The Writers Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement on a new film and TV contract, narrowly averting a strike.
Writers, who are paid per episode and are constrained from working on more than one series, have been complaining about eroding incomes as TV seasons have gotten shorter, with some shows having seasons of 10-12 episodes, compared to the traditional 20-23. The new contract contains a $15 million increase in residuals for streaming, improvements in minimum pay, a 15 percent increase in pay-TV residuals, and job protection for paternity leave.
The National Association of Letter Carriers has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S Postal Service. The new contract includes pay increases and narrows the pay gap between career letter carriers and city carrier assistants.
A majority of grad student workers at the University of Chicago have filed an NLRB petition for union representation. The students are working with the American Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the American Association of University Professors. They are concerned about health care, workload, and compensation.
Grad student workers at Tufts School of Arts and Sciences and the Museum of Fine Arts have won an NLRB election and will be represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The student workers were concerned about health care, childcare, and medical leave.
AT&T workers in 36 states held a three-day strike as the Communication Workers of America (CWA) engages in negotiations for a new contract. Workers are concerned about offshoring of call centers, health care costs, and increasing workloads without corresponding increased wages.