This summer, tensions have been simmering between organized labor and corporate America. The 340,000 UPS workers represented by the Teamsters Union ratified a favorable 5-year contract first proposed on July 25, just a week in advance of a strike that was projected to cost the US economy $7.1 billion in 10 days. The deal guarantees an increase in pay by $7.50 an hour by the end of the five years and a promise by UPS to only buy vehicles with air conditioning starting in 2024. This milestone win for UPS workers demonstrates the effectiveness of even just the threat of an imminent strike. The contract is further proof that when workers are allowed to fight for their rights, they win. When workplace democracy is stifled, workers tire and communities suffer as a result. One cautionary tale about this exhaustion is the East Palestine train derailment, a preventable disaster that displaced a whole community. The cause of this industrial disaster was the continued disregard by corporate interests in our government to the plight of the railroader. In the fall of 2023, the presidential emergency board prohibited the right of railroad workers to strike and forced upon them an unacceptable deal. Earlier this year, after the government intervention in the fall to benefit railroad robber barons, workers were finally given four paid sick days annually. This only came after mounting widespread public sympathy for railroad workers who had previously been afforded no paid sick days whatsoever. 

In a similarly mixed outcome for American labor, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike is nearing three months of strikes without a word from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This is an existential battle for actors and writers, as their jobs are being threatened by computer generated background characters and artificially produced plots. Further concerns between the disputing parties involve the pennies to the dollar given by streaming services as residuals for the people that media production depends on. Though it is a bad sign that AMPTP has so far refused to negotiate, this strike has two key advantages. Firstly, the strike is nestled in the heart of America’s media and supported by many celebrities. Due to celebrity publicity, SAG-AFTRA strikers are gaining more publicity than any other union could hope for. Secondly, SAG-AFTRA leadership has prepared for a war of attrition that could last until the end of the year. This strategy can only be successful with a healthy strike fund. This fund has been bolstered by their union dues and in a unique way by celebrity donations. This strike must provide the needed victory for the suffering actors and writers of America. 

Hollywood is just one front in this struggle because automakers are also flying their union banners. It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for anyone in labor’s path this summer. The cool weather is coming, but the heat is still on for the Big Three car manufacturers in an ongoing strike by the United Automobile Workers (UAW). The threat of a strike by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) was already looming in August when 97% of 150,000 unionized automobile workers had voted to approve the use of a strike if the Big Three (GM, Stellantis, and Ford) did not surrender greater margins of their wealth to the workers who create it. A strike by the UAW was estimated to cost $5 billion in the first 10 days, putting organized labor in a comfortable position to set their own terms. Now, more than a week into the strike and it is evident that is exactly what the UAW is doing. They are not compromising, and it is their resolve and strategic leverage which should be looked upon as the model for strike action. 

The demands by the UAW would create a massive improvement in the quality of work and life for automobile workers in America. The workers demand:

1. A 46% increase in pay to match the increase rewarded by the CEOs to themselves in the past years. 
2. The elimination of the tier system that gives the Big Three the right to pay new hires less for longer, a deal that was negotiated in 2007 to help the then struggling car manufacturers. 
3. The restoration of cost of living adjustments (COLA) to offset the negative effect of inflation on real wages. 
4. Defined and improved pension and medical care benefits. 
5. The right to strike in order to defend communities against manufacturing plant closures
6. The Working Family Protection Program which will ensure people stay employed in cases where the manufacturing plants are closed. 
7. The end of abusing temporary workers by the Big Three. 
8. An increase in the amount of paid time off. 
9. An increase in retiree pay. 
10. The security of automobile jobs through the transition towards electrical vehicles.

These are impressive demands and still, it is certain the Big Three could easily deliver them. GM, Ford, and Stellantis cashed in an estimated $250 billion in the past 10 years. In 2022, the Big Three spent nearly $20 million on lobbying. As of the 23 of September, the strike has been gradually ramping up now for nearly 10 days and despite initial resistance, one of the Big Three, Ford has folded. The UAW had prepared a $825 million strike fund, which is enough to pay workers $500 for 11 weeks in the case of a strike. 11 weeks of striking could cost upwards of $38.5 billion in the worst possible scenario. The UAW has now started to expand the scope of the strike to 38 locations. Applying increasing pressure is the only way to ensure victory at this stage of negotiating. This is a victory Americans need. The 40 hour workweek is the workplace standard but it doesn’t have to be. In 1890 the average workweek for full time manufacturing was 100 hours. It was Ford car manufacturers who famously set the standard for the 40 hour week. Better conditions are possible, if Ford is able to set another industry standard. This is the power the United Auto Workers possess; their actions provide national pressure across sectors of the economy and uplift the conditions of even non unionized workplaces. A rising tide will lift all ships, and this tide lifted by the solidarity of 150,000 laborers. 

This battle still has the political aspect to consider. The Biden administration continues to maintain that Biden is the “most pro-union” president in history. Of course, the bar is low, given that he is contending with previous administrations who had no problem intimidating and massacring workers. Biden’s betrayal of America’s quintessential railroad unions in 2022 must not be forgotten. For now, the current administration maintains that it encourages the Big Three and the UAW to keep negotiating. Though it is a good sign to see Biden’s plans to visit the strikers in Michigan on the 26 of September to show his support. Even still, the UAW has been holding off from endorsing president Biden for 2024. This is a politically aware decision made by the union in a bid to force Biden to be genuinely pro-union or at the very least not pro-boss. There exists another point of contention between the UAW and Biden’s sponsorship of electronic vehicle manufacturing to consider. President Shawn Fain of the UAW has said that “the federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle (EV) transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers. The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.” The ”Bidenomics” sponsoring EV manufacturing cannot simply be funneling taxpayer money into corporate accounts if it wants to be seen as a progressive force. The popularization of EVs is inevitable, and the UAW’s role in this electronic future must be guaranteed for the continued strength of thousands of communities that rely on unionized automobile manufacturing salaries. 

Politicians of both parties are trying to win the support of this labor block. While Biden is working to defend the mantle of being pro-union, former president Donald Trump is using this strike as an opportunity to appeal to many of the same industrial workers who were decisive votes for his 2020 victories in Ohio and Indiana. Trump is preparing to deliver a speech on September 27 in Detroit, a city known for its automotive industries. This is a sly political move and workers must not be seduced or distracted by presidential spectacle. Both Biden and Trump need union votes, let them squabble in their marble chambers over which is the preferred primary color while unions will deliver the real improvements to their constituents. A worker’s only ally is their peer and the best way to ally with their peers is with a union. 

A victory for UPS workers, concessions to railroaders, an ongoing struggle for writers and actors and the potential for massive wins for the UAW. These most recent worker’s movements are proving with positive results that it is possible to not only organize, but also win. So, join or support your local unions! If there are none where you work, make one, and know that you can never be alone within a union. Though the unions mentioned here are thousands strong, know that all unions begin with two members. Strategize with your coworkers and be smart about organizing discreetly. Think about creating your own strike fund, if negotiations turn sour. Have faith in your ability to improve your life and the lives of those around you with solidarity. “Would you have freedom from wage slavery?”