Labor strikes are rising – and winning pay hikes – By Laurent Belsie & Dua (CS Monitor) / Mar 30 2023
A wave of union activity is rippling across the United States, giving workers historic boosts in pay at a time when the cost of living is soaring. In this month alone:
- Public works employees in St. Paul, Minnesota, ratified a contract with a 9% raise in pay – and, based on seniority, up to 9% more.
- A New York union convinced a system of about 90 hospitals and nursing homes to reopen their contract with nearly 80,000 health care workers, winning annual raises of 7%, 6%, and 5% over the next three years.
- And in Los Angeles, a three-day strike by some 30,000 public school employees led to a proposed 30% wage increase from the school district, retroactive pay of $4,000-$8,000, and seven hours of guaranteed work a day for special education assistants. Workers will vote on the tentative contract next week.
“It was just so inspiring and so powerful,” says Jannette Verbera, an L.A. special ed assistant and member of the union bargaining team who spoke to 45,000 people at a rally earlier this month. “When I was up onstage, I felt, like, so empowered by looking at everybody.”
CONTINUE > https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2023/0330/Labor-strikes-are-rising-and-winning-pay-hikes
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