Faculty and students at UChicago and around the country understand the importance to their research and scholarship of the second-to-none South Asia holdings at UChicago library being properly classified.  Those who have worked closely with Ishaan hold his work in the highest regard, and attest that he possesses the highly specialized skills and dedication worthy of this world-class collection.

Ishaan Anavkar is in a tough spot. He is currently waiting for a renewed work authorization card from the federal government, and has requested a few weeks of unpaid leave to receive and furnish the card so he can return to work. He has already been through several stressful months of back-and-forth with UChicago Library HR, who have refused to sponsor his position. He has secured letters of support from UChicago faculty and the Library of Congress, tried to correct his position’s misclassification, filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board, and sought temporary protected status in order to remain working. Multiple members of the Library have unsuccessfully proposed new positions that he could fill in order to remain working. He has now been informed that his last day of work will be Friday, August 2. If his position is terminated while he is still waiting for a renewed work authorization card, he will be required to leave the country in a month. Ishaan is vital to processing the thousands of South Asian books currently in the library backlog and unavailable to library patrons, along with providing other copy cataloging services. If terminated, it is not clear when or if his position will be filled, and how these materials will be processed. Terminating his position, instead of granting this unpaid leave until his work authorization card arrives, will only exacerbate the severe understaffing problems in the UChicago Library. 

Many people know someone or are closely related to somebody who has special needs. Desert Arc is a pillar of the community representing these mentally disabled individuals, heavily relying on support and fundraising from everyday citizens in the Coachella Valley. Yet, with an intake of 50 million in revenue (site: Zippia.com), we the workers , who are hands on, make an average of $18 per hour. The CEO and those above us, when asked, cannot give a specific accounting for where the money is distributed. Our mileage reimbursement (which has been in place for at least 8 years) is now being taken away, in addition to employees now making less than than those working at fast food restaurants, yet we are responsible for human lives.

Macy's in Tacoma has been a long standing institution that employs many. We have recently found out that our store may be closing in the near future. Over 100 Macy’s workers at the Tacoma Mall location including the Furniture Gallery have been bargaining for a fair contract since January. Please support us as we attempt to bargain for dignity and respect during this difficult time.

We believe that these firings and targeting of employees, the affects these have on the wider community, and the steps Natural Grocers has taken to impede the rights of their workers to organize are in violation of the company’s proclaimed commitments to crew and community. Community is formed through relationships. Customers and crew have formed meaningful relationships over the years and those relationships can better inform company policies to better serve customers. This is a COMMUNITY CALL to UPHOLD Margaret Isley’s five founding principles (see more here: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/our-five-founding-principles) by respecting workers’ rights or organize and embracing the desired feedback structure of workers. We understand that COMMITMENTS require ACCOUNTABILITY, and evidence has shown us that the path to that accountability is a union for Natural Grocers workers. We do believe that the founders of Natural Grocers and the current leadership do genuinely care. We do believe that, unlike a company like Amazon, Natural Grocers could take the feedback of this petition and address our concerns. We hope they will not disappoint us. Community Member Testimony “The warmth and genuine conversations that I have with all of the crew is why I love shopping there, and I want them to feel just as comfortable and supported. It is really distressing to me that a store that I love, value, and respect is causing its employees to feel unsafe about asking for better working conditions, pay, and benefits. I hope that through incorporating the feedback of their employees, Natural Grocers can become an even healthier environment holistically because they value everyone who keeps the store flourishing.” Crew Member Testimony “I have been an employee at the Natural Grocers in Norman, Oklahoma, store #48, for over 8 years. I work very hard to connect intentionally with each customer I encounter and to find them what they need. I have brilliant and kind coworkers and former coworkers whom I have witnessed do the same. I have seen our store act as a community center in many ways. Whenever I go out in Norman, I almost always run into one of my regular customers and they greet me. I have watched children grow up in our store. My apron is filled with buttons and pins, many of them gifts from customers and others in my community. To this day, this is my favorite job I have ever had. But I am sad to say that the company and my little store are rapidly changing, and not for the better. I want a union because I do care deeply for my coworkers, my store, my community, and the future of the company. I believe that a union would provide a more accessible feedback and representation system for workers and that this would enable the company to better uphold their principals and goals.”

The ongoing payroll issues at Telus are not merely administrative glitches; they are eroding the fundamental trust between the company's management and its dedicated employees. Week after week, the frustration intensifies as affected employees grapple with the fallout of negative paychecks, underpayments, and persistent broken promises. This issue is crucial because it extends beyond financial discrepancies – it's about the erosion of morale and confidence within the workforce. The toll on employees' trust is reaching a critical point, impacting their overall job satisfaction and commitment to the company. The importance of resolving these payroll issues promptly cannot be overstated; failure to do so risks a significant decline in employee morale, productivity, and the overall health of the employer-employee relationship.

