Weekly Labor Roundup - March 3, 2025
In an act of solidarity, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers rallied this week in support of federal workers, saying, “If it happens to federal workers today, it can be private sector tomorrow.”
Trump has chosen Elisabeth Messenger, the former CEO of anti-union group Americans for Fair Treatment, to lead the Labor Department’s office that oversees financial disclosures for unions and union-busting groups. The AFFT promotes right-to-work laws and encourages public sector workers not to pay union dues.
Labor unions are fighting back against the Trump Administration mass layoffs - read about the lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the United Nurses Association of California. The lawsuit claims the layoffs were made on false pretenses and violate federal law. Check out these five facts about the federal workforce that may surprise you - including that approximately one-fifth of the federal workforce identifies with being disabled or having a disability.
The International Longshoremen’s Association overwhelmingly approved a six year contract this week, averting a strike. The contract will give dockworkers a 62% pay raise over six years, lifting the payscale from $39 to $63 an hour and calls a truce on automation.
Stop and Shop reached a deal with Teamsters Local 25 in Massachusetts this week, averting a strike of distribution center workers. Details of the six-year long tentative agreement have not yet been released. The agreement preserves more than 900 union jobs.
Nearly 60,000 workers represented by the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees and the University Professional and Technical Employees - CWA Local 9119 at the University of California went on a multi-day strike over wages, working conditions and staffing shortages. They are fighting for a fair contract amid skyrocketing costs of living and staff shortages.
