UK refuse workers reject wages below inflation, strike for more

Vol. 87/No. 43 - November 20, 2023

WARRINGTON, England — Some 65 refuse workers employed by the Labour Party-led Warrington Borough Council and organized by the Unite union have voted for a third wave of strike action. Their first set of strike days began Oct. 3, part…


Construction workers in Australia fight for safety

Vol. 87/No. 43 - November 20, 2023

SYDNEY — Chanting “Killer stone — Ban it now!” thousands of construction workers, members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, marched here Oct. 26 and rallied outside the New South Wales state Parliament. The protest was called by…


Nurses picket at Minnesota hospitals for safe staffing levels

Vol. 87/No. 42 - November 13, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS — At an informational picket at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital here Oct. 26, some 100 Minnesota Nurses Association members and Service Employees International Union members who work in the same hospitals got out the word about the dangers both…


St. Lawrence Seaway unionists strike for wage increases

Vol. 87/No. 41 - November 6, 2023

MONTREAL — Workers for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, members of the Unifor union, walked off the job just before midnight Oct. 21. The 361 workers ensure passage of ships through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes,…


Mercedes parts workers win end to wage tiers

Vol. 87/No. 41 - November 6, 2023

ATLANTA — After 29 days on strike, workers in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, members of United Auto Workers Local 2083, ratified a four-year agreement Oct. 19 that will eliminate the hated tier system at the auto parts plant where they work. “At…


Unifor strikers vote up new contract at GM in Canada

Vol. 87/No. 40 - October 30, 2023

OSHAWA, Ontario — The 4,300 Unifor-organized workers at General Motors in Canada voted up a new contract Oct. 15 by 80%. This followed Ford’s union members, who approved their contract by a much closer 54% margin Sept. 24. The union…


Sky Chef catering workers rally for pay raise at Miami airport

Vol. 87/No. 40 - October 30, 2023

MIAMI — Nearly 200 members of UNITE HERE Local 355 marched in the rain and rallied outside the LSG Sky Chef catering facility near Miami International Airport to back workers’ demand for an immediate raise to $20 an hour. Union…


British Columbia sugar workers fight bosses’ concession demands

Vol. 87/No. 40 - October 30, 2023

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Some 135 members of Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 set up strike picket lines Sept. 28 outside Lantic’s Rogers Sugar refinery. The previous contract had expired in February. Pickets also set up on…


Minnesota unionists rally to back striking screen actors

Vol. 87/No. 38 - October 16, 2023

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Around 75 union members and supporters rallied here Sept. 30 in solidarity with striking Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, joined by members of Writers Guild of America, who are discussing a proposed…


UK refuse workers strike for equal pay for agency workers

Vol. 87/No. 38 - October 16, 2023

LONDON — Over 200 refuse workers and street cleaners who work for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets voted to return to work Sept. 27. The members of the Unite union had struck Sept. 18 for higher pay. The settlement…