Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Minneapolis Airport Food Service Workers Reach Tentative Deal; Secure Highest Wages in Airport’s History

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.

Food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 17, at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport have reached a tentative contract agreement that averts a potential strike during the busy Thanksgiving travel week. 

“We have a tentative agreement that averts the HMS Host Thanksgiving Week strike. It is an historic agreement that includes the HIGHEST wage increases ever won at the airport,” the union said in a statement. HMS Host operates dining venues at dozens of airports across the country.

The deal comes after more than a year of bargaining, according to the union, and covers approximately 250 workers. The deal includes a tip line for fast food and barista workers for the first time; a higher tipped benefit rate; historic wage increases for cooks, utility workers and engineers; and access to affordable dependent health insurance.

“This agreement is a long time coming,” said Victor Arreole, a cook who works for HMSHost. “We fought for more than a year to win back what we lost during the pandemic, and we’re finally getting the wages and benefits our families deserve. This contract is going to change lives.” 

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/25/2025 - 10:39

‘Reading Opens the World’: 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.

If Condé Nast Can Illegally Fire Me, No Union Worker Is Safe: “Condé Nast illegally fired me from Bon Appétit for posing questions to a human resources manager. On November 5, I was part of an effort by our union to get answers about layoffs. Two days earlier, Condé announced the near-shuttering of Teen Vogue, which entailed letting go of eight people. My termination and that of three of my coworkers were clearly retaliatory, and if Condé can get away with this—and with President Donald Trump sabotaging the National Labor Relations Board, the company appears to be betting that it can—it will send a message to unions and employers across our industry that the foundations of labor law are collapsing. Since 1935, United States law has provided a clear set of rights to workers. The National Labor Relations Act—the legal scaffolding for the US labor movement—guarantees workers the right to organize unions and demonstrate in the workplace without retaliation from their bosses. The act also created the National Labor Relations Board to enforce labor law and hold both employers and unions accountable to their obligations under the act.”

Hundreds Rally for Postdoc Union: “Postdoc speakers emphasized high cost of living, job precarity, and lack of workplace protections as reasons why they want to unionize. They hope to follow in the footsteps of the Yale grad student-teacher union, Local 33, which won recognition in 2023, in a union election that received over 91% support. In moments, Wednesday’s rally seemed to transform into a block party, as DJ Tootskee mixed pop hits and machines pumped iridescent bubbles into the air. Organizers passed out glow sticks, hand warmers, and UNITE HERE-branded beanies and shirts. A long line formed for the Jitterbus, parked across from Yale’s Old Campus.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten Visits St. Louis Public Schools’ Literacy Program: “Randi Weingarten, national president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), visited Jefferson Elementary in the St. Louis Public Schools district last week to support the ‘Reading Opens the World in the Lou’ program, a partnership aimed at fostering early literacy skills for students and their families. The Nov. 13 event included an opportunity for students to pick out free books, enjoy a snack and hear a story, while parents, teachers and union members shared their experiences. The reading initiative is part of AFT’s ‘Reading Opens the World’ campaign, which has distributed nearly 10 million free books in cooperation with First Book to students, families and educators serving in Title I schools and programs.”

‘No Contract, No Coffee’: What to Know About the Starbucks Workers’ Strike in 65 U.S. Cities: “Since 13 November, unionized baristas at Starbucks have been on strike. More than 2,000 workers are now on the picket line across 65 cities around the US. The open-ended unfair labor practice strike was launched on Starbucks’ ‘red cup day’, which typically hails the start of the lucrative holiday trading season at the coffee chain. Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United, the union, have been bargaining over the chain’s first union contract. But these talks stalled over economic elements of the contract. Each side has blamed the other. Starbucks Workers United has also filed dozens of unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board throughout its organizing campaign, including one in December, alleging that the chain had failed to bargain in good faith, and undermined the representative status of the union.”

Workers at One of Ohio’s Largest Library Systems Set to Unionize: “Workers from one of the biggest library systems in Ohio are establishing a labor union focused on improvements they say need to happen in areas such as wages and paid time off. Employees with the Columbus Metropolitan Library have been working to form a union for the better part of a year, according to members participating in the effort, and planning to unionize with the Ohio Federation of Teachers.”

Production Assistants Working on Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’ File for Union Election: “Production assistants and assistants on Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’ are looking to unionize. The group is filing for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board with the goal of joining a union aligned with LiUNA Local 724, the Hollywood laborers’ group. Production Assistants United, a grassroots organizing movement, is helping organize the group and received a supermajority of signed union authorization cards from crew members on the show in October.”

