Featured Stories
AFL-CIO AFSCM, 79 Co-Signers Issue Letter to Senate Leadership
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 [Category: Union] (TNSletter) -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following letter with 79 co-signers to the Senate leadership:
* * *
The Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader, United States Senate
The Honorable Charles Schumer, Minority Leader, United States Senate
July 31, 2026
Dear Leader Thune and Leader Schumer: The undersigned 78 civil rights, labor, consumer, community, tech accountability, and other organizations write to express opposition to the inclusion of language authorizing so-called AI Innovation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 [Category: Union] (TNSletter) -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following letter with 79 co-signers to the Senate leadership:
* * *
The Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader, United States Senate
The Honorable Charles Schumer, Minority Leader, United States Senate
July 31, 2026
Dear Leader Thune and Leader Schumer: The undersigned 78 civil rights, labor, consumer, community, tech accountability, and other organizations write to express opposition to the inclusion of language authorizing so-called AI InnovationLabs within the CLARITY Act. This language creates regulatory sandboxes that allow otherwise regulated financial firms to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) systems without regulatory supervision, oversight, or enforcement and without the necessary civil rights, consumer, and user protections to prevent harm.
The use of AI in the financial sector has potential benefits to consumers and providers alike. It presents opportunities to reduce costs, improve efficiency, detect and prevent fraud, and increase the access, quality, and choice of financial services and products. However, the benefits will only be realized if there are protections from the risks as well. The use of AI in financial services and products should include requiring the consistent application and enforcement of long-established federal civil rights, consumer protection, investor protection, market integrity, and financial supervision statutes and regulations.
The financial industry has already been deploying AI within the bounds of federal laws and regulations across its business lines including from customer service to automated underwriting to securities trading to risk management. Existing legal and regulatory regimes are designed to protect people and the financial system from predatory practices, market manipulation, and economic instability. There is no need to create regulatory carve outs for companies to deploy AI systems that would otherwise violate federal laws and pose risks to people and the economy. Nor does the use of AI, however trivial, justify broad waivers of consumer and investor protection laws.
The risks of AI are real. AI credit underwriting and decision-making systems tend to amplify existing patterns of discrimination against Black, Latino, Asian American, and Indigenous people; women; and people with disabilities in the approval, pricing, and terms of credit products like student loans, mortgages, and other credit products. AI's involvement in debt collection could make people susceptible to abusive collection tactics. People could see unjust freezes or closures of accounts driven by automated fraud detection AI systems. AI's increasing use in customer relations and emerging risks from agentic AI can leave people at the mercy of chatbots and systems that give incomplete, misleading, or sometimes incorrect information. If financial institutions are granted waivers from laws and regulations for deploying AI in their systems and processes, people impacted by these risks would have little to no path for redress.
The deployment of unregulated AI into financial services products and systems also poses risks to investor protection, market integrity, and financial stability. AI-powered trading could result in market manipulation, harming investors and undermining the fidelity of the markets. Increasingly powerful AI cyberhacking tools can threaten the security of financial firms holdings, exposing customers' funds and personal information to cyberbreaches. Banks deploying AI for risk management models could result in minimizing risks and threats to the safety and soundness of the bank, posing financial stability threats. Further, the concentration of AI firms servicing the financial sector could exacerbate instability and create unstable bubbles and crashes.
The risks and threats of AI in the financial system demonstrate the importance of regulation and oversight of its use. Yet the language within this legislation would enable the financial industry to seek exemptions from these necessary laws and regulations. The threshold to create an AI test project shielded from regulatory oversight is woefully low. Virtually any company that uses AI would be able to request full waivers of civil rights, consumer, and investor protection laws, posing risks to people and the economy.
This language would allow financial firms to experiment on deploying AI for maximizing profits with effective impunity. Customers and the economy would bear the risks and harms, with financial institutions reaping the rewards. The threats and risks are too grave.
We urge Members of Congress to oppose this language and any legislation that includes this language, including in the CLARITY Act. Elected leaders must reject the granting of immunity for unlawful practices or outcomes that would substantially harm people, communities, and the economy.
