U.S.- and Union-Made: The Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

Postal Service Union Launches Television Ads Promoting Mail-In Voting: “The integrity of Georgia elections has been questioned by President Donald Trump and others since 2020. Now the postal workers' union wants to restore voter confidence in voting by mail via the airwaves. The American Postal Workers Union will begin airing television ads starting this week to promote casting your ballot via mail. Georgia APWU President Charles Brouhgton said he wants to have an impact on voters.”

Effort to Dedicate Corner to Local 34 Founding Member Moves Forward: “New Haveners and Yale student leaders have collected about 320 signatures on a petition to name the corner of College and Elm streets in honor of a man who helped establish Yale’s first employee union. The petition required 250 signatures to qualify for review by the president of the Board of Alders, Tyisha Walker-Myers, who may assign it to one of the board’s committees, according to Ward 1 Alder Elias Theodore ’27. Theodore said he recently submitted the petition to City Hall for review.  Under the proposal, the corner would be dedicated to John Wilhelm ’67, who helped found Local 34, which represents the University’s clerical and technical workers. Last year, the union celebrated the 40-year anniversary of its first contract with Yale—a milestone that motivated locals Aldo Cupo and Cheryl Bergman to spearhead the renaming efforts, they said.”

Ford, UAW Volunteers Plant 200-Plus Trees and Shrubs in Detroit Industrial Sector: “An industrial stretch of Detroit is getting a green transformation this week as dozens of volunteers from Ford and the United Auto Workers give back to the community where they work. As part of National Volunteer Week, Ford employees spent Thursday planting trees and shrubs at Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park, a developing green space along the Rouge River. UAW volunteers will join on Friday. The effort marks one of the final construction activities before the park officially opens in late May.”

IBEW Local 1 Members, Contractors Team Up with Rebuilding Together to Help Homeowners in Need of Electrical Repairs: “Retired Army veteran MC Thomas has lived in his home off Paducah Drive here for 25 years. He’s tried to keep up with repairs, but says it’s tough living on a fixed income. ‘You save and save, and then something else happens with the house,’ Thomas said. ‘It’s crazy.’ Fortunately, Thomas recently received a helping hand on some electrical work from volunteers with the Electrical Connection—a partnership between IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)—and Rebuilding Together St. Louis.”

Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent Loss of Some Railroad Retirement Benefits: “Two senators have introduced legislation that would end reductions to railroad retirement benefits for some retirees or their spouses who continue working in non-railroad jobs after retirement. Unions supporting the bill include the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transportation Communications Union.”

Union Pacific Settles Dispute with Rail Supplier, Reaches 7-Year Agreement: “‘USW members have proudly produced steel rail for Union Pacific for generations, and as we look to the future, we’re pleased that our nation’s transportation infrastructure will continue to be U.S.- and union-made,’ USW International President Roxanne Brown said in a statement.”

NIPSCO, USW Reach Tentative Agreement: “The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) and the United Steelworkers (USW) have reached a tentative agreement after failed negotiations forced a lockout. The two sides started negotiations in January, but couldn’t reach a new collective bargaining agreement by the expiration of their contract on March 31. That led to a weeks-long lockout that began on April 2, which kept over 1,600 people from work. The agreement is pending ratification by union members. It includes a requirement for union members to stop picketing, leading to the cancellation of scheduled rallies.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/27/2026 - 11:28

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Dining Workers at Virginia State University and Norfolk State University Win Recognition

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Campus dining workers at two of Virginia’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—Virginia State University (VSU) and Norfolk State University (NSU)—have officially been recognized as members of UNITE HERE Local 23.

These essential staff members are employed by Thompson Hospitality, a subcontracted food service provider.

“I’m proud of the hard work and resilience it took for me and my coworkers to show Thompson Hospitality that, just like workers at all the other union universities, we deserve better wages and excellent healthcare at VSU. I personally can’t wait until the contract so that I can be able to pay my bills and still have some funds left over to go see my family in Louisiana!” said Nikita “Miss Nikki” Whitten, a cook for four years with Thompson Hospitality at VSU.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/28/2026 - 10:23

Tags: Organizing