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In the News
Miami-Dade teachers union says it survives despite missing participation threshold
July 10, 2026 // Austin Horn for Miami Herald
Miami-Dade’s teachers union says it will survive another year, even after falling just shy of a 50% recertification voter participation threshold among eligible employees set by a recent law. A spokesperson for United Teachers of Dade said Tuesday they were informed by officials with the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) that the threshold did not apply to this election because the process began before July 1, when the law took effect. The union shared a signed form from PERC stating that the union had “prevailed” in the election. Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article316414172.html#storylink=cpy
Now eligible for a union, legislative staffers are organizing across California
July 9, 2026 // William Melhado for Sacramento Bee
The organizing campaign is still in its early stages: District staffers in the Bay Area are having one-on-one conversations with their colleagues in Southern California district offices; Capitol-based staffers are discussing priorities for the would-be union, and organizers are weighing options about which union they might eventually join.
Labor unions pull support of Portland City Councilor Mitch Green over construction project tensions
July 9, 2026 // Blair Best for KGW8
"With the Bull Run filtration plant in particular, which kind of started this tension, I raised the alarm that the water bonds we were going to have to issue for that plant are going to set ratepayers on a path that are going to see their water bill double," Green told KGW. The cost of building the filtration plant in east Multnomah County has skyrocketed from $500 million in estimates circa 2017 to $2.56 billion as of earlier this year. Right now, the way the city expects to pay for it is by increasing residential water rates between 8% and 10% each year for five years.
Columbus Metropolitan latest among central Ohio libraries to form union
July 9, 2026 // Dean Narciso for Columbus Dispatch
According to secret ballot election results released July 7 by Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board, 86% of valid ballots agreed to unionize. The new union includes about 600 librarians, customer service specialists, youth engagement specialists, materials services associates, drivers, sorters and other library workers. It does not include management or security staff. The vote count was 368-60, with roughly 428 employees casting mail-in ballots, according to the Ohio Federation of Teachers, which began organizing the library's union in 2024. The union also represents many of central Ohio's suburban public libraries, including Worthington, Grandview Heights, Pickerington, Upper Arlington and Delaware County. All six now have labor contracts.
Hochul Extends Program to Hire Government Workers Faster. Mamdani Opts Out.
July 9, 2026 // Nick Garber for New York Focus
But opting into NY HELPS could risk blowback from city unions like DC37 and the United Federation of Teachers, which are generally allied with the pro-labor mayor and were among the unions that sued to block Adams’s attempt. “We have thousands of workers already on the civil service list who have taken the exams, who have gone through the process of paying the fee, who have taken all the necessary requirements to qualify,” DC37 executive director Henry Garrido said of NY HELPS at an April City Council hearing. “It’s not fair to those people who have done so.”
Kim Kavin: ‘Severely Broken’
July 9, 2026 // Kim Kavin for Freelance Busting
New Jersey lawmakers should begin by passing ACR73 and SCR62. These concurrent resolutions, already introduced in the state Senate and Assembly, would declare the new independent-contractor rule inconsistent with legislative intent and would invalidate it. That’s the quick fix to stop the very real threat that is causing even some of the highest-earning professions to seek carveout protections before the rule takes effect October 1.
Nurses, home care clinicians launch large-scale strike in Boston
July 9, 2026 // Megan Fahrney for ABC News
Nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mass General Brigham home care clinicians took to the streets Wednesday morning for a strike set to involve roughly 4,500 workers, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The strike would be the largest nurse and healthcare professional strike in Massachusetts history, according to a Massachusetts Nurses Association press release.
Commentary: Both University of Chicago Press and Hachette Book Group have voted to unionize.
July 9, 2026 // Brittany Allen for Literary Hub
This effort is part of a nationwide labor movement that’s currently gunning for the publishing industry—and gaining huge wins. For just yesterday, employees at the Hachette Book Group also voted (388 to 130) to unionize with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild. This victory is historic for its size. According to Publishers Weekly, the Hachette Workers Coalition—i.e., the org behind the union drive— speaks for “600 union-eligible remote and NYC-based staff,” making it the largest union in trade publishing history.
Op-ed– MY TURN: Washington’s one-size labor law doesn’t fit Alaska
July 9, 2026 // Alicia Maltby for Juneau Empire
Forced arbitration doesn’t resolve disputes. It delays them and adds uncertainty to project timelines that are already difficult to manage. For the major energy and infrastructure projects Alaska is now positioned to advance, that uncertainty isn’t just an inconvenience. It could be catastrophic. America needs bold steps toward a more robust energy future, and shortsighted federal mandates stand in the way of that.
Opinion: The Faster Labor Contracts Act could enable antisemitism
July 8, 2026 // Brigette Herbst for JNS
The FLCA’s cure is worse than the disease, and in today’s union environment, the disease is increasingly political. According to a recent study by the Gevura Fund, “Combined [National Education Association] spending on political activities, lobbying and contributions to outside organizations totals approximately $175 million in FY2025, nearly four times the $45 million spent on direct member representation.” The National Education Association is a public-sector teachers’ union, but its conduct represents a broader pattern, considering how politicized unions have become. The FLCA would essentially fast-track union contracts built on ideological activism rather than workers’ rights.
