The last year was marked by prolonged labor strikes and landmark union contracts for actors and writers, Big Three automaker workers, UPS employees and more across the country.
According to Cornell University’s labor tracker, there were nearly 400 strikes last year, and that trend could easily be here to stay.
This year will see a number of prominent union contracts expire, including AT&T, Boeing, postal workers unions, TV and film crews and others.
At AT&T Inc (NYSE:T, ETR:SOBA), a pair of contracts covering roughly 25,000 wireline workers expire this year. The first applies to about 9,000 members of the Communication Workers of America union in California, while the other covers 16,000 employees across nine states in the southeastern US.
The latter workers last went on strike for five days in 2019. The workers agreed to a five-year deal, which Chris Walterson, president of CWA Local 3122 in Miami said resulted in lost money, according to reporting from Jacobin.
Elsewhere, another contract covering several thousand AT&T Mobility (read: wireless rather than wireline) expires in February.
At Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, ETR:BCO), a contract with 30,000 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) members is set to expire in September.
In late 2013, Boeing was able to extract concessions from the union when the company threatened to relocate production of its new 777X planes. The workers lost a pension program and took on greater healthcare costs in a deal that was initially voted down but later slightly tweaked and approved in early 2014, according to reports.
For their next deal, the IAM could seek a 40% wage increase over four years, according to a consultant cited in reporting from the Seattle Times.
In an apt follow-up to 2023, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which covers film and television crews, will see its contract expire on July 31. The union nearly went on strike in 2021 and then lost work due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.
Now, more potential production delays could come into play later this year.
Postal Workers
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) contracts both expire this year, covering 220,000 and 100,000 workers, respectively.
Postal strikes are illegal under federal law, but members will likely push for protections against consolidation and increased automation at the USPS. The APWU previously negotiated for a contract clause that prevents layoffs for anyone with at least six years of seniority.
Meanwhile, NRLCA members are grappling with a USPS system that determines worker pay by how long a route is supposed to take, which workers have argued the agency often underestimates, according to reports.
Hours have also increased as the number of packages shipped via USPS has increased, even as letters have declined.