Worker Wins: A Huge Win
Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Beneficial State Bank Workers Ratify Second Contract: Members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) locals 9412 and 7901 who work at Beneficial State Bank locations up and down the West Coast have ratified their new collective bargaining agreement. The bargaining unit includes bankers, consumer loan servicing representatives, loan processors, underwriters, file clerks and custodial staff. Workers first organized in 2020 as part of CWA’s Committee for Better Banks. Their latest contract included wins like an average 9% general pay increase—and a wage differential for Spanish speakers—a higher employer 401(k) contribution match and more paid time off. “Ratifying a second contract is a huge win for us. In a time when so many workers are facing uncertainty, we’re proud that we secured continued improvements to our wages and benefits with no givebacks,” said bargaining committee member and Beneficial State Bank Commercial Banking Associate Michele Hunt. “Our contract has helped us hold Beneficial State Bank accountable to the workers who keep this bank running.”
Penn Graduate Student Workers Win Tentative Agreement: Nearly two years after winning their landslide election to join the UAW, members of Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania (GETUP-UAW) secured their first union contract on Monday night. The tentative agreement (TA) was reached just hours before the strike deadline, averting a potential work stoppage of more than 3,500 members. Highlights of the deal include stipend increases, major health coverage gains, enhanced child care benefits and more. Graduate student workers will begin voting on whether to approve the contract starting next week. “We won a historic contract that enshrines gains for grad workers,” said Clara Abbott, a bargaining committee member and Ph.D. candidate. “We won because thousands of graduate workers bravely stood together over the past several years: we had difficult conversations with our coworkers, collected petition signatures, packed the bargaining room, organized rallies, and ultimately prepared to withhold our labor and go to the picket line together to win what we deserve.”
Research Workers Secure TA with OHSU: Research workers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)—who are represented by Oregon AFSCME Council 75—have successfully reached a new tentative agreement after months of stalled negotiations. Members of Research Workers United (RWU) were poised to strike on Wednesday if administrators at Portland’s largest employer refused to settle a fair agreement. Despite the fact that workers are responsible for life-changing medical breakthroughs, almost one-third of members made less than the city’s living wage—something that became a key sticking point in bargaining. “These workers stood united for over a year demanding dignity, respect, and wages that reflect their expertise and value,” said Joe Baessler, executive director of Oregon AFSCME, in a press statement. “This agreement is proof that when workers stick together, they win.” “We have spent our careers pushing science forward, but too many of us have struggled to afford living in the city where we work,” said Lynne Swarbrick, a senior research associate and RWU bargaining team member. “This contract makes real progress toward fixing that.”
Despite Relentless Attacks, Nearly Half a Million Workers Unionized in 2025: New data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows union representation grew by 463,000 in 2025, bringing the total number of workers represented by union contracts to 16.5 million. Thanks to years of sustained organizing, 11.2% of all wage and salary workers in the United States are now covered under union contracts, up from 2024 and the highest in 16 years. “Billionaire bosses and union-busting politicians have tried to throw the kitchen sink at working people and their unions—slashing our jobs and rigging the rules to scare us out of organizing— but they are failing,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “Working people are experiencing relentless attacks on our freedoms and our livelihoods. These numbers confirm what we’ve seen in the labor movement: Workers have felt President Trump’s billionaire-first agenda in action and are hungry to take back their power. Workers know that the best check on a bad boss is a strong union contract. In 2026, workers will continue to organize in every corner of the country and build power to fight for the lives they deserve….We call on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, and to reverse the single largest act of union-busting in American history by passing the Protect America's Workforce Act in the Senate.” Read the full statement from the AFL-CIO here.
New England UFCW Members Ratify New Agreements with Stop & Shop: Five United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals in New England have ratified new four-year contracts with Stop & Shop. The agreements reached by locals 328, 371, 919, 1445 and 1459 cover a total of 28,000 workers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The previous contracts at the regional supermarket chain were set to expire later this month. “In addition to annual wage increases, this proposed agreement preserves the strength and stability of our health insurance and pension benefits, maintaining the high standards that our membership has worked hard to achieve,” said the UFCW Local 1459’s bargaining committee in the union’s tentative agreement announcement.
Hale Nani Workers Reach TA, Averting Potential Work Stoppage: Members of UNITE HERE Local 5 who work at Hale Nani Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Honolulu have secured a new tentative agreement after issuing a united and credible strike threat. The bargaining unit includes certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and staff in the dietary, recreation, maintenance and housekeeping departments. These workers are responsible for bathing, feeding, monitoring vital signs, and assisting in the recovery and rehabilitation of hundreds of patients every day at one of the state’s largest skilled nursing facilities. Members delivered a strike notice to management last week, proving they were ready and willing to escalate if necessary. “We fought hard to reach this tentative agreement and win a contract that provides the staffing we need to take care of our patients, along with the wages and healthcare we need to take care of our families today and tomorrow,” said Gilda Ellazar, a CNA at Hale Nani. “From rallies outside of the facility to preparing to walk out on strike, our actions and determination paid off.”
Appalachian Regional Health Nurses Ratify New Contract: Members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) across nine Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) medical facilities in Kentucky and West Virginia have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a powerful new contract. Registered nurses (RNs) at the nonprofit health care system secured a number of wins all while rejecting any concessions to management. The contract ensures consistent wage increases, more time off that can be taken without penalty and preservation of layoff and seniority protections. “I am happy we were able to add language that guarantees every union nurse is getting a significant raise and 12 hours of holiday pay,” said Rachel Park, an operating room RN at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Kentucky. “This was a huge victory for our night shift nurses who had this benefit taken away in prior contract fights.”
Homeless Services Staff Vote to Join SEIU: A majority of workers at Union Station Homeless Services (USHS) staff have signed union authorization cards to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721. USHS is the largest agency in San Gabriel Valley, California, providing housing support and employment services to homeless and very low-income adults and families. Workers at the nonprofit secured voluntary recognition from management and will soon begin negotiating a contract with fair wages and quality benefits that will help retain staff so they can continue supporting communities in need. “This is a huge step forward for workers at Union Station Homeless Services,” said Danielle Leal, a care coordinator at USHS. “We’re glad to now have a strong voice on the job to advocate for the resources we need to serve our clients and to gain the supportive working conditions we deserve. Our union will make our organization stronger and help ensure that we can provide the best services possible to the most vulnerable among us.”
Striking San Francisco Teachers Secure Tentative Agreement: The United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) announced Friday morning that they have reached a tentative agreement with the San Francisco Unified School District after a four-day long work stoppage. The deal includes major victories like fully funded family health care, support for special education, fair raises and more.
Half Price Books Staff Ratifies First Contract: United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) members at a Half Price Books storefront in Kansas City, Missouri, have secured their first collective bargaining agreement—the first location in the state to do so. Staff first joined Half Price Books Workers United back in November 2023, motivated in part by the termination of a co-worker who was recovering from cancer. They won the election unanimously and became the 11th store nationwide to organize for a better workplace. The new contract establishes major victories like a grievance procedure, increased sick days and fair raises. Four-year staff member William Theberge said of the contract victory: “It is a seat at the table, making sure we can hold the company as mutually accountable as they claim we can. A lot of that is making sure we’re holding them to their own mission statement and standard of treatment of their employees.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 02/20/2026 - 12:11
Tags:
Organizing
