Unions
Here's a look at documents from unions
Featured Stories
Teamsters Extend Picket Lines to Additional Breakthru Beverage Facilities
WASHINGTON, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Teamsters Extend Picket Lines to Additional Breakthru Beverage Facilities
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: mdrumm@teamster.org
(WASHINGTON) - Teamsters at Breakthru Beverage in Cicero, Ill. and St. Louis extended their unfair labor practice (ULP) strike to company operations in Kansas City, Mo., and Champaign, Ill. Teamsters at the Kansas City and Champaign locations exercised their individual legal and contractual right to refuse to cross the
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WASHINGTON, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Teamsters Extend Picket Lines to Additional Breakthru Beverage Facilities
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: mdrumm@teamster.org
(WASHINGTON) - Teamsters at Breakthru Beverage in Cicero, Ill. and St. Louis extended their unfair labor practice (ULP) strike to company operations in Kansas City, Mo., and Champaign, Ill. Teamsters at the Kansas City and Champaign locations exercised their individual legal and contractual right to refuse to cross theextended line. Teamsters nationwide with similar contractual picket line protections remain on standby.
Over 215 drivers and warehouse workers were forced onto the picket line over the company's numerous ULPs. Members of Teamsters Locals 600, 688, and 710 are demanding the company come to the table to negotiate a fair contract without regressive proposals, surface bargaining, and unilateral changes to the status quo.
"Breakthru Beverage has been illegally trying to diminish our members' power at the bargaining table," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "They know the strength of our union when members act on their right as Teamsters -guaranteed in their collective bargaining agreement -to honor picket lines in solidarity with their brothers and sisters. We are here to hold Breakthru accountable for their unlawful behavior. The 1.3-million member Teamsters Union will continue to stand in solidarity with all Breakthru Teamsters until a fair agreement is reached."
Management is demanding that workers waive their lawful right to not cross or work behind a Teamsters picket line at their respective locations. But the Teamsters refuse to bargain away hard-fought contractual rights.
"The company has been lying to workers and using scare tactics to try to get our members to cross these picket lines," said Jeff Padellaro, Director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference. "Breakthru Teamsters' solidarity is strong and these extended picket lines show that management has failed to intimidate us. It is time for Breakthru to come back to the table and negotiate a fair deal. It's up to management when this strike ends."
"We just want a deal that protects all our rights as Teamsters," said Tony Ortiz, a driver at Breakthru Beverage and member of Local 710 in Mokena, Ill. "The support of our brothers and sisters at other Breakthru Beverage facilities gives us the power to defend ourselves against management's insulting and illegal practices. Our solidarity is strong, and we will continue to fight to protect it."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/05/teamsters-extend-picket-lines-to-additional-breakthru-beverage-facilities/
New data shows there is a nurse retention crisis, not a nurse shortage
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, May 26 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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New data shows there is a nurse retention crisis, not a nurse shortage
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Nearly 1.15 million registered nurses (RNs) with active licenses are not working as nurses, announced National Nurses United (NNU), the nation's largest union of registered nurses. NNU reached this number by comparing the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, released on May 15, with data covering the same period from the National Council of the State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
In the fact sheet "There
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, May 26 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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New data shows there is a nurse retention crisis, not a nurse shortage
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Nearly 1.15 million registered nurses (RNs) with active licenses are not working as nurses, announced National Nurses United (NNU), the nation's largest union of registered nurses. NNU reached this number by comparing the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, released on May 15, with data covering the same period from the National Council of the State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
In the fact sheet "ThereIs No Nurse Shortage", NNU argues that, to solve the immense and mounting challenges facing the nursing profession, employers and lawmakers must focus on recruiting and retaining these 1.15 million nurses back into the hospital and the profession.
"The data is clear that the U.S. nursing profession has a retention crisis, not a nurse shortage," said NNU President Jamie Brown, RN. "We want the public to know that our working conditions are so unsafe and unsustainable that they are driving new and experienced nurses away from hospitals, both large and small. Hospital employers have the power to immediately address the retention crisis by taking concrete steps to improve patient care conditions, including improving RN-to-patient ratios and providing appropriate support to caregivers."
