's just for the life of the contract then when it comes up for renewal in six years it would be hard for the company to take pay raises or retirement benefits away with the workers approval. Rarely, would a union approve of pay cuts or cuts to healthcare and retirement but I wouldn't say it hasn't happened before, elsewhere.

Oh, they've "approved" of it before - when the company had the leverage over the workers. That's what's been happening the last 30 years. They don't like it, but it was hard to have a successful strike. I've been involved in more than one that lasted over 3 months, and the workers had to go back with the loss of coverage.

[Number6]

Found it! From UAW Local 838 FB page:


Wow, this is pretty big. So, 10% raise the first year, 5% the third, 5% the fifth. Lump sum bonuses of 3% the 2nd, 4th and 6th year. Full COLA, so inflation can't eat up the raises.

$8,500 signing bonus.

Health care remains unchanged, zero premiums, deductibles or coinsurance. Copays unchanged.

All employees can now take a defined benefit plan. I'll have to say, though, $48 per month per year of service is low for traditional pensions. But $36 was REALLY low! It's quite a bump. The retirement bonuses help. They aren't THAT big a deal, companies often offer buyouts in line with that or higher. Especially these days. Trust me

In my 20+ years of full-time service, I have NEVER seen a contract like this. Probably not since the seventies. And this isn't thanks to the UAW, it's thanks to the solidarity of the workers. Because unions are a strong as their workers. The UAW should have known their workers wouldn't accept the first proposal. They haven't been good for several decades of listening to their members.

Looking at the chart confuses me just a bit. So in the first year, they'll get a 10% raise and a lump sum payment of 3%?

I do like the automatic cola.

The $8,500 looks as if the union ratifies the contract every worker will receive $8,500, right?

I don't know what their healthcare plane is like but I do like they have parental leave as well as vision care.

Overall, it does look like a good deal.

[gounion]

Looking at the chart confuses me just a bit.

No problem at all! Yes, there's a language all it's own when it comes to labor relations. Happy to explain and answer any questions.

So in the first year, they'll get a 10% raise and a lump sum payment of 3%?

No. The General Wage Increases (GWI) are in year 1 (10%) year 3 (5%) and year 5 (5%), and the lump sums are in year 2, 4 and 6 - 3% each time.

GWI's are far preferred to lump sums, as they help multiply for the future. The 10% raise is for every year from now on! So, this contract has a 20% raise over the life of the contract. Plus, each raise is on the total from previous - it compounds.

I do like the automatic cola.

Yes, those are really essential, but most companies were able to end those in the 2000's. Inflation had died down, so it was easier to do. But the problem is, when you get only 2% or 3% a year GWI, inflation would still eat it up.

The $8,500 looks as if the union ratifies the contract every worker will receive $8,500, right?

Yup! probably paid two weeks to a month after ratification. That's how they sold contracts to workers which took away benefits, little by little, contract by contract. Workers see those big numbers, and they see paying off bills or a down payment for that new truck, and they vote yes.

I don't know what their healthcare plane is like but I do like they have parental leave as well as vision care.

I don't either, but it's probably decent, and they didn't pay a percentage or anything. The only copays are probably on prescription drugs. Even I pay some pretty hefty copays on drugs.

Overall, it does look like a good deal.

I think so. We'll see if they accept it. As I said earlier, it's a little early, they're probably still pretty radical.

But, the company obviously and publicly capitulated. This is going to put a scare in a bunch of companies. This would be the biggest strike win in decades. Maybe since the sixties.

[ZoWie]

Not to divert attention away from labor's victory in the Deere strike, but lately I've been following the NYC taxi driver hunger strike. It's a real hunger strike, getting a lot of attention that is unfortunately behind the various NYC paywalls. Here's one (useless) link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/01/nyre ... trike.html

Basically, they're really out there in the street doing this action. The issue is a real one, relating to the usual situation regarding exploitation of legally powerless immigrant groups. This time, the usual NY power elite crowd conducted a racket to run up the price of the medallions needed to legally drive a cab in the city, which was one of the jobs available to immigrants. The medallions were the best legal racket in town for years. Even Cohen had a piece of the action.

The medallion price went into the hundreds of thousands, totally out of all reality, so the drivers were encouraged to borrow huge sums for them. Then the same power structure gave the farm away to Uber and Lyft, with no real regulation, and the price inflation of the medallions disappeared overnight. The drivers, mostly immigrant free lancers, were left with debts that can no longer be paid off, and competition that has led many just to park the vehicles (illegally) and walk away from them in defeat.

Their only recourse was a hunger strike. A normal cab strike would be cutting off the nose to spite the face, and it would not have the slightest chance of resolving the issue. I don't give the hunger strike much more chance of anything lasting, but at least the issue is out there for history to judge. I think its judgment will be the right one.

