Unions
Here's a look at documents from unions
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UAW Members From Agricultural Implements Sector Take Layoff and Plant Closure Fights to Congress
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- The United Automobile Workers issued the following news on Nov. 14, 2025:
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UAW Members from Agricultural Implements Sector Take Layoff and Plant Closure Fights to Congress
This week, UAW members from the Agricultural Implements sector took to Capitol Hill to raise the alarm on the devastating impact of bad trade deals, and fight layoffs and plant closures across the agricultural implements and construction equipment sector.
Since 2023, John Deere has laid off hundreds of workers and offshored multiple products from Iowa to Mexico. Caterpillar (CAT) operates three
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- The United Automobile Workers issued the following news on Nov. 14, 2025:
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UAW Members from Agricultural Implements Sector Take Layoff and Plant Closure Fights to Congress
This week, UAW members from the Agricultural Implements sector took to Capitol Hill to raise the alarm on the devastating impact of bad trade deals, and fight layoffs and plant closures across the agricultural implements and construction equipment sector.
Since 2023, John Deere has laid off hundreds of workers and offshored multiple products from Iowa to Mexico. Caterpillar (CAT) operates threemajor manufacturing facilities in Mexico, with rampant labor abuses, driving a race to the bottom. And this month, CNH announced plans to close its Burlington, Iowa plant after nearly a century of operations.
"The American taxpayer and the American worker have invested millions of dollars and decades of blood, sweat, and tears to make these companies what they are today," said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, Director of the Agricultural Implements Department of the UAW. "To take that investment and kill American jobs to pay off Wall Street is a slap in the face to American workers, consumers, and taxpayers. DC needs to step up and stop corporate greed."
"Executives at these companies think that the devastation of plant closures, lost jobs, broken homes, and the destruction of blue-collar communities are not their problem," said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, "But the UAW is going to make these decisions a major problem for these corporations and their Wall Street buddies. We're in Washington, D.C. this week to make their corporate greed a problem for politicians across the Midwest--regardless of if they are a Democrat or Republican."
UAW members in D.C. met with the offices of Representatives Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1), and Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2). They also met with the offices of Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Roger Marshall (R-KS). In addition to the members of Congress, workers also met with staff from the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
In their meetings, UAW members laid out three core demands for how to better navigate the offshoring of midwestern jobs by corporate greed:
1. Make it here to sell it here. UAW members are calling for the Commerce Department to launch a new Section 232 investigation into imports of heavy equipment and machinery.
2. End the race to the bottom. UAW members are demanding the United States Trade Representative to prioritize protections for heavy equipment manufacturing in the July 2026 review of the USMCA, including strong Rules of Origin, tariff rate quotas, and a sectoral minimum wage.
3. Job security. UAW members are demanding members of Congress pick a side and make sure Deere, CAT, and CNH return production from abroad and stop the layoffs, offshoring, and plant closures.
"American manufacturers, built on American values, are making decisions every day to close and move plants without looking at the people and families that they are impacting," said Marcques Derby, UAW Local 807 Chairperson at CNH in Burlington, Iowa. "Politicians have a real say. Most of them take campaign contributions from companies that are offshoring good jobs held by their constituents. It's our elected officials that need to utilize their voice--we elected them for that, didn't we?"
In addition to this week's lobbying efforts, hundreds of UAW members from across the U.S. recently submitted stories about the devastation of so-called "free trade" and the urgent need for a worker-centered transformation of our trade deals. The UAW International also submitted an extensive comment calling for transformative changes to North American trade policy that put the international working class first, ahead of corporate interests, which can be viewed here. The UAW will be making trade and the fight against mass layoffs and plant closures a major focus of our 2026 electoral efforts heading into the midterm elections to win for UAW members and the whole working class.
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Original text here: https://uaw.org/uaw-members-from-agricultural-implements-sector-take-layoff-and-plant-closure-fights-to-congress/
[Category: Union]
Workplace Democracy and Decent Work Critical Also for a Healthy Political Democracy
BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 14 -- The European Trade Union Institute issued the following news:
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Workplace democracy and decent work critical also for a healthy political democracy
ETUI research published in Benchmarking Working Europe 2019 has shown that civic democracy and democracy at work are two sides of the same coin. Employees in jobs with greater autonomy and involvement are more politically active and have more trust in democracy - they "learn" democracy at the workplace, as it were. Another study, presented at an ETUI event last year, has demonstrated that the quality of work, job
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BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 14 -- The European Trade Union Institute issued the following news:
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Workplace democracy and decent work critical also for a healthy political democracy
ETUI research published in Benchmarking Working Europe 2019 has shown that civic democracy and democracy at work are two sides of the same coin. Employees in jobs with greater autonomy and involvement are more politically active and have more trust in democracy - they "learn" democracy at the workplace, as it were. Another study, presented at an ETUI event last year, has demonstrated that the quality of work, jobsatisfaction and workers' voice have an important impact on voting preferences. Positive work environments shape a democratic climate in which satisfaction with democracy, institutional trust and more positive attitudes towards immigrants are resilient and voters are less susceptible to the temptations from political extremes.