In addition to the lived experiences of RNs across the country, data analyzed and published in peer-reviewed medical journals over the past few years show a systematic failure to invest in safe, quality, human-to-human patient care.
* A May 2026 study on hospital nursing published in Medical Care, a journal of the American Public Health Association, found that nursing has not returned to pre-Covid conditions - and that, in some cases, are "even worse than they were at the height of the pandemic."
* A February 2026 analysis of survey data, published by the peer-reviewed JAMA Network, found that adequate staffing is t he top factor that would increase RNs' likelihood of returning to employment.
* A February 2024 NNU report found that employers' failures to prevent workplace violence - which includes improving staffing - drove more than a third of nurses to consider leaving their job and nearly 20 percent to change or leave their job.
Brown continued: "It's not uncommon for nurses to experience the never-ending cycle of training a new nurse, only for them to leave after six months because of the intolerable conditions. Then, they have to repeat the process, while still managing a full patient load, until they can't take it anymore and leave as well. It's also not uncommon for nurses with less than a year of experience to take on the role of preceptor, or trainer, because experienced nurses are leaving the profession. That's unacceptable and needs to be solved."
NNU advocates for RN-to-patient ratios, which save patient lives and increase nurse retention, as reported in countless academic studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
A federal bill, the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act (S. 1709, H.R. 3415) was introduced in Congress in 2025. It is modeled after the nurse-to-patient ratio legislation in California, which, more than two decades ago, became the first state to require such minimum standards hospital-wide and remains the only state that requires them in every hospital unit. Study after study has found that the law has improved nurse satisfaction and patient outcomes.
More information can be found in the NNU fact sheet: "There is No Nurse Shortage."
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/new-data-shows-there-is-a-nurse-retention-crisis-not-a-nurse-shortage
AFGE Blasts Administration's Proposed NDA Rule as Yet Another Attack on Non-Partisan Federal Employees
WASHINGTON, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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AFGE Blasts Administration's Proposed NDA Rule as Yet Another Attack on Non-Partisan Federal Employees
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New rule from Office of Personnel Management would require employees at participating agencies to sign non-disclosure agreements as condition of employment
WASHINGTON - American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement in response to a proposed rule by the Office of Personnel Management, to be
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WASHINGTON, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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AFGE Blasts Administration's Proposed NDA Rule as Yet Another Attack on Non-Partisan Federal Employees
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New rule from Office of Personnel Management would require employees at participating agencies to sign non-disclosure agreements as condition of employment
WASHINGTON - American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement in response to a proposed rule by the Office of Personnel Management, to bepublished tomorrow in the Federal Register, that would require current and prospective employees at participating agencies to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition of employment:
"OPM continues its efforts to silence federal employees. This proposed NDA is another attempt by the administration to purge the civil service of nonpartisan career employees and replace them with loyalists who won't speak out against waste, fraud, and abuse. Federal employees do not surrender their First Amendment rights when they accept federal employment, and the public has a right to know about this administration's abuses.
"OPM claims the form will be 'optional' for agencies to use and merely restates existing law. We know that will not be true. OPM will pressure agencies to make the NDA mandatory and then fire employees who refuse to sign it.
"Moreover, federal agencies already have extensive policies and procedures in place for preventing the unauthorized release of classified or privileged information. This proposed rule sweeps in an extraordinarily broad category of information, extending restrictions to the very material the public relies on to learn when an administration is causing harm. AFGE will submit comments on the proposed rule and urges OPM to withdraw it."
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Original text here: https://www.afge.org/link/014eea5490fb44fe80ec50daf2cb9007.aspx
Actors' Equity Association Endorses Micah Lasher for United States Congress
NEW YORK, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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Actors' Equity Association Endorses Micah Lasher for United States Congress
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New York - Actors' Equity Association's National Council has voted to endorse Micah Lasher for the United States House of Representatives, on behalf of the more than 51,000 actors and stage managers working in live entertainment. Lasher would represent New York's 12th Congressional District, a national hub of the arts which includes major workplaces such as every Broadway theater and Carnegie Hall.
