Posts tagged benefits
Washington Democrats now let striking workers collect unemployment while businesses bleed
January 3, 2026 // What the law does not address is the imbalance it creates for employers, particularly those who have no comparable safety net when a strike halts operations, disrupts contracts, or threatens the survival of a business entirely. That’s intentional. While workers can now rely on unemployment benefits during a strike, businesses are still expected to absorb the losses, with no relief and little recourse. The law further tips the scales toward unions that already wield extraordinary power in Washington, allowing them to prolong strikes with fewer consequences while businesses shoulder all the risk.
Unions Winning Nearly 80% of Elections, But Fewer Elections are Held
January 2, 2026 // Unions also fared more favorably in elections in which