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In the News
CEI partners with AFP & Urges Congress to Modernize Labor Laws with Pro-Worker Employee Rights Act
September 12, 2025 // author for Competitive Enterprise Institute
The Employee Rights Act is a comprehensive labor reform bill that would expand employee rights, protect workers’ flexibility, and improve worker led representation in the workplace by implementing policies that remove 20th century barriers for American families looking to thrive in the 21st century and beyond. Unlike the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act that former President Joe Biden and many progressive leaders continue to support, ERA offers bottom-up solutions that put workers and small business entrepreneurs first instead of special interests.
King Soopers Employees Hit Union Officials with New Federal Charges for Illegal Strike Fine Threats
September 11, 2025 // author for National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
This isn’t the first time UFCW Local 7 officials are alleged to have violated federal law. In 2022, after the UFCW ordered a strike, several employees filed charges against Local 7 officials for hitting them with fines despite being non-union members. In two cases where the employees received free legal aid from Foundation staff attorneys, union enforcers backed down from their fines rather than face discipline from the NLRB.
UAW process to oust Fain must restart, rendered invalid by monitor
September 11, 2025 // Liam Rappleye for Detroit Free Press
"It was a procedural error," said Dave Pillsbury, a team leader at the General Motors Flint Assembly plant, Local 598, who is behind the movement to pass the charges, along with vocal Fain dissident Brian Keller. According to Pillsbury, the UAW's consent decree, which outlines terms of oversight and punishment between the UAW and the federally appointed monitor who watches over the union, lays out guidelines for filing charges that differ from the UAW constitution.
Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote
September 11, 2025 // Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman for KQED
Workers at some of the Bay Area’s most popular rock climbing gyms have voted to unionize, joining colleagues at five gyms in Southern California that are in contract negotiations with their employer, Touchstone Climbing. Employees of Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, as well as The Studio in San Jose and Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, won their unionization votes on Monday night.
Union to vote on deal to end strike at Boeing defense branch
September 11, 2025
Labor leaders reached a tentative agreement with Boeing that could resolve a strike in the aviation giant's defense business, the union announced Wednesday. Some 3,200 workers in Missouri and Illinois are set to vote Friday on a preliminary agreement that includes wage increases, said a press release from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union.
Teachers unions sue over Trump immigration crackdown
September 11, 2025 // Lexi Lonas Cochran for The Hill
The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers joined a federal lawsuit Tuesday after the Trump administration took away the directive for immigration officials to stay away from school grounds. Although no Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials are known to have entered a school for enforcement, the lawsuit alleges people have been arrested while dropping off students and other parents have pulled students from school or certain activities due to fear of deportation.
Encore Boston Harbor Unionization Continues as Cage Workers Join Teamsters
September 11, 2025 // author for Casino.org
Proponents of unions say collective bargaining leads to better pay and benefits for workers, and gives employees a stronger voice against management and ownership. Opponents claim unions harm businesses by raising costs, hindering productivity, limiting worker autonomy, and contributing to economic instability.
Tenured faculty at Michigan State reach deal to unionize
September 11, 2025 // Susan Vela, for Lansing State Journal
A recognition agreement was signed by representatives from both MSU and the Union of Tenure System Faculty on Sept. 8, “following a neutral party verification confirming that a clear majority of eligible faculty submitted authorization cards in support of union representation,” union officials said in a release. The new union of nearly 2,000 members includes all faculty appointed under the rules of tenure and holding the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor employed by Michigan State University. Librarians without management duties are included.
‘The Pitt’ Production Assistants Vote to Unionize In Major Move
September 11, 2025 // Katie Kilkenny for Hollywood Reporter
The current slowdown in production has hit PAs particularly hard, rendering job opportunities scarcer and more competitive. Higher-ups like assistant directors and locations professionals have stepped back down into PA roles to keep working.
Walking Dead Production Driver Defends Victory over Teamsters for Unlawful Discrimination in Rigged “Hiring Hall”
September 11, 2025 // author for National Right to Work Committee
Terringus Walker, a transportation employee for Virginia-based movie and television productions like Walking Dead, is asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to uphold the central findings of an administrative law judge’s (ALJ) favorable ruling in his case against the Teamsters union. Walker charged Teamsters Local 592 union officials with retaliating against employees who previously filed Unfair Labor Charges against the union. Walker is receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
Commentary: ‘The Safety of Our Children’
September 11, 2025 // Kim Kavin for Freelance Busting
Here’s an interesting perspective from within the estimated 8,300 public comments that the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development uploaded last week, with regard to its proposed independent-contractor rule. Denise Lanza, co-chair of the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association Public Affairs Committee, filed a comment that explains how the rule-making would make it a challenge for the statewide parks and recreation community to hire people like youth league umpires and coaches, or yoga instructors for senior citizens at community centers.
