Op-ed / Commentary ● Labor Unions +

January 27, 2026 // John Ketcham for City Journal

Mamdani may have been the face of the decision, but he wasn’t its author. The real culprit behind the disappearance of snow days is the scheduling inflexibility caused by new holidays and the city’s contract with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The Department of Education (DOE) sets the school calendar in close consultation with the teachers’ union, which generally tries to minimize the work required of its members. During the 2023 contract negotiations, the DOE issued calendars for the following two school years, effectively locking in the current 2025–26 school calendar as part of the teachers’ labor contract. Over the years, the DOE calendar has also inserted more holidays as a sign of cultural inclusivity. Mayor Bill de Blasio added Lunar (Chinese) New Year and the Muslim holy days of Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha. Mayor Eric Adams added Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Research ● Labor Unions +

January 27, 2026 // author for Labor Pains

Now, labor leaders requested a newly penned Executive Order from President Trump mandating a board mediate disputes between unions associated with the Long Island Railroad, including BLET, and the New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority in order to avoid a strike. “The Teamsters union and its president, Sean O’Brien, continually make a show of crossing party lines and working with the current president,” said CUF communications director Charlyce Bozzello. “Don’t let their rhetoric fool you. The Teamsters’ own political advocacy skews almost completely to the left, and now we know the same is true for its major affiliates.”

January 27, 2026 // Erich Wagner

A combination of former Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s mandate that headquarters and regional office staff telework at most once or twice a week, respectively, and the agency’s ability to recall employees from telework to address workload needs led to a reduction in the percentage of agency work hours spent working remotely from 50% to 55% in the first half of 2024 to 39% to 42% in the second half of the calendar year. Once Trump’s telework crackdown took effect at SSA in March 2025, that figure fell to just 13% by last April. But officials told the watchdog agency that telework was a key recruitment and retention tool, and employees said in the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey that its relative paucity there compared to other federal agencies and private sector employers motivated a desire to leave.

News Article ● Labor Unionization Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Carlos Fuentes for OregonLive

An Oregon group backed by the state’s powerful labor unions is targeting at least four Democratic lawmakers through political ads in an effort to influence their votes on tax policy changes. The advertisements target Democratic Reps. Emerson Levy, Daniel Nguyen, Hai Pham and Sen. Janeen Sollman, all seen as more centrist members of their party.

News Article ● Labor Unionization Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Haley Cohen for Jewish Insider

A number of labor unions have seen a rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel activity since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks, despite many being historically supportive of Israel, dating back nearly a century, when many American unions donated money to the Histadrut, Israel’s national labor union. Multiple groups have now taken legal action against UAW branches in response to certain campaigns, which some legal experts allege were discriminatory against Israelis and Jews.

News Article ● Labor Unionization Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Felix Upton for Ringside News

Despite the criticism WWE gets over contracts and royalties, JR still stopped short of endorsing any organized labor for wrestlers. His reasoning? The unpredictability and constant change in the business. Jim Ross has never been one to sugarcoat things, and his stance on unionizing in wrestling proves it. Whether fans agree or not, he sees the system as one that rewards the top talent—if they know how to play the game.

News Article ● Strike Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Dana Sauchelli for New York Post

In an effort to prevent the walkouts, Kaiser proposed a 21.5% wage increase, but the the union said the company refused to bargain in good faith

Blog ● Labor Unionization Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Author for NFIB

NFIB also opposed HB 2471 and SB 6117, which would allow unionizing small businesses under the state’s Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) through card check (also called cross check). We also signed in opposed to HB 2409 and SB 6045, which would allow unionizing farm workers through that same process and agency.

Op-ed / Commentary ● Labor Strike Unions +

January 26, 2026 // Joseph Goldstein, Patrick McGeehan for New York Times

As a strike by health workers stretches into its second week, pay is a major issue in negotiations, even if it’s not discussed much on the picket line.

News Article ● Labor Strike Unionization Unions +

January 25, 2026 // JAIMIE DING for Associated Press

“We are going to have a force ... of working people to do whatever it takes, including striking if we have to during the Olympics in 2028,” Petersen said. “The Olympics can’t happen without the workers.” A coalition of labor groups, community organizations and religious institutions are pushing for the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee — known as LA28 — and the city to pay for building 50,000 housing units, pass a moratorium on short-term rentals like Airbnb, and protect immigrant workers.