At Syracuse University, 800 library, food service, facilities and maintenance employees exercised their might to secure a four-year contract. They are represented by Service Employees Union (SEIU) Local 200.

During contract negotiations that began in June, the workers balked when the school administration offered a measly 2.5 % raise. Some of them are holding down two jobs to make ends meet, and a 2.5% salary bump would not put a dent in cost-of-living increases. On Aug. 26, they held a rally on campus to protest the administration’s disregard for these essential workers who keep the campus functioning.

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Apple Retail Union-Communication Workers of America members in Oklahoma City succeeded in making their store the second unionized Apple location to secure a contract with Apple. Workers at the first unionized Apple store in Maryland ratified a contract in July.

Apple is notorious for union-busting tactics. Getting a contract took two years! According to CWA Local 6016 President Antonio Flores: “Two years I feel is completely ridiculous. It shouldn’t take two years to negotiate a contract.” (oklahoman.com, Sept. 4)

Union workers held an informational picket on Sept. 3, holding signs comparing average workers’ salaries to the exorbitant compensation the bosses receive. After a strike authorization vote passed, that put pressure on the Apple executives to return to the bargaining table and settle on a contract the workers could accept.

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The sanitation worker strike in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County outside Baltimore, which began Sept. 4, is in its fourth week. Teamsters Local 570 represents about 70 workers employed by Ecology Services, who are demanding higher wages and better safety conditions.

Union representatives report that the company’s trucks are “dangerously ill-equipped,” lacking air conditioning, proper seating and seat belts. Sanitation workers have raised concerns about nonfunctional cameras on trucks and an absence of personal protective equipment. One worker suffered a severe head injury in the summer after falling from a truck due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. (thebaltimorepost.com, Sept. 17)

Workers are picketing outside the Ecology Services yard and reaching out to community members to educate them about the unsafe conditions and inadequate wages.