Posts tagged benefits
Workers at Obama’s ‘Death Star’ presidential library strike back, vow to unionize over benefit cuts, ‘increasing workloads’
October 8, 2026 // 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 // 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 // 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.
Workers at a SoCal Sephora revolt against union attempts after already rejecting it
October 8, 2026 // Employees at the sprawling 6,750-square-foot beauty store on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade told The California Post they’ve been harassed and bullied by officials with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 after rejecting the union — with workers claiming the bitter standoff has fueled a staff exodus and cost employees hours and benefits. “They’re just stuck waiting and have this union that again purports to represent workers, but is doing the opposite of it here,” said Patrick Semmens, vice president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which is providing informal legal help to the frustrated workers.
Solvang city workers go on strike, repeatedly clash with officials over wages
October 6, 2026 // A California town know as the “Danish capital of America” has broken out in civil war over how much city workers should get paid. Unionized workers in Solvang have been on strike for three weeks and have refused repeated offers from officials for a negotiated pay rise.
Op-ed: The 120-day clock that could rewrite your job
October 6, 2026 // Workers and employers must remain free and able to bargain for the terms each desire. No free country should dictate to a worker or an employer the terms of a private labor contract The Faster Labor Contracts Act would set a timetable for negotiating a first contract after a union is newly certified or recognized. The parties would meet and begin bargaining within 10 days after the employer receives a written request. If they have no agreement after 90 days of bargaining, either party could request federal mediation.
Keeping Workers in the Dark: The Push for Employer Neutrality in Union Campaigns
September 30, 2026 // Whether or not one supports unionization in a particular workplace, elected officials should not pressure one party in a labor dispute to relinquish rights recognized to balance competing interests. The law recognizes rights and responsibilities for employees, unions, and employers alike. Yet calls for neutrality almost always run in one direction: in favor of organized labor. There is rarely a corresponding demand that unions remain neutral. Instead, neutrality initiatives frequently seek to silence only one side of the debate. The answer to competing claims should be more information, not less. Collective bargaining can involve difficult or protracted negotiations and may affect workplace flexibility, labor costs, wages, benefits, and business operations.
Ballot Question 2 asks: Should public defenders have the right to unionize?
September 29, 2026 // Question 2 would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or CPCS, to participate in collective bargaining. If they negotiate a contract, CPCS would then be required to request the funding needed for that agreement from the governor within 30 days. The Yes On 2 campaign was organized to help grant public defenders the right to join a union. The campaign’s central argument states: CPCS employees should have the same opportunity to organize and negotiate collectively that many others have.
Illinois’ new rideshare union law could hurt drivers, passengers
September 23, 2026 // The law could lead to job losses for rideshare drivers if they become more expensive to the companies than emerging self-driving technologies. Companies such as Waymo are already replacing human drivers with autonomous vehicles. In February, Waymo started the process of mapping out the city of Chicago for its fleet of driverless vehicles and announced that “we look forward to serving the city in the future.” While autonomous vehicles haven’t rolled out in Illinois yet, Waymo will be ready if lawmakers approve legislation to allow them to operate.
The ‘No Surprises’ warning for mandatory labor arbitration
September 23, 2026 // The Faster Labor Contracts Act passed the House of Representatives earlier this year and remains pending in the Senate. Under this proposal, a newly recognized labor union and employer have a strict 120-day timeline — comprising 90 days of negotiation and 30 days of federal mediation — to reach an initial collective bargaining agreement. If they fail to do so, the dispute goes to a binding arbitration panel that sets the terms and conditions of employment. Proponents say the prospect of arbitration would prevent delay and encourage serious bargaining. The No Surprises Act shows why that assumption deserves skepticism.