Factbox: From Detroit Three to healthcare, US labor unions flex muscle

Green Thumb Industries

16/11/2023 19:21

(Adds details on strike actions in media, auto, consumer and
healthcare sectors)
    By Mrinalika Roy
       Nov 16 (Reuters) - A tight U.S. labor market, the expiry
of union contracts and high living costs have led to tough
negotiations for pay hikes and benefits, triggering strikes and
protests across industries.
    Nearly 444,900 workers have been involved in work stoppages
and strikes through October this year, according to preliminary
data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, putting 2023 on
track to becoming the busiest year for strikes since 2018.
        
    
    Here are some sectors and companies that faced tough
negotiations in 2023:
    
    MEDIA
    Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) approved a new
three-year contract with major studios on Oct. 9. Film and
television writers had walked off the job in May over
compensation, staffing and residual payments, among other
issues. They returned to work on Sept. 27 after negotiators
reached a tentative agreement.
    
    Hollywood actors reached a tentative agreement with major
studios on Nov. 8 to resolve the second of two strikes that
rocked the entertainment industry as writers and performers
demanded higher pay in the streaming TV era.
    Valued at more than $1 billion, the three-year contract
includes increases in minimum salaries and a new bonus paid by
streaming services, the union said.
    
    AUTOMOTIVE
    General Motors  GM.N  and the United Auto Workers (UAW)
ratified a wage deal on Nov. 16, making GM workers the first of
those at the Detroit Three automakers to approve the agreement.
    
    In October, the union reached tentative agreements with GM,
Ford  F.N  and Chrysler-owner Stellantis  STLAM.MI , handing
significant victories for auto workers after years of stagnant
wages and painful concessions following the 2008 financial
crisis.
    
    The UAW said on Nov. 15 that about 3,900 of its members
working at Mack Trucks ratified a new five-year contract, ending
a month-long strike at the Volvo Group  VOLVb.ST -owned company.
    
    PARCEL DELIVERY
    Teamsters union workers at United Parcel Service  UPS.N 
ratified a new five-year contract in August, a deal that raises
pay, eliminates a two-tier wage system for drivers, provides
another paid holiday and ends forced overtime.
    
    FedEx  FDX.N  pilots have been involved in a standoff with
the parcel delivery firm over wages and legacy pensions. Pilots
rejected a tentative deal in July and negotiations are ongoing.
    
    AIRLINES & AEROSPACE FIRMS
    Pilots at several airlines including American Airlines
 AAL.O , Delta Air Lines  DAL.N , United Airlines Holdings
 UAL.O , Spirit Airlines  SAVE.N  and Jetblue Airways  JBLU.O 
negotiated new job contracts this year.
    
    Members of some unions like the Southwest Airlines Pilots
Association have voted to authorize a strike if a new contract
is not reached.
    
    Spirit AeroSystems  SPR.N  negotiated a new contract to end
a strike that led to a week-long work stoppage at its plant in
Wichita, Kansas.
    
    MANUFACTURING
    U.S. steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs  CLF.N  has reached a
tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers union on a new
three-year labor agreement for its Northshore mining operations.
    
    U.S. Steel  X.N , which is reviewing multiple proposals
ranging from partial acquisition to an entire buyout, is
embroiled in a tussle with the United Steelworkers union. The
company's unionized workers say they essentially have the power
to veto any transaction they do not approve of.
    
    CONSUMER & RETAIL
    In Las Vegas, thousands of workers reached agreements with
casino operators and resorts Caesars Entertainment  CZR.O , MGM
Resorts  MGM.N  and Wynn Resorts  WYNN.O  in November to avoid
strikes that could have crippled tourism in the city.
    
    Thousands of hospitality workers in Detroit walked off the
job on Oct. 17 after unions called for strikes at three casinos
- MGM Grand Detroit, operated by MGM Resorts; Hollywood Casino
at Greektown, operated by Penn Entertainment  PENN.O ; and
MotorCity Casino.
    The Detroit Casino Council called the first strike in its
history after negotiations that had begun in the summer did not
yield a new contract.
    
    More than 3,000 workers at more than 150 Starbucks  SBUX.O 
stores in the U.S. held strikes in June, following claims the
company had banned Pride Month decorations at some of its cafes.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N38F1SO
    Workers at hundreds of Starbucks stores walked off their
jobs during a key promotional event on Nov. 16, demanding
improved staffing and schedules. 
    
    Thousands of Los Angeles-area hotel staffers went on a
three-day strike in July over improved wages, benefits and
working conditions. Union leaders representing the workers have 
threatened further walkouts.
    
    HEALTHCARE
    Kaiser Permanente's healthcare workers voted to ratify a new
contract with the hospital chain on Nov. 9, ending a months-long
negotiation that resulted in the largest recorded strike in the
U.S. medical sector.
        
    More than 7,000 nurses went on a three-day strike in New
York City over staffing levels and pay hikes in January.
    
    Workers at CVS Health  CVS.N  and Walgreens Boots Alliance
 WBA.O  announced a three-day walkout from Oct. 30, dubbed
"Pharmageddon", to improve working conditions and add more
staff.
    
    CANNABIS
    Unions representing cannabis workers have also increased
pressure on companies in the sector this year.
    
    Workers at Green Thumb Industries'  GTII.CD  Chicago-area
RISE dispensaries went on a 13-day unfair labor practices (ULP)
strike in April, which was the longest ULP strike at a cannabis
retailer in U.S. history.
    
    Labor unions secured new contract agreements at multistate
operator-owned cannabis dispensaries in Illinois and in New
Jersey in July.
    
    ENERGY
    Unionized workers at Phillips 66's  PSX.N  refinery in
Roxana, Illinois, ratified a contract with the refiner in
late-stage negotiations, averting a potential strike.
    
    The union had been in talks with the refiner since summer,
when it rejected a company proposal and sought additional
benefits for holiday and vacation hours and pay, among other
improvements.

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Work Stoppages in U.S.    https://tmsnrt.rs/48n57So
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 (Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj
Kalluvila, Eileen Soreng, Pooja Desai and Shounak Dasgupta)
 ((mrinalika.roy@thomsonreuters.com))