A UAW member has a question for the federal monitor:
We recently had fun with the UAW’s 2025 financial disclosure (LM-2) form, which illustrated the union’s high cost of corruption. In one year alone, the union wrote $7.06 million in checks to federal watchdog Neil Barofsky’s law firm, Jenner & Block, which contributed to a total cost of around $25 million over five years. Overall, Barofsky’s reports have painted an embarrassing portrait of foul-mouthed international President Shawn Fain, who has fostered a culture of retaliation and fear among his own staffers.
What about badly behaving local officers, though? One retired member, Rick Michael, asked that question of a federal court, particularly in light of Local 6000, where President Rachael Dickenson has been accused of firing several leaders via “a pattern of discrimination towards minority women.” Michael’s argument is that $7 million in member dues is a steep price for a monitor, so he’d like to see some of that attention paid locally.
Local 6000, based in Lansing, Michigan, is currently under audit proceedings, so this story will likely have more chapters to come.
Another union contract in the hard-to-crack architecture sector:
In 2022, NYC-based architects at Bernheimer Architecture became the first to unionize at a private firm in their sector. Those who wondered if this would become a trend only saw one other firm, Sage & Coombe (in NYC), also join Architectural Workers United (AWU) under IAM in 2023.
Three years later, the Sage & Coombe unit has ratified a contract after what the union characterized as “countless hours” organizing and bargaining. This news is also more proof that first contracts are hard, and they can be processes that lead to buyers’ remorse regarding what unions falsely promise that they can achieve at the bargaining table. As of now, the terms of the architects’ CBA have not been publicly revealed, although the union did make clear that it was unanimously ratified.
Healthcare workers at University of California are set to strike:
Last week, word dropped that UC averted a strike of 40,000 graduate student workers when they ratified a new UAW contract. However, the university’s medical centers, research facilities, and dining halls are now facing a strike by 42,000 AFSCME members who authorized an open-ended strike scheduled to begin on May 14.
This contract expired two years ago for medical assistants, respiratory therapists, various tech roles, and food service workers with housing allowances being a sticking point. However, a UC representative told Becker’s Hospital Review that the university’s most recent proposal pushed wage boosts from 25% to 32.3% with a $1,000 ratification bonus.
Additionally, the LA Times revealed that this proposal would push senior custodians from $70,789 up to $89,021 by 2029 and lab technicians that currently earn $88,200 up to $111,140. Clearly, those are substantial increases, and the two sides have another three weeks to work this out.
A collision of contract disputes could lead to a Big Apple mess:
On tax day, 32BJ SEIU announced on social media that around 34,000 NYC doormen and maintenance workers authorized a strike ahead of their April 20 contract expiration date. Bargaining continues with Bloomberg reporting that 3,500 residential buildings could see services disappear overnight if the two sides can’t agree on healthcare and pension details.
Meanwhile, two other contract disputes are causing a stir in the NYC area with May 16 being an important date. That’s when Long Island Rail Road workers, who are members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, could go on strike. Additionally, that’s the date when the bus and subway employees’ Transport Workers Union contract expires.
All of this is happening shortly after the NYC City Council began its push for a $30 minimum wage by 2030. The Big Apple has always been an expensive place to live, and it could soon become an even harder place for employers to stay in business.
Why will the next WGA contract run longer than usual?
Earlier this month, a Hollywood surprise suggested there likely won’t be a repeat of the 148-day 2023 writers’ strike due to WGA and AMPTP quickly reaching a tentative deal at the bargaining table. Although the deal remains shrouded in secrecy pending ratification, it was revealed that this deal will run four years long, rather than the customary three.
What happened? A trade publication noted that the WGA was against the longer term, but this was a concession made in exchange for the AMPTP agreeing to “shore up the health plan,” which has lost “$200 million in four years.” This is an example of how bargaining can be effective sometimes, if parties agree to tradeoffs, but this is also where it gets more complicated for the WGA in the future.
Healthcare costs are rising, but the union plan’s issues surely have something to do with the WGA releasing members from paying percentage-based dues during times when they’re not working. And unfortunately for members, the 148-day strike left the TV landscape with fewer jobs, which has compounded the difficulty of supporting a health plan when not as many members are paying dues. In other words, the WGA’s bylaws might need adjusting, which will also present issues.
Additionally, word on the Hollywood street is that some WGA members have made it known that they’re voting against the deal. Stay tuned.