According to the Updated Financial Numbers, WNBA Players Are Woefully Underpaid: “Through an economist’s lens, Allan Ingraham looked at WNBA salaries three ways—based on the media rights deal, team valuations, and revenue split. Each showed that players were being paid far less than fair market value. The average salary in the WNBA last season was $107,000, according to Her Hoops Stats. By Ingraham’s analysis, it should be no less than $750,000. To explain how those numbers ended up so far apart, he took a look backward at the league’s last collective bargaining agreement.”

UPTE-CWA 9119 and UC Reach Tentative Contract Agreement: “The University of California and labor union University Professional and Technical Employees CWA 9119 announced a tentative agreement on terms for a new contract on Nov. 8, after 17 months of bargaining and three weeks of mediation. ‘Both parties acknowledge and appreciate the collaborative spirit that allowed us to move forward and reach a resolution that supports our valuable employees and the University of California’s mission of excellence,’ the joint statement read. UPTE-CWA 9119 represents approximately 20,000 UC employees in healthcare, clinical lab research, and technical positions. The union is now holding a vote among its members to ratify the terms of the tentative agreement. On Nov. 12, the union held a public virtual town hall and Q&A to inform UPTE members about the terms of the agreement ahead of the vote.”

City of Jackson Expected to Sign New Contract with Firefighters’ Union: “Jackson city leaders and fire officials are set to announce a major public safety agreement this week. The city is expected to sign a new contract on Wednesday with the Jackson firefighters’ union, IAFF Local 87, which will mark the end of years of negotiations. The deal strengthens support for the city’s 186 firefighters and EMTs and is expected to help with recruitment. Officials will also dedicate a new fire engine and highlight planned station upgrades aimed at improving safety for firefighters and the community.”

Hollywood Guilds Make Historic Push to Unionize YouTube Content Studio Theorist Media: “In 2025, many Hollywood unions are facing existential questions about how to survive in a rapidly changing media environment. As film and television studios consolidate and cut costs, opportunities are diminishing for organized labor in traditional Hollywood—while the balance of power in entertainment is shifting toward predominantly non-union spaces like YouTube and TikTok. A new organizing drive from the Motion Picture Editors Guild and the Writers Guild of America West strives to make inroads in the exploding creator economy. The labor groups are attempting to unionize Theorist Media, the digital media production company behind popular YouTube channels like The Game Theorists, The Food Theorists, The Film Theorists and others, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.”

Minneapolis Teachers Ratify Contract Deal with District. Here Are Some Highlights from the Agreement: “Minneapolis teachers approved a contract deal with the public school district Saturday, ending months of tense negotiations that culminated with a threat to strike. ‘We are [pleased] to announce that our members have voted to ratify our tentative agreements!’ the Minneapolis Federation of Educators union wrote in an online post. The two-year agreement, which covers three separate union contracts, follows seven months of talks and averts what could have been the district’s second strike since 2022. That year, Minneapolis teachers picketed for nearly three weeks.”

24,000 Nurses with California Nurses Association Reach Deal with UC: “The University of California and the California Nurses Association reached a tentative four-year agreement for nearly 24,000 nurses that includes ‘meaningful pay and benefit increases’ across the university’s 19 medical centers and campuses, the two sides announced on Sunday, Nov. 16. As part of the terms of the deal, CNA canceled its two-day, systemwide strike, which was planned for Nov. 17–18 at UC campuses.”

New York City Ballet and the American Guild of Musical Artists Reach Tentative Contract Agreement: “New York City Ballet (NYCB) and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union representing NYCB’s dancers and stage managers, will move forward with a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract. AGMA artists have voted in favor of the agreement, which now awaits ratification by the AGMA Board of Governors at its November 24 monthly meeting.”

New Oklahoma AFL-CIO President Says State Labor Movement Is Growing: “New Oklahoma AFL-CIO President Forrest Bennett says the state’s labor movement is gaining momentum and bringing workers together across political lines, according to an interview with Scott Mitchell. The comments come as Bennett steps into one of Oklahoma’s largest labor leadership roles, representing thousands of workers in trades and industries statewide. Bennett’s shift from policymaker to labor organizer highlights growing conversations around economic pressures and workforce conditions.”

New United Mine Workers of America President Brian Sanson Discusses the Industry: “The United Mine Workers of America has a new president, the first in three decades. Brian Sanson was sworn in late last month, and he takes office at a crucial time for the coal industry and its workers. The Trump administration has promised to boost mining and roll back regulations. Brian Sanson, the new president of the United Mine Workers joins us in our studios.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/24/2025 - 13:59