Posts tagged Arizona
Will The Union for Kroger and Safeway’s Workers Torpedo the Supermarket Giants’ Merger?
May 8, 2023 // The UFCW has been skeptical of the merger since it was announced last year. It released a statement in November that it “would oppose any merger that undermines the wages, jobs, benefits, and security of Kroger and Albertsons workers. We have repeatedly called on both Kroger and Albertsons to be fully transparent about this merger and to provide the information that every UFCW Local and member deserves. Our members have already sacrificed much over these many years, and they need to have a comprehensive understanding about what this deal means for them, their families, and the communities they serve.”
Kentucky Coinkydink
May 4, 2023 // The teachers who conducted the Kentucky sickout were officially unaffiliated with the Kentucky Education Association. They formed a Facebook group and called it KY 120 United. After the protests were over, they solidified their organization and eventually turned it into a union, affiliating with AFT, which previously had no real presence in the state. KY 120 United has had an uneasy relationship with KEA ever since. KY 120 United was recognized as a labor organization by the Fayette County Schools in 2021, but the school board rescinded that recognition last month, stating that the union had failed to file required paperwork. A district spokesperson said the union had to “show through bylaws and a democratic method that they represent our employees in order to ensure this is truly a representative group.”
Senate panel advances Biden Labor nominee Julie Su
April 26, 2023 // “Today’s party-line vote is another reminder that Julie Su is no Marty Walsh, who advanced in a bipartisan 18-4 vote only two years ago,” said Michael Layman, a top lobbyist at the International Franchise Association, in a statement following Wednesday’s vote. The AFL-CIO is fighting back, running ads in Arizona and D.C. backing Su’s efforts to counter wage theft in California. The ads tell viewers that workers are “tired of getting ripped off by big corporations.” The labor federation is also mobilizing its members to lobby senators. “We’re going to defend Julie against these baseless corporate special interests attacks,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told reporters last week. “Every senator, especially those that haven’t yet said that they’ll vote yes, needs to be aware of how much this confirmation means to working people’s lives.”
Culinary Workers Union picket Valley Hospital, set strike date
April 26, 2023 // Hundreds lined the sidewalks holding signs and raising their voices with various chants, including 'no contract, no peace.' The union claims it's been seven years since about 90 members who are cooks, cashiers, kitchen workers, stewards, and in housekeeping have received a pay raise. Culinary Union President Diana Valles said the hospital is attempting to bust the union. "This company is the devil," Valles said. "This company is trying to put these workers lower than the standard in Las Vegas, where they can have good union benefits. They want to get rid of those benefits." The union claims the hospital has fired four Culinary Union members who were leaders in their workplaces, including Betty Williams, a committee leader, and 40-year Culinary Union member.
50-state report: GOP-led states are in best economic condition
April 13, 2023 // “The states that followed the free market formula of keeping taxes low and keeping regulations limited, empowering workers, empowering taxpayers across the board are the fastest growing states in America,” Williams said.
Nevada: Labor unions push back on proposal to allow licensure reciprocity for nurses
April 10, 2023 // But the compact faces strong resistance from labor unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO that say joining the compact benefits hospitals over workers, undermines collective bargaining, and fails to address bigger problems like patient-to-nurse ratios. “We need to be discussing working conditions,” said Grace Vergara-Mactal, executive director of SEIU 1107, which represents more than 8,000 nurses and health care workers in Nevada. “Right now the grueling working conditions of nurses is the number one barrier to addressing the nursing shortage. Often our health care members are working 12 to 14 hours a day and seeing 10 patients an hour.” AB 108 is not the only compact bill being considered by the legislature this session. Assembly Bill 158 would have Nevada join an emergency medical services (EMS) compact, Senate Bill 97 would have Nevada join a physical therapist (PT) compact, and Senate Bill 442 would have Nevada join a teachers compact.
Phoenix CenturyLink Employee Wins Federal Case Charging CWA Union with Illegal Dues Seizures
April 6, 2023 // CenturyLink Communications employee Adrianna Delatorre has forced Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7019 union officials to back down in her federal case, in which she charged them with seizing dues money illegally from her wages. Delatorre, who filed charges against both the CWA union and her employer at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in May 2022, received free legal representation from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys. Delatorre asserted in her charges that CWA union bosses violated her rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by rejecting her clear notice that she was resigning union membership and ending union dues deductions from her paycheck. The NLRA guarantees American private sector employees the right to “refrain from any or all” union activities, with some restrictions not applicable to Delatorre. Delatorre’s right to cut off financial support to the CWA union she opposes is fully protected by Arizona’s Right to Work law,
Biden’s ‘nightmare’ Labor nominee under fire from small businesses, contract workers
April 5, 2023 // "As the chief enforcer of AB 5, Julie Su was a nightmare for freelancers and small businesses in California. She has no business being Labor Secretary after her track of failure," said Freelancers Against AB 5 founder Karen Anderson. Wes Snyder, the owner of a FASTSIGNS franchise in Arizona, criticized Su’s stance on franchise liability. "This business model gives anyone the opportunity to experience the transformative power of entrepreneurship while strengthening their local communities," he said. "Julie Su wants to rob us of this opportunity – she will turn the American dream into the American nightmare."
Video: ALEC’s Labor of Love: A History of Championing Worker Freedom
March 10, 2023 // Today, ALEC debuts its first episode, “Worker Freedom,” in our 50th anniversary video series. The episode features ALEC champions Scott Walker (45th Governor of Wisconsin), Matt Hall (Michigan House Minority Leader and ALEC Board of Directors Member), and Vinnie Vernuccio (Senior Fellow, Mackinac Center), discussing ALEC’s pivotal role in securing Worker Freedom policy wins across the states. In some states, private sector workers can be forced to join, leave, or pay fees to a union as job requirement. The Right-to-Work Act, which ALEC task forces approved as a model policy, provides a solution to this issue. It prevents private employers from requiring or banning union membership (or fees) as conditions for employment, giving workers in Right-to-Work states a guaranteed right to support a union or not to support a union without this choice affecting their hiring or job security.