Media Miss: Unions won at least 10% wage increases for 900K workers in 2023

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

UNIONS THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN BUSY AS THEY HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATED WAGE INCREASES OF 10% OR MORE FOR NEARLY 1 MILLION WORKERS ACROSS THE U.S., ACCORDING TO A CNN ANALYSIS.

SOME OF THE DEALS MADE ARE A RESULT OF HIGH-PROFILE STRIKES BY AUTO WORKERS, AND HOLLYWOOD ACTORS AND WRITERS THIS YEAR.

THIS REPORT IS NOT BEING COVERED BY ALL MEDIA.

THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS MEDIA MISS TOOL SHOWS THE MAJORITY OF OUTLETS COVERING IT ARE LEFT-LEANING.

RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS ARE UNDER-REPORTING UNIONS WINNING HISTORIC WAGE INCREASES FOR NEARLY ONE MILLION AMERICAN WORKERS. OUR REAL-TIME MEDIA MISS TOOL SPOTLIGHTS WHICH STORIES RIGHT-LEANING AND LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS AREN’T COVERING SO YOU GET A COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE NEWS. THIS IS HOW THE NEWS SHOULD BE: FAIR, FACTUAL AND UNBIASED.

ON MONDAY, 64% OF UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION MEMBERS VOTED TO RATIFY RECORD BREAKING DEALS WITH DETROIT’S BIG THREE AUTOMAKERS.

THOSE DEALS COME AFTER MORE THAN SIX-WEEKS OF WALK-OUTS BY UAW MEMBERS.

AT IT’S PEAK, 46,000 UNION MEMBERS HIT THE PICKET LINE AND COST THE THREE AUTOMAKERS — FORD, GENERAL MOTORS AND STELLANTIS — A COMBINED $4.2 BILLION IN LOSSES.

Shawn Fain – UAW President: “With a united UAW that is more unified than I have seen in my 29 years, actually in my life, if we are not afraid to fight we can win. And we will continue to move mountains.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, THE WRITERS GUILD AND SAG-AFTRA VIRTUALLY SHUT HOLYWOOD PRODUCTION DOWN THIS YEAR AS THE GROUPS NEGOTIATED FOR BETTER PAY AND JOB PROTECTIONS.

AND WHILE THE 11,000 WRITERS AND 160,000 ACTORS REPRESENTED BY THE TWO UNIONS DIDN’T REACH 10% WAGE INCREASES — THERE WERE MAJOR VICTORIES AS RESULT OF THE STRIKES, INCLUDING PROTECTIONS FORM AI.

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES REPORTED BY REUTERS, PUTS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE HOLLYWOOD STRIKED AT MORE THAN $6 BILLION DOLLARS.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF STRIKES IN 2023 HAS BEEN CLEARLY ILLUSTRATED. MEANWHILE, SEVERAL OTHER UNIONS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STRIKE DEALS BY MERELY THREATENING TO STRIKE.

THE TEAMSTERS UNION STRUCK A DEAL WITH UPS COVERING NEARLY 350,000 WORKERS.

AND A SERIES OF DEALS WERE REACHED BY THE CULINARY UNION TO AVOID STRIKES AT 18 CASINOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

EVEN NON-UNION MEMBERS — ESPECIALLY NON-UNION AUTO WORKERS — ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS OF POWERFUL UNIONS, AS THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR DATA SHOWS THE AVERAGE HOURLY WAGE IN OCTOBER WAS UP 18% COMPARED TO JUST THREE YEARS AGO.