Sincerely,
National Organizations
Action Center on Race and the Economy
AFSCME
AFT
AI Now Institute
American Civil Liberties Union
American Economic Liberties Project
Americans for Financial Reform
As You Sow
CAMEO Network
Care in Action
Center for Democracy & Technology
Center for Digital Democracy
Center for Responsible Lending
Coalition on Human Needs
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Consumer Action
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Reports
Consumer Watchdog
Data & Society
Demand Progress Action
Equal Rights Advocates
HEAL Food Alliance
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
National Action Network
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of
its low-income clients
National Consumers League
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Fair Housing Alliance
Next 100 Coalition
Oxfam America
P Street
Popular Democracy
Protect Borrowers
Public Citizen
Public Good Law Center
Public Investors Advocate Bar Association
Public Justice
Racial Justice Investing Coalition
Stance Capital
TechTonic Justice
The Leadership Conference on Civil and
Human Rights
Transparency Task Force
UnidosUS
Woodstock Institute
State and Local Organizations
AKPIRG
Arkansas Community Organizations
Brooklyn Cooperative FCU
Center for Economic Integrity
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety
DC Consumer Rights Coalition
Economic Action Maryland Fund
Housing Action Illinois
Housing and Economic Rights Advocates
Legal Action Chicago
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Legal Aid Works
Maine People's Alliance
New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center
New York Legal Assistance Group
New Yorkers for Responsible Lending
Oregon Consumer Justice
Oregon Consumer League
Project GREEN
Public Law Center
Rise Economy
South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Strong Economy For All Coalition
Texas Appleseed
The Academy of Financial Education
Tzedek DC
Virginia Citizens Consumer Counsel
Virginia Poverty Law Center
William E. Morris Institute for Justice
* * *
View the letter here: https://ourfinancialsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Coalition-Opposes-AI-Sandbox-in-Crypto-Bill-7-31-26.pdf
Prime nurses in three states give notice they plan to hold one-day strikes for fair contracts that support patient safety
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Aug. 24 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
* * *
Prime nurses in three states give notice they plan to hold one-day strikes for fair contracts that support patient safety
*
Nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif.; Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, N.V.; Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, Ill.; and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. gave notice to their employer Prime Healthcare that they will hold one-day strikes from Sept. 3 to Sept. 4
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Aug. 24 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
* * *
Prime nurses in three states give notice they plan to hold one-day strikes for fair contracts that support patient safety
*
Nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif.; Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, N.V.; Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, Ill.; and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. gave notice to their employer Prime Healthcare that they will hold one-day strikes from Sept. 3 to Sept. 4to protest the administration's refusal to address deep concerns about patient care and safe staffing, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), which is an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU).
This 10-days' notice of these four strikes covering over 2,200 nurses and health care workers follows nearly unanimous strike authorization votes. Nurses give at least 10 days of advance notice to the hospital to allow for alternative plans to be made for patient care.
Nurses and health care workers at the California and Nevada hospitals have been working without a contract since last year, making recruitment and retention difficult and directly hurting patient care. Employees are demanding that management invest in nursing and health care staff and agree to a contract that provides:
* Incentive for nurses and health care workers to stay at the bedside
* Staffing that meets the patients' needs
* RNs' right to advocate for their patients without fear of retaliation
RNs at Chicago's Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, who just unionized in June, will be striking to win a fair first contract. Since their election, management has prevented and threatened nurses on the negotiating team from discussing matters of patient care and staffing with colleagues.
"Nurses have become overwhelmed with the number of patients we are assigned -to the point where we cannot safely assess or attend to all of the patients' needs," said Vanessa Moreno, RN in the telemetry unit at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital. "We have been demanding meetings with the hospital attorneys on these patient care concerns, but they keep saying they are too busy or ignore us altogether."
