On the picket line

Costco strike vote 

Costco workers across five states have voted to authorize a strike in February by a solid 85% majority. The 18,000 Costco workers are Teamsters (IBT) union members.

The IBT organized practice pickets in several cities, including San Diego, California and in Long Island, New York. Workers are demanding better wages and benefits that reflect the billions of dollars in profit the company has had over the years. The union calculated Costco has experienced a 135% increase in profits since 2018. The company reported $2.5 million in sales on just the opening day of the 897th store this year.

The union’s demand for limits on worker surveillance reflects the growing productivity surveillance by the bosses that, along with Costco workers, Amazon and Whole Foods workers are subjected to.

Bryan Fields, a Costco employee in Baltimore and member of Teamsters Local 570, wants Costco bosses to live up to the company’s code of conduct and “take care of their employees.” A strike will damage the “worker friendly” image the corporation claims. (abcnews.go.com, Jan. 22)

Costco Teamsters hold strike preparation rally, Long Island, New York.

Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien warned: “Our members have spoken loud and clear — Costco must deliver a fair contract, or they’ll be held accountable. From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past Jan. 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement.” O’Brien blames “greedy executives” for stalling contract negotiations, which led to the strike authorization. (abcnews.go.com, Jan. 22)

Noguchi Museum unanimous vote for union representation

Following a growing trend among museum workers in the U.S., employees of the Noguchi Museum in New York have unionized with United Auto Workers Local 2110. The vote, held in January, was unanimous in the representation election, supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. Local 2110 also represents employees at the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Over two dozen museums across the country are unionized. They include prestigious institutions, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Many of the workers hold positions not historically represented by unions, such as art curators and administrative and educational staff. Organizers point to the widening wage gap between staff and executives along with threats to job security as driving many workers to seek the protections a union can provide.

Doctors unionize

A promising trend is developing among a group of exploited health care workers. Doctors, particularly residents and fellows, are joining the ranks of union members organizing to demand a living wage and fair working conditions.

Residents are doctors who have completed medical school and are in a hospital training program, usually lasting three years, to gain practical experience in their chosen field. Fellows are doctors who completed a residency program and now are taking further training in a more specialized area such as neurosurgery or pediatric oncology. Both residents and fellows work very long hours, often 80 or more per week, and are the first doctors that a nurse calls in an emergency.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it crystal clear how essential these doctors are for patient care. Hospital executives showered them with platitudes — but little else. Meanwhile hospital corporations were racking up record profits.

Recently, residents and fellows at all of the major hospital systems in Philadelphia voted in union elections, seeking representation by the Committee of Interns and Residents, affiliated with the Service Employees Union (SEIU).

The University of Pennsylvania residents and fellows joined CIR in 2023. Their collective bargaining contract included a pay raise, paid parental leave and  provision of a sufficient amount of personal protection equipment. In January, union elections were held in four other major Philadelphia health care institutions: Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Einstein Healthcare Network, Temple University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The vote was overwhelmingly in favor at three of these institutions, with the union vote at CHOP being narrowly defeated.

Historically, CHOP has blocked every attempt by registered nurses to join the Pennsylvania Association of Nurses and Allied Professionals, so it is not surprising that executives there would use union-busting tactics against the doctors. CIR organizers have stated they will assist a second attempt to win a union for these dedicated health care workers. CHOP is recognized around the world for its excellent care of sick children.

Founded in 1957, CIR represents doctors in California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C.

In January, residents at Brown University Health and Care New England voted to join CIR. This will impact four hospitals across Rhode Island. Housestaff (residents and fellows) at Christiana Care in Delaware also voted to unionize. They join the attending staff at Christiana who made history last summer to become the largest union of private sector physicians in the U.S.