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In the News
Teamsters nurses authorize strike against Michigan-based Corewell Health East
March 18, 2026 // DeJanay Booth-Singleton for CBS Detroit
Corewell Health East nurses, who are represented by the Teamsters union, voted on Tuesday to authorize a strike against the health system over their contract. According to the union, the vote from 10,000 nurses at nine hospitals and campuses received 90% approval for authorization. The union says that the nurses, who have been discussing their contract since June 2025, demand a safe nurse-to-patient ratio, fair wages, affordable health insurance and better workplace safety.
174 Workers Employed At The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest In Nevada ‘Go Union’ With The International Association Of Machinists
March 18, 2026
Public defenders bring fight for unionization to Beacon Hill
March 18, 2026 // Trajan Warren for WGBH
On Monday, those state workers pleaded their case for the right to unionize and advocate for higher pay. Workers at the organization that oversees the state public defender system, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, have been discussing unionization for years and took their concerns to the state lawmakers.
California Teachers Association president denies organization ordered coordinated strikes | California Politics 360
March 17, 2026 // Ashley Zavala for KCRA
"CTA doesn't line up contracts," said CTA President David Goldberg, stating local unions coordinated the effort that was then supported by the statewide group, not mandated. "It's the result of the conditions in which educators are working under decades of disinvestment." Goldberg noted that teachers statewide are asking for better pay and more resources for students. He said school districts in the Sacramento area, such as Twin Rivers and Natomas, are "hoarding millions." But school districts are not cash cows or revenue generators. Several school districts impacted are struggling financially, and they rely on state tax dollars. California has been grappling with back-to-back-to-back state budget deficits that are expected to persist over the next several years.
Two ex-Boilermakers plead guilty in $20M racketeering case involving KC-based union
March 17, 2026 // Judy L. Thomas for Kansas City Star
Two former members of the Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers set to go to trial in May pleaded guilty Monday to racketeering conspiracy and embezzlement from a labor organization in an alleged $20 million scheme involving union funds. Warren Fairley — who took over for a short stint as president of the union in 2023 after its leaders ousted longtime leader Newton Jones — and Jones’ son, Cullen Jones, entered their guilty pleas in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas.
Union Effort at New York Transit Museum Heads to a Vote
March 17, 2026 // Cameron Leo for BK Reader
Museum workers first announced plans to unionize in early February, a decision they say was driven by concerns over job insecurity, unfair compensation, a lack of transparency around managerial decision-making, and isolation between workers in separate departments. The museum management’s decision to deny voluntary recognition marked a shift in its response toward unions at the institution: Last year, when three dozen sales associates working in the Transit Museum gift shop unionized through the Transport Workers Union 100, museum management opted to recognize the union voluntarily, allowing those workers to move forward without an NLRB election.
‘Empty refrigerators and eviction notices’: TSA union leaders demand end to DHS shutdown
March 17, 2026 // Louis Casiano for FOX Business
DHS has been partially shut down for more than 30 days as Republicans hold out for a budget proposal that fully funds all parts of the agency. Democrats have said they're willing to fund individual branches within the department, including TSA, but not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) until the Trump administration agrees to immigration reform.
How CA state worker unions have fared since landmark SCOTUS decision reshaped membership
March 17, 2026 // William Melhado for Sacremento Bee
According to eight years of data obtained from the State Controller’s Office on the number of dues-paying state workers, some unions have slowly bled members since the Janus decision. For other bargaining units, the membership level has dropped 20% over that period. Labor groups representing peace officers and prison staff, however, hardly saw a change pre- and post-Janus. And still other units have increased the percentage of workers who pay monthly membership dues, the data revealed. Nearly 10 years before the Janus decision, the public’s approval of unions hit a historic low. In 2009, Americans’ approval ratings dipped below 50% for the first and only time since the public opinion polling company Gallup began assessing ratings of labor unions in 1936. In the years since, the public’s opinion of labor unions has improved substantially. Last year, 68% of Americans reported approval of unions.
Union sues Trump admin. alleging workers lost jobs because they are immigrants
March 17, 2026 // Tim Nazzaro for WCVB
The workers claim they lost their jobs because they are immigrants. Advertisement All four worked as cabin cleaners and had what were called "Customs access seals." These seals allowed individuals, such as airport workers, to enter U.S. Customs and Border Protection security areas within the airport.
Columbia student worker union authorizes strike amid contract talks, Israel boycott demands
March 17, 2026 // Mike Wagenheim for JNS
Student Workers of Columbia, a union representing roughly 3,500 graduate and undergraduate student workers at Columbia University, has “overwhelmingly” authorized a strike as part of ongoing contract negotiations with the university, including demands for an institutional boycott of Israel.
Thousands of workers strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the US
March 16, 2026 // MATTHEW BROWN, MORGAN LEE, Brittany Peterson for Associated Press
As the sun rose, employees picketed outside the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, one of the largest slaughterhouses in the nation that’s owned by JBS USA. Walking back and forth in the morning cold, bundled in blankets, some yelled “huelga!” — Spanish for “strike.” Others waved signs encouraging people to not buy from JBS. The first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades follows accusations from union officials that the company retaliated against workers and committed other unfair labor practices. They said the company offered wage increases of less than 2% annually, which is below Colorado’s inflation rate.
NALC Union Boss Marcus Miller Better Get Used to a Prison Cell
March 16, 2026 // author for National Institute for Labor Relations
Marcus Miller, former Vice President of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 775 (located in Niles, Mich.), was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day of imprisonment. Upon release, Miller will be placed on probation for two years. He was also ordered to pay $54,120 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. On October 16, 2025, Miller pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c).
Commentary: The Federal Government Just Moved to Restore the Owner-Operator Model – Here Is What Actually Changed, What Did Not, and What You Still Need to Watch
March 16, 2026 // Adam Wingfield · for Freightwaves
Three times in five years. That is how many times the federal standard governing whether an owner-operator is legally classified as an independent contractor or an employee has fundamentally shifted under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The 2021 Trump rule. The 2024 Biden rule. And now, on February 27, 2026, the Department of Labor’s formal proposal to rescind the 2024 rule and return to something close to the 2021 framework. Each time this pendulum swings, the trucking industry produces a wave of celebration or alarm depending on which direction it moved. The industry’s reaction to this latest move has been heavily celebratory — and not without reason. But if you are running a small fleet or operating as an owner-operator, the celebration needs to come with a clear-eyed understanding of what this rule change actually does, what it does not do, and where the real risk to your business model still sits.
With teachers union support, committee approves charter school mandates
March 16, 2026 // Jim Talamonti for The Center Square
An Illinois lawmaker’s union-backed proposal to place new mandates on charter schools in the state is generating debate. State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, told the Illinois Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday she has been working on Senate Bill 3391 for a couple of years. The Chicago Teachers Union supports the legislation. CTU Legislative Director Hilario Dominguez said Chicago Public Schools spent about $35 million stabilizing failed charter operators.
For Portland Community College students, the fallout from ongoing strike is ‘visible everywhere’
March 16, 2026 // author for Oregon Live
Al-Amreeki and others described mounting fear for some students over financial pressures, given uncertainty over when and how student aid packages will be processed or when they can return to campus jobs, given the college shutdown. Portland Community College says it is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, with more than 50,000 full-time and part-time students, including thousands who take non-credit courses. Nearly half of its students are non-white, and about 40% are over the age of 25; most work and support their families while attending the school.
UC-wide strike averted after tentative agreement with UAW
March 16, 2026 // Cam Lippincott for Daily Cal
A UC systemwide strike will likely be averted after UAW and the University of California reached a tentative agreement Friday after seven months of negotiations. UAW 4811, the union that represents 48,000 student employees, postdocs and academic researchers across the UC system, announced the tentative agreement in an email Friday night.
Former Dallas Police Union Head Pleads Guilty After Lying About Fatal Crash
March 15, 2026 // author
Jaime Castro, the former president of the Dallas Police Association, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to police about a 2025 traffic crash that killed 25-year-old Atianna Washington. As part of the plea agreement, Castro will surrender his peace officer license, complete DWI education classes, pay a fine, and serve one year of probation.
Op-ed: LABOR SEC CHAVEZ-DEREMER: Our plan to rescind the Biden independent contractor rule
March 15, 2026 // Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Fox News
In that spirit, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released a proposed rule that provides clarity to help workers and employers alike determine when a worker is properly classified as an independent contractor and when that worker is an employee owed rigorous protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In proposing this rule, we celebrate the decisions of Americans who choose to test their entrepreneurial spirit — the same spirit on which our country was founded 250 years ago.
Public employee unions push to sweeten retirement
March 15, 2026 // Evan Dawson, Megan Mack, Julie Williams for WXXI News
At a massive rally in Albany, public employees attacked Tier VI, the state law that restricts pensions for workers under the age of 63. Fiscal conservatives argue that unions want taxpayers to pay them more for working less. The unions counter that it’s a matter of fairness — and it’s making it hard to recruit talent.
Sixth Circuit Rejects NLRB’s Cemex Bargaining Order Framework
March 15, 2026 // Franczek P.C. for JD Supra
On March 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a significant decision in Brown‑Forman Corporation d/b/a Woodford Reserve Distillery v. National Labor Relations Board, rejecting the Board’s controversial 2023 Cemex Construction framework, which altered the longstanding standard for union recognition and expanded the circumstances under which the Board could issue bargaining orders—even when a union did not win an election.