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NEW YORK, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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Actors' Equity Association Endorses Micah Lasher for United States Congress
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New York - Actors' Equity Association's National Council has voted to endorse Micah Lasher for the United States House of Representatives, on behalf of the more than 51,000 actors and stage managers working in live entertainment. Lasher would represent New York's 12th Congressional District, a national hub of the arts which includes major workplaces such as every Broadway theater and Carnegie Hall.
In March, Equity and other arts unions came together to create the NY12 Live Arts Agenda, a platform of ways that government and organized labor can work hand in hand to protect workers in the live entertainment industry; nearly 70% of the state's 100,000 jobs in this sector are located in NY12.
"When we put out the call to support our Live Arts Agenda, Micah Lasher responded loudly and quickly that he is with us," said Al Vincent Jr., executive director of Actors' Equity Association. "And it's no coincidence that Lasher is a dyed-in-the-wool theatre fan. He sees our members at work regularly, and he understands the service they provide to New York City and the national economy. We feel his enthusiasm, and in kind we can't wait to work with him as a member of the U.S. Congress."
Micah Lasher said:
"I am honored to have earned the endorsement of the Actors' Equity Association. The 12th Congressional District is the live arts capital of the world, and the actors and stage managers who bring our theater to life deserve a champion in Congress. I will fight to ensure every arts worker has access to affordable, universal healthcare, and protect our creative professionals from the rise of AI. Theater workers deserve strong protections and I am ready to bring my fighting spirit to Washington to be a champion for those who make the magic happen."
Watch Lasher's video on the NY12 Live Arts Agenda here:
Equity's national public policy priorities include defending and protecting the right to collectively bargain, a prevailing wage in the arts, racial justice, a strong minimum wage, stronger federal and state arts funding, gun violence prevention, universal federal health care, tax fairness and LGBTQ non-discrimination protections.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
May 26, 2026
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Original text here: https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/2026/05/26/actors-equity-association-endorses-micah-lasher-for-united-states-congress
The Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association Create New Industry-Wide Audition Initiative
NEW YORK, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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The Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association Create New Industry-Wide Audition Initiative
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New York - Actors' Equity Association and The Broadway League announced today the creation of the League-Equity Audition Program ("LEAP"), a new pilot initiative designed to provide Equity actors the opportunity to be seen by top creative talent and casting professionals outside of the typical production-specific audition process.
Unlike the standard audition, LEAP is not intended
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NEW YORK, May 26 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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The Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association Create New Industry-Wide Audition Initiative
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New York - Actors' Equity Association and The Broadway League announced today the creation of the League-Equity Audition Program ("LEAP"), a new pilot initiative designed to provide Equity actors the opportunity to be seen by top creative talent and casting professionals outside of the typical production-specific audition process.
Unlike the standard audition, LEAP is not intendedto cast any particular production or project. Rather, LEAP is designed to give writers, directors, choreographers, casting directors, and other theatre professionals who develop new work the chance to see performers in the audition room so they can build relationships for future projects.
"Broadway has always thrived with the discovery of new talent. As our industry continues to think about access, opportunity, and how creative teams meet performers, it's important that we continue exploring new approaches, said Broadway League President Jason Laks. "We're always proud to partner with Actors' Equity Association on programs that invest in the future of Broadway."
"Development work is so important in our industry, because that's where the next generation of hits are born. And more often than not, a huge percentage of the cast that introduces new work on Broadway has been working with the creative team as they've brought that project to life," said Actors' Equity Association President Brooke Shields. "LEAP creates a new on-ramp for performers to work on the kind of projects that can change the course of a career."
In 2025, Actors' Equity Association and The Broadway League ratified a new Development Agreement. That new Development Agreement included the seeds of LEAP, creating a working group with the aim of holding industry-wide auditions to provide a new avenue for access for show creators and casting professionals to see performers outside of the traditional audition process.
