IBEW

Electrical and communications workers have been on strike for two weeks following an unsuccessful contract negotiation. The dispute centers around a phone company's hedge fund owners who remain intractable. "...[W]e're negotiating with wolves of Wall Street."

As of midnight on August 2nd, the six-year contract between FairPoint Communications, 1,700 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) members, and 300 Communications Workers of America (CWA) workers expired. This is somewhat surprising, considering the unions have had a whopping 65 proposals rejected by management. They also say FairPoint has used some heavy-handed tactics throughout the process.

One local California union has continued its goal of assisting military veterans transitioning to civilian life by supporting the effort to pass Proposition 41, the state's latest affordable housing bill. According to a 2013 survey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 22 percent of homeless Americans live in the state of California.

An article in Friday’s "Idaho Statesman" detailed the struggles unions have had in the state since the passage of “Right-to-Work” in 1985. Between 1985 and 2012, AFL-CIO membership in the state dropped from 41,300 to 11,000. Currently 29,000 Idahoans are members of unions, though 7,000 of those members choose not to pay dues.

The fate of collective bargaining for 1,300 union employees in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, lies in the hands of the city council after two of its members introduced legislation that would make drastic changes to the current system. Mayor Tom Henry has promised to veto the ordinances if they reach his desk but the council could override that veto with six votes. The current makeup of the council is six Republicans and three Democrats, meaning Republicans could have their way unless there is intra-party opposition.