The moment tensions erupted between UAW’s Fain, federal monitor
July 8, 2026 // Luke Ramseth, Breana Noble, for Detroit News
The expletive-laden discussion from February 2024 — details of which have never before been reported — is newly relevant after the court-appointed monitor, Neil Barofsky, released his latest blistering report about the union last month. It described how Fain, who is up for reelection this fall, had retaliated against union Vice President Rich Boyer, improperly used his authority to benefit his fiancée and her sister, and destroyed evidence including text messages.
Federal employees face reality of Schedule Policy/Career
July 8, 2026 // Drew Friedman for Federal News Network
Trump administration officials have said the creation of Schedule Policy/Career aims to improve employee accountability and ensure the federal workforce is carrying out the president’s policy agenda. A senior administration official last month told reporters, “As long as employees are performing their job duties in a competent, professional manner,” then reclassified federal employees “have nothing to be afraid of.”
House launches probe into AFT boss Randi Weingarten tapping teachers’ union spending to write ‘manifesto’ book
July 8, 2026 // Carl Campanile for New York Times
As part of its sweeping investigation, it requested Weingarten turn over by July 21 all AFT expenditures related to the drafting, publishing, promoting and tour activities associated with the book; all agreements between AFT and outside parties and documents of all work performed by AFT employees on the book. See Also An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Randi Weingarten holding her book "Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy", Image 2 shows Randi Weingarten holding a copy of her book, "Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy." AFT boss Randi Weingarten tapped union resources worth over $1.4M to write ‘manifesto’ book Walberg and Allen said they have a responsibility to ensure that unions representing American workers operate “transparently and that union members receive a full accounting of how their dues are utilized.”
Sources corroborate whistleblower claims of corruption, quid pro quo culture inside powerful NYC union
July 8, 2026 // Andrew Mark Miller , Robert Schmad for Fox News
The letter, reviewed by Fox News Digital, asserts that top officials within the New York Hotel Trades Council and UNITE HERE Local 6, including President Richard Maroko, participated in actions that violated internal policies, fiduciary obligations and possibly federal law. The union denies all allegations of impropriety and organized two internal investigations carried out by third-party lawyers who found the whistleblower's claims to be unsubstantiated.
Commentary: Faster Contracts, Bigger Problems
July 7, 2026 // Steve Bruns for My County Link
TThe FLCA isn’t just about wages and hours. Some argue that it is also a backdoor for big unions to impose radical left ideology into the workplace. The Wall Street Journal editorial board recently warned, “Unions, allied with Democrats, have long supported a progressive agenda that includes collective bargaining for abortion coverage and transgender healthcare.” Under the FLCA, government arbitrators could force provisions for things like abortion coverage, gender-affirming care, and DEI mandates into a contract and lock them in for two years. Employers and workers alike would have little recourse. Not only is this bill flawed, but it also skipped the normal legislative process.
New constitution, 32-hour workweek, noncitizen voting: What’s in the DSA platform
July 7, 2026 // Lauren Green for Washington Examiner
The Democratic Socialists of America platform calls for ambitious reforms, including the adoption of a new constitution and allowing noncitizens to vote, according to its program for 2025 and 2026. Socialists have been on the rise after candidates such as Melat Kiros and Darializa Avila Chevalier beat longtime Democratic incumbents and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated the Democratic establishment in last year's mayoral race.
PECO worker strike ends: IBEW Local 614 wins pensions, retirement medical, wage hikes
July 7, 2026 // Kamryn Scrivens for FOX 29 Philadelphia
The new contract guarantees cash balance pension plans, full retirement medical coverage, and significant wage increases for all IBEW Local 614 members, according to the press release. The agreement also allows members to see any doctor for medical certifications, requires 24-hour notice for mandatory overtime in the call center, and doubles upgrade pay for members doing work outside their usual job duties.
Op-ed: Why teachers unions fear, and fib about, new federal program
July 7, 2026 // Andrew Lewis for Washington Examiner
Perhaps the unions are right to be scared. Anything that introduces competition into the educational landscape threatens their monopoly. When you read between the lines of Weingartner and Pringle’s letter, you can almost hear the death rattle. But in the end, this isn’t about the unions. This is about kids who deserve a high-quality education regardless of their household income or zip code. And anybody who gets between them and their parents would be wise to choose their words more carefully.
Phoenix Logistics Workers Send Teamsters Bosses Packing With Successful Petition for Decertification
July 7, 2026 // author for National Right To Work Foundation
Employees at Phoenix Logistics, LLC in Fort Dix have successfully regained their independence from International Brotherhood of Teamsters union bosses. This came as a result of employee Nicholas Rapa filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which called for a “decertification” election to remove Teamsters Local 35 as the exclusive bargaining “representative” of Rapa and his coworkers, medical equipment operators assigned to Fort Dix for training.
OPM finalizes performance review overhaul for federal employees
July 7, 2026 // Drew Friedman for Federal News Network
Along with limiting how many employees can be deemed high performers, OPM’s final rule also eliminates “level 2” of the government’s five-level scale for employee performance ratings; removes the ability for employees to contest their performance ratings through grievance and arbitration proceedings; and requires OPM to review agencies’ performance rating systems every other year. Supervisors’ performance reviews will now be tied, in part, to “driving a culture of accountability,” and they will have to complete additional training on the new rating system. Also under the final rule, agency officials will no longer be required to review any “unsatisfactory” performance ratings.