Public procurement represents around 14% of EU GDP and constitutes a low-hanging fruit for democratic governments to shape the quality of jobs, and ultimately decrease support for populist parties. Yet too often, procurement still rewards the lowest bidder, not the best employer.
The ETUI is convening two forthcoming events that speak directly to these themes: "How to study far-right party success?" on 14 November 2025, and "Experimentation in buying decent work" on 20 November 2025. Both of them are based on recently published ETUI research.
Across Europe, analysts have often attributed the rise of populist parties to such as 'cultural' concerns over immigration and identity politics. However, Daphne Halikiopoulou and Tim Vlandas argue that, while these attitudes matter, downward class mobility and job and income insecurity are more important factors, rather than distrust of elites or anti-immigration attitudes.
The second ETUI conference will showcase innovative practices in "socially responsible procurement": using contract clauses, monitoring systems, and cooperative governance to ensure that public money promotes decent wages, fair conditions, and respect for workers' rights. The analyses gathered in this special issue of Transfer on the resources actors mobilise, the alliances they build in the process, the support they receive and the obstacles they encounter in implementing, stabilising or expanding their experimentation, promote a better understanding of both the potential and the limits of public procurement when it comes to securing decent or 'better work'.
It is notable that the issues in focus - worker participation, job quality, fair pay etc. - belong to the core business of trade unions. Strengthening workers' representative organisations, and Social Europe more generally, emerges as a key plank in the struggle to underpin and restore trust in democratic institutions and the process of European integration.
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Original text here: https://www.etui.org/news/workplace-democracy-and-decent-work-critical-also-healthy-political-democracy
Kroger Teamsters Ratify First Contract, Avert Strike
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Kroger Teamsters Ratify First Contract, Avert Strike
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Press Contact: Lena Melentijevic Phone: (347) 208-2279 Email: LMelentijevic@teamster.org
(LAS VEGAS) - More than 140 warehouse workers at Smith's Food and Drug, represented by Teamsters Local 14, have overwhelmingly ratified a strong first collective bargaining agreement. The new contract secures significant wage increases, better benefits, and stronger workplace protections.
"These workers became Teamsters in
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Kroger Teamsters Ratify First Contract, Avert Strike
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Press Contact: Lena Melentijevic Phone: (347) 208-2279 Email: LMelentijevic@teamster.org
(LAS VEGAS) - More than 140 warehouse workers at Smith's Food and Drug, represented by Teamsters Local 14, have overwhelmingly ratified a strong first collective bargaining agreement. The new contract secures significant wage increases, better benefits, and stronger workplace protections.
"These workers became Teamsters inJanuary and never let up on demanding what they were rightfully owed," said Jason Gateley, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 14. "They proved their strength through unity and militancy, and Kroger had no choice but to present a fair contract offer."
The three-year agreement delivers a 20 percent wage increase, enhanced health care coverage, and a defined benefit pension plan. It also guarantees a 40-hour workweek, stronger seniority rights, and includes picket line protections.
"We joined the Teamsters to win a contract that reflects our skilled work, and that's what we accomplished by never backing down from this fight," said Lance Taylor, a warehouse worker at Smith's and Local 14 member. "We were ready to strike to get our fair share, and the company knew it. Now we're protected by a strong Teamsters contract."
Smith's Food and Drug is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kroger. Last year, Kroger reported more than $2.6 billion in net profits. Nationwide, the Teamsters represent over 7,000 workers at Kroger and its subsidiaries. Prior to the contract expiration, Local 14 members voted to authorize a strike and held practice pickets outside the Las Vegas distribution center.
"Our members demonstrated to everyone what happens when workers fight together," said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. "When we show we are unified and prepared to hit the picket line, strong contracts follow. Thousands of Kroger Teamsters across the country were ready to back them up and Kroger made the right call."
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.
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Original text here: https://teamster.org/2025/11/kroger-teamsters-ratify-first-contract-avert-strike/
Industry efforts amid historic shutdown draw national media attention
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Financial Services] -- America's Credit Unions posted the following news:
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Industry efforts amid historic shutdown draw national media attention
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Credit unions' efforts to help members weather the government shutdown garnered widespread recognition across national and local media. The historic shutdownlasting 43 days ended late Wednesday.
