Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Build a Bear...and a Union! Workers File to Join UFCW Local 655

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.

Employees at Build-A-Bear Workshop at Union Station in St. Louis voted unanimously to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655, making it the first Build-A-Bear location in the country to organize.

In December, nine assistant workshop managers, sales leads and bear builders at the Union Station store unanimously filed to join Local 655 and requested voluntary recognition of the union. However, the company denied their request for recognition. Then, the day before the election, the company fired one of Local 655’s lead organizers.

“We’ve filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board on the firing,” said Sean Shannon, an organizer with the local. “Now we have to wait 10 days for the NLRB to certify the election results, and then we can begin bargaining with the company. All of the employees are really excited about joining the union.”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/23/2026 - 09:49

Worker Wins: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

OHSU Workers Overwhelmingly Approve New Contract: AFSCME Local 328 members at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement, averting a potential strike. The bargaining unit at the academic medical center covers a wide range of roles, from administrative work and food service to patient care. Highlights of the deal include immediate wage increases—and a new minimum wage floor of $25 per hour by the end of the contract lifetime—a $4,500 ratification bonus, increased time off and more. “Our $25 minimum wage will set a new standard for the city of Portland and the broader labor movement,” said Local 328 in a blog post. “Other unions will build on our wins in the same way our contract builds on the work of those who came before us. There is a common saying in the labor movement that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Despite all the difficulties we face in these times, we are doing our part to improve not [just] the lives of our members, but of our communities.”

NABTU Applauds Court Decisions Restarting Major U.S. Offshore Wind Projects: Last week, three federal judges ruled that offshore wind projects off the coasts of New England, New York and Virginia can continue construction. North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) applauded the decisions, which will allow union members to return to work. Trump’s Interior Department sought to disrupt these critical East Coast energy infrastructure projects in December, issuing stop-work orders based on undisclosed national security concerns. This clears the way for progress to continue on Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, Ørsted’s Revolution Wind and Equinor’s Empire Wind projects. “With energy demand surging and prices spiking, the last thing our government should do is take any form of power generation offline,” said NABTU President Sean McGarvey in a press statement. “The men and women of NABTU are proud to be constructing every offshore wind project in the United States, all under strong project labor agreements. These rulings mean our members can get back to work and keep affordable, clean, reliable power moving to our communities.”

The Courier-Journal Journalists Ratify First Contract: Members of the Indianapolis NewsGuild, The NewsGuild-CWA Local 34070, who work at The Courier-Journal have ratified their first union contract. Journalists at Kentucky’s paper of record first voted to form the Courier Journal Guild in 2022 and have been bargaining with parent company USA Today Co. amid multiple rounds of layoffs. “After years of organizing, we are thrilled with this unanimous endorsement of a first contract that improves everyone’s paycheck and enshrines critical workplace protections,” said Kayla Dwyer, president of the Indianapolis NewsGuild. “This is a day so many people in our newsroom have been waiting on, one of the brightest moments of my nearly 10 years with The Courier-Journal, and I’m beyond thrilled to see us cross the finish line,” said Lucas Aulbach, chief politics reporter at The Courier-Journal. “I’m happy for every journalist in line for a raise, I’m happy we have new workforce protections in place and benefits like lengthier parental leave, and the response we had from our guild members as we got closer to ratification has been really encouraging. We have a ton of momentum and I’m excited to see what comes next.”

Metropolitan Museum of Art Staff Vote to Join UAW: Staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City have overwhelmingly voted to form a union with UAW Local 2110. The bargaining unit includes a number of essential roles at the historic institution, including curators, librarians, conservators, archivists and more. Workers at The Met join the ranks of their colleagues at the Guggenheim, New York Historical, the Tenement Museum and other cultural centers in the city who are already represented by Local 2110. “I’ve worked at The Met for 31 years and I truly love it, but our expertise and our labor have real value deserving of recognition,” said Stephanie Post, a digital archivist, “By unionizing, we aren’t just protecting our own jobs—we are building a collective voice to ensure every staff member, now and in the future, gets the respect and protection they deserve.”

New York State Optimum Workers Vote to Join IBEW: Cable, telephone and broadband workers at Optimum in the Hudson Valley, New York, area have successfully voted to form a union with Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 363. These newly minted members work in Greenwood Lake, New York, and are the latest organizing victory for IBEW after Optimum workers in nearby West Nyack won their election in September. Workers are now preparing to negotiate their first collective bargaining agreement. “This victory shows that Optimum workers want a real voice on the job,” said Sam Fratto, business manager of Local 363. “Like the workers in West Nyack, Greenwood Lake employees are standing together to win fair wages, strong benefits, and clear protections through a union contract.”

UFCW Celebrates New Cannabis Worker Protections Law: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152 is applauding New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy for signing legislation that extends critical labor rights to cannabis cultivation workers across the state. Currently, the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 excludes agricultural workers, leaving them without clear and enforceable labor protections. This new law prohibits cannabis employers from interfering in their staff’s right to organize, increases potential penalties for labor law violations and protects the freedom to collectively bargain. Local 152 played a pivotal role in advancing this legislation to stop companies from taking advantage of unintended loopholes in New Jersey’s cannabis regulations. “Today’s signing is a victory for all working people in New Jersey,” said Daniel Ross Jr., president of UFCW Local 152. “Cannabis cultivation workers were building a new industry without labor protections many take for granted. Local 152 made it clear to lawmakers that fairness should not be avoided, and Governor Murphy’s signature ensures these workers now have the rights, dignity and legal clarity they deserve.”

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 01/22/2026 - 16:48

Tags: Organizing