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.

Spain's Social Security has officially confirmed that a new formula for calculating retirement pensions will take effect in 2027. Under the change, pensions will be computed using 304 months of contribution bases instead of the current system, which uses a shorter reference period. The measure, part of Spain's broader pension reform, is drawing attention as workers assess how it may affect their future retirement benefits.

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.

Teamsters representing workers at Phillips 66 have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, according to the union and reports in financial media. The authorization gives union negotiators the power to call a work stoppage if contract talks fail, though a walkout is not automatic. A strike could disrupt operations at the energy company's refineries and facilities.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched across France on 29 September in a day of strike action demanding more resources for the public sector, with unions reporting more than 200,000 demonstrators nationwide. Rouen, in Normandy, was among the cities seeing mobilisations, with local rallies drawing public sector workers and supporters. The action targeted government funding for hospitals, schools and other public services.

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.

A union representing Montana state employees and the governor's office have reached an agreement over state employee healthcare costs, according to Montana Free Press. The deal is expected to settle disputes over how much workers contribute to their health coverage. Details of the terms, and reactions from union members and lawmakers, are not yet fully known.

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 US Environmental Protection Agency employees has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore a collective bargaining contract. The suit challenges the administration's move to strip away negotiated workplace protections at the agency. The case adds to a string of legal battles over federal labor rights under the current administration, with unions arguing the contract rescission violates workers' legal rights to organize.

A new book examines the 1934 Minneapolis truckers' strike, a violent labor conflict that helped establish the city's middle class. The strike, marked by deadly clashes between workers and police, became a turning point for union rights in the United States and secured better wages and working conditions that shaped Minneapolis' economy for decades.

Teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and other public sector unions across France are planning hundreds of strikes, with tens of thousands of demonstrators expected in Paris. Unions including the CGT and FO are behind the mobilisation, which is set for September 29. The action targets pay and working conditions in public services, and organisers are encouraging broad participation across sectors.

Unionized workers at Duquesne Light, the electricity provider serving the Pittsburgh area, could walk off the job at midnight Wednesday if no agreement is reached with the utility. The potential strike raises concerns about power service reliability for customers across southwestern Pennsylvania. Labor negotiations between the union and the company remain the focus as the deadline approaches.

Barclays has scaled back its return-to-office requirements for UK staff after criticism from employees and trade unions, including Unite. The bank had faced pushback over plans to force more workers back to its offices, part of a wider debate in British banking over flexible and hybrid working arrangements.

Unions at Antofagasta's Centinela copper mine in Chile are preparing for a possible strike, according to a Reuters report. The mine is a major copper producer, and industrial action there could affect global supply at a time of high demand. Negotiations between the company and workers over a new labor contract appear to have reached a critical point.

The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament has jointly organised a Trade Union Forum with the European Trade Union Confederation. The gathering brings together centre-left MEPs and union representatives to discuss workers' rights and labour priorities in EU policy. Little detail has been released so far about the agenda or outcomes of the event.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Museum workers in New York are weighing possible strikes at two institutions, even as unionized staff at two other museums have reached tentative agreements with management. The pending deals may set a pattern for pay and benefits, but workers at the remaining museums say their demands have not been met, raising the prospect of work stoppages if negotiations fail.

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.

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.

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.

Municipal workers in Solvang, California, are continuing their strike, with no announced resolution between the union and city management. Local coverage confirms the walkout is ongoing, though details on the disputes at stake—typically wages, benefits or working conditions—have not been specified in reports. Residents in the Santa Barbara County community may face disruptions to city services as long as the stoppage continues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A labor dispute has broken out at a Missouri cannabis dispensary after twelve employees were dismissed, in what is described as a union fight. The firings have raised questions about workers' organizing rights in the state's growing cannabis industry, though details about the dispensary involved, the union's response, and the timing of the dismissals remain limited in available reporting.