[Reporters please note the different times strikes begin]
Chicago facility
Who: Registered nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital (Chicago)
What: One-day strike to address patient care concerns and to protest retaliation against nurse advocates
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, 7 a.m. CT to Friday, Sept. 4, 6:59 a.m. CT
Where: Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, 2233 W Division Street, Chicago, IL, 60622
Reno facility
Who: Registered nurses at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center (Reno)
What: One-day strike for patient safety and a fair contract
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, 6:45 a.m. PT to Friday, Sept. 4, 6:44 a.m. PT
Where: Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, 235 W. 6th St. Reno NV, 89503
Redding facility
Who: Registered nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center (Redding)
What: One-day strike for patient safety and a fair contract
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, 6 a.m. PT to Friday, Sept. 4, 5:59 a.m. PT
Where: Shasta Regional Medical Center, 1100 Butte St. Redding CA
Anaheim facility
Who: Registered nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center (Anaheim)
What: One-day strike for patient safety and a fair contract
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, 7 a.m. PT to Friday, Sept. 4, 6:59 a.m. PT
Where: West Anaheim Medical Center, 3033 W. Orange Ave., Anaheim CA
"Nurses and the care we provide are the heart and soul, the foundation, of our hospitals," said Michelle Gaffney, an intensive care unit RN at Shasta Regional Medical Center. "In order to do our jobs well, we need safe RN staffing and we need a strong contract to not just attract but keep experienced nurses. Prime is not investing in us nurses and health care workers and actually retaliating against some of us when we speak up, so we are joining forces across the system to let them know we mean business and are willing to strike together to win better working conditions and standards."
Most of the nurses and health care workers have already struck previously in their fight for a fair contract.
NNOC represents over 1,800 nurses and health care workers at Prime facilities in California and Nevada and about 400 nurses in Illinois.
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.
***
Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/prime-nurses-in-three-states-give-notice-they-plan-to-hold-one-day-strikes-for-fair-contracts
UAW Deere Members Reject Contract Extension Offer
DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 23 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
* * *
UAW Deere Members Reject Contract Extension Offer
*
Members of the United Auto Workers at John Deere voted today to reject the company's proposal to extend the current collective bargaining agreement through 2029.
"While John Deere continues to outsource jobs, 1,600 workers are still laid off. Our members rejected Deere's offer to extend their contract because they know their worth and what they deserve," said UAW President Shawn Fain. "The company failed to make an offer that addressed
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 23 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
* * *
UAW Deere Members Reject Contract Extension Offer
*
Members of the United Auto Workers at John Deere voted today to reject the company's proposal to extend the current collective bargaining agreement through 2029.
"While John Deere continues to outsource jobs, 1,600 workers are still laid off. Our members rejected Deere's offer to extend their contract because they know their worth and what they deserve," said UAW President Shawn Fain. "The company failed to make an offer that addressedthe issues weighing on the minds of our members, especially job security. We'll see Deere at the table in 2027."
The company's financial record makes clear why workers believe they deserve an equal voice in decisions about the contract.
Deere made nearly $5 billion in profit in 2025 and expects to make another $4.5 billion to $5 billion this year. Last year, the company spent $1.1 billion buying back its own stock and paid shareholders $1.7 billion in dividends, with another $7.9 billion set aside for future stock buybacks. Meanwhile, CEO John May received $27.9 million in total compensation in 2025.
"Our members see billions going to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks, said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, Agricultural Implement Department Director, "while the workers whose skill and labor make those profits possible are asked to accept less. Our members know their value and said NO to their offer."
***
Original text here: https://uaw.org/uaw-deere-members-reject-contract-extension-offer/
National Education Union: Congratulations to All Young People Receiving Results Their GCSE, Level 1 and 2 Vocational and Technical Qualification Results Today
LONDON, England, Aug. 21 -- The National Education Union issued the following statement on Aug. 20, 2026, by General Secretary Daniel Kebede:
* * *
Congratulations to all young people receiving results their GCSE, Level 1 and 2 Vocational and Technical Qualification results today
Commenting on today's results, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Congratulations to all young people receiving results today. Acknowledgment also to the sustained and dedicated hard work of their teachers and support staff.
"Yet another cohort has navigated England's unusually
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Aug. 21 -- The National Education Union issued the following statement on Aug. 20, 2026, by General Secretary Daniel Kebede:
* * *
Congratulations to all young people receiving results their GCSE, Level 1 and 2 Vocational and Technical Qualification results today
Commenting on today's results, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Congratulations to all young people receiving results today. Acknowledgment also to the sustained and dedicated hard work of their teachers and support staff.
"Yet another cohort has navigated England's unusuallyexam-heavy assessment system. Many students have faced over 30 hours of high-stakes testing -which is far more than their peers internationally.
