Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite!
On May 16, North Carolina became the sixth state to see massive walk-outs by educators and support staff demanding higher pay, increased investment in classroom resources, and improved working conditions. More than 40 school districts cancelled classes for the rally. N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) President Mark Jewell said teachers were making the case for “stopping the tax breaks for the wealthy and [corporations] and reinvesting in public schools.”
More than 4,600 workers at Google demanded the termination of a company contract with the Pentagon, declaring in a petition that “We believe Google should not be in the business of war.” In March, many workers learned for the first time of Google’s involvement in a Pentagon program known as Project Maven, which sought to harness artificial intelligence technology to automate the operation of military drones. As part of the unending war waged on so many African and Middle Eastern nations, the US military has used its fleet of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, to kill thousands of men, women, and children. Workers for Google acted on their outrage by resigning in protest and by threatening public protest; on June 1, caving to the mounting pressure of its workers, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced that it would not renew its “Project Maven” contract with the Pentagon.
On May 29, Hilton-Riverside workers voted to approve their first contract. The workers organized with UNITE HERE! Local 23 (NOLA, MS, TN), and have gained job security, seniority rights, and some of the highest wage increases the union has won anywhere along the Gulf. Local 23 was founded in 2009 and now has approximately 20,000 members, including workers in fast food, airport concessions, hotel and parking, among other areas of the economy.
In Sept. 2017, the New York Teamsters passed a resolution to become a “sanctuary union,” following the Sept. 6 deportation of long-time Teamster member, Eber Garcia Vasquez. The union pledges to not cooperate with federal immigration agents seeking to deport its members, and to take proactive steps such as providing training and legal assistance. George Miranda, president of Teamsters Joint Council 16, stated: “Being a sanctuary union means we will do all that is in our power to keep our immigrant members safe and keep their families together. The Teamsters have fought against racism since our first days as a union, and this is the next step.”
Despite historically unfavorable conditions, the union movement continues to pick up steam in the southeast. In South Carolina, Boeing Co. technicians have scored a victory, forming the first collective bargaining unit at the South Carolina plane factory. The newly-unionized Workers face challenges, as they are still considered a “micro unit” (comprising only 180 flight-line workers). Boeing bosses have asked the labor panel to review the unionization process, accusing the workers of engaging in “artificial gerrymandering” for including employees at the North Charleston campus. Nevertheless, unionization at the South Carolina plant represents a major breakthrough for the labor movement in a so-called “right to work” state. Similar breakthroughs in organizing aerospace workers could occur in other southeast states, for example, at the Airbus SE factory in Mobile, Alabama.