Pickets & Power Bulletin [Mar 8, 2026]
Labor condemns war on Iran; California educator strike wave spreads; JBS meatpacking workers move closer to strike
Labor condemns war on Iran; California educator strike wave spreads; JBS meatpacking workers move closer to strike
Labor condemns war on Iran
Anti-war sentiment has been growing across the country as the U.S. escalates its war against Iran and President Trump threatens to send “boots on the ground.” Unions have issued statements condemning the war that’s costing over $1 billion a day. The ballooning military budget and expenses for endless war comes at the same time Trump and the billionaires push for historic cuts to healthcare and food assistance and tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. Gas prices are already spiking and hitting working class Americans the hardest.
Several unions have already spoken out. SEIU condemned the war as an “unconstitutional attack” that shows “reckless disregard for working people’s lives.” stated that war risks pulling resources away from domestic needs and placing additional burdens on working-class communities. In its statement, the union emphasized that workers need investment in healthcare, housing, and jobs rather than another military conflict abroad. National Nurses United condemned the war and warned that public resources should be spent on healthcare and social programs rather than military escalation. United Electrical Workers (UE) called the conflict a dangerous expansion of U.S. militarism, while ILWU Local 10 joined protests demanding an end to the war and respect for international law.
Across the labor movement, the message is growing louder: working people should not pay the price for another endless war. On the Line has issued an open letter for union members and organizations to sign, calling for an end to the war.
California educator strike wave spreads
California’s growing educator strike wave continues to spread as teachers across the state refuse to accept underfunded schools and worsening classroom conditions. In the Sacramento region, 1,500 educators in Twin Rivers Unified School District launched their first strike in district history this week after nearly a year of stalled negotiations over pay, healthcare, and resources for students. TRUSD is made up of 92% high needs students – meaning students in poverty, foster students, multilingual students, special education, and other challenges that require additional support. They are striving to invest today’s dollars in today’s students while their district sits on over $100 million in reserves.
Over 600 teachers in Natomas Unified announced they will strike March 10 if no agreement is reached, while educators in Dublin Unified in the Bay Area have also set a strike deadline beginning March 9. Other districts across the state continue to heat up as well. These fights are all part of the statewide California Teachers Association “We Can’t Wait” campaign, which has aligned contract fights across districts to build pressure for fully funded schools, smaller class sizes, and fair pay. After San Francisco educators won a historic contract earlier this year, teachers across the state are showing they are ready to strike to win the schools their students deserve.
JBS meatpacking workers move closer to strike
Members of UFCW Local 7 say a strike could begin as soon as March 16 if the company refuses to address unsafe conditions and illegal conduct during bargaining. The Greeley plant is one of the largest meatpacking facilities in the country, staffed largely by immigrant workers who say they have long faced dangerous conditions and intimidation on the job.
A walkout would be historic – the first major sanctioned strike in the U.S. meatpacking industry in decades – and would hit a critical link in the national food supply chain. Workers say they are ready to shut the plant down if that’s what it takes to win respect and safe working conditions.
Solidarity with the Strikers!
An injury to One is an Injury to All!
….
Colorado Meatpackers Strike over Wages, Safety
—First U.S. Slaughterhouse Walkout in 40 Years
https://world-outlook.com/2026/03/19/colorado-meatpackers-strike-over-wages-safety/
On March 16, 2026, for the first time since the 1985 strike against Hormel[1] in Austin, Minnesota, workers walked out at a U.S. meatpacking plant, this time in Greeley, Colorado, just north of Denver.
On February 4 this year, after eight months of negotiations with JBS Swift, the members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 voted “yes” to authorize a strike.
The local was a hold-out following national negotiations by the UFCW with JBS, which signed a contract with 10 other locals in May 2025. But Local 7 said the wage package offered was inadequate given inflation, on-the-job hazards that were not addressed, and company harassment and intimidation of employees.
….