AFL-CIO Daily Briefs: Shuler; OPEIU; Amazon fails; AFGE; WGAE WGAW and MEBA MM&P SIU

Message from President Liz Shuler

• We are coming back together after the isolation of the past two years to build a post-pandemic labor movement that lifts people back up.
• Organizers often lead with "You'll make more money if you join a union," but we less often talk about how unions are the best way to address workplace culture issues, such as scheduling or bad bosses. All of that can change when workers take collective action.
• This is such an exciting time: We're seeing the next generation of our movement form before our eyes, and we have to meet young workers with new ideas and new approaches of our own.

Workers at Impact Justice Vote to Form Union With OPEIU

Employees at Impact Justice (IJ) overwhelmingly voted to form a union with Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 29 on Friday, joining thousands of nonprofit employees across the country represented by OPEIU's Nonprofit Employees United (NEU). Their union, Impact Justice United (IJU), sought voluntary recognition from the nonprofit organization's leadership in February. But after management's concerted attempts to stall and disrupt the process, the bargaining unit filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board and overwhelmingly won by a vote of 23-3.

"I see Impact Justice United as a continuation of previous efforts to ensure our daily practices are living up to our core values of imagination, integrity and liberation," said Kaid Ray-Tipton, a senior program associate at IJ.

New Report: Amazon Fails to Respect International Labor Rights Standards

This week, the University of California Berkeley Labor Center issued a new report by international labor law expert Lance Compa on Amazon's efforts to prevent its workers from forming unions. The report, titled "Failure to Deliver: Assessing Amazon's Freedom of Association Policy Under International Labor Standards," compares Amazon's policies and practices with the company's human rights obligations as defined by the United Nations and International Labour Organization.

On May 25, shareholders will vote on a shareholder proposal that urges the company to issue a report on whether its human rights policies and practices respect the freedom of Amazon's workers to form unions. The corporation is urging shareholders to vote against the proposal. In 2021, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy received $212 million in total compensation compared to Amazon's median employee pay of $32,855, resulting in a CEO-to-employee pay ratio of one to 6,474.

AFGE Wins House Passage of Two Bills to Benefit Federal Workers

The House of Representatives last week passed two important bills that would provide workplace rights and benefits to two groups of federal workers: transportation security officers (TSO) and federal firefighters. The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act of 2022 (H.R. 903) grants TSOs equal workplace rights under federal law and boosts pay by putting them on the federal government's General Schedule pay scale. AFGE, the only union that represents TSOs, has long fought for this and celebrated the bill's advancement in Congress.

The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act (H.R. 2499) would create an automatic presumption of disability for firefighters who develop heart disease or certain forms of cancer so that they can qualify for workers' compensation. Both bills now go to the U.S. Senate, where AFGE will continue to fight for their final passage.

WGAE, WGAW Ratify New Contract With CBS News

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) ratified on Friday a new collective bargaining agreement covering approximately 260 newswriters, producers, graphic artists, desk associates and others at CBS News. The three-year contract contains significant wins for these workers.

"Because our members at CBS News mobilized and made their voices heard, we won a solid contract that raises pay, includes a hefty boost in pension contributions, increases fees and makes transformational gains for longer-term 'temporary' employees-severance pay and parental leave," said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. "In a challenging environment, we were able to make real gains."

Union-Crewed Hospital Ship Sets Sail on Humanitarian Mission

The hospital ship USNS Mercy left San Diego on May 3 to join the Navy's Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) mission with international partners. Members of the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA), Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) and Seafarers (SIU) work as civilian mariners aboard the vessel.

The Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region. The PP22 team will work with host nations and regional partners to provide medical care and exchange information related to disaster response throughout Oceania and the Western Pacific.

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