union workers

French public sector workers have walked out in protest at a pay freeze as the government prepares the 2027 budget. Union members in hospitals, schools and other state services are demanding wage increases amid rising living costs. The strike is being followed for what it signals about labour unrest and pressure on the government's budget plans.

Columbia University's postdoctoral workers union held a practice picket as it prepares for a potential strike. The demonstration is a rehearsal ahead of what could be formal strike action in the ongoing labor dispute. The union says it is organizing its members should contract negotiations fail to produce an agreement.

Students across France are holding protests while public sector workers walk out ahead of the government's budget announcement. The strikes and demonstrations are part of mounting opposition to planned austerity measures, with unions and student groups warning the cuts will hit public services and education hardest as the government seeks to rein in its deficit.

More than 170 demonstrations swept across France as eight major unions joined forces in a nationwide public-sector strike over pay, purchasing power and funding for public services. The Interior Ministry counted around 206,000 protesters across the country. The coordinated action disrupted schools, transport and other public services as workers pressed the government for higher wages and greater investment in the public sector.

A union representing Montana state employees and the governor's office have reached an agreement over healthcare costs for state workers. The deal, reported by Montana Free Press, ends a dispute over how much employees contribute to their health coverage. Details of the terms have not been widely shared yet, and reactions from union members and state officials are still coming in.

Workers at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York have voted to authorize a strike. The vote signals growing labor unrest among museum staff, who have been organizing for better pay and working conditions. The move puts pressure on the museum's leadership to return to negotiations or risk a work stoppage at one of the city's leading cultural institutions.

Workers at Phillips 66 represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The union announced the authorization vote, signaling mounting labor tension at the energy company. No strike date has been set, and the move gives negotiators leverage as contract talks continue.

Barclays has scaled back its return-to-office requirements for UK staff following a backlash from employees and unions. The bank had faced criticism over plans to increase office attendance, with trade unions including Unite voicing opposition. The climbdown is being widely discussed as a sign that firms may struggle to enforce stricter workplace rules against resistance from workers over flexible working.

MPR News highlights a new book about the 1934 Minneapolis truckers' strike, a violent labor conflict that helped build the city's middle class. The book recounts how the strike's outcome strengthened union power in the region and improved wages and working conditions for generations of workers.

On this day in 1909, the Industrial Workers of the World launched its first major free speech fight in Missoula, Montana. Union members defied local ordinances banning public speaking by deliberately gathering to speak, being arrested en masse, and filling the jails until authorities backed down and the laws were changed. The campaign became a template for the IWW's later free speech fights across the American West.

Teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and other public sector unions in France are planning hundreds of strikes, with tens of thousands of demonstrators expected to march in Paris. Unions including the CGT and FO are mobilising members for coordinated action on 29 September. The movement highlights growing anger among French public employees over pay and working conditions.

The Service Employees International Union has reached a statewide bargaining agreement covering higher education workers in Oregon, avoiding a planned strike. The deal follows negotiations over pay and working conditions for university employees across the state's public campuses. Details of the agreement's terms have not yet been widely reported, but the accord prevents service disruptions at state universities.

Unionized workers at Duquesne Light, the electricity provider for the Pittsburgh area, could walk off the job at midnight Wednesday if no agreement is reached. A strike would raise concerns about electrical service and outage response across western Pennsylvania. The dispute centers on contract negotiations between the utility and its unionized workforce.

Workers at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York have declared a strike, according to Hyperallergic. The action means unionized staff have walked off the job, halting normal operations and putting pressure on museum management in ongoing labor negotiations. Details on the specific demands, the number of workers involved, and the museum's response were not immediately available in the initial reports.

Negotiations are under way in Italy for the renewal of the national collective labour agreement covering local government employees (CCNL Enti Locali) for 2025-2027. The key issues on the table are the retribuzione di posizione, a pay grade linked to the role held, and the retribuzione di risultato, performance-related pay tied to results. Public sector unions and the employers' association ARAN are expected to focus on how pay rises and bonuses will be distributed across local authority staff.

The Teamsters union has warned it will launch a countywide strike if ongoing labor negotiations continue to stall. The threat raises the prospect of widespread disruptions to county services and operations, and puts pressure on employers to return to the bargaining table with a serious offer. Workers and union leaders say they are prepared to walk out unless progress is made on their contract demands.

Students across France held demonstrations and public sector workers went on strike ahead of planned government budget cuts. Photos from Al Jazeera show large crowds marching in the streets as unions and student groups mobilised against austerity measures. The action reflects growing resistance to spending reductions being prepared by the French government.

Workers at Duquesne Light, the Pittsburgh-area electric utility, are threatening to go on strike Wednesday night. The labor threat raises the prospect of service disruptions if contract negotiations with the company fail, and comes amid broader attention to utility labor disputes. No further details on the issues at stake or the union's demands were available in the initial reports.

The graduate worker union at the University of Pennsylvania has assembled a political committee, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The move signals the union's intent to engage more directly in electoral politics, though details about the committee's aims, candidates, or issues have not yet been made public.

A BBC News science and environment story about space has prompted discussion about working conditions beyond Earth. Commenters are urging people to organise into unions now, before an expanded space economy takes hold, joking that without collective bargaining workers risk being exploited like the 'Belters' in the science fiction series The Expanse.

Clinicians at LifeLong Medical Care have gone on strike in Richmond, California, amid a stalled contract negotiation between the union and the health care provider. Workers are pressing for a new agreement, and the work stoppage has drawn attention to ongoing labor disputes in the region's health care sector.

Workers at an AutoZone location have voted to join the United Auto Workers, marking the first unionized AutoZone store in the national retail chain. The vote was highlighted by the AFL-CIO in its Service & Solidarity series, which showcases organizing drives. It is part of a broader push by the UAW to organize auto parts and non-automotive workplaces beyond its traditional manufacturing base.

The board of Akron's METRO Regional Transit Authority has approved a new contract with its unionized workers. The agreement covers the agency's union employees who operate and support public bus service in the Akron, Ohio area. Details of wages, benefits or contract length have not yet been made public, and reaction from workers or riders is not yet available.

A union representing US Environmental Protection Agency employees has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to restore its collective bargaining agreement. The case challenges efforts to strip bargaining rights from federal workers at the agency. The suit adds to a broader wave of legal battles over the administration's labor policies affecting federal employees.

UFCW 3000, the union representing workers at Confluence Health in Washington state, has issued an update on ongoing contract negotiations with the hospital system. The union is keeping members informed as bargaining progresses over wages, staffing and working conditions. Further details of the latest proposals have not yet been made public.

France's Prime Minister has cautioned students against resorting to violence as a nationwide public sector strike gets under way. The strike brings together civil servants protesting over pay, working conditions and staffing, while the government urges calm amid fears of street clashes. The warning comes as unions mobilise workers and students across the country.