This is really about trying to put power in the hands of people. There's 70% of workers who want a union, and 10% have them. If it were a company, they would figure out how to get the product into the hands of the 70% who wanted it.
I think it's really a best case scenario. What I can say is that it was evident that the picket that we held on Thursday was absolutely instrumental in getting us over the finish line. The unions, which are units of the United Auto Workers, represent academic student employees, student services and advising professionals, as well as research and public service professionals across the U.C. system.
Unfortunately it was not enough to secure a majority we will continue to do our utmost in the new works council to bring about change for us and our colleagues at the gigafactory. The unusually heated battle had pitted the carmaker's management against the union and was marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander.
They were among the first workers to be laid off as GM cuts one of three shifts. Up to 1,200 autoworkers across the supply chain are expected to lose their jobs. A lot of people have some sort of resentment, but you've just got to go on, move on, said Kendrick Gordon, speaking outside the plant on his last day working for a subcontractor.
When past generations imagined the best version of the future, it was one of leisure. Advertisements, cartoonists, and pulp novelists dared us to dream of a world where the spoils of industrial development were shared with all: robot butlers, transit by pneumatic tube, and more familiar tropes. These developments, it seemed, would make our lives more convenient, more secure, and - dare we say - more abundant.
Automakers are facing billions of dollars in additional costs from Trump's tariffs, particularly those levied on imported autos and car parts. Those tariffs, as well as levies targeting steel and aluminum, were implemented under a law that gives the president authority to impose import taxes on national security grounds. The duties were unaffected by the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down Trump's broader import taxes imposed on many countries.
The strike is a response to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota. In the days since, calls for a nationwide shutdown have spread rapidly across social media, shared by activists, nonprofits, and everyday people urging a halt to economic activity. Celebrities including Pedro Pascal, Edward Norton, and Jamie Lee Curtis have amplified the message to their followers.
This contract reflects a newfound commitment by the OUSD superintendent and school board to prioritize resources toward classrooms. The agreement includes smaller caseloads for school counselors, a book allowance for teacher librarians, and improved workloads for school nurses, representing gains across multiple educator categories and support roles.