"This approach makes success heavily dependent on performance on just a few days, when illness, exam technique or other circumstances can have a significant impact. End of course exams also prioritise memorisation over wider skills which evidence shows are essential for work and life, including communication, collaboration and problem-solving. The Milburn Review's interim report warned that our narrow assessment approach at Key Stage 4 is disengaging young people rather than preparing them for life beyond school.
"We welcome the new Secretary of State's acknowledgement of England's exam burden, and that the English and maths GCSE resit policy simply does not work. This needs to be changed. We urge her to explore, with the profession, a broader approach to assessment that allows young people to demonstrate their strengths.
"The impact of poverty and regional inequality cannot be ignored. Schools do all they can to alleviate this but they cannot do it alone. The pressure and strain experienced by those in areas of disadvantage must be addressed by government, ensuring that schools and colleges have the funding needed to support every learner to succeed."
* * *
Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/congratulations-all-young-people-receiving-results-their-gcse-level-1-and-2-vocational-and-technical?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
Glendale nurses to hold informational picket for patient safety and to protest layoffs of support staff
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
* * *
Glendale nurses to hold informational picket for patient safety and to protest layoffs of support staff
*
Registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, Calif. will hold an informational picket on Monday, Aug. 24, to condemn the layoffs of critical support staff, which will jeopardize patient care, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).
CommonSpirit plans to lay off monitor technicians in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
* * *
Glendale nurses to hold informational picket for patient safety and to protest layoffs of support staff
*
Registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, Calif. will hold an informational picket on Monday, Aug. 24, to condemn the layoffs of critical support staff, which will jeopardize patient care, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).
CommonSpirit plans to lay off monitor technicians in the intensive care unit (ICU) and theunit clerks in medical-surgical and telemetry units. Unit support staff provides critical work to keep the operations running smoothly and allow nurses to focus on their direct patient care responsibilities without interruptions.
"Patients in our unit are already critically ill," said Michelle Lasala, RN in the ICU unit at Glendale Memorial Hospital. "Having a monitor technician allows me to focus on my patients without having to split my attention to monitor rhythms, answer phones, or coordinate with other units. Our monitor techs provide a vital resource that cannot only be measured by metrics or dollars but in timely interventions and lives saved."
Who: Registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital
What: Informational picket for patient safety and safe staffing
When: Monday, August 24, 2026, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Where: Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale, Calif., corner of Central and Los Feliz
Nurses have raised their concerns to hospital management, but have been told that these cuts are to improve efficiency and productivity, but this decision ignores the impact of the cuts on patient health and safety and goes against CommonSpirit's mission of providing "compassionate care." On Aug. 3, CommonSpirit nurses delivered a petition to their employer in Los Angeles signed by more than 5,000 nurses across the state opposing the cuts, urging CommonSpirit to rescind the layoffs. In an Aug. 18 meeting, hospital management said that they will move forward despite the concerns raised by frontline staff as "not every scenario can be accounted for" and moving forward concerns can be addressed by escalating through chain of command.
"Nurses are already being asked to do more and more with fewer resources," said Erin Connor, RN in the telemetry unit at Glendale Memorial Hospital. "Removing our unit clerk, who provides essential support, will increase the workload on bedside nurses. Nurses are already feeling moral distress and stretched too thin. We urge Glendale management to put patients before profits and do the right thing: Rescind the layoffs."
"As a nurse, I need to be able to closely monitor my patients and meet their direct-care needs," said Heather Jun, RN in the telemetry unit at Glendale Memorial Hospital. "Without the support of my unit clerk to help coordinate communication, assist with admissions and discharges, and support our unit, my attention will be pulled from direct patient care to performing administrative tasks, creating delays in care or missing vital information. This is not putting our community or patients first."
Nurses know that CommonSpirit has the resources to address the hospital's needs. According to its tax filings, from 2020 to 2024, the top 10 CommonSpirit executives were paid in excess of $310.5 million. Its CEO took home a compensation package worth more than $14 million for fiscal year 2025.
CNA represents about 550 registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital and more than 17,000 CommonSpirit RNs in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Texas.
California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.
