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In the News
Starbucks union organizing gave labor a jolt of energy in 2022
December 9, 2022 // But unionized stores still represent only about 3% of all company-operated locations across the country. And the number of stores filing to hold union votes has dropped since peaking this March.
Teachers Union Membership Drops by 59,000 Across the Nation
December 9, 2022 // NEA ended the school year with 2.5 million working members in 2021-22, down 40,107. AFT had 1.12 million, a loss of 19,078
Flanked by Union Allies, Biden Touts $36 Billion Pension Bailout
December 9, 2022 // President Joe Biden announced a $36 billion bailout for the Central States Pension Fund, one of the nation’s biggest multi-employer plans, touting the help for union workers and retirees as he looks to mend ties with organized labor after a contentious rail deal.
Michigan teachers unions continue to shed members
December 9, 2022 // The latest report from the state’s largest education union shows that the Michigan Education Association shed 1,000 members since the previous year, continuing a trend. The number comes from the LM-2, a financial report the MEA and other labor unions must file with the U.S. government. According to the report, MEA’s revenue decreased to $84.2 million, and its membership stands at its lowest in at least 22 years. Michigan has a right-to-work law, which prevents unions from getting a worker fired for not paying union dues or fees. When the law was enacted in 2012, the MEA had 117,265 members. The number has dropped consistently in the last ten years, reaching to 79,839, a 31.9% decline.
Major rally planned in Courthouse to support of unionized Starbucks employees
December 8, 2022 // A major rally is being planned for later this week in front of the county government headquarters, in a show of solidarity with recently-unionized Starbucks employees. The president of the AFL-CIO and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) are both expected to attend, among others. The rally is one of ten across the county, organized as part of a National Day of Action by Starbucks Workers United. It’s set for this Friday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. outside of the Bozman Government Center at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.
WWU student employees vote to unionize
December 8, 2022 // A news release says a supermajority of the students, who work as teachers, researchers and tutors, voted in favor of the union. They say organizing will help them negotiate for better health care, compensation and workplace protections.
Voting opens in key UAW test to organize U.S. battery plants
December 8, 2022 // Workers begin two days of voting on Wednesday to decide whether to unionize at a General Motors (GM.N)-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell manufacturing joint venture in Ohio. Workers at an Ultium Cells plant near Cleveland are voting on Wednesday and Thursday after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union petitioned to represent about 900 workers. Results of the election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board are expected on Friday. Last week, GM CEO Mary Barra told Bloomberg TV the company is "very supportive of the plant being unionized ... The employees are going to be voting, but we’re very supportive." In a trip to South Korea in May, President Joe Biden expressed support for workers seeking to unionize JV battery plants. The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners.
Around 300 QA workers at Microsoft-owned ZeniMax are organizing a union
December 8, 2022 // As labor movements in the video game industry build up momentum, over 300 quality assurance workers at ZeniMax Online Studios, former Bethesda parent company and current subsidiary of Microsoft, are in the process of organizing a union. The workers are organizing in collaboration with CODE-CWA, which has assisted in the formation of Activision Blizzard’s two unions. In a statement on Twitter, ZeniMax Workers United posted: “Today we, a majority of QA workers at ZeniMax, are proud to announce the launch of our union with [CODE-CWA]. We are the first group of workers at Microsoft to formally unionize. We are empowered to advocate for ourselves & build a future where we can thrive alongside the company.”
Flight Attendant Fired Over Religious Beliefs at Behest of TWU Union and Southwest Airlines Wins Reinstatement
December 8, 2022 // With free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, former Southwest Airlines flight attendant Charlene Carter has again triumphed in her federal lawsuit charging Transport Workers Union (TWU) officials and Southwest with illegally firing her over her religious beliefs and opposition to the union’s political activity. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas this week ordered Southwest and the union to give Carter the maximum amount of compensatory and punitive damages permitted under federal law, plus back-pay, and other forms of relief that a jury originally awarded following Carter’s victory in a July trial.
Rail workers warn of exodus after Congress forces through deal
December 8, 2022 // Railroad workers could leave the industry after Congress forced through a contract that does not provide them any paid sick days, an exodus that would ripple through an economy reliant on freight railroads to transport goods. The exit of thousands of train conductors and engineers would be felt by major corporations and U.S. consumers alike. It could slow the delivery of food, fuel and online orders while strangling already-shaky supply chains. Trillium Asset Management,
Twitter’s Workplace Practices Draw Fire as Janitors Picket and Musk Defends Bedrooms
December 7, 2022 // San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection said Dec. 6 it was launching an investigation into reports that Twitter converted several of its office spaces into bedrooms. Meanwhile, janitors are picketing this week after the company terminated their contract. Janitors told a local NBC affiliate on Nov. 5 they found themselves locked out of the building, with no prior warning the company was terminating their contract. The workers, who are represented by the Service Employees International Union, plan to picket outside of Twitter’s headquarters until their contract ends Dec. 9.
