Labor Day is a day of celebration and remembrance, not only for the workers, organizers, and activists of the past but also for those of the present. We here at The Mary Sue stand in solidarity with workers seeking safe working conditions, fair pay, and dignified treatment. Here’s a breakdown of all the ongoing strikes in the US.
Writers Guild of America (WGA) & Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) VS. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)
Both WGA East and WGA West, as well as SAG-AFTRA, will be observing the holiday weekend, and therefore will abstain from picketing. However, they will still take part in Labor Day celebrations, with WGA East and SAG joining the Philly Labor Day Parade at Penn’s Landing. This observation will extend until Wednesday, September 6th, in which striking will resume on all sides.
The WGA began striking on May 2, 2023, with SAG-AFTRA following a month later on July 13, 2023. Here’s a link to ways you can support the writers and actors.
Other California Strikes
The WGA and SAG–AFTRA aren’t the only California strikes to keep on your radar.
City workers in Los Angeles went on one-day walkout on August 29th as a demonstration against unfair labor practices and bad-faith negotiations with the city. It is unknown whether there will be a full strike at this point.
Hotel workers are also striking against the Hotel Association of Los Angeles at many Los Angeles Hotels; the strike began on July 20, 2023, over stagnant pay despite the rising cost of living. Unfortunately, a lot of the online coverage of the event has mostly revolved around how the protesting has interrupted weddings or other hotel events, and demonstrators have faced arrest by police.
Technicians at the Mercedes Benz of San Diego walked off the job and began picketing all the way back in June of 2022, with the strike now having gone for over 400 days. The site brought on workers to replace the striking workers and threatened to call the police when the workers came on-site to secure their personal tools.
Performers at Medieval Times have also been on strike since February of this year, with their focus being on safe working conditions, appropriate living wages, and a respectful work environment.
Oregon
Employees at the famous Powell’s Bookstore will begin striking on Labor Day, organized under the International Warehouse and Longshore Union Local 5. They have attempted to raise their wages to a livable wage since 1999, to no avail, in addition to seeking proper healthcare. After eight attempts at bargaining, the workers have had enough and will be picketing outside the bookstore beginning September 4.
New Jersey
There are two major strikes ongoing in New Jersey.
Nearly 2000 nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, are on strike over staffing issues. The nurses went on strike in early August and are now in danger of having their healthcare coverage cut off.
Members of United Auto Workers (UAW) went on strike over their employer Ford’s changes to healthcare coverage in early June. Charles Wowkanech, president of New Jersey AFL-CIO, stated that “The company, whose profits soared into the billions during the pandemic is now demanding that the “essential” workers, who kept the company working and profitable … enroll in a different healthcare plan that has an unaffordable deductible” with less coverage than they are currently receiving.
Missouri
Former and current workers at Shangri-La Dispensaries in Missouri went on strike after some workers were allegedly fired over their attempt to unionize. There are reportedly seven court cases against Shangri-La on the National Labor Relations Board. The strike began on May 16, 2023, and there have been minimal updates since.
Tennessee
It’s important to remember that small businesses can also mistreat their unionized workers. After unionizing via secret ballot, the workers at Three Brothers Coffee in Nashville still “had little success negotiating with ownership”, who was paying them $9 an hour plus tips. The six workers are now on strike and have been since the middle of June. They were still striking as of July 21.
Other Strikes
I wasn’t able to find much info on the following strikes but according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the following strikes are ongoing:
New Jersey: SMG Exposition Services – ASM Global: Secaucus, NJ, strike started on June 30, 2021
Kentucky: Next Level Relief – Reserve Officers Training Corps: Fort Knox, strike started on July 3, 2023
Michigan: Swissport USA – Detroit Metro Airport – Detroit, MI, strike started on April 1, 2022
Kansas: Tyson Fresh Meats – Holcomb, KS, strike started on July 11, 2022
Iowa: Thombert Inc / United Auto Workers (UAW), strike started on August 1, 2023
(featured image: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