Being a new parent, especially a nursing parent, is an incredibly vulnerable experience, both physically and emotionally. Workers in every industry deserve to be supported during this time. But at Trader Joe’s, that’s not happening. Julia’s story is not unusual. We’ve heard from crew members across the country, in both union and non-union stores, with experiences just like Julia’s. Trader Joe’s workers are expected to pump in dusty mechanical rooms, storage attics that are only accessible by ladders, and demo kitchens where they must vie for access with workers preparing food samples for customers. (The images above are actual pumping spaces submitted to us by crew members). Some crew members give up on pumping indoors altogether and pump in their car instead, if they have one. No nursing parent should have to pump in unsanitary, potentially exposed conditions like these. Sign our petition to tell Trader Joe’s to provide sanitary, secure, and comfortable lactation spaces for its workers!

Flight Attendants at SkyWest have been organizing a union in the face of serious interference from management, and Shane and Tresa are leaders on the campaign. The Railway Labor Act prohibits interference, influence, or coercion by management over the flight attendants’ choice of representative. And it is unlawful for management to retaliate against any worker engaging in concerted activity over issues of mutual concern. But enforcement rests with the federal courts and management may hope it can get away with their illegal actions long enough to stop Flight Attendants from organizing and gaining the right to collectively bargain. All this does is give a bad name to the carriers who contract with SkyWest - Alaska, United, American, and Delta. Even the notorious union busting at Delta has never so blatantly crossed the legal line for firing activists or forming an illegal company union. And make no mistake, in uncovering a serious security flaw in the company-sponsored voting system used by the company union, Shane and Tresa heroically stood up for what was right to alert their coworkers to the issue while demonstrating how easily votes can be manipulated. SkyWest is using their whistleblowing as pretext to fire these two prominent leaders on the union drive. But the company shouldn’t be involved in “union voting” at all. Sign our petition to demand that SkyWest immediately rehire Shane and Tresa. This union busting demonstrates why Flight Attendants at SkyWest are organizing. Stand with Flight Attendants and demand justice for Shane and Tresa.

With streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ growing in popularity, the television production industry has seen huge growth over the past decade – but compensation for writers hasn’t kept up. Some writers are saying it’s become difficult to sustain a career as a writer in Hollywood and even harder for junior writers to break into the industry. But the strike of more than 11,000 WGA members is about more than just fair pay. They’re fighting back against a system full of exploitation and increasingly tough working conditions. Specifically they want better residual pay – or royalties for reruns. Before streaming services existed, writers would be paid a percentage of revenue every time their work was shown on television. Streaming has made it so writers don’t receive this pay since users can watch these platforms whenever they want and don’t need to wait for a rerun. Writers are also fighting back against a new threat: the use of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT in writers rooms. Union members don’t want studios to dismiss a writer's contributions – and thus their compensation – by only crediting AI as the author of scripts or as source material. The strike means that all tv production in Hollywood has come to a grinding halt – this has serious implications for the entire industry if the worker’s demands aren’t met. Our favorite shows, including live late night comedy shows, have already stopped production. As fans of their work, we are a crucial part of this moment – it’s important we support the writer’s who create the content we love to watch. Sign the petition to stand in solidarity with the WGA union members and demand that production companies come to a fair agreement.

Sisters Brothers and Family, It's not complicated. The Union is the best tool for working people to unite together and win improved wages and working conditions. The labor movement allows us working people to join together against powerful adversaries and advance our shared values. Right now there is something that stinks within the Michigan AFL-CIO. Time is up for Jon Byrd, the longtime Michigan Laborers' District Council External Affairs Director, South Central Michigan Area Labor Council President and Secretary of the Michigan AFL-CIO Advocates 501c3. The story finally made it to the press. Read the articles. These rumors have been brewing for decades. Now is the time for leadership to act. There is no neutral. Which side are you on? Sign on to my letter to national AFL CIO President Liz Shuler and the AFL CIO Executive Council. Michigan AFL CIO Leadership failed to protect members and the public. Now I am calling on national leadership to step in and do their job. Join me. Which side are you on?

With the rising cost of living and inflation in the world, we need to be on-top of the industrial scale and stay on-top. We won the JD Power award for Inflight IFS during the hardest time in the aviation industry. We kept our company’s head above water and took leave and helped our company turn record profits the most we have seen in years. This profit year was during space positive travel commuting periods which helped new hires get to work and keep the operation running. Space positive commuting helps drastically, especially in those cities/bases that new hires can’t afford to live and move into… We Delta Flight Attendants spend the most time with our HVC’s and customers.. we are the face of Delta… So, Help us Keep Delta My Delta, and Keep Delta the only Flight Attendant Non Union US Airline showing the world and aviation industry the DELTA DIFFERENCE!!!

I've worked for Starbuck for 12 years, and I proudly helped to lead the organizing at my store, The Elmwood Ave location in Buffalo, NY, which is the first unionized Starbucks in the country. My coworkers and I organized because we want to have a true partnership with Starbucks, to help make it the company we believe it can be.