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In the News
Social Security ends flexible work schedules, teeing up clash with union
October 13, 2026 // Jory Heckman for Government Executive
The Trump administration eliminated collective bargaining at more than 20 agencies last year through a pair of executive orders, on the grounds that these changes were necessary for national security reasons. SSA, however, wasn’t impacted by the executive orders and still recognizes AFGE. Its contract with the union is effective until Oct. 25, 2029.
Shawn Fain Claims Victory in UAW Election Rout
October 13, 2026 // Christopher Otts for Wall Street Journal
UAW Vice President Mike Booth, who ran on a ticket opposing Fain, told The Wall Street Journal that there is no doubt about the outcome. Fain faced five challengers, including a UAW vice president with whom he had feuded. Fain’s allies defeated top UAW officials whom Fain viewed as impediments to his agenda for vice-presidential slots and other key roles.
Mass General Brigham nurses union votes to postpone strike, allow members to vote on offer
October 13, 2026 // author for WHDH
In a statement, the Brigham Nurses’ MNA Committee said it decided to postpone the strike so its 4,000 nurses could vote on the hospital’s latest contract offer, which, if approved, would run through September 30, 2028.
Business costs are increasing, and unions are not helping. Here’s what employers need to know.
October 13, 2026 // Ben Walker for Entrepreneur
Business expenses are rising, and while unions have historically improved wages and working conditions, increased unionization has added further challenges to controlling business costs. Union membership hit a 16-year high in 2025, driven largely by growing interest among younger and minority workers, and continued growth could increase the costs of goods and services we frequently use. Businesses offering a safe and productive working environment, along with competitive pay structures, will reduce the need for organized labor and its associated costs.
United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain easily wins re-election
October 13, 2026 // Michael Sainato for The Guardian
In July 2026, the Department of Justice announced it was investigating Fain over allegations he pressured Boyer, another union official, to provide benefits to his fiancee and sister and then retaliated against him when Broyer refused to cooperate. Fain denied the allegations and characterized them as an attempt to interfere in the election. Fain won his first election to serve as the union’s president as a reform candidate in March 2023. He has clashed with the union’s independent monitor, Neil Barofsky, claiming the monitor was weaponized by his re-election opponent. The monitor was also accused of pressuring Fain over the UAW’s passing of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Keith Sonderling sworn in as 31st US Secretary of Labor
October 13, 2026 // author for Department of Labor
Upon announcing his nomination, President Trump said, “Throughout his career, Keith has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role.” While serving as Deputy Secretary of Labor, Sonderling oversaw the department’s day-to-day operations, including strategic planning, budget formulation, financial management, information technology, and human resources. From September 2020 to August 2024, Sonderling served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including as Vice Chair from 2020 to 2021. During his tenure, he became a leading global voice on super intelligence in the workplace, publishing extensively and speaking around the world on SI and the future of work. Following his service at the EEOC, Sonderling led President Trump’s Department of Labor transition team before returning to the Department in January 2025.
Thousands more Chicago hotel workers could strike at any moment
October 13, 2026 // Carrie Shepherd for Axios
Union members say they want better health care benefits, pensions, protection for immigrant workers, wages that keep up with inflation and safer workloads. A 2025 survey by the UNITE HERE Local 1 union found 32% of its members lacked money to cover their rent or mortgage and around 29% lacked money to cover utility bills in the last 12 months.
Opinion: Stanford’s RAs aren’t ready to unionize
October 13, 2026 // Eli Zerr for Standford Daily
However, the issues raised publicly by Resident Assistants United Rising (RAUR) have failed to convince me that unionization would address their concerns. Most importantly, it’s not obvious what their strategy with unionization actually is. Recently, RAUR made the politically savvy move of withdrawing their National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) petition to avoid a scenario where student worker labor rights are overturned nationwide. However, as they mention in their statement, RAUR is still seeking union recognition.
What is New York hiding? How teachers unions are rigging school rankings
October 12, 2026 // Aaron Withe for Washington Examiner
Success Academy has now sued New York Education Commissioner Betty Rosa in federal court, arguing the state’s decision improperly prevents the charter network from communicating independently verified information about its students’ performance. But the controversy raises a broader question extending beyond one charter network or one magazine’s rankings: Why shouldn’t state residents have a right to see objective data about the schools their tax dollars are paying for?
1,753 Reasons WFSE Should Be Worried
October 12, 2026 // Erin Volz for Washington Examiner
After approving a 2027-29 collective bargaining agreement that included no general wage increase — an outcome WFSE President Mike Yestramski described as “the best we could get” — the pace of member opt outs accelerated. By the end of September, 1,753 WFSE members had exercised their right to opt out of membership and dues through the Freedom Foundation’s Opt Out Today website in 2026. The total puts the organization’s outreach efforts on pace for a record year. As for WFSE, each member who chooses to leave represents a significant financial hit. Union dues are deducted at 1.5 percent of a member’s salary, an average of roughly $1,200 per year.
SEIU Local 1000 announces one-day strike after members give authorization
October 12, 2026 // Corey Schmidt for Sacremento Bee
State workers aren’t required to participate, so it’s unlikely that every SEIU Local 1000 member would engage. Members who go on strike will not be paid during that time. SEIU Local 1000 has a strike fund intended to cover costs like legal expenses if an employee faces retaliation for participating, according to the union’s website - but not to replace lost wages.