Noble Knight Games voluntarily recognizes employees’ union
December 7, 2022 // The union, called Noble Knight Games United, was organized through Communications Workers of America. It will consist of 58 workers, including those who provide customer service, ship online orders from its warehouse and work at its storefront at 2835 Commerce Park Drive, among others. The company has around 75 employees, but some are excluded because they are supervisors. The union alleges that management repeatedly held mandatory “union-busting” meetings in the weeks after it announced its unionization effort. Workers are seeking higher pay, “affordable benefits … healthy work-life balance, fair and transparent policies and procedures,”
The New York Times is bracing for a historic mass walkout as union negotiations go down to the wire
December 7, 2022 // The New York Times is preparing for more than 1,100 of its union staffers to go on strike for a full day Thursday — an act of protest that has not been staged by employees at the paper of record since the late 1970s. The historic work stoppage is set to go in effect at midnight on December 8 and last for an entire 24 hours. Instead of filing stories, employees will be seen picketing outside The Times’ offices at 1pm, with prominent journalists such as Nikole Hannah-Jones set to speak during a solidarity rally. Some major desks at the paper could lose a staggering 90% of their workforce during the strike, according to the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists and other staffers at The Times.
Workers try to unionize largest Amazon Air Hub in the world
December 7, 2022 // Ritze says an organizing committee of about 10 people is busy recruiting more people to learn about the union. "We're just really expanding that larger group around us right now ‒ across the different shifts and everything," he said. There are currently no national unions taking the local effort under their wing. The NLRB will conduct an election if at least 30% of workers sign cards or a petition saying they want a union. Then, if the majority of people vote in favor of a union, collective bargaining can begin. Alternatively, a workplace may voluntarily recognize a union.
History in the making as Schofield Home Care workers vote majority to unionize
December 7, 2022 // The employees of the Schofield Home Health Care in the Town of Tonawanda have won the vote to unionize with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
Nickelodeon Studios Production Workers Go Public With Wage Concerns During Union Drive
December 7, 2022 // TAG, an IATSE Local, said Monday that it is attempting to unionize 177 production managers, production coordinators, post production assistants, art production coordinators and asset coordinators, among others, at the studio. Though TAG has been busy organizing production workers at studios including Bento Box Entertainment and ShadowMachine since the start of the year, “To date, this is the largest bargaining unit of production workers to organize under The Animation Guild,” TAG said in a statement. According to TAG, a “supermajority” of this group voted to join the Guild in a card count.
New Poll Shows Strong Support for Michigan’s ‘Right-to-Work’ Law as 10th Anniversary Approaches
December 6, 2022 // An overwhelming majority of Michigan residents approve of the state’s right-to-work law in a new poll commissioned by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Next week will mark the 10-year anniversary of the law’s passage. Right-to-work has strong support across Republicans, Democrats, Independents, men, and women. The support held for every age group and in every region of Michigan. Union household supported the law by a nearly 2-to-1 margin (55% to 28%).
Apple Store Employees Chide Union in Rare Display of Pushback
December 6, 2022 // Employees sign petition asking not to be represented by group Apple Inc. retail employees pushed back on unionization efforts at a location in St. Louis, with staffers saying they don’t want to be represented by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, a labor group that recently attempted to organize the store.
SEIU intervenes in Wisconsin nurse unionization dispute
December 6, 2022 // Though SEIU cannot officially represent them, the union negotiated on behalf of UW Health nurses during the strike threat. The union gained concessions from UW Health and state lawmakers, ending the strike before it happened and paving the way for future unionization. The contradictions and various legal opinions surrounding this case suggest that WERC’s ruling will be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. A UW Health spokesperson said that the hospital will seek additional legal opinion on the issue, “We believe that an expedited decision on these important legal issues will best allow us to move forward, which is why we are petitioning the Wisconsin Supreme Court for an opinion on these questions.” WERC’s ruling is a temporary legal setback, but all signs point to further legal challenges to state laws on collective bargaining.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram strike marks a major moment for Texas newsroom unions
December 6, 2022 // When 21 reporters from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram announced their intention to walk out Monday, it made headlines. But as the first open-ended newsroom strike in Texas history, it was also a big step for the state’s fledgling newsroom unionizing efforts. In addition to the Star-Telegram newsroom, reporters at the Dallas Morning News and Al Dia; and the Austin American-Statesman unionized as news guilds in the past two years. The Star-Telegram is owned by McClatchy, the Statesman by Gannett, and the Dallas Morning News and Al Dia are owned by DallasNews Corp. All three unions are in the process of negotiating contracts and all of them have cited pay issues as a major driver.