Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
'An American President Is Not a King': Judge Reinstates Labor Regulator Illegally Fired by Trump: “The president's attempt to fire Wilcox halted federal labor law enforcement in the United States. AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler celebrated Howell's ruling in a Thursday statement, saying that ‘more than a month after Trump effectively shut down the NLRB by illegally firing Gwynne Wilcox, denying it the quorum it needs to hold union-busters accountable, the court ordered Wilcox immediately returned to her seat, allowing the NLRB to get back to its essential work.’”
With Strong Union Support, Lawmakers Reintroduce PRO Act: “AFL-CIO President Shuler declared the time is politically right to pass the PRO Act. Organized labor’s popularity—a 70%-71% approval rating in the last two yearly Gallup polls, is at an all-time high. ‘Every other issue splits right down the middle,’ she noted. Though Shuler didn’t say so, the mass and illegal firings of federal workers—union and non-union—by Trump and his puppeteer, Elon Musk, have driven union membership up since Trump took over.”
Let’s Protect Connecticut’s Men and Women Who Keep the Lights On: “To keep all these services functioning, utilities must continually invest in the critical infrastructure to ensure those systems work. If you don’t invest in that infrastructure, over time, these systems break down because they are out in the elements, or they simply become old and outdated. Across Connecticut, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are doing this infrastructure maintenance daily to make sure the lights stay on.”
900 Northwell Hospital Nurses to Strike: “The union and hospital began negotiating a new contract in November, according to NYSNA. Union members voted to authorize a strike in February. In a statement shared with Becker's, the hospital said that management aims ‘to reach an agreement that continues to provide our valued nurses with competitive compensation, benefits and a safe, supportive working environment.’ The union contends that management has failed to agree to a fair labor deal that retains enough experienced nurses to provide safe patient care to patients.”
Two Unions Reach Agreement with MVHS; Workers to Get Raises: “The Mohawk Valley Health System has reached an agreement with two of its unions, officials announced. Service and maintenance workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers, District Union Local One, and licensed practical nurses and technicians represented by Communications Workers of America, District One Local 1126 both voted Wednesday, Feb. 26 to ratify a memorandum of agreement.”
Corpus Christi Teachers, Union Supporters March for Public Education: “About two dozen members of local unions and community organizations gathered in front of Corpus Christi ISD's downtown administration building to draw attention to what they view as state and national threats to public education. The American Federation of Teachers held a ‘Protect Our Kids’ day of action Tuesday across the country. The Corpus Christi chapter of the teachers union organized the local event, joined by representatives from the Coastal Bend Labor Council, the local chapter of the NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens, CHISPA League of Conservation Voters and For the Greater Good.”
Sherrod Brown: Democrats Must Become the Workers’ Party Again: “Since November 5, in the final months of the year, no one has had a lot of time for licking wounds. Seventy people in our office were suddenly out of work. My chief of staff and state director and I met with every member of our staff, working to find jobs for the public servants who had served Ohio, many for more than a decade. And we still had legislative work to do. We fought to finally get the Social Security Fairness Act through the Senate and signed into law. After more than 10 years of work, my penultimate vote in the United States Senate—after midnight, on my last night on the Senate floor—finally restored the full Social Security that more than three million American workers earned. Teachers and police officers and school cafeteria workers and bus drivers paid in over years of hard work. Now, they will finally get the retirement security they earned.”
Machinists Union Ratifies CSX Pact: “CSX announced on Monday that employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) have voted to ratify the five-year collective bargaining agreement. ‘IAM’s ratification is a testament to the strength of our partnership with union leadership,’ said Joe Hinrichs, president and chief executive of CSX, in a release. ‘This underscores our commitment to fostering a workplace where every employee feels valued and respected. Together, as ONE CSX, we will continue enhancing safety, efficiency, and service to secure sustained growth.’”
Alaska Air Flight Attendants Ratify Labor Contract: “Alaska Air flight attendants have ratified a new three-year labor contract, a union representing the workers said on Friday. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union representing the attendants at the Seattle-based carrier, said that 95% of the votes cast supported the new agreement. The ratified agreement would provide attendants with pay increases ranging from 18.6% to 28.3%, boarding pay, 25 months of retroactive pay and two additional raises over the contract's duration, among other benefits, the union said.”
After More Than Four Years of Talks, NBC News’ Digital Editorial Staff Gets Tentative Contract Deal: “NBC News‘ digital editorial staff will be able to delay a recent round of staff cuts and will have new layoff protections under the terms of a long-awaited first contract deal, reached on Thursday. The provisional three-year pact, announced on Friday, offers union members advance notice of layoffs and preferential treatment for rehire and a minimum of eight weeks of severance if they are cut from the job. The deal was reached just weeks after NBC News laid off dozens of employees, including 20 workers covered by the union, after previous rounds of layoffs in 2023 and 2024.”