[gounion]

Not to divert attention away from labor's victory in the Deere strike, but lately I've been following the NYC taxi driver hunger strike. It's a real hunger strike, getting a lot of attention that is unfortunately behind the various NYC paywalls. Here's one (useless) link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/01/nyre ... trike.html

Basically, they're really out there in the street doing this action. The issue is a real one, relating to the usual situation regarding exploitation of legally powerless immigrant groups. This time, the usual NY power elite crowd conducted a racket to run up the price of the medallions needed to legally drive a cab in the city, which was one of the jobs available to immigrants. The medallions were the best legal racket in town for years. Even Cohen had a piece of the action.

The medallion price went into the hundreds of thousands, totally out of all reality, so the drivers were encouraged to borrow huge sums for them. Then the same power structure gave the farm away to Uber and Lyft, with no real regulation, and the price inflation of the medallions disappeared overnight. The drivers, mostly immigrant free lancers, were left with debts that can no longer be paid off, and competition that has led many just to park the vehicles (illegally) and walk away from them in defeat.

Their only recourse was a hunger strike. A normal cab strike would be cutting off the nose to spite the face, and it would not have the slightest chance of resolving the issue. I don't give the hunger strike much more chance of anything lasting, but at least the issue is out there for history to judge. I think its judgment will be the right one.

Thanks for this, Zowie. I didn't know about it, and am embarrassed that I didn't. I do recall that Trump Fixer Michael Cohen made a bundle on NYC Taxi Medallions, never having driven a cab in his life. Just more corruption where the money men get rich, and those providing the actual labor get crushed.

I hope something can be done. That's just crazy.

[gounion]

Let's say I'm not surprised. In other election news, John Deere workers voted no to the tentative agreement with the company, and will continue on strike. The contract went down 55 percent nay, 45 percent yes.

There's a psychology to a strike. People go on strike because they are PISSED. And, basically, they have to walk off that anger. AND they have to feel some financial pain. I think it was far to early for the company to capitulate. If they'd have given this proposal in two weeks, they'd have gotten it.

But now the workers know that John Deere is desperate to get them back. THEY smell the blood in the water.

The trouble is, now the company may not be rational. While they may come back with another proposal, they may be out to destroy the workforce. And this isn't about the UAW - they are as fucked as the company here. They clearly are out of touch with their own workers. Smart negotiators would have told the company NOT to try to settle yet, that the workers have to have more time before they are ready to return to work.

The company should listen to JoeMemphis here - "it's just business". Don't make it personal. One thing union negotiators and leaders must do is to not take things personally. I see some companies that DO take it personally, and then try to punish the union, hurting both the company and the workforce.

The company needs to wait till a week or two before Christmas, then put another proposal on the table, and sweeten it just a bit - maybe five percent better than this one - and no, I don't mean five percent more of a raise - I mean something like, make the three percent "lump sums" into raises. Just slightly better.

And it'll be ratified by 80% or better.

Christmas is a big deal psychologically. Don't fuck with Santa Claus. First, people will WANT to be back to work in time to provide a Christmas for their family. They'll be FAR more likely to vote yes when faced with Santa. BUT if the company refuses to deal, and keeps them on strike over Christmas, well, that's a mistake both PR-wise with the public, but it'll make a workforce determined to REALLY make John Deere hurt, no matter what.

And let's remember that the two things that usually cause strikes to fold aren't at play here - they can find other jobs to supplement their $275 a week strike pay, AND those who need health care can get ObamaCare for cheap.

[gounion]

Kellogg's still on strike after one month. Negotiators at table yesterday and today, stockholder meeting tomorrow. There may be a lot of movement today.

[carmenjonze]

#Strikesgiving!!
__________

HospitalWrkersRising
@PGHHospitalWork

Happening now: UPMC hospital workers announce they are going on strike on November 18th to demand $20/hour, safer staffing, and the right to form their union without interference. #Strikesgiving

https://twitter.com/PGHHospitalWork/sta ... 1830343681

[carmenjonze]

Student Workers of Columbia
@SW_Columbia

Student workers are on strike and they need your help to sustain this fight. Please donate and share our hardship fund. #CUonStrike https://opencollective.com/student-work ... d-stipends

https://twitter.com/SW_Columbia/status/ ... 7705521156

[carmenjonze]

HUCTW, AFSCME 3650
@HUCTW

Learn more about the Tentative Agreement: https://huctw.org/summary2021

Look out for more info on the contract ratification vote from the HUCTW Elections Committee soon!

https://twitter.com/HUCTW/status/1451374171573923843
__________

Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, AFSCME 3650

[carmenjonze]

Harvard Student Workers Strike -- Again - IHE

Student workers at Harvard University went on strike for the second time in as many years Wednesday, the first day of a planned three-day work stoppage in pursuit of a new union contract.

Key issues for the United Auto Workers-affiliated union are pay, a union security clause requiring that student workers be union members and contractual protections against harassment and discrimination.

Ninety-two percent of some 2,000 union members voted to authorize the strike and were expected to participate in Wednesday’s strike, including campus picket lines. The event was timed to coincide with the upcoming parents’ weekend at Harvard.

Good.

