labor unions

Members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union are seen on a Labor Day parade float, Sept. 4, 1961. While many may associate the holiday with major retail sales and end-of summer barbecues, Labor Day's roots are in worker-driven organizing.

Politics & Government

Labor Day is now a key to Election Day for Democrats and Republicans alike

11:07am September 02, 2023

by Ron Elving

With all that has shifted around in American politics, the Democrats' disconnect from the broad working class is the loss that has cost them the most and threatens them most in the years ahead.

Antwon McGhee is one of about 500 Warrior Met Coal miners in Brookwood, Ala., who have been on strike for 20 months.

National

Alabama coal miners begin their 20th month on strike

5:02am December 01, 2022

by Stephan Bisaha

The miners have survived more than 600 days on the picket line, thanks to widespread support and anger at their employer, Warrior Met Coal. Even now, neither side seems ready to budge.

Roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh voted no on the tentative agreement. He feels it falls far short of what workers deserve in the wake of the pandemic.

National

As holidays near, a nationwide rail strike is still on the table. Here's the latest

6:40am November 17, 2022

by Andrea Hsu

So far, three of 12 unions representing freight rail workers have rejected the contract deal brokered by the Biden administration in September. Those unions are holding out for paid sick leave.

Organizer Chris Smalls speaks after his Amazon Labor Union won a vote to form the company's first unionized U.S. warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y., in April.

National

Quiet quitting, real quitting, unionizing — what else are American workers up to?

7:01am September 04, 2022

How we work, when we work, how much we work – it's all shifting on a scale not seen in decades.

A customer makes a purchase at a Starbucks coffee shop.

National

Starbucks must rehire 7 Memphis employees that supported a union, a judge says

7:45pm August 18, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

The first Starbucks union was formed in Buffalo, N.Y. a year ago, launching what has since become a nationwide organizing campaign

National

Starbucks union push spreads to 54 stores in 19 states

4:40pm January 31, 2022

by Alina Selyukh

Starbucks workers at 15 additional stores are petitioning for a a union election, pushing to organize cafes across the country. In Buffalo, the first store to unionize is negotiating a contract.

Pro-union pins sit on a table during a watch party for a Starbucks' employees union election on Dec. 9 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Health & Safety

Unionized Starbucks workers walk out in Buffalo, citing safety worries over COVID

4:32pm January 05, 2022

by The Associated Press

Employees of a Starbucks store in upstate New York who voted to unionize last month walked off the job, saying they lacked the staff and resources to work safely amid surging COVID-19 cases.

A banner encouraging workers to vote in labor balloting is shown at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., on March 30. The company has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its workers to organize freely and without retali

National

Amazon unionization efforts get a boost under a settlement with U.S. labor board

5:52pm December 23, 2021

by The Associated Press

Under pressure to improve worker rights, Amazon has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its employees to freely organize — and without retaliation.

Starbucks workers at three stores around Buffalo, N.Y., have voted on whether to join a union.

National

Starbucks workers form their 1st union in the U.S. in a big win for labor

3:40pm December 09, 2021

by Alina Selyukh

Baristas and other workers from three stores voted whether to unionize. Starbucks fought the plan. Now, workers at four additional U.S. locations are also pursuing union votes.

Workers from a Kellogg cereal plant picket along the main rail lines leading into the facility on Oct. 6 in Omaha, Neb. Workers have gone on strike after a breakdown in contract talks with company management.

Health & Safety

A two-tier wage system roiled the auto industry. Workers today say no way

7:00am October 16, 2021

by Andrea Hsu

Nurses at Kaiser Permanente and cereal workers at Kellogg are among those protesting their companies' proposals for a two-tier wage system under which new hires would earn less for the same work.