On the picket line

Temple University health care workers threaten strike

The 2,500 nurses and technicians at Temple University Hospital (TUH) in Philadelphia are demanding better and safer working conditions and an improved benefits package. TUH Nurses Association (TUHNA) and TUH Allied Health Professionals (TAP) are affiliates of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the representative of all unionized hospitals across Pennsylvania.

When Temple executives released their proposal to cut benefits, both TUHNA and TAP submitted a strike notice after 98% of members in both unions authorized the strike. The current contract ended on Sept. 30, and the strike was set to be from Oct. 6 until Oct. 11. The workers do not accept TUH’s claim that Medicaid reductions make it necessary to cut benefits; TUH is spending millions of dollars to purchase the community hospital in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia. 

The strike vote was enough to shake up TUH executives, who immediately agreed to one of the union’s major demands: no cuts to benefits. In exchange, the unions agreed to continue negotiating and postponed the strike until Oct. 13. The other demands around staffing and safety are still on the table. 

The results of an internal survey on hospital violence showed 67% of Temple’s registered nurses had personally experienced workplace violence. That percentage is directly related to understaffing. Correcting nurse to patient ratios is essential to ensure adequate staffing based on patient acuity levels. Without proper levels of staffing, nurses are at risk when they must care for unruly and potentially violent patients on their own. 

Vermont dairy workers’ strike

In St. Albans, Vermont, dairy plant workers are heading into their second week on the picket line. The 60 workers are members of Teamsters Local 597. Negotiations with the employer, Dairy Farmers of America, are continuing during the strike. 

Union demands include a wage increase, the end of 12-hour shifts and increases in pension and health benefits. Many dairy workers are now expected to work six days per week on 12-hour shifts that are often extended due to a mandatory overtime rule. 

The dairy industry is heavily dependent on migrant workers, and consequently workers are impacted by the government’s brutal immigration tactics. At least one dairy farm in Vermont was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and workers were arrested. Community and advocacy groups are supporting the farmworkers. 

Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rogers met with workers on the picket line and has hinted that he may intervene in negotiations. The dairy has hired strikebreakers and is functioning at 10% capacity.

Dairy farm workers at Creamland Dairy in New Mexico, members of Teamsters Local 492, recently ended their strike after a tentative agreement was reached in September that met workers’ demands.

Houston Hilton strike

Workers in Houston are continuing their strike at the Hilton Americas hotel. The strike began in early September, and members of UNITE HERE Local 23 voted to extend the strike into October. Negotiations between the union and the hotel chain bosses have been ongoing. The major demand is an increase in wages. The average wage is $16.50 an hour, which doesn’t come close to providing an affordable living in Houston. The workers will not settle for anything less than $23 an hour. 

These essential workers have seen Hilton Americas profits increase by over 15% in 2024, yet some workers haven’t received a wage increase since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

Driven by the same frustration over low wages in high cost-of-living cities, hospitality workers at two major Philadelphia hotels — Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown and the Hampton Inn Center City-Convention Center — are on strike as of Oct. 5. The workers belong to UNITE HERE Local 274.