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Only one more day until the weekend, everyone! I woke up early today to enjoy a cup of coffee (with my favorite mug!) and catch up on all the latest union news. |
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And boy is there A LOT of union news.
Last week, members of SAG-AFTRA officially kicked off their strike after contract negotiations collapsed with studio bosses. The actors’ guild joined the already 2.5 month old writers' guild strike, marking the first time these two Hollywood heavyweights have walked off the job together since 1960.
We are also on the cusp of a MAJOR labor action if UPS fails to meet the Teamsters in good faith and deliver a fair contract before July 31st. If the roughly 340,000 UPS drivers represented by the Teamsters walk – and they’ve already authorized a strike by vote – it will be the biggest labor walkout in the U.S. since 1959.
We’ve seen this trend for the last several years – from coast to coast, across every industry, labor is rising up.
As a former union leader, I absolutely love to see workers flexing their collective power and demanding better.
As a congressional candidate, I’m furious that Congress has left people to fend for themselves.
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While workers are feeling empowered, the billionaire owner class is feeling pretty emboldened themselves.
Disney CEO Bob Iger – who has been paid nearly half a BILLION dollars in the last five years – blamed striking actors and writers for “hurting” support staff impacted by the walkout.
Corporate media outlets like Reuters and CNN have dutifully propagated claims that the Teamsters’ strike will cost $7B or more – ignoring UPS’s responsibility to deliver a fair contract in negotiations that have dragged on for nearly a year.
But the private sector has a lot of help from our federal government.
Despite having control of the House, the Senate, and the White House for two years, Democrats failed to pass the PRO Act to secure workers’ right to organize and punish union-busting.
And late last year, a Democratic president aided by Democrats AND Republicans in Congress colluded to break the railroad strike. Rail workers were negotiating for fair wages, an end to abusive scheduling practices, and safe working conditions. But Congress and the White House put railroad profits over worker safety.
Two months later a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio – unleashing an environmental calamity that will impact residents there for YEARS.
Workers have been battling low wages, disappearing pensions, shrinking benefits, and unsafe working conditions for years. The pandemic, and the corporate-greed-driven inflation that followed it, accelerated all of those problems. There is ZERO excuse for Congress’ failure to act.
As a former union leader, you can bet that I will center workers’ concerns in everything I do in Congress. That’s why I refuse to take money from corporate PACs or lobbyists.
Solidarity forever,
Jason Call |
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