© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Teamster member Sergio Martinez yells out during a rally outside a UPS facility in downtown in Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake
(Reuters) -A tight U.S. labor market, expiration of cyclical contracts and high living costs have triggered tough negotiations for pay hikes and other benefits by workers and strikes and protests across industries.
Some 295,500 workers have been involved in stoppages through July this year, as per preliminary U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, putting 2023 on track to become the busiest year for strikes since 2019.
Some sectors and companies that faced tough negotiations in 2023:
MEDIA
Hollywood is experiencing its first dual work stoppage of writers and actors in 63 years, halting productions across the industry and costing the California economy billions of dollars. The strike is over compensation, staffing and residual payments among other issues.
PARCEL DELIVERY
Teamsters union workers at United Parcel Service (NYSE:) ratified a new five-year contract in August, a deal that raises pay, eliminates a two-tier wage system for drivers, provides another paid holiday and ends forced overtime.
FedEx (NYSE:) pilots have been involved in a stand-off with the parcel delivery firm over wages and legacy pensions. Pilots rejected a tentative deal in July and negotiations are expected to restart.
AIRLINES & AEROSPACE FIRMS
Pilots at several airlines including American Airlines (NASDAQ:), Delta Airlines (NYSE:), United Airlines Holdings (NASDAQ:), Spirit Airlines (NYSE:), Jetblue Airways negotiated new job contracts this year.
Members of some unions like the Southwest Airlines (NYSE:) Pilots Association have voted to authorize a strike if a new contract is not reached.
Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:) negotiated a new contract to end a strike that led to a week-long work stoppage at its plant in Wichita, Kansas.
AUTOMOTIVE
United Auto Workers (UAW) union has launched a targeted strike over pay and benefits against Ford (NYSE:), GM and Stellantis (NYSE:), targeting one U.S. assembly plant at each company.
The union would announce on Friday more U.S. plants to strike if no serious progress was made in talks with the Detroit Three automakers.
Ford also faces a total strike at its smaller Canadian operations.
MANUFACTURING
U.S. steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:) Inc has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers union on a new three-year labor agreement for…
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