The first auditions held as part of LEAP will take place at Actors' Equity Association's Audition Center in New York on June 29 and 30, with one day devoted to dancing and the other to singing and monologues. Additional information about the process will be shared with Equity members in the coming weeks.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
THE BROADWAY LEAGUE, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry representing more than 800 members from nearly 200 national and international markets including theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers as well as suppliers of goods and services to the commercial theatre industry. Since 1967, The Broadway League has been co-presenting the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards with The American Theater Wing. www.broadwayleague.com
May 26, 2026
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Original text here: https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/2026/05/26/the-broadway-league-and-actors-equity-association-create-new-industry-wide-audition-initiative
RNs at Prime Saint Mary of Nazareth to protest Wednesday their employer's illegal crackdown of their efforts to unionize
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, May 25 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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RNs at Prime Saint Mary of Nazareth to protest Wednesday their employer's illegal crackdown of their efforts to unionize
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Registered nurses with Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago are holding a rally Wednesday, May 27 at the hospital to protest their employer Prime Healthcare's flagrantly illegal crackdown on their efforts to unionize, which include the recent firing of four nurse leaders, said National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC)/National Nurses United (NNU).
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SILVER SPRING, Maryland, May 25 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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RNs at Prime Saint Mary of Nazareth to protest Wednesday their employer's illegal crackdown of their efforts to unionize
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Registered nurses with Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago are holding a rally Wednesday, May 27 at the hospital to protest their employer Prime Healthcare's flagrantly illegal crackdown on their efforts to unionize, which include the recent firing of four nurse leaders, said National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC)/National Nurses United (NNU).
The nurses wish to join NNOC and last week filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. They want union representation so that they can improve working conditions for themselves and, in turn, provide better and safer care for their patients. Just days after filing, the hospital fired four nurses among those leading the union campaign for passing out flyers outside employee entrances -long-recognized as protected union activity.
Nurses demand the reinstatement of their colleagues, a fast and fair election, and to freely exercise their labor organizing rights.
Who: RNs at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and supporting Chicago union RNs
What: Rally to protest employer's illegal suppression of their union organizing campaign
Where: Corner of West Division and North Oakley Streets, Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, Chicago
When: Wednesday, May 27, 8 a.m. Central Time
"This is Chicago and we are a union town. Nurses and our community are here to tell Prime that they cannot get away with this," said Quishe' Branch, a Saint Mary of Nazareth emergency department RN. "Nurses at Saint Mary, just like the rest of this city, are hungry for union representation so that we can better our workplaces and ultimately take better care of our patients. Prime needs to show us respect, reinstate our colleagues, and let us have a fair election. We will not stop until we prevail."
The nurses at Saint Mary are part of a major wave of RN union organizing by NNOC in Chicago, with the recent victory by 2,000 Rush University Medical Center registered nurses of their union election on May 18. Chicago RNs are eager to join the largest and fastest-growing union of registered nurses in the country.
More than 400 RNs work at Saint Mary of Nazareth. NNOC also represents about 2,500 nurses and health care workers working at Prime Healthcare facilities in California and Nevada.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/rns-at-prime-saint-mary-of-nazareth-to-protest-crackdown-of-efforts-to-unionize
American Federation of Teachers, American Association of University Professors Issue Letter to Apollo Global Management
WASHINGTON, May 24 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors issued the following letter to Apollo Global Management:
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Here is the text of the letter:
May 19, 2026
Jessica Bibliowicz
Chair, Audit Committee
Apollo Global Management
9 West 57th Street, 42nd Floor
New York, NY 10019
Dear Ms. Bibliowicz:
I am writing with concerns related to the conduct of Apollo CEO Marc Rowan, which I believe constitutes a violation of Apollo's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. As you may be aware, Rowan has been a vocal critic
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 24 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors issued the following letter to Apollo Global Management:
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Here is the text of the letter:
May 19, 2026
Jessica Bibliowicz
Chair, Audit Committee
Apollo Global Management
9 West 57th Street, 42nd Floor
New York, NY 10019
Dear Ms. Bibliowicz:
I am writing with concerns related to the conduct of Apollo CEO Marc Rowan, which I believe constitutes a violation of Apollo's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. As you may be aware, Rowan has been a vocal criticof higher education policy. It is, of course, Rowan's right as an American to hold whatever views he pleases. What is not permitted under Apollo's Code of Business Conduct is the use of Apollo's staff and resources to conduct Rowan's campaign. This conduct is proscribed in Apollo's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and a violation of the duties expected by Apollo's limited partner clients.