Harvard University graduate workers vote to authorize strike
October 9, 2026 // Bella Pelletiere for Boston 25
Harvard University graduate students have voted to authorize a strike after more than a year and a half of contract negotiations have failed to produce an agreement. Thousands of graduate students went on strike for 40 days back in April. According to the union, more than 4,000 workers represented by the Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW Local 5118 (HGSU) cast ballots on Oct. 6, with 88% voting in favor of strike authorization.
Workers at Obama’s ‘Death Star’ presidential library strike back, vow to unionize over benefit cuts, ‘increasing workloads’
October 8, 2026 // Alex Oliveira for New York Post
Employees at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago are unionizing over their working conditions, claiming benefits have been cut and workloads are increasing just four months after the center opened in June. Workers circulated a letter to staff Wednesday announcing their intent to unionize, complaining about “increasing” workloads and “vague responses” from administrators to a list of complaints they’d raised, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Some of the complaints suggested the $900 million presidential center — often maligned for resembling the Star Wars Death Star or a huge trash bin — could already be facing financial trouble.
Commentary Mailee Smith: Federal labor bill could force social agendas into private school contracts
October 8, 2026 // Mailee Smith
A union that organizes employees with the intent of ultimately closing their schools also is capable of organizing a private school with the intent of introducing drastic contract provisions, especially when those provisions already have been demanded in its other contracts. The FLCA would give teachers unions an additional tool in their arsenal against anything that isn’t a traditional public school.
Sibanye-Stillwater ends month-long strike
October 8, 2026 // Zeke Lloyd for Montana Free Press
A union representing employees at Columbus Metallurgical Complex and Stillwater Mine in south-central Montana, both owned by South African mining conglomerate Sibanye-Stillwater, has ended a month-long labor strike. United Steelworkers Union 11-0001, which represents about 420 employees across both facilities, approved a three-year contract Tuesday, according to company spokesperson Heather McDowell.
Editorial Board: Congress wants faster union contracts — except for its own staff
October 8, 2026 // Editorial Board for Washington Post
Nicole Waring, the shop steward in Khanna’s office, explained why it took so long. “There’s a lot of back and forth. It takes time to review each passback of the contract [and] redline everything,” she told Politico. “The biggest thing was we wanted to make sure that this contract would be governable, and rather than just make things convenient and take shortcuts, make sure that it was going to be something that we knew would stand the test of time.” Other staff explained that going slowly was important because union contracts are binding and directly affect workers’ lives. They noted the unique workplace circumstances of a congressional office. Here’s the thing: Every workplace is unique. Every union contract directly affects workers’ lives. And that’s why the government should never force a contract on people without their consent.
Ken Girardin: To Deliver Public Excellence, Mamdani Must Challenge Public-Sector Privilege
October 8, 2026 // Ken Girardin for Searchlight
Meanwhile, the city pays more than $1 billion annually into union-managed “welfare funds” meant to provide dental, vision and other benefits for current workers and retirees. Former Comptroller Brad Lander all but stopped conducting oversight reviews of these funds, even after a trio of union officers became guests of the federal government for swiping money from one of the funds. Instead of turning over cash to dozens of union funds, the city could cut out the middlemen and administer benefits directly. That would allow it to achieve greater economies of scale and avoid further embezzlement and abuse—though it would trim the number of patronage jobs union executives can hand out.
Former Immigration Services Officer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Union
October 8, 2026 // Author for Department of Justice
Between 2019 and 2024, Aguja defrauded AFGE Local 38 by siphoning funds from the union bank account to pay for her own personal and non-union related expenses. As part of her fraud scheme, Aguja also paid union expenses out of her personal accounts and commingled union and personal funds to conceal her embezzlement. Specifically, Aguja used the AFGE Local 38 credit card to pay approximately $12,508 for personal expenses such as restaurant meals, bills, clothing and dance lessons. She also made 128 cash withdrawals totaling over $23,700 from the AFGE Local 38 account, and transferred over $25,000 from the AFGE Local 38 account to her personal accounts. Aguja falsified annual forms regarding the union finances that AFGE Local 38 was required to submit to the United States Department of Labor-Management Standards, in order to conceal her fraud.
Kentucky Students Struggle to Read and Do Math as Teachers’ Unions Sit on More Than $22 Million
October 8, 2026 // Author for Americans for Fair Treatment
Since 2018: KEA’s workforce fell 40 percent Direct member benefits fell 32 percent Net assets climbed 198 percent, reaching $12.3 million At the same time, KEA spent 53 percent of its FY2025 budget on staff compensation and benefits. Executive Director Mary Ruble received $254,498, roughly 4.6 times the approximately $55,000 average Kentucky public-school teacher salary used in the report. KEA’s political operation tells another striking story. 96.1 percent of KEPAC political spending went to liberal issue committees or Democratic candidates and party committees. KEA lobbying disclosures also show $150,000 allocated to receptions and events for legislators in 2026 alone.
Commentary: 1,000 health care workers protest take-over of their local. Are union officials listening?
October 8, 2026 // Steve Early for Z network
In 2009, a political disagreement about organizing and bargaining strategy, involving the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and its second largest healthcare local, led to a costly and disastrous trusteeship in California. Tens of millions of dollars were squandered on this bitter internal fight. Thousands of SEIU members angrily protested the removal of their elected leaders, who faced trumped up charges and a multi-million dollar damage suit. In response to their rights being trampled, rank-and-filers, who only wanted to democratize and reform SEIU, instead created the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), an organizational rival.