NPR highlighted how federal workers were facing the crisis, detailing credit union efforts at Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union. Less than a month after the shutdown began, the credit union had already approved more than
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Financial Services] -- America's Credit Unions posted the following news:
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Industry efforts amid historic shutdown draw national media attention
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Credit unions' efforts to help members weather the government shutdown garnered widespread recognition across national and local media. The historic shutdownlasting 43 days ended late Wednesday.
NPR highlighted how federal workers were facing the crisis, detailing credit union efforts at Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union. Less than a month after the shutdown began, the credit union had already approved more than$55,000 in "Government Advance Loans" for 32 affected members. It also spotlighted Denver-based Westerra Credit Union and Redwood Credit Union in Northern California, with each providing nearly $100,000 in short-term, interest-free loans to members at the time of story, with new applications coming in daily.
Colorado Public Radio also outlined various credit union programs that helped members make ends meet. "This is what credit unions are built for," said Westerra Credit Union Vice President of Marketing Nicole Andrushko. "These loans cover all the day-to-day expenses they have in their life to fill the gap of what they're experiencing today."
GoWest Credit Union Association President/CEO Troy Stang shared similar sentiments in Colorado Biz. "Credit unions are moving quickly to provide relief and demonstrate their unwavering commitment to their members," said Stang. Along with Westerra Credit Union, the article featured programs offered by WECU in Washington, OneAZ Credit Union in Arizona, and Blue Federal Credit Union in Wyoming.
In Washington state, local outlet The Spokesman-Review profiled the efforts of STCU, BECU, and Canopy Credit Union.
The ongoing media attention continues to emphasize how the credit union difference is at work in communities across the countryin both good times and bad. Additional stories of credit union's stepping up to help amid the shutdown, as well as a regularly updated list of credit unions offering assistance by state, are available on America's Credit Unions Government Shutdown Assistance page.
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Original text here: https://www.americascreditunions.org/news-media/news/industry-efforts-amid-historic-shutdown-draw-national-media-attention
Court Halts Trump Rule Targeting the Livelihood of Immigrants Pending Appeal
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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Court Halts Trump Rule Targeting the Livelihood of Immigrants Pending Appeal
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Last night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted an emergency stay of the Trump Administration's rule, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), that would have prohibited DACA recipients, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and other immigrants with work authorization from obtaining commercial driver's licenses
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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Court Halts Trump Rule Targeting the Livelihood of Immigrants Pending Appeal
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Last night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted an emergency stay of the Trump Administration's rule, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), that would have prohibited DACA recipients, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and other immigrants with work authorization from obtaining commercial driver's licensesand permits. The order halts the harmful anti-immigrant rule while the rule is being challenged in the appeals court.
Jorge Rivera Lujan, Aleksei Semenovskii, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed the emergency motion in the lawsuit Rivera Lujan v. FMSCA. Mr. Rivera Lujan, Mr. Semenovskii, AFSCME, and AFT are represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group.
The court agreed with us that "FMCSA does not appear to have demonstrated any safety benefit from the rule" and that the rule, if not stayed, would cause irreparable harm.
"The Trump administration's punitive rule threatened to put 200,000 immigrants out of work, jeopardizing their livelihoods and harming the communities that depend on their work," said Wendy Liu, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. "For drivers across the country, the court's decision offers a glimmer of hope by giving them a chance to keep working and supporting their families and communities."
"Many public service workers who provide essential services like keeping our streets clean and driving our children to school require commercial drivers' licenses," said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. "We applaud the court for granting our stay and blocking the administration's attempts to prevent AFSCME members who are legally present and authorized to work in the United States from providing the vital public services our communities rely on."
"This rule was yet another example of cruelty and pettiness from the Trump administration, targeting taxpaying and law-abiding immigrants who are in this country legally," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "As a school bus driver shortage in this country persists, the Trump administration's rule was an attack not only on the livelihoods of our members, but also on working families, who rely on these drivers to get their kids to school safely and on time. Our members are grateful for this decision allowing them to continue serving their communities."
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Original text here: http://origin-afscme.bytrilogy.com/press/releases/2025/court-halts-trump-rule-targeting-the-livelihood-of-immigrants-pending-appeal
AFT's Weingarten and AAUP's Wolfson on Texas A&M University System Board of Regents' Vote to Censor Curriculum
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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AFT's Weingarten and AAUP's Wolfson on Texas A&M University System Board of Regents' Vote to Censor Curriculum
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - AFT President Randi Weingarten and American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement condemning the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents for voting in favor of limiting what instructors can teach regarding race and gender ideology. The two affiliated unions are the nation's
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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AFT's Weingarten and AAUP's Wolfson on Texas A&M University System Board of Regents' Vote to Censor Curriculum
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - AFT President Randi Weingarten and American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement condemning the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents for voting in favor of limiting what instructors can teach regarding race and gender ideology. The two affiliated unions are the nation'slargest representatives of higher education workers. The decision by the Board of Regents comes after the Trump administration offered loyalty oath compacts that would give universities preferential treatment in exchange for unprecedented government control and allegiance to partisan ideological demands.
