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The campaign to unionize Amazon has set its sights on Durham, with Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment launching an organizing drive outside the company’s RDU5 warehouse on Monday.

This represents CAUSE’s second union push in the state, with the first in Garner resulting in an election defeat by a three-to-one margin in February that organizers challenged with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the company coerced its employees into voting no and violated protections for union organizing. That election complaint remains ongoing.

Around 50 demonstrators rallied in support of the campaign kickoff at the truck entrance of the RDU5 facility on Monday afternoon, handing out union materials to workers finishing their shifts and raising their fists to delivery trucks honking in approval.

“I came to tell you we didn’t lose, we learned,” CAUSE President Ryan Brown told supporters.

“They thought they had buried us, but all they did was plant us,” Brown said. “And the thing about seeds is that seeds, they will always rise. They rise in Garner, they rise in Raleigh, and Durham, and Winston-Salem, and in Charlotte.”

Organizers said the campaign will target four facilities in the Durham area, including the RDU5 warehouse and three others. The union estimates that RDU5 has around 1,000 employees, while the other three each range in the hundreds.

“The good thing about Durham is that the facilities are smaller,” CAUSE Secretary Italo Medelius said in an interview. “Bringing all of these facilities together will give people a lot more solidarity to share strategies, to talk about what’s going on inside these warehouses, so we feel very, very confident that this campaign is going to turn out differently.”

A key tenet of the campaign is fairer wages. According to the union campaign, workers start at $18.50 an hour — less than half of what MIT estimates constitutes a living wage for a single-income family with one child in the Durham area — and caps at $22 an hour, regardless of experience.

At the RDU1 facility in Garner, pay begins at $18.50 and goes up to $23.80, Amazon spokesperson Marc Heintzman said in a statement in February. But he added that “pay is not capped” and that the company raises hourly wages every year.

Supporters with the Union of Southern Service Workers and other area unions joined Monday’s event in solidarity, as did Durham City Council Member Nate Baker. The Durham City Council passed a resolution in June that “enthusiastically encourages” Amazon workers in the city to unionize.

“The city of Durham stands behind you in this fight!” Baker said to cheers. “What’s your wage? It should be higher. What’s your leave? It should be longer. You deserve better.”

In a statement Wednesday morning, Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said the company supports all employees’ right to decide whether to participate in a union.

“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have,” Hards said. “We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual, and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team.”

“The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: competitive pay, health benefits on day one, and opportunities for career growth. We look forward to working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work,” she added.

To date, the only successful union campaign at an Amazon warehouse took place in a New York shipping facility in 2022, led by the Amazon Labor Union. No other unions have won recognition by the NLRB to negotiate on behalf of Amazon warehouse employees.

Jorge Meza, a worker at the RDU5 facility who volunteered with the union effort, said he’s pleased that the campaign has come to Durham. “I think it’s a really smart move. Durham has a rich history of labor organizing, organizing within intersectional communities here.”

Medelius, the union secretary, said part of the learning process from the first campaign was getting an in-depth understanding of the Durham facilities beforehand. That has resulted in a multilingual campaign, with pro-union signs in Spanish, Nepali, and Arabic present at the rally, reflecting the diversity of the warehouse workers.

“We feel strong enough inside of all those facilities that if Amazon wants to retaliate, we’re ready to jump in the boxing ring with them,” Medelius said. “We’re here to announce that we’re not going anywhere and we’re going to unionize.”

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5 to include comment from Amazon.

On Monday, December 8, pop rock band released 2026 tour dates with and . The summer trek is scheduled to bring the ‘80s lineup to Grand Rapids and Clarkston, Michigan for back-to-back nights in August.

Toto heads back out on the road this summer alongside repeat touring partner Christopher Cross as well as The Romantics. The three-time Grammy-winning “Rosanna” stars kick off the 2026 trek Wednesday, July 15 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York.

Also included on the schedule are stops at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina; iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida; Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California; and more before playing two consecutive Michigan shows. The first concert is to be held Friday, August 28 at the new Acrisure Amphitheater in Grand Rapids, followed by Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston on Saturday the 29th. The tour will then conclude at RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto on Sunday, August 30.

Tickets to the upcoming North American tour officially go on sale Friday, December 12 at 10 a.m. local time on and . Following the general on-sale, fans may also find tickets listed on , ($20 off a $200+ ticket order with code MLIVE20, offer available through December 31), and .

