Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I am working hard to bring back the newsletter to three times a week.
$550 Raised in Wednesday Bluesky Blitz
Good news, folks, we raised $550 in a fundraising blitz tonite. This money helps us rebuild our reserve fund as we seek other sponsors after we lost a major grant due to the Trump cuts.
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Bolivia General Strike Intensifies
On Tuesday, the main Bolivian trade union federation Bolivian Workers’ Centre (COB) reached an agreement with farmers and Indigenous groups to continue their general strike. The move comes as the newly elected right-wing government of Bolivia eliminated a fuel subsidy that kept gas prices at 2006 levels that had been put into place by the socialist government of Evo Morales.
Workers say that they have struggled to get to work and many complain that they have damaged their car engines by using inferior diluted gas to make ends meet. They have demanded that the government reinstate the subsidy and compensate them for damage caused to their cars. Workers are also demanding an increase in the Bolivian minimum wage and reinstatement of the socialist policies of the Morales administration.
According to the Bolivian Highway Administration, road blockades have been set up at more than 70 places around the country. Now, unions have pledged an indefinite General Strike.
“Starting today, a general, indefinite and active strike is declared, until the government understands the people’s demands,” COB’s Executive Secretary Mario Argollo told a crowd on Tuesday.
For more, check out Al-Jazeera.
20,000 Seafarers Stranded by Iran War
In the Persian Gulf, more than 20,000 seafarers are trapped at sea as it is too dangerous to go through the Strait of Hormuz. The workers report harrowing experiences. From The Wall Street Journal:
The Persian Gulf has been transformed into a vast nautical prison for low-wage sea workers, collateral damage in the standoff between the U.S. and Tehran. Not classified as prisoners of war, these seafarers are stuck inside a gathering emergency—caught in the crossfire for more than two months, and running low on basic provisions.
They hail from countries with little voice in the back-and-forth between Tehran and Washington, like Syria, Indonesia or the Philippines. Yet they have become front-line witnesses and unwilling participants in a 21st-century seabattle, their phones capturing pillaring smoke from Iranian missile strikes, fires from ships, and the spectacle of gunmetal gray American warships sent on Monday to free them.
That U.S. rescue effort to relieve sailors, “Project Freedom,” was paused after only 36 hours. Even if it restarts, the world’s most powerful navy is up against the tyranny of time and logistics. In weeks to come, shipping experts say, the number of crews abandoned by owners driven into bankruptcy will rise, and the gravity of medical conditions on board will worsen.
At least 10 sailors have died since the war began, according to the International Maritime Organization; more than 30 ships have been hit by Iranian drones and missiles.
For more, check out this amazing multi-media story in The Wall Street Journal.
Strike Could Hit Belmont Stakes & Saratoga
In Saratoga Springs, New York, billionaires own horses valued at millions of dollars, but the workers who work at the Belmont Stakes have struggled to win a union contract with the New York Racing Association. Many seasonal workers complain of substandard pay, substandard housing, and a lack of healthcare.
The New York Racing Association claims that they don’t employ the horse trainers, that they are employed by individual horses owners. However, IBEW local 1400 says that it’s prepared to lead a walkout of over 500 track workers during the Belmont Stakes in early June unless the horse owners agree to a contract.
“The trainers say, and rightfully, ‘Hey, we can’t help you with how the pension is administered. We have nothing to do with that,’” Jordan El-Hag, business manager and attorney for IBEW Local 1430, told the Albany Times-Union. “‘We can’t help you with the housing. We have nothing to do with that. We can’t help you when NYRA pulls their credentials, we have nothing to do with that.’”
For more, check out the Albany Times-Union.
Study Finds Replacing Workers with AI is Backfiring
A new survey by Gartner of 350 business executives working at companies with at least $1 billion in revenue found that 80% of all employers admitting using AI to trim their workforces.
However, the study also found that employers who cut staff to invest in AI did not make more money than those who keep their employees. This is partially due to the costs of implementing AI.
“Looking only at layoffs is shortsighted in terms of getting value from AI,” Helen Poitevin, VP analyst at Gartner and a key researcher of the study, told Fortune. “Chasing value only through headcount reduction is likely to lead most organizations down a path of limited returns. That’s not where the value is,” she said of layoffs. “That’s not where the productivity gains are going to be.”
Minneapolis Donations Have Dropped As ICE Surge Recedes
In Minneapolis, millions of dollars were given to mutual aid groups during the ICE surge. However, now that the surge has receded, money has dried up, but many immigrants, who feel behind on rent and struggle to work, are suffering. NPR has a look at the crisis:
Paola, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who asked NPR to identify her just by her first name because of her immigration status, told NPR she’s worried.
“Without a paycheck, I don’t know how I’m going to make rent and pay for my bills,” she says.
According to HOME Line, a nonprofit tenant advocacy organization in Minnesota, eviction filings in April in Minneapolisspiked 26% in comparison to April of last year.
Minneapolis resident Sulia Altenberg co-founded her neighborhood’s rent relief effort and says she worries they won’t be able to help enough people anymore.
“The other day, I got, like 8 bucks overnight, and I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding!’” she said. “This is so sad.”
Altenberg says there were some days in February and March where her group was getting up to $10,000 in donations from community members. They were able to help more than 230 households pay their rent.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Three-quarters of USDA workers tapped to relocate tell union they’re not going
- University of Tennessee budget includes $18 minimum wage for workers
- In Newport News, public employee collective bargaining is on hold despite past steps toward unions
- Vote count begins on Penn State faculty union
- L.A. county moves to shield hospital workers and patients from immigration enforcement
- Employees of DC paint-your-own pottery studio vote to unionize
- Finally, Amazon workers say pressure leads to needless AI use
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
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Payday Report is an Emmy-nominated labor outlet that has published over 1,500 articles over 10 years.
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