Many of those limited partner clients include public pension funds that are responsible for providing a secure retirement for the AFT's 1.8 million-member participants. Other limited partners include university endowments created to protect the financial security of universities, the very institutions at the center of Rowan's campaign.
Specifically, through Freedom of Information Act requests and other sources, we have determined that Rowan has used his executive staff at Apollo to conduct this campaign, including using his executive assistant Hannah Mollett to schedule meetings with university presidents. While Apollo's Code of Conduct requires that "personnel involved in personal and civic affairs must make clear at all times that their views and actions are their own, and not those of the Company," Rowan undertakes his political activities from his @apollo.com email address, utilizing Apollo Global Management staff and resources, and appears to take no measures to note that he is acting in a personal capacity.1 Mollett has scheduled appointments for Rowan with university leaders and others, during business hours, to discuss Rowan's "personal" projects.
On at least one occasion, Apollo staff have prepared documents for university leaders. Document metadata shows that a December 2023 document sent to
University of Pennsylvania administrators was prepared by Apollo's Sarah Veith, who was serving at the time as chief of staff to Rowan.2 The metadata suggests that Veith either edited or produced this document, which appears to have zero nexus to Apollo's business prerogatives. In 2023, during his tenure as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, Rowan is reported to have campaigned3 to oust former University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill, including reportedly sending "daily emails to trustees to protest the school's direction, taking care to number each email."4 As private universities are not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, the full extent of Apollo resources diverted by Rowan to personal projects may be difficult to ascertain.
We would further note that, while we are still in the process of collecting evidence related to Rowan's communication with university administrators, the examples put forward are only a small sample of the many communications Rowan has had with university leaders. Notably, however, existing evidence spans at least two years, at different universities and in vastly different geographies.
Limited partners in Apollo rightly may question whether they are being billed for the time Rowan has spent seeking to influence higher education policy and the day-to-day operation of America's institutions of higher education. It would be reasonable for Apollo's LPs to ask, are these costs being allocated to limited partners? To the books of Apollo Global Management and its shareholder base? Did Apollo notify limited partners regarding how the firm is accounting for Apollo staff time and resources spent advancing Rowan's "personal" campaign? And if Rowan has compensated the firm for the resources he used, could you provide that documentation?
Since the beginning of 2026, Apollo Global Management's share price has fallen from $152 to $133. The company has become the poster child for the crisis in private credit and is further plagued by questions over the firm's candor in its disclosure of ties to the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Instead of focusing on dealing with these crises and returning value to shareholders, including notably our members' own pension funds, Rowan appears to have prioritized lobbying university leaders on higher education policy.
To make matters worse, Rowan's campaign in support of the Compact for
Academic Excellence in Higher Education would harm LGBTQIA+ students and staff at any university that adopts the compact.5 Apollo's website touts a 2021 award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which declared it one of the "Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality" for two years running.6 The compact further bans signatory institutions from considering race as a factor in admissions, which appears to conflict with Apollo's efforts to portray the firm as committed to racial equity, including its annual spending commitments focused on diversity goals.7
The endowment funds of many institutions of higher education, along with the public pension funds our educators and public employees depend on for their retirement security, are key sources of capital for Apollo's limited partnerships. The key question is this: Has the Apollo board of directors formally endorsed Rowan's campaign and given him express permission, despite the apparent conflict with the firm's own personnel policies, to use Apollo's firm resources to advocate against the interests of educators and public employees?
Please let us know how Apollo plans to address these issues. We would be pleased to meet with you to discuss this matter if that would be helpful.
Regards,
Randi Weingarten, AFT President
Todd Wolfson, American Association of University Professors President
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URL: American Association of University Professors
Original text and footnotes here: https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2026/Letter_to_Apollo_May_2026_FINAL.pdf
News release here: https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-and-aaup-apollo-ceo-using-company-resources-fund-personal-political-agenda
