Labor Notes

To unionize a manufacturing company across the country at once, CWA wagered it could win contracts fast and foster a deep union culture after. On soldering irons and drill presses, with union picnics and stewards meetings, bus builders are making good on that bet.

Keith Brower Brown reports.

In Bus Factories, A Triple-Decker Win What does it take to unionize factories today, especially in the South? In the last two years, bus manufacturing workers secured first union contracts and a national master agreement across New Flyer facilities in three states. Their strategy shows how, with pressure from transit agencies that buy t...

"Our strike succeeded because organizers had planned ahead for a long strike that would include a series of escalating actions to increase the pressure on management. The sustained energy enabled the bargaining team to stand up to pressure from the management team who insisted, falsely, that they had no money," writes Michelle DuBarry of the PCC Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals.

Portland Community College Workers Defeat Budget Cuts in Wall-to-Wall Strike Two unions representing 2,300 workers at Portland Community College went on strike for three weeks in March. It was the first-ever community college strike in Oregon, and a rare wall-to-wall strike where both educators and support staff walked out together. The strike ended in resounding victory. We...

Organizing burnout is real. But so is the antidote: co-workers who remind us we’re not carrying the fight alone.

“When we have people in our corner who believe in the work we're doing, it helps us keep going,” says Antonio Rosario, an organizer with Teamsters Local 804.

On the latest episode of The Labor Notes Podcast, Antonio and Sarah Slichter of the Movement of Rank-and-File Educators talk about what organizers can do when the work starts to feel heavy.

The Antidote to Organizing Burnout (w/ Teamsters Local 804 Organizer Antonio Rosario and Sarah Slichter, Movement of Rank-and-File Educators) | The Labor Notes Podcast It’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the boss’ relentless union busting (it’s why they do it!) and to get discouraged by lapses and disengagement by union leadership. It can also compound the difficulty of organizing—figuring out how to make a meeting worthwhile, how to connect with members w...

Unlike many workers on union ships, officers at Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) and Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) face the risk of toxic benzene exposure, high-risk tank cleaning operations, and grueling cargo turnarounds.

“I have safely and efficiently operated some of the largest American-flag ships the last seven years and things are not improving despite the energy sector making record profits,” said Alex Gilmore, a third mate at Alaska Tanker Company. “We’re committed to the safety of these ships, the environment, our customers, and each other, and we need a contract to ensure our concerns are addressed.”

Oil Tanker Mates Fight for First Contract Against Familiar Employer Stalling Tactics Imagine sleeping each night above more than a million barrels of oil while navigating the open ocean, maneuvering through narrow channels, and passing beneath bridges in some of the country’s most congested waterways. The hours are long, the work is physically demanding, and the risks are ever pre...

“Solidarity among co-workers is your source of power against the employer. And one essential ingredient for solidarity is respect.

In the workplace we typically don’t experience respect—we experience coercion. No matter how much the boss may call us 'partners' or claim 'we’re a family here,' the employment relationship is fundamentally undemocratic: The employer makes the decisions, and workers are required to comply.

The union must be different in its DNA. Starting with the first building block of organizing, the one-on-one conversation, your goal is to show your respect for your co-workers.

You’re inviting them into the process of building a powerful, democratic union—one where their values, their experience, their ideas, and their contributions matter. You’re inviting them to become a fellow organizer.”

Read an excerpt from the new Labor Notes book, "Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It's Hard," by Ellen David Friedman: https://labornotes.org/2026/06/stewards-corner-respect-foundation-organizing .and order your copy here! https://labornotes.org/store/keepgoing

Steward's Corner: Respect Is the Foundation of Organizing Solidarity among co-workers is your source of power against the employer. And one essential ingredient for solidarity is respect. In the workplace we typically don’t experience respect—we experience coercion. No matter how much the boss may call us “partners” or claim “we’re a family her...