AFT President Randi Weingarten said, "This is censorship plain and simple; it's what is done by those who fear knowledge and a well-educated citizenry. And sadly, the powers that be in Texas appear to fear knowledge. Instead of standing up against political attacks and maintaining institutional integrity, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents is aiding and abetting Trump's agenda for higher education. We must continue to foster a culture where critical thinking and debate are welcomed, where instructors can teach without fear or limitations, where students can be exposed to a diverse range of ideas, and where society can continue to grow and innovate for future generations."
AAUP President Todd Wolfson said, "The notion that politicians or high-level administrators can dictate what can be taught, researched, discussed or debated in a college classroom is fundamentally at odds with what higher education is about. Texas A&M is effectively sacrificing free inquiry and the open exploration of ideas to a narrow, restricted partisan ideological perspective. In essence, this is an attempt at thought control. This will lead to classroom censorship of the free exchange of knowledge at Texas A&M, which will do great damage to the educational value for students."
Wolfson's full comment to the Texas A&M Board of Regents can be found here.
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Original text here: https://www.aft.org/press-release/afts-weingarten-and-aaups-wolfson-texas-am-university-system-board-regents-vote
AFSCME and AFGE Win Major Victory Against Trump Administration's Efforts to Silence Voice of America Workers
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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AFSCME and AFGE Win Major Victory Against Trump Administration's Efforts to Silence Voice of America Workers
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A judge issued a preliminary injunction from the bench today blocking the Trump administration from stripping Voice of America workers of their freedom to collectively bargain
WASHINGTON - In a major victory for federal workers, today D.C. federal judge Paul Friedman granted a preliminary injunction, in an oral opinion
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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AFSCME and AFGE Win Major Victory Against Trump Administration's Efforts to Silence Voice of America Workers
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A judge issued a preliminary injunction from the bench today blocking the Trump administration from stripping Voice of America workers of their freedom to collectively bargain
WASHINGTON - In a major victory for federal workers, today D.C. federal judge Paul Friedman granted a preliminary injunction, in an oral opiniondelivered in open court, against the President, the United States Agency for Global Media (the agency that houses Voice of America), and USAGM Acting CEO Kari Lake, finding that the cancellation of collective bargaining rights at USAGM was unconstitutional retaliation against AFSCME and AFGE in violation of the First Amendment and was an unlawful exercise of authority.
The ruling is a result of a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) ; the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); the Voice of America Employees Union, AFSCME Local 1418; and AFGE Local 1812 against the Trump administration's August 28 executive order stripping USAGM and VOA workers of their voice on the job.
Thanks to the ruling, the cancelation of USAGM workers' collective bargaining freedoms has been blocked. In the ruling, the judge affirmed that the executive order was a clear effort to retaliate against the unions representing USAGM workers and violated the First Amendment.
The judge found that the enjoined August 28 order was directly connected to the President's earlier March Executive Order terminating collective bargaining rights at a wide range of federal agencies, which was accompanied by a Fact Sheet that the judge described as in effect threatening the following: "Unions that supported him, they'll be fine, but other unions, not so much."
Despite the President's March threat, the judge observed, the plaintiff unions "kept fighting, " in particular through litigation and advocacy challenging the administration's efforts to dismantle Voice of America and stifle its independent, pro-democracy journalism. The judge found that the subsequent actions taken against AFSCME and AFGE and their affiliated local unions at USAGM were "clearly retaliatory," and represented a pattern of First Amendment retaliation by this administration. The judge concluded his oral opinion by finding it was "in the public interest" to restore labor protections to USAGM employees because Voice of America is "a voice of democracy."
"This is a major victory for workers at VOA and USAGM against the administration's efforts to silence their voices in an attempt to punish them," said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. "The professionals at these agencies have been beacons of hope against the world's most oppressive regimes. We'll continue to fight for the collective bargaining rights of our members against an administration determined to strip them away."
"The administration's attacks on Voice of America and USAGM workers were plainly illegal and retaliatory," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "The Court's finding that the administration once again violated our members' constitutional rights, including their First Amendment rights, highlights exactly why unions matter. We're proud to stand with AFSCME as we continue fighting for collective bargaining and safeguarding the fundamental freedoms all Americans rely on."
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Original text here: http://origin-afscme.bytrilogy.com/press/releases/2025/afscme-and-afge-win-major-victory-against-trump-administrations-efforts-to-silence-voice-of-america-workers
