
Morgan Sperry is a student at Harvard Law School and also serves as OnLabor's Social Media Director.
In today’s News and Commentary, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and port officials negotiate, and the WGA strike continues.
Over the weekend, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) continued to push for a fair and equitable contract with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). Noting that PMA members and terminal operators made a record $510 billion during the pandemic while ILWU workers put their lives on the line to maintain service, workers across West Coast ports are pushing for a contract that passes on to them some of those unprecedented economic gains. The PMA, meanwhile, claims that the ILWU has “effectively shut down” ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland—which manage approximately 40 percent of all U.S. cargo imports from Asia—as negotiations have stalled. Echoing the talking points deployed during last year’s railway strike, the PMA has called upon the White House to intervene, citing possible economic losses in the magnitude of $500 million a day.
As the WGA strike enters its sixth week, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has reached a tentative agreement with the Directors Guild of America (DGA) “confirming that A.I. is not a person and that generative A.I. cannot replace the duties performed by members.” Notably, the WGA has also sought from the AMPTP—and thus far been denied—this same guarantee.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 24
UAW expands strike, files ULP against a Republican senator and hosts Biden on the picket line. NLRB ALJ issues first Cemex bargaining order.
September 22
Biden and Lula announce Partnership for Workers’ Rights; GAO clears Su to serve as acting Secretary of Labor indefinitely.
September 21
DHS policies for Venezuelan migrants; reduced arbitration fees under No Surprises Act; increasing religious objections to workplace DEI policies.
September 19
Canadian autoworkers continue negotiations with Ford’s operations in Canada, Trump announces a rally in Detroit next week with union workers, and talk shows backtrack on plans to return to air without writers.
September 18
UAW enters its fourth day of striking with plans to meet Stellantis at the negotiating table; 13 of the 14 bargaining units representing Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will negotiate new contracts in the next six months; a Brazilian labor court ordered Uber to pay ~$205 million in fines for irregular working relations with app drivers; unions across many sectors press lawmakers to curb potential threats from artificial intelligence
September 17
Updates from UAW’s strike, Dartmouth College athletes file petition to unionize, visual effects artists at Marvel Studios unanimously vote to unionize, and California’s legislature passes a variety of pro-worker bills.