***
Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/glendale-nurses-to-hold-informational-picket-for-patient-safety-and-to-protest-layoffs
Encore Boston Harbor Teamsters Overwhelmingly Authorize Strike
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
* * *
Encore Boston Harbor Teamsters Overwhelmingly Authorize Strike
*
Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: mdrumm@teamster.org
(EVERETT, Mass.) - Over 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor, represented by Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Local 25 represents 211 workers in the warehouse, horticulture, and floral departments, as well as workers in the call center, cage cashiers, limo drivers and
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
* * *
Encore Boston Harbor Teamsters Overwhelmingly Authorize Strike
*
Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: mdrumm@teamster.org
(EVERETT, Mass.) - Over 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor, represented by Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Local 25 represents 211 workers in the warehouse, horticulture, and floral departments, as well as workers in the call center, cage cashiers, limo drivers anddispatchers, traffic attendants, valet and guest experience attendants at Encore.
"The workers at Encore Boston Harbor work hard and make the casino the financial success that it is," said Tommy Blitsch, Director of the Teamsters Convention, Trade Show, and Casino Division. "Management's failure to negotiate is leaving this group with no other choice but to head to the picket line. There is only one way this ends, with a fair agreement."
"We're proud of what we built at Encore, and we take pride in the work we do every day," said Sem Avdic, a warehouse worker and member of Local 25. "We work hard to make this company successful, and we believe we deserve a fair contract that allows us to provide for our families. Nobody wants to strike. But nobody is going to keep making Wynn rich while our own families fall behind."
Encore took in $847 million in Boston last year, according to Wynn Resorts' filings with the SEC, yet management refuses to come back to the table to negotiate a fair deal with wage improvements. The current contract expires August 31, and workers are prepared for a work stoppage if a deal is not reached.
"This is a union town. Teamsters don't cross picket lines, and neither does Boston," said Thomas G. Mari, President of Local 25. "If our members are on that sidewalk, we're asking every worker and every family in this city to stand with them: while they're out, stay out."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 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.
***
Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/08/encore-boston-harbor-teamsters-overwhelmingly-authorize-strike/
CalPortland Ready-Mix Teamsters Overwhelmingly Ratify One-Year Contract
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
* * *
CalPortland Ready-Mix Teamsters Overwhelmingly Ratify One-Year Contract
*
Press Contact: Lena Melentijevic Phone: (347) 208-2279 Email: lmelintjevic@teamster.org
(OAKLAND, Calif.) - Two weeks after going on an unfair labor practice strike, over 350 ready-mix Teamsters at CalPortland have overwhelmingly ratified a new one-year contract with the company. Members of Teamsters Locals 853, 665, 315, and 150 at CalPortland went on strike after the company refused to set timely
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
* * *
CalPortland Ready-Mix Teamsters Overwhelmingly Ratify One-Year Contract
*
Press Contact: Lena Melentijevic Phone: (347) 208-2279 Email: lmelintjevic@teamster.org
(OAKLAND, Calif.) - Two weeks after going on an unfair labor practice strike, over 350 ready-mix Teamsters at CalPortland have overwhelmingly ratified a new one-year contract with the company. Members of Teamsters Locals 853, 665, 315, and 150 at CalPortland went on strike after the company refused to set timelybargaining dates over a new agreement, threatening union work across multiple counties in Northern California.
"A year ago, this company wouldn't even commit to hiring our members. But through Teamsters militancy and solidarity, CalPortland Teamsters protected their jobs and won vital wage and health benefits increases," said Tom Gesualdi, Director of the Teamsters Building Materials and Construction Trade Division. "They have shown what is possible when workers stand together and demand their fair share."
"This victory is due to the dedication of our members and lockstep support from our community of allies and elected officials. The Teamsters especially appreciate San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie for playing a critical role in ensuring an agreement was reached," said Peter Finn, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7 and International Vice President At-Large. "For over 350 workers from four locals to strike and win in two weeks is no small feat. This contract is a shining example of the power of Teamsters unity."
In addition to an industry-standard wage increase for Northern California concrete drivers, CalPortland Teamsters also protected their current contract language in totality for 12 months. The company had previously implemented unilateral changes to contract language without the union's consultation or permission.
"We voted to strike because we know the true value of our labor. All of us were united and ready to stand on the line for as long as it took," said Gary Kunesh, a 30-year CalPortland Teamster from Local 853. "For us to win this contract in just two weeks shows the power of being a Teamster."
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.
***
Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/08/calportland-ready-mix-teamsters-overwhelmingly-ratify-one-year-contract/
