From SAG-AFTRA to UPS, the 5 biggest labor wins of 2023

From SAG-AFTRA to UPS: The 5 biggest labor wins of 2023

November 10, 2023 4:03 PM

From Hollywood to auto factories, hundreds of thousands of workers across industries have been on strike this year — and their efforts have not been in vain.

Roughly 453,000 workers went on strike in 2023, up by 229,000 compared to 2022, according to John Kallas, the project director of the ILR Labor Action Tracker. Given that an estimated 150 union contracts were expected this year, according to Bloomberg Law, 2023 was the year for many industries to renegotiate for better wages, healthcare, working conditions and employment protections.

And unions took some big wins home this year, as they worked to regain the ground they lost as far as the 2008 U.S. recession, explains Larry Cook, senior strategic advisor for Aon's global labor relations strategy. Combined with increases in burnout and resentment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and massive layoffs, 2023 became the site of the perfect labor storm.

"The power has shifted to unions at the present," says Cook. "We're seeing [workers] take a harder look at management practices, what they say versus what they do. With record profits, how do you defend modest wages, particularly in an environment with high inflation?"

As 2023 wraps up, EBN rounded up five of the biggest labor wins this year.

SAG-AFTRA

After a nearly four-month strike, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) reached a tentative agreement on Nov. 8 with the major film and television studios, otherwise known as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

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While the details of the agreement have not been released, the union has stated that the new contract is valued at $1 billion, with significant increases in pay minimums, improved pensions and healthcare plans, along with employment protections from AI. For the first time in streaming history, studios will offer a "streaming participation bonus," meaning that union members who worked on successful projects will receive some kind of compensation.

WGA

The Writers Guild of America, or WGA, reached an agreement with the same Hollywood studios in October after 146 days of striking — the second-longest strike in Hollywood history. Representing writers in film, television, radio and online media, the WGA's labor stop did finally pressure studios into offering increases in basic weekly pay for the next three years, with a 5% increase in the first year. The union also secured staffing minimums and a 26% increase in residual payment rates, meaning a jump in compensation for the reuse of the original material, like TV reruns.

Notably, the studios have agreed to share the total number of hours high-budget programs were streamed with the WGA, a historic first since this data has never been shared with anyone actually working on the productions. And while writers are free to use AI in their work, studios cannot require writers to use AI. The new contract prohibits the use of AI to write source material for a script.

UAW

The United Auto Workers (UAW) were on strike for just 45 days before coming to an agreement on Oct. 30 with the U.S. auto companies Ford, Stellantis and General Motors. The contract includes an increase in wages by at least 25% over the next four-and-a-half years for 150,000 workers. The UAW even regained its cost of living adjustments stipulation it lost in 2008, meaning workers could see an additional 5% to 10% jump in wages.

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UPS and the Teamsters

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that represents 340,000 UPS workers (and 1.3 million workers in total) reached an agreement with UPS in July under the threat of strike. If UPS workers had gone on strike for just 10 days, it could have resulted in a $7 billion loss to the U.S. economy, according to Anderson Economic Group.

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Unioned UPS workers gained a $2.75 increase in their hourly pay and an expected $7.50 more by the end of their five-year contract. According to UPS, the average full-time driver will make an estimated $170,000 a year in pay and benefits. The new contract will also mean an end to forced overtime on drivers' days off and more trucks will be equipped with air conditioning.

Las Vegas hospitality workers

The Culinary Workers Union and Bartenders Union in Las Vegas reached tentative agreements with MGM Resorts, Caesars and Wynn Resorts just hours before the deadline on November 10, avoiding a strike. While the details of the new contracts are unclear, the unions state that historic wage increases and reduced workloads are included. The contract even has stipulations to protect employees from new technologies that may impact their job security.