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.

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 who work at Montgomery Rehab and Nursing in Montgomery, West Virginia, ratified a new contract.

Key provisions of the three-year contract include the largest across-the-board pay increases for certified nursing assistants of any contract ever at the facility; longevity raises in years five, 10 and 20; the preservation of health benefits with minimal premium increases in the second and third years of the agreement, and preservation of vacation accrual for all current employees.

“I want to congratulate our Montgomery Rehab and Nursing members on standing strong in solidarity and winning themselves a collective bargaining agreement that raises their living standards and protects their health benefits,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark P. Federici. “These gains were hard-earned and a direct result of their unity.”

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.

North Carolina Teachers Association Becomes AFT Union Affiliate: “‘These North Carolina teachers have been organizing for years to strengthen public education for their students and to secure the conditions, voice and salaries they needed for themselves, and I am so proud to welcome them to the 1.8 million-strong AFT family,’ said AFT President Randi Weingarten. ‘Thanks to Joanna’s inspiring leadership and the wisdom of PENC’s executive board, we are uniting because we know that we can achieve far more together than we ever can alone.’”

Broadway Musicians Reach Tentative Agreement, Averting Strike: “Broadway musicians have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, averting the possibility of a strike. Local 802 AFM, the union which represents musicians, had said they would strike ‘immediately’ if a deal could [not] be reached with the Broadway League, a trade association for producers and general managers, after a mediation session Wednesday. This was the second threat of a strike in the past few weeks, as Actors’ Equity and the League had also hit an impasse in their negotiations.”

Unions Urge Pension Funds to Downvote Musk’s Pay in New Campaign: “‘To reward this destructive behavior with an obscene salary is a slap in the face—not only to the federal workers he’s fired, but to the retirees whose pensions are invested in Tesla stock,’ said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. The unions involved in the effort are the AFT and the Communications Workers of America. They urged the public to visit a website that enables easily sending messages to state pension funds and retirement fund operators including Fidelity and Vanguard to urge them to vote no.”

Tentative Contract Agreement Reached with SEIU for Circuit Court Employees: “A tentative three year contract agreement with the union representing Branch County Circuit Court employees is scheduled to be presented to the Board of Commissioners during their work session on Thursday afternoon. Service Employees International Union, Local 517M, represents the employees. The deal would be in effect for 2026, 2027 and 2028. County Administrator Frank Walsh says in his memo to the Commissioners the major changes include wage increases of four percent in the first year followed by three percent raises in the second and third years.”

Trump Has Handed Coal Miners a 'Death Sentence.' But They’re Not Going Without a Fight.: “As I reported for In These Times, the rule would have cut the allowable exposure level of the deadly dust—20 times more toxic than coal dust and a major cause of black lung disease among coal miners—in half. The Department of Labor had estimated in 2024 that, with proper implementation and enforcement, the rule would save thousands of lives. Instead, coal miners across Appalachia continue to suffer from its absence. United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts characterized the delay as ‘a death sentence for more miners.’”

St. Michael Medical Center, Nurses Union Approve New Contract: “UFCW 3000, the union that represents roughly 850 nurses at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, ratified a new contract Oct. 17 following 20 bargaining sessions over a roughly seven-month period. As part of the new contract, nurses secured wage increases totaling 18.5% from 2025 through 2028, including 12.5% in the first year. New enhanced safety measures include: a daily safety huddle on the 3rd floor, between the charge nurse and lead security officer, which goes into effect at the time of contract ratification. Break relief nurses will allow safety devices to be available 30 days after ratification, and the future installation of a weapons detection system in the emergency department by September 2026. Previously the union was informed this would occur in early 2027.”

Workers Take Steps to Unionize at Four D.C. Music Venues, Including 9:30 Club: “The door staff, bartenders, food vendors and other hospitality staffers for 9:30 Club, Lincoln Theatre and the Atlantis are organizing with Unite Here Local 25, which predominantly represents hotel, restaurant and casino workers. Stagehands, lighting designers and sound engineers at those venues, as well as at the Anthem, are looking to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees’ Local 22, while box office employees at all four venues are working with IATSE Local 868.”

California Labor Leader's Felony Charge Over Immigration Protest is Reduced: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement Friday that [David] Huerta was simply observing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement workplace raid to ensure workers were being treated fairly and was unfairly arrested and charged.”

Union Reaches Deal with Trump Administration Over Student Loan Forgiveness: “The Trump administration reached an agreement Friday with the American Federation of Teachers to expand the resumption of student loan forgiveness to several repayment plans. If the courts approve the agreement, the Education Department will continue to process loan cancellations for borrowers who are eligible to have their debts cleared through the Income-Contingent Repayment and Pay As You Earn plans. Cancellation under those federal student loan plans, which tie payments to earnings and family size with the promise of loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of payments, has been paused since February.”

Biggest U.S. Labor Unions Fuel No Kings Protests Against Trump: ‘You Need a Voice to Have Freedom’: “Some of the largest labor unions in the US are involved in organizing the No Kings protests, with more than 2,700 demonstrations planned across all 50 states, with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and American Federation of Teachers anchoring events. ‘Unions understand that a voice at work creates power for regular people at work. Unions understand that a voice in democracy creates power for regular folks, for working folks in a society,’ said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. ‘These are two of the main ways that regular folks have any power. We and labor understand that you need to have a voice to have freedom. Freedom does not come without a voice.’”

Blizzard Teams Working on Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble Unionize: “Blizzard developers working on Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble have formed a new union, the latest in a series of labor wins at the Microsoft-owned studio. The over 100-person unit is represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), and counts "software engineers, designers, artists, quality assurance testers and producers’ among its members. Inspiration to form the new union came from the successful organizing efforts of Blizzard's World of Warcraft workers last year. The staff behind the classic MMO formed the Warcraft Gamemakers Guild last year, and were followed by similar unions representing developers working on Diablo and Overwatch earlier in 2025. According to the CWA, over 1,900 workers at Blizzard are now represented by the organization.”