10.24.23 – #SolidaritySeason: Supporting Our Union Siblings

#SolidaritySeason:
Supporting Our Union Siblings

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

#SolidaritySummer has quickly become #SolidaritySeason. All across occupations and industries, Workers are standing up and standing together for better wages, improved healthcare, and workplace safety. Writers, actors, autoworkers, and airport workers are among those fighting corporate greed. Their fight is our fight. Flight Attendants across the industry have joined WGA, SAG-AFTRA, UAW, and Kaiser Workers on the picket lines and will continue to do so.

Flight Attendants are next. 80,000 Flight Attendants at Alaska, American, Southwest, United, and smaller carriers are in negotiations with management. Delta Flight Attendants are in the midst of an organizing campaign. Flight Attendants across the industry are fighting to be paid for their contribution, to preserve and expand work rules, and to break out of a shared industry-wide economic management framework that seeks to limit what Flight Attendants can earn. Flight Attendants, just like our Union Siblings in other industries, will need the full support of the Labor Movement to secure what we’ve earned.

We’ve gathered some updates and action items from Unions across industries and occupations. Supporting our Union Siblings includes staying up-to-date on their struggles and offering support through solidarity.

Service Employees International Union/ Airport Workers United

Airport Workers, represented by the SEIU/Airport Workers United, include many workers who make American Airlines and other airlines run. Baggage handlers, wheelchair agents, fuelers, cabin cleaners, janitors, and security officers in many airports, including our hubs, are fighting for livable wages, affordable healthcare, sick time, workplace safety improvements, and the ability to retire with dignity. Not surprisingly, airlines refuse to do right by these Workers, and they’ve taken their fight to Congress.

@GoodAIrports Workers rally in PHX
photo courtesy: SEIU/Airport Workers United

Including the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act fair wage and benefits standards in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization Bill will:

• Set fair wage, healthcare, and paid time off standards for airport service workers.
• Stabilize air travel for passengers.
• Address economic and racial disparities in the Black, Brown, and Immigrant-powered airport service workforce.
• Make airports safer and more secure.

Tell Congress to stand with Airport Workers here, and follow @GoodAirports on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for updates on upcoming days of action.

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AFA United Airlines Systemwide Day of Action- Thursday, October 26, 2023

Flight Attendants industry-wide are in negotiations and are fighting for contracts recognizing our contributions and sacrifices that kept our airlines running throughout the pandemic. Three versions of the Payroll Support Program would not have happened were it not for Flight Attendant Unions coming together and lobbying Congress to include worker-friendly provisions in the airline bailouts which kept us all connected to our paychecks and healthcare.

Now, it’s time for all of us to secure the contracts we’ve earned. This will take all of us standing together across Flight Attendant Unions and across industries and occupations to be successful in the fight against corporate greed.

photo courtesy: AFA-CWA

If you’re able, join a United Airlines picket line on Thursday, October 26th, at 11:00 am (local time) in LGA, EWR, LHR, ORD, DEN, PHX, LAX, SAN, SFO, HNL, FLL, AUS, MCO, TPA, LAS, IAH, CLE, GUM, and IAD. Information on locations and RSVP here.

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SAG-AFTRA, representing Performers and Broadcasters

While the Writer’s Guild Members (WGA) succeeded in securing a contract after 148 days on the picket lines, our Union Siblings at SAG-AFTRA continue their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which includes Amazon/MGM, Apple, Disney/ABC/Fox, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO). Out on strike since July, SAG-AFTRA Members and their supporters have demonstrated unwavering solidarity in their pursuit of fair wages, inclusion in streaming revenue, sustainable health and retirement funds, protection from AI technology, and more.

APFA Supports WGA/SAG-AFTRA, NYC, August 2023

APFA Members have joined SAG-AFTRA picket lines across the country. Find out more about upcoming picket lines and solidarity events here. WGA and SAG-AFTRA Members have shown up on APFA picket lines systemwide. We thank them for their support and pledge our unwavering support in their fight for a fair contract with fair compensation, benefits, and job protections.

Follow @sagaftra for updates on social media.

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United Autoworkers Strike Against the Big Three

The strike against Ford, GM, and Stellantis continues. Issues include:

• Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) and fair pay.
• Ending tiers, which create a ‘divide and conquer’ mentality by creating unequal pay for certain workers, temp workers, and subsidiaries.
• Fighting for job security, including protections for the transition to electric vehicles (EV). While the government invests billions in EV technology, Workers at these new battery plants are working for low pay and high risk. The EV transition is coming, and now is the time to raise standards for autoworkers. While the EV plants are not part of the strike, they must be part of the conversation as the transition to EV continues.

“Ford, GM, and Stellantis made $21 billion in total profits in just the first six months of 2023. Record profits mean record contracts.” (source: uaw.org)

UAW Region 9A Local 422, Mansfield, MA.
#onedaylonger #onedaystronger
photo source: UAW

There are many ways to support our Union Siblings at the UAW. Sign the online petition, share on social media, and use this tool to join an active picket line in your area.

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Thank you to our Union Siblings across industries for showing up on our picket lines and standing in solidarity as the fight against corporate greed continues.