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In the News
Three Takeaways From Our Investigation Into a Shady New York Union
August 21, 2026 // Sam Mellins for New York Focus
Our investigation into the union — International Brotherhood of Trade Unions, or IBOTU — found that it enriches its leaders at the expense of its members, who are low-wage workers in grocery stores, ambulance companies, and home health care, among other industries. The union has repeatedly been targeted by federal regulators for labor law violations, and some of its leaders have been arrested for criminal activity. IBOTU is also a family business: three of its current top officers married the founding president’s daughters. All three currently make about $1 million per year.
IATSE Local 479 Leadership Suspended Amid Corruption Concerns
August 21, 2026 // Katie Campione for Deadline
Local 479, which represents more than 7,000 film and television technicians across Georgia and Alabama, has been temporarily placed under the stewardship of several special representatives after President Matthew Loeb “declared an emergency” at the division last month, according to a letter sent to members and obtained by Deadline. “This decision was the result of an investigation in which reliable and credible information was brought to my knowledge that the property and membership rights of the Local were subject to irreparable injury if there was no temporary intervention,” Loeb’s letter to members read.
KC Streetcar workers vote to unionize after record summer, expansion talks
August 20, 2026 // Thomas White for The Beacon
Batton said pay starts at $20.99 an hour for operators, and they would like higher wages. There are no formal paid sick days outside of accrued paid time off. Break schedules are also inconsistent and often shrink when the system gets busy. Between two extensions of the streetcar and record ridership during the World Cup, the system has been busy.
Washington County company’s $3.66M strike settlement approved by National Labor Relations Board
August 20, 2026 // author for WPXI.com
The dispute stems from an economic strike that lasted from Sept. 19, 2019, through Aug. 16, 2021. In September 2021, representatives from the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America and UAW Local 1311 made an unconditional offer on behalf of employees to return to work.
Seattle TV On-Air Talent Officially Wins Freedom from Unwanted SAG-AFTRA Union Bosses After Successful Decertification Vote
August 20, 2026 // author for National Right To Work Foundation
The on-air staff at Seattle’s KOMO-TV have successfully won their independence from the union officials at the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The effort was led by Emmy-award winning reporter Jeremy Harris, who filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking “decertification” to end SAG-AFTRA’s monopoly bargaining power over all on-air talent. Harris’s petition was filed with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
Union Attack on School Choice Fails Miserably
August 20, 2026 // author for Goldwater Institute
In a major victory for school choice, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that Proposition 212, the anti-school choice measure funded by out-of-state special interests, failed to turn in enough valid signatures to appear on this November’s ballot. “Despite spending an unprecedented amount of money in an effort to deceive voters into restricting school choice, the unions could not convince even a small fraction of Arizonans to sign their petition,” said Victor Riches, President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute. “Instead, they had to resort to unlawfully collecting thousands of signatures to try to game the system and dupe their way onto the ballot.”
Mamdani goes after Amazon — and shows off his stunning hypocrisy
August 20, 2026
While Mamdani seeks to prohibit Amazon’s delivery contracting model, his administration used an outside company to supply 109 temporary professionals to handle homeless services under an $8.46 million renewal that ran through June 30. It also renewed an $11 million citywide trucking contract that supplies outside drivers and labor. In both cases, private companies employed their own workers who then performed the necessary work — the same model that Mamdani condemns at Amazon.
NLRB Holds Bargaining Proposal Alone Not an Unlawful Threat
August 20, 2026 // Jason Stanevich, Rosalie DiFlora, Giro Maccheroni for CBIA
In a recent decision, Inland Waters Pollution Control, Inc., a divided National Labor Relations Board held that an employer did not violate Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act merely by proposing contract language that would permit discipline for employees who filed “baseless, malicious or harassing grievances.” The board emphasized that placing a proposal on the bargaining table, standing alone, does not constitute an unlawful threat.
Progressive groups slam Royals stadium funding while labor unions back project
August 20, 2026 // Dylan Lysen, Chris Higgins for Kansas City Star
Many of the speakers who opposed the project were affiliated with Missouri Workers Power, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups that is trying to force a public vote on the project. One member of the group was forcibly removed from the City Council chambers
Unions ask Supreme Court to affirm judge who found Act 10 unconstitutional
August 19, 2026 // Erik Gunn for Wisconsin Examiner
The plaintiffs filed their state Supreme Court appeal Monday. They include unions affiliated with the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters. Act 10, one of the signature laws passed early in former Gov. Scott Walker’s two terms, ended collective bargaining rights for most state and local employees, making an exception for certain public safety employees. The law survived a series of court challenges in the years immediately after its passage.
