{"id":1955011,"date":"2023-06-23T07:27:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-with-u-s-labor-tight-union-workers-make-bolder-contract-demands\/"},"modified":"2023-06-23T07:28:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T11:28:53","slug":"analysis-with-u-s-labor-tight-union-workers-make-bolder-contract-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-with-u-s-labor-tight-union-workers-make-bolder-contract-demands\/","title":{"rendered":"With labor scarcity in the U.S., union workers are making more assertive contract demands."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanalysis-with-u-s-labor-tight-union-workers-make-bolder-contract-demands%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1955011&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h2>Workers Across Industries Reject Contracts Amidst Growing Dissatisfaction<\/h2>\n<p>By Lisa Baertlein and Bianca Flowers<\/p>\n<p>(Reuters) \u2013 Workers at aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems were the latest U.S. union employees to reject a contract their leaders negotiated with their employer, joining freight railroad employees, airline pilots and others who are growing more fed up with stagnant pay, high healthcare costs, scanty sick time and uncertain scheduling.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px;  text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>In the past two years, Spirit employees, pilots at American and United airlines, factory workers at farm and construction equipment makers CNH Industrial and Deere &#038; Co and freight rail laborers have all rebuffed deals despite pay raises that in some contracts appeared significant.<\/p>\n<p>Union workers missed out on a frenzy of wage increases by employers desperate for workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. government data shows that in the first quarter of 2021, labor shortfalls helped push wages for nonunion private sector workers higher than those of their union-represented counterparts.     <\/p>\n<p>That pay gap has shrunk as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-with-u-s-labor-tight-union-workers-make-bolder-contract-demands\/\" title=\"With labor scarcity in the U.S., union workers are making more assertive contract demands.\">worker shortage helped unions offset inflation<\/a> and benefit from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dismissing-inflation-concerns-warren-asks-the-doj-to-probe-poultry-companies-for-corporate-greed-in-raising-turkey-prices\/\" title=\"Dismissing Inflation Concerns, Warren Asks The DOJ To Probe Poultry Companies For \u2018Corporate Greed\u2019 In Raising Turkey Prices\">record corporate profits<\/a>, <strong>KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk<\/strong> said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to see catch-up in many of those contracts,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>Inflation has soared 18% from May 2019, according to the Conference Board, a business think tank. Low unemployment makes it easier for union workers to stand firm during negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it was harder to get a job, they might feel otherwise,\u201d <strong>Conference Board senior economist Erin McLaughlin<\/strong> said. <\/p>\n<p>Union workers also want more affordable healthcare, paid sick time and more-flexible scheduling for greater work-life balance.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe aren\u2019t going to settle for an economic package that doesn\u2019t recognize the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices\u201d of U.S. West Coast dockworkers, union leader Willie Adams said this month ahead of reaching a new deal. <\/p>\n<p>Those longshore workers will vote in coming months on a proposed contract that includes a 32% pay increase over six years and a one-time \u201chero\u201d bonus. <\/p>\n<h3>Deal Breakers: Medical Costs, Sick Days<\/h3>\n<p>Late Wednesday, about 6,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in Wichita, Kansas, rejected Spirit AeroSystem\u2019s offer that included a compounded average pay increase of up to 34% through general wages increases, cost-of-living adjustments and a guaranteed annual bonus.      <\/p>\n<p>Some workers said the base wage increase was insufficient and balked at higher out-of-pocket medical costs. <\/p>\n<p>There are cautionary tales even with finalized deals. For instance, some Caterpillar workers were not happy with a deal that they ratified in March.<\/p>\n<p>Sam Johnson, 43, a machinist at Caterpillar\u2019s plant in Decatur, Illinois, voiced frustration that his union did not fight harder to bolster pay and shelter members from healthcare cost increases in the deal. \u201cEven with the pay increase, I\u2019m pretty much still in the same position that I was when I was making less money due to inflation,\u201d said Johnson, adding that nonunion machinists in his area can make almost $8 per hour more than his new hourly wage of $27.55.<\/p>\n<p>Late last year, U.S. freight railroad workers rejected a five-year contract that included a 24% wage increase, citing lack of paid sick leave. Workers were angry after the deal was imposed by Congress and President Joe Biden. Unions later reached separate sick-pay agreements.   <\/p>\n<p>Union workers at CNH Industrial factories in Wisconsin and Iowa in January ended a nearly nine-month strike in return for wage increases of up to 38% over four years. That deal was sweetened after workers rejected the initial three-year deal.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Deere workers in the Midwest rejected two contract offers before ratifying a deal to end a five-week strike. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs long as the economy is chugging along \u2014 we\u2019re going to likely see these kinds of rejections,\u201d said Todd Vachon, Rutgers assistant professor of labor studies.<\/p>\n<p>SEEKING HEFTY RAISE<\/p>\n<p>Record employer profits strengthened West Coast dockworkers\u2019 position at the bargaining table. Other unions have taken note.    Some 340,000 United Parcel Service workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters want a healthy raise. The union also aims to use the new contract terms to recruit members, including at Amazon.com warehouses.<\/p>\n<p>Another major contract negotiation set to begin is that of the United Auto Workers with the Detroit automakers, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. That union has cited record profits as well.    In-demand airline pilots are leaning on labor scarcity as a bargaining chip.  <\/p>\n<p>FedEx cargo pilots in July will vote on a tentative deal to give them a 30% raise as well as a 30% increase to their legacy pension.<\/p>\n<p>American Airlines pilots rejected a company offer last year, and last month reached a deal to increase the value of their contract by about $8 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Pilots at United, working without a new contract since 2019, overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract last year. They are pressing for higher pay than what Delta provided in its new pilot contract and similar improvements in work-life balance.    \u201cThe company\u2019s profitability certainly gives room for them to address pilot concerns,\u201d said Garth Thompson, head of United Airlines\u2019 pilot union. \u201cThe pilot marketplace has become more competitive. That has given us some leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> (Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Bianca Flowers in Chicago; additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/analysis-with-u-s-labor-tight\/attachment\/54th-paris-air-show-at-le-bourget-airport-near-paris-9\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>After Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u2019s trip to China to cool down tensions, Biden calls China\u2019s President Xi Jinping a dictator.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis takes aim at the Golden City after taking a trip to California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with James O\u2019Keefe<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Rep. Troy Nehls<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>By Arriana McLymore and Katherine Masters NEW YORK (Reuters) \u2013 Amazon.com Inc isn\u2019t the only U.S. retailer accused of using deceptive tactics\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>By A. Ananthalakshmi KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia said on Friday it will take legal action against Facebook parent company Meta Platforms for\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>(Reuters) -User reports of outages at Alphabet Inc\u2019s YouTube and YouTube TV fell sharply early on Friday from a peak of over\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>SYDNEY (Reuters) \u2013 Australia on Friday named a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-kill-a-star-astronomers-see-a-demolition-derby-scenario\/\" title=\"Destroying a star: Astronomers witness a cosmic demolition.\">senior air force commander<\/a> as its first cybersecurity boss to help lead the government\u2019s\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Workers at Spirit AeroSystems, an aerospace supplier, have joined the growing number of U.S. union employees rejecting negotiated contracts. Dissatisfaction with stagnant wages, expensive healthcare, limited sick leave, and job uncertainty is spreading among various sectors, including freight railroad workers and airline pilots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":1955012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1955011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1955012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}