Toto 2026 tour with Christopher Cross and The Romantics:

Wed, Jul 15 — Bethel Woods Center for the Arts; Bethel, NY

Thu, Jul 16 — Broadview Stage at Saratoga Performing Arts Center; Saratoga Springs, NY

Sat, Jul 18 — PNC Bank Arts Center; Holmdel, NJ

Sun, Jul 19 — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater; Wantagh, NY

Tue, Jul 21 — Leader Bank Pavilion; Boston, MA

Thu, Jul 23 — Maine Savings Amphitheater; Bangor, ME

Sat, Jul 25 — Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview; Syracuse, NY

Sun, Jul 26 — TD Pavilion at the Mann; Philadelphia, PA

Tue, Jul 28 — PNC Music Pavilion; Charlotte, NC

Wed, Jul 29 — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek; Raleigh, NC

Fri, Jul 31 — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre; West Palm Beach, FL

Sat, Aug 1 — MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre; Tampa, FL

Sun, Aug 2 — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre; Alpharetta, GA

Tue, Aug 4 — Amphitheater at The Wharf; Orange Beach, AL

Wed, Aug 5 — Brandon Amphitheater; Brandon, MS

Fri, Aug 7 — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; The Woodlands, TX

Sat, Aug 8 — Germania Insurance Amphitheater; Austin, TX

Mon, Aug 10 — Isleta Amphitheater; Albuquerque, NM

Tue, Aug 11 — Arizona Financial Theatre; Phoenix, AZ

Wed, Aug 12 — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre; Chula Vista, CA

Fri, Aug 14 — Long Beach Amphitheater; Long Beach, CA

Sat, Aug 15 — Shoreline Amphitheatre; Mountain View, CA

Sun, Aug 16 — Toyota Amphitheatre; Wheatland, CA

Tue, Aug 18 — White River Amphitheatre; Auburn, WA

Wed, Aug 19 — Hayden Homes Amphitheater; Bend, OR

Fri, Aug 21 — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre; Salt Lake City, UT

Sat, Aug 22 — Ball Arena; Denver, CO

Mon, Aug 24 — Morton Amphitheater; Riverside, MO

Wed, Aug 26 — Mystic Lake Amphitheater; Shakopee, MN

Fri, Aug 28 — Acrisure Amphitheater; Grand Rapids, MI

Sat, Aug 29 — Pine Knob Music Theatre; Clarkston, MI

Sun, Aug 30 — RBC Amphitheatre; Toronto, ON

Rock legends Toto, alongside Grammy-sweeping artist Christopher Cross and Detroit’s power-pop favorites The Romantics, have announced a phenomenal joint-headline tour set to light up the summer of 2026. This huge 32-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicks off on July 15th and runs through August 30th, promising a massive night of classic hits and enduring rock sounds. The announcement follows a monumental year for Toto, whose music received over a billion streams in 2025, with their smash hit “Africa” soaring past two billion plays on Spotify and achieving Diamond certification from the RIAA. Christopher Cross brings his immense catalog, including the iconic single “Sailing,” which contributed to his historic five Grammy wins, including Album of the Year. Meanwhile, The Romantics, known for MTV video favorites like “What I Like About You” and “Talking In Your Sleep,” will bring their Detroit-inspired roots rock to the stage.

Toto, Christopher Cross and The Romantics 2026 Tour

GRAMMY-winning trio Lady A completely transformed packed theaters into candlelit Christmas gatherings, successfully launching their THIS WINTER’S NIGHT TOUR with stops in Atlanta, Clearwater, and Jacksonville. The music-filled weekend felt like a cozy, interactive celebration, set against a stunning glowing forest of twinkling spruce trees. The trio delivered powerful sing-alongs of reimagined holiday staples and Lady A originals, even pausing mid-set for a truly heart-melting acoustic moment where children were invited onstage to help carol. Bringing the reason for the season into the spotlight, Lady A also kicked off their 12 Days of Giving Campaign, where they highlight a local charity at each stop and donate a portion of their earnings for the night, including helping organizations like Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. (110 words – OK)

Lady A is bringing their warm harmonies and holiday magic across the country, continuing the THIS WINTER’S NIGHT TOUR before concluding with a special three-night residency at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium just before Christmas Eve. The celebration extends to the comfort of home through various national television appearances, including performances on The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular and CMA Country Christmas, both available on Hulu and Disney+. This high level of mainstream success is fitting for the premier vocal group, known for their smooth fusion of country, rock, and pop, who have amassed eleven number one hits and count their 12X PLATINUM hit “Need You Now” as the highest certified song by a Country group.

THIS WINTER’S NIGHT TOUR Dates: