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A CSX train with JB Hunt containers heads towards the camera.

‘No More Closed Doors’: Reformers Win Rerun Election in Rail Machinists »

May 16, 2024 | Joe DeManuelle-Hall

Reformers in the Machinists rail union have ousted incumbents in a Department of Labor-supervised election.
Three guys in red Stand-Up Strike (UAW) t-shirts, two bearded, stand outside on grass with arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling big.

What It's Like Voting Union Inside Alabama Mercedes Plant »

May 15, 2024 | Jane Slaughter

In the election on whether to join the United Auto Workers, being held over five days this week at the Mercedes plant in Vance, Alabama, the union negotiated rules to try to minimize management influence. The vote is taking place inside the plant.
Marchers march away from the camera with signs reading UAW for a Permanent Ceasefire

Unions Support Student Protestors Against Campus Administrators and Police »

May 14, 2024 | Caitlyn Clark

As campus protests—and violent police repression—continue to roll across the country, some unions are getting involved.
A group of 33 Black and white women and men stands in a union hall, smiling and looking determined, many holding fists in the air. Many hold printed union signs. Yellow ones say "Union Yes." Red ones say "We are Alabama, we are UAW" and "No voice, no choice." Various signs on the wall behind them, including a big blue banner that says "Workers joining together for the mutual aid and protection of each other and their common interests."

Mercedes Enlists a Pastor in Its Union-Busting Campaign »

May 13, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

As Mercedes workers began their 12-hour shifts at 6 a.m. today, their phones buzzed with a company text message: “Here in Alabama, community is important, and family is everything.
Picketer in IAFF hoodie and ballcap stands on a sidewalk, speaking and gesturing. Over his shoulder is a printed picket sign that says "End the Boeing Lockout. Boeing Firefighters - Fighting for Your Safety!"

Locked-Out Firefighters Picket Boeing »

May 9, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

The aerospace giant Boeing locked out 125 firefighters across multiple facilities in Washington state May 4 after contract negotiations broke down.
Several people sit around a table in discussion.

Steward’s Corner: Taking Bottom-Up Action Changes the Balance of Power »

May 9, 2024 | Ellen David Friedman

Consider two different ways a union can take action to solve problems. A top-down approach may solve the immediate workplace problem, but it may not change the balance of power. Engaging as many members as possible in a bottom-up approach may accomplish both goals.
Seen from the side/back, Shawn Fain in a red hoodie holds up a battered purple copy of A Troublemaker's Handbook. Arrayed in front of him can be seen a huge seated crowd in the ballroom for the closing plenary.

The Origin of A Troublemaker’s Handbook »

May 8, 2024 | Dan La Botz

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain recently called A Troublemaker’s Handbook his “other bible.” Author Dan La Botz recalls how this classic Labor Notes book came to be.
Workers in high-visibility vests picket with ‘Amazon workers on strike’ signs picket by a road, one handmade sign reads ‘Stop the captive audience’

The End of Lean Production... and What’s Ahead »

May 2, 2024 | Kim Moody

For three and a half decades, lean management drove the production and movement of goods. But now logistics and manufacturing employers are shifting to a new model. To maximize our leverage, workers should understand it.

In Relay Race to Organize the South, Volkswagen Workers Pass the Baton to Mercedes Workers »

April 30, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

Michael Göbel, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, stepped down from his post yesterday, according to a video message that workers were shown.
Four women in red scrubs, of various races, stand, all masked, raising their fists in the air, some clasping one another's hands. They are at the front of a large crowd in the ballroom.

Pulsing with Life: 2024 Labor Notes Conference »

April 26, 2024 | Alexandra Bradbury


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Seen from the side/back, Shawn Fain in a red hoodie holds up a battered purple copy of A Troublemaker's Handbook. Arrayed in front of him can be seen a huge seated crowd in the ballroom for the closing plenary.

Free Download of Shawn Fain's 'Other Bible,' A Troublemaker's Handbook »

April 25, 2024 | Alexandra Bradbury

Ten smiling people pose together in a crowded meeting room. Two are holding huge yellow "Union Yes" signs with the UAW logo. Most are wearing red, blue, or purple T-shirts with UAW logo or organizing-themed slogans. The man on the far right holds a small child in his arms.

Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote Union »

April 19, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

In a watershed victory, workers at the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted tonight "UAW, yes!" The company's sole non-union plant will finally join the rest of the world.

With a Velvet Glove, Mercedes Tries to Punch Down Alabama Union Momentum »

April 10, 2024 | Luis Feliz Leon

Workers at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama were forced to attend 20-minute anti-union meetings with the company’s top management today.


Recordings obtained by Labor Notes show top management dangled carrots and put on a contrite-boss act, promising to do better.

Postal workers rally outside a post office. There is some snow on the ground. A big blue banner says "Staffing, Safety, and Service: Letter Carriers Need a Raise! NALC Branch 9, Minneapolis." Printed picket signs say "End Mandatory Overtime," "First Class Service, First Class Pay," and "Fair Contract Now."

Momentum for Open Bargaining Grows in the Letter Carriers »

April 10, 2024 | Tyler Vasseur

Hit by years of inflation, and inspired by last year’s contract struggles and big wins by Big 3 auto workers and UPS Teamsters, members of the Letter Carriers (NALC) at the U.S. Postal Service are getting organized to fight for open bargaining.
Two images of Anne Feeney. In the one on the left she is younger with long hair, standing on the bed of a pickup truck, singing into a mic, wearing a red "Solidarity Forever" T-shirt. In the one on the right she is older with shorter hair, singing into a mic indoors at the Labor Notes Conference, one fist in the air, wearing a black "Railroad Workers United" T-shirt, with a "Troublemakers Union" banner hanging on the wall behind her.

Anne Feeney: Pittsburgh’s Hellraiser, Memorial Events Planned for May 1 »

April 9, 2024 | Evan Greer

Friends and family of legendary labor singer Anne Feeney have announced the first in-person events celebrating the life and work of “Pittsburgh’s hellraiser,” who passed away following complications from

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