Beverage Market strike nears 100 days as workers seek better pay and benefits
August 19, 2026 // BAILEE TUCKER for Fox Appalachia
Union representatives allege there have been confrontations involving people working at the business and those on the picket line. According to representatives, one striking worker was struck by a vehicle and another was shoved. The circumstances surrounding those incidents and whether any charges were filed could not immediately be independently verified.
Alleging illegal retaliation, union wins temporary halt to closure of St. Albans dairy plant
August 19, 2026 // Bear Savage for VTDigger
A federal judge granted an order to stop Dairy Farmers of America from closing the plant, which had been set to shut down on Monday. The dispute goes to court Thursday.
Samuel Adams Brewery Workers Declare Intent to Unionize
August 19, 2026 // Pedro Wolfe for The Daily Pour
The bulk of Samuel Adams beer is produced at company-owned breweries in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, the latter of which is not unionized. The Ohio location, however, inherited union workers when Boston Beer acquired the facility from Hudepohl-Schoenling in 1997. Organizers claim that the Boston Beer Company has had an adversarial relationship with unions. In February 2025, Teamsters Local 1199 filed unfair labor practice charges against the brewing juggernaut, claiming that newly recruited workers weren't being offered the same raises and working conditions as their senior counterparts.
Premier-Midwest, Teamsters strike sees ‘a little movement’; Some boycotting distributor
August 19, 2026 // Aaron Hegarty for KETV
Keith Gamerl, business agent at Teamsters Local 554, told KETV Tuesday there was "a little movement" at discussions a few weeks ago, but healthcare remains a "sticking point." The union had previously said the company was not coming to the table. Since Feb. 2, Teamsters union members have been sitting and picketing outside the Sarpy County facility.
Marion County’s largest union declares impasse, prepares for potential strike
August 19, 2026 // Madeleine Moore for Salem Reporter
The union has started circulating strike pledges, which gauge support within a union before taking a vote on whether to strike. At the end of July, organizers put up food donation boxes in anticipation of a strike. The extra food would help union members feed their families in the event of a labor dispute, but days later, they were gone.
Uber drivers won a 12-year fight to unionize. Robots have already taken the wheel
August 19, 2026 // Garrett Leahy
It’s a real victory for their cause, but in the years since drivers began organizing, the ride-hail industry has entered a new era. Robotaxis, once a bug-faced curiosity(opens in new tab), are shaping up to be an existential threat to human rideshare drivers. Experts disagree on the pace and scale of the labor transition, and policymakers are crafting regulations that may bear down on the autonomous vehicle industry. However, there are some warning signs in early-adopter cities. In San Francisco, Uber saw utilization and hourly earnings decline in 2025, it says.
NY drops union deal on latest I-81 contract to better chances with Trump
August 19, 2026 // Michelle Breidenbach for Syracuse.com
New York state will not require contractors on a $2.1 billion Interstate 81 contract to hire union workers for the first time on the largest ever transportation project in the state. The DOT has dropped the project labor agreement it used for the first half of the I-81 project as a preemptive measure to get approval from President Donald Trump’s administration, state and federal officials said.
Chicago Teachers Union sues Illinois Policy Institute, citing ‘toxic’ branding, ‘defamatory’ audit claims
August 19, 2026 // Tina Sfondeles for Chicago Sun-Times
Debates about the transparency of the CTU’s finances date back to 2024 and stem from one member’s complaint that the union is withholding financial information from members. CTU officials in January provided WBEZ/Sun-Times with a sign-in sheet that showed one of that suit’s plaintiffs had viewed the union’s audit reports, which don’t include information about the CTU’s foundation. The CTU has insisted that its constitution does not require the release of the full audits that also include the foundation’s finances. The new lawsuit claims the finalization of the audit reports were delayed for “innocuous reasons,” including that the finalization for fiscal year 2020 through 2023 were delayed due to complications from the pandemic and staffing turnover, as well as the impact of a lawsuit to protect pension benefits. The suit says the reports have been available to CTU members for review.
Freelance Busting: The “Core” Concern
August 18, 2026 // Kim Kavin for Freelance Busting
Take one look at the actual language of New York City’s Delivery Protection Act, and even a non-lawyer like me can see that it portends something eerily similar to California’s AB5. The slope is slippery. This bill’s language could be used in the future, with just a bit of alteration, to force union-ready employment status on all kinds of people who are currently earning some or all of our income as our own bosses
Thousands of San José City Workers Are Ready to Strike for Up to 3 Days
August 18, 2026 // Sara HossainiGuy Marzorati for KQED
Members of two municipal unions overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote after months of gridlock in negotiations with city leaders.