[carmenjonze]

Student Researchers United
@sruuaw

Our Strike Authorization Vote is set for Nov. 10-19th. Are you and your coworkers ready to vote YES?
See the full SAV FAQ at: https://studentresearchersunited.org/sr-sav-faq/

https://twitter.com/sruuaw/status/1455971573198774276
__________



University of California student researchers and postdocs

[carmenjonze]

Michelle Arezou Ross
@MRossNews

Student workers picketing at Columbia University. Some demands they have— a living wage, dental & vision care, & third party arbitration for harassment claims.

@Columbia’s endowment is reported to be over $14 billion.

More on @PIX11News at 5pm.

#CUonStrike
@SW_Columbia

[VIDEO]

https://twitter.com/MRossNews/status/14 ... 4958866436

[ZoWie]

NYC taxi workers won a contract and a loan cap. The hunger strike is over.

Details of the Nov. 3 agreement:
- A city-backed taxi medallion guarantee
- $170,000 maximum debt
- 5% interest rate
- payments of ~$1100/month

For the avg driver that is currently $550k in debt, this changes everything.

Jubilant end to the hunger strike.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-amer ... f-rcna4566

[gounion]

NYC taxi workers won a contract and a loan cap. The hunger strike is over.

Details of the Nov. 3 agreement:
- A city-backed taxi medallion guarantee
- $170,000 maximum debt
- 5% interest rate
- payments of ~$1100/month

For the avg driver that is currently $550k in debt, this changes everything.

Jubilant end to the hunger strike.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-amer ... f-rcna4566

Fantastic! It's beginning to look a lot like Strikesmas!

[ZoWie]

Michelle Arezou Ross
@MRossNews

Student workers picketing at Columbia University. Some demands they have— a living wage, dental & vision care, & third party arbitration for harassment claims.

@Columbia’s endowment is reported to be over $14 billion.

More on @PIX11News at 5pm.

#CUonStrike
@SW_Columbia

[VIDEO]

https://twitter.com/MRossNews/status/14 ... 4958866436

Columbia is a private Ivy League school. It's in upper Manhattan, Morningside to be exact, so it looks kind of urban, but it's actually one of the richest universities going.

It owns prime real estate all over NYC. It used to own the land that Rockefeller Center is on, and they collected a huge rent for years before selling it to the current incarnation of the Rockefeller group for something like $400 mil. They get donations almost that big on a regular basis. They're not hurting.

Let's just say they can afford to pay workers including student workers decent money and let it go at that.

[gounion]

News on the Kellogg's strike. The company gave the union negotiators a "Last, Best and Final" offer. The Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM) aren't like the UAW - their negotiators are elected from the shop, led by professional negotiators from the union.

And the negotiators rejected the offer, so there won't be a vote, and the strike continues:

Brothers and Sisters,

We met for the last time today. We again agreed to negotiate later than our usual end time in hopes we could get something we can recommend. Negotiations ended at 5:19pm after the company gave us their last best and final offer. That offer did not achieve what we were asking, a pathway to fully vetted workers without takeaways. The company said they would get off their 2-tier and get to a pathway, but they could not find a fully benefitted way to achieve this. With this issue, we were unable to address the other items that are still on the table. We cannot recommend this offer and will not bring it back for the membership to vote on. We agreed that we will not have concessions and that is all their last offer was.

We will be home tomorrow. We will continue this fight for as long as it takes!

Continue to hold the line and stand strong.

-The Negotiation Committee

The strike fund pays workers $105 a week. Most workers are probably working a new job and can survive as long as it takes. BCTGM has a strong democratic union, so the negotiators DO speak for the workers, and they'll follow their Committee. This is a lot different than the UAW system. I think it's superior.

Here's what the company says:

Our negotiations have concluded for the day. This afternoon, the company presented a revised offer to the Union.

We are no longer proposing a permanent two-tiered structure. We have offered to continue the current pathway to Legacy wages and benefits, but with significant wage increases for current and future Transitional employees. We’ve proposed maintaining COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) for Legacy employees. We’ve proposed no changes to current healthcare plans, and in fact, have proposed enhanced benefits for all employees.

The union continues to insist on proposals that are unsustainable and unrealistic. They’ve proposed adding costs that would threaten the future success of our plants and cereal business.

Our proposals include:

Continuation of current pathway to Legacy wages and benefits for Transitional employees
Wage increases for all, including:
3% upon ratification for Legacy employees, and COLA in the following three years
$2-$5/hour increases for Transitional employees depending on years of service
Enhanced benefits for all employees
Increased pension multiplier for Legacy employees


We’ve consistently addressed what the union has said are their primary concerns.

This is our “Last Best Final Offer” to the union. We asked the union to allow our employees to vote the offer. The union immediately rejected the offer and told us they would not put it before employees for a vote.

The Company remains ready and willing to consider any realistic offers from the union.

Our proposal reflects the contributions of our employees while helping us meet the challenges of the changing cereal business. This offer expires at 11:59 PM, November 11, 2021.

[Libertas]

Too bad trump cant be prez and just arrest the strikers...which is coming if these really dumb people keep voting for cons.