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In the News
The Buckeye Institute Wins Settlement in Education Union Dues Case
August 25, 2025 // author for Buckeye Institute
The Buckeye Institute won another legal victory, this time for Beth Queen, a science teacher in Poland, Ohio, and Buckeye’s client in Queen v. NEA. Immediately after The Buckeye Institute filed the case, the Ohio Education Association agreed to settle the dispute to Ms. Queen’s satisfaction. “With this settlement, the OEA properly recognized Ms. Queen’s claims and avoided costly and protracted litigation for all involved,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and an attorney representing Ms. Queen.
Rhode Island Employer-Sponsored Meetings Ban Law Now in Effect
August 25, 2025 // author for NFIB
The new law prohibits employers from holding mandatory worker meetings to explain what unionizing will mean for the business from an employer’s perspective. This also means labor organizers will have an unchallenged narrative on unionization. Identical laws in Connecticut, Minnesota, and other states face legal challenges citing the law is superseded by the National Labor Relations Act as well as federal labor law precedent. Rhode Island’s new law is likely to face a similar challenge, something NFIB and other organizations warned when lawmakers considered these bills
Op-ed: Ohio needs to wrest control of public schools from the teachers’ un
August 25, 2025 // Aaron Churchill for Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Bureaucratic schools where merit doesn’t matter. Unions have used their clout, including their ability to elect pro-union school boards, to secure lengthy, incredibly detailed employment contracts that advance their interests while tying up school leaders with red tape. These contracts include job protections (even for incompetent teachers), onerous procedural hoops that schools must follow to evaluate or discipline an employee, and benefits that exceed what many private sector employees enjoy (e.g., generous healthcare, even for retirees, and paid leave). Moreover, following a union-supported state law, these contracts require Ohio teachers to be paid according to rigid salary schedules that reward seniority and degrees instead of classroom effectiveness and individual talent—a merit-based approach to compensation that has proven to benefit students in the (few) places where it has been tried. Escalating spending.
Op-ed: A GOP-Teamsters Alliance Makes No Sense
August 24, 2025 // Ken Giradin for City Journal
Republicans getting on board with these ideas aren’t just awkward—they’re incoherent. There’s little evidence that endorsements from Teamsters executives move the needle in general elections, for parties or for candidates. Can Republicans credibly argue that filling the Teamsters’ coffers (and campaign-donation kitty) will result in the sort of political realignment some hope for, or even a lasting political windfall? The only guaranteed outcome is more power for the Teamsters and other unions over U.S. labor relations. If these overtures to the Teamsters backfire, Republicans can’t say they weren’t warned. As one GOP politician running for Missouri attorney general tweeted in 2015, after labor-aligned Republicans derailed state right-to-work legislation, “time for an end to union-backed candidates in GOP.”
Laid-off Denver employees must give up right to sue to get severance
August 24, 2025 // Alayna Alvarez for Axios
Laid-off employees are being told that to receive severance, they must sign a legal waiver within 30 days — 45 days if they're over age 40 — giving up their right to sue the city. Between the lines: Johnston ran for mayor in 2023 as Denver's progressive favorite, drawing key endorsements from labor unions. Now, as his administration shields the city from legal fallout because of the cuts, some local union leaders and social justice advocates say he's betraying city staff.
Unions, contractors clash over proposal to require labor equity in Spokane projects
August 24, 2025 // Emry Dinman for The Spokesman Review
Priority hires must either be a graduate from a state-certified pre-apprenticeship program; a veteran, person of color, woman, those formerly convicted of a crime, formerly homeless or a tribal member; or living in an area of the city with higher rates of poverty and lower rates of higher education and employment. “We do not believe the government should mandate or compel any firm to change its labor policies in order to perform these projects,” said Cheryl Stewart, executive director for the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, during a Monday reading of the proposal. “This law is not inclusive, it’s exclusive: over 85% of Washington’s workforce is non-union, and 98% of women- and minority-owned firms are non-union, and these contractors and their employees would be shut out or forced to change their labor policies.”
Podcast: Championing Worker Freedom Across The States: Alan Jernigan and Vincent Vernuccio on ALEC TV
August 23, 2025 // Vinnie Vernuccio, Alan Jernigan for ALEC
As debates over worker rights ripple across the country, one message continues to echo from state to state: workers deserve the freedom to choose the work arrangements that fit their lives best. But how should lawmakers turn that principle into policy?
GE Aerospace workers vote to authorize strike amid contract disputes
August 23, 2025 // author for WKRC
The UAW members at GE voted 84% in favor of authorizing a strike at any point after the contract expires at midnight on Aug. 27. That does not mean that a strike has started, simply that they have authorized one should it be necessary.
Union-registered nurses issue notice on possible strike at Henry Ford Genesys
August 23, 2025 // Elisse Ramey for WNEM
The Teamsters Local 332 president representing them posted a video on Facebook Wednesday night announcing 93% of members voted the company’s contract offer down. Thursday, Aug. 21, the union issued a 10 day notice, threatening to strike on Sept. 1. The union and the hospital been working to negotiate a new contract since April.
Sean O’Brien Has a Credit Card for You
August 22, 2025 // Editorial Board for Wall Street Journal Opinion
Mr. O’Brien likes to denounce credit-card issuers for their rates. Interest rates on “credit cards are 19 to 29 to 30% depending on your credit,” he said in a recent interview. “So it’s like a strategy I think just to keep people in debt now and make them beholden to work in 2 or 3 jobs.”
Newsom used telework as a bargaining chip. State worker unions see opportunity
August 22, 2025 // author for Sacramento Bee
With this win over telework, an issue which unions previously had little leverage over, labor groups hope they can gain even more traction in future negotiations, to secure even stronger protections over when employees can work from home. On top of that, labor’s argument against requiring state employees to be in the office four days a week received a boost from the independent audit released last week. “Now we actually have an audit that backs up what we have been saying,” said Susan Rodriguez, the chief negotiator for SEIU Local 1000. Auditors surveyed departments, many of which reported their employees were just as or more productive working from home, which Rodriguez said the union has been touting all along. Telework “saves money for the state so they can use it towards more meaningful programs,” she said.
UnityPoint Des Moines nurses push unionization, Democratic Senate hopefuls show support
August 22, 2025 // Skylar Tallal for CBS 2 Iowa
Teamsters Local 90 in Des Moines announced they're endorsing State Senator Zach Wahls to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate.
Naperville teachers warn of strike as contract talks drag on
August 22, 2025 // Digital Staff for Fox 32
Union leaders said negotiations have dragged on since February, and with the school year underway and no contract in place, negotiations have continued.
Chairman Walberg Presses Largest Teachers Union over Pattern of Antisemitism
August 22, 2025 // author for House Education and the Workforce Committee
The Committee on Education and Workforce (Committee) is investigating antisemitism at the National Education Association (NEA), which represents more than three million public school educators and administrators across the United States. Specifically, the Committee is gravely concerned about antisemitic content in the NEA’s 2025 handbook and the NEA Representative Assembly’s vote in July 2025 to ban materials by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This investigation will aid the Committee in considering whether potential legislative changes, including legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination within labor unions and to combat antisemitism in federally funded schools, are needed.”
Iron Workers Union President Kyle Chasse Pleads Guilty to All 13 Criminal Counts
August 22, 2025
Lying and stealing—Iron Workers Local 745’s former leader pleads guilty to a string of federal offenses. "Kyle Chasse, former President of Iron Workers Local 745 (located in Kittery, Maine), pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343 and 18 U.S.C. 1001(a)(3), respectively. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office."
Plan Sponsors Get Go-Ahead on Alternatives as DOL Shifts Stance
August 22, 2025 // Fred Barstein for 401ktv
For plan sponsors, this regulatory shift provides much-needed clarity and removes a significant deterrent that had been hanging over alternative investment discussions. The DOL has essentially returned to a neutral, principles-based approach that allows fiduciaries to evaluate all investment options based on their merits rather than facing special scrutiny for considering alternatives.
Most L.A. city employee layoffs averted by deals with unions
August 22, 2025 // David Zahniser, Noah Goldberg for LA Times
The layoffs would have affected 222 civilian LAPD employees, such as clerks and administrative support workers. No sworn LAPD officers were slated to be laid off, but some would have had to do the work of the civilians who departed. "We are continuing to do everything we can to bring layoff numbers down and I want everyone to know that we are still working and anticipate this number to get even lower," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "These numbers are not final." Meanwhile, the Engineers and Architects Assn. authorized a deal for its 6,000 members to take as many as five unpaid vacation days — effectively furloughs — between Jan. 1 and June 30 next year, which could amount to about a 2% pay cut. The deal saved the jobs of 63 Engineers and Architects Assn. members who do not work for the LAPD, in roles such as city planner, analyst and civilian investigator.
BlueOval SK begins production one week out from pivotal union vote. Here’s what that means
August 21, 2025 // Connor Giffin, Olivia Evans for Loisville Courrier Journal
Production is beginning just one week ahead of a major crossroads for workers. Plant staff will vote on whether or not to unionize with the United Auto Workers on Aug. 26 and 27.
Steelworkers President Michael Evanovich Faces Indictments
August 21, 2025 // author for National Institute for Labor Relations
Michael Evanovich, President of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1219, faces indictments for embezzlement and false reporting. From the Department of Labor:
SAG-AFTRA Confronts a Fran-less Future
August 21, 2025 // Kate Kilkinney for Hollywood Reporter
But now, with another tough contract negotiation on the horizon, SAG-AFTRA is going to have to push forward without its erstwhile leader from Queens. This time around, Drescher has decided against running for president. In her place, another celebrity, Lord of the Rings and Rudy star Sean Astin, and a rank-and-file performer, New England Local board member Chuck Slavin, are battling it out for the job. The stakes are high, given that the candidates face a darker and more foreboding landscape than the one that even Drescher confronted when she entered office in 2021 during the pandemic.
Blog Research ● Labor Unions
author
A ‘Copy And Paste’ Campaign? – Opponents ‘Flood The U.S. Department Of Labor With Identical Comments Against Proposed Union Rule