ALDFUnited

IT HAPPENED! ALDF United secured an election victory in our unionization effort with a resounding win at the ballot box! We just made history in the animal protection movement, and we are one GIANT step closer to creating lasting, structural change at @ALDF! Thank you for all!

This week, we took direct action to show @Starbucks the urgency of finalizing contracts with the wages, staffing, and protections we need to thrive. We’re doing what it takes to win. And we won't stop until we do.

If they can come for graduate workers, if they can arrest, deport, expel, or imprison union leaders and activists for their protected political speech, then they can come for you. For your contract. For your paycheck. For your family. And for your rights.

Trade unionists everywhere, defenders of the Constitution, of freedom of speech, of academic freedom, and of the right of free association, should be appalled and disgusted by the behavior of Columbia University, and should take it for the clear signal it is.

It is no accident that the University is targeting a union leader whose local went on strike in the last round of bargaining. It is no accident that this is happening at Columbia University, where student workers won back the right to collective bargaining in 2016.

As the UAW has emphasized, the assault on First Amendment rights being jointly committed by the federal government and Columbia University are an attack on all workers who dare to protest, speak out, or exercise their freedom of association under the US Constitution.

The shocking move is part of a wave of crackdowns on free speech against students and workers who have spoken out and protested for peace and against the war on Gaza.

In the latest assault on First Amendment rights, Columbia University has expelled and fired Grant Miner, President of UAW Local 2710, which represents thousands of Columbia student workers. The firing comes one day before contract negotiations were set to open with the University.

🧵IN SHOCKING MOVE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FIRES UNION PRESIDENT ONE DAY BEFORE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN, IN FURTHER CRACKDOWN ON FREE SPEECH

Have a great Monday!

Breaking: Amazon workers at KSBD, the company’s largest air hub on the West Coast, officially launched a union drive to join Teamsters today. Air hubs are very strategic facilities in Amazon’s supply chain. The Teamsters are also organizing an air hub in Kentucky.

Please submit a comment in support of @ALDF's recently filed Citizen Petition, urging the FDA to require products to disclose when they contain animal-derived ingredients by requiring a simple “contains animals” disclosure on food labels. #containsanimals regulations.gov/docket/FDA-202…

What were some of our biggest legislative victories this year and what's in store for 2025? Join our Legislative Affairs team for a discussion about animal protection legislation now and beyond. Our webinars are free and open to the public: aldf.org/article/animal…

As @Radish_Research and I show in this article, conditions overall remain favorable for labor growth, despite Trump’s re-election Now is not the time to retreat laborpolitics.com/p/labors-resur…

Labor still has huge (potential) disruptive power Unions' existing power provides a base for beating back the worst of Trump’s attacks and expanding union representation to non-union workers in the semi-organized sectors

Most of the labor upsurge since 2020 has been driven forward by young radicalized workers — and they're unlikely to throw in the towel under Trump Contrary to what some have suggested, the 2024 election did not register a major shift to the right among young people

A September 2024 Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans approve of labor unions, the highest support since the 1950s — even 49% of Republicans these days support unions Overall, Americans trust organized labor far more than the president, congress, big business, & the media

Unions today hold over $35 billion in assets, as @Radish_Research's research shows This war chest gives labor the financial cushion to go on the offensive while simultaneously defending itself from regulatory & legislative attacks

Trump's election was fueled by economic insecurities—but his pro-billionaires policies won't solve workers' material problems Unions remain workers’ best tool to address economic insecurity And projected tight labor markets will continue giving workers & unions lots of leverage

Trump’s election doesn't have to mean the labor resurgence is over Unions actually organized more workers under George W. Bush than under Obama (mostly because labor seriously funded organizing in the early 2000s) Here's why unions can still go on the offensive today 🧵

This Thursday, @NYCCouncil will be voting on legislation led by @JustinBrannan to prohibit backyard breeders. Please urge your Council Member to vote YES here: vfar.org/backyardbreede…