Banning Forced Union Dues Found to Increase Investment by 68-82%
September 10, 2025 // author for National Institute for Labor Relations Research
“Using Census Bureau data, Drs. Maksimovic and Yang found that plants subjected to union monopoly bargaining have ‘lower and less effective incentives’ for employees. Consequently, unionized plants experience ‘higher rates of closure, reduced investment, and slower employment growth.’ “Right to Work laws significantly reduce the financial reward Big Labor reaps by securing monopoly-bargaining power over private-sector employees, because individual employees retain the freedom not to bankroll the union. Right to Work laws also inhibit the ability of union bosses to secure such privileges in an organizing campaign.
Stefanik, Hochul spar over rehiring COs who participated in strike
September 10, 2025 // ALEX GAULT for Watertown Daily Times
Officers and union officials have said that some of the 2,000 people fired were on approved leave, medical and family leave included. Some came in later that day, expecting to work their normal shift, but were told they’d been fired when they arrived. Under the terms of the Taylor Law, striking employees must be penalized up to two days pay per day on strike, and the state can appeal to the courts for orders to get people back to work under penalty of fine or prison time. Unions are absolutely barred from participating in or encouraging the strike, and can be decertified by the state if they’re found to have done so. The Watertown Daily Times reported in May that the department was proceeding with the grievance process for about 600 people; not everyone was going to get an offer to come back from that, and not all who did get an offer were going to take it. The union said they were working on 3,200 grievances.
New Seasons workers at store on Woodstock dump union
September 10, 2025 // Anna Del Savio for Northwest Labor Press
Workers at the Woodstock New Seasons Market store voted to go non-union in a 33-33 vote tallied Aug. 20. The store at 4500 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, had been the third location of the upscale grocer to join New Seasons Labor Union (NSLU) when workers unionized in December 2022.
Amazon Teamsters Face New Challenges in NYC
September 10, 2025 // John Kingston for Freightwaves
“The Cemex decision does two key things: one, institutes a new modified…doctrine that facilitates card check recognition; and two, lowers the threshold for when the Board will issue a bargaining order without holding an election,,” the law firm said in the post. The Teamsters spokesman said the union has had successful card check actions at more than 20 DSPs But in February, NLRB Acting General Counsel William B. Cowen issued a memo withdrawing earlier guidance on several earlier legal opinions, including the Cemex decision. That would seem to shut off the NLRB–which currently does not have a quorum but is awaiting Senate confirmation of two White House nominees–from approving a card check filing as a means to gain union recognition by Amazon or any employer…unless a full Republican-majority NLRB rules Amazon is a joint employer with the DSPs.
Spokane County library district unionizes, citing scheduling concerns
September 9, 2025 // Emily White for Spokesman Review
Spokane County Library District is one of the last nonunionized public library districts in the state, according to Council 2 Director Michael Rainey. Unions are typically certified 60-90 days after filing for union recognition. Once the union is certified, the library district will meet with union members to start negotiations for the employees' first contract, which will likely include issues like scheduling concerns and compensation.
Op-ed: Can Zohran Make NYC a Union Town Again?
September 9, 2025 // Eric Blanc for Z network
The new mayor could host big online unionization trainings with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have already done. If this led even a small fraction of Zohran’s 60,000-plus volunteers and over 6 million social media followers to start organizing their own workplaces—or to take a strategic job to unionize it—this could potentially generate thousands of new unionization campaigns. And were Mamdani to act upon our proposal to launch a broad Movement for an Affordable New York (MANY), then the pool of new potential workplace organizers would grow significantly.
University of Minnesota workers walk off the job, services disrupted
September 9, 2025 // Jennifer Hoff for KARE 11
Teamsters Local 320 started striking Monday at 10 p.m. on Morris and Crookston campuses, followed by Duluth and then Twin Cities at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
DOL Unveils Unified Agenda Highlighting Potential OSHA Rule Changes
September 9, 2025 // Jane H. Heidingsfelder for National Law Review
As part of the agenda, the DOL plans to revise numerous Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards by clarifying provisions believed to be hindering technological and economic development. Notably, the agenda remains focused on establishing a Heat Injury and Illness Prevention standard for outdoor and indoor settings. In addition, there appears to be no effort to narrow the use of the general duty clause. Employers are reminded to review internal safety policies to ensure they align with OSHA standards, properly train supervisors and HR professionals, and engage with workplace safety OSHA counsel to proactively identify and address potential hazards.
Report urges ending the unauthorized Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
September 9, 2025 // David S. McFadden for Competitive Enterprise Institute
“The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs created an expansive and costly regulatory regime and imposed it on private parties—federal contractors and subcontractors – without any authority from Congress,” explained David McFadden, author of the report. President Trump drew attention to the OFCCP in January 2025 when, soon after assuming office, he revoked a 1965 Executive Order issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson (E.O. 11246) that led to the establishment of the OFCCP. The Trump E.O. 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” ordered the OFCCP to cease requiring contractors to implement affirmative action plans, among other activities unauthorized by Congress. Since then, the Labor Department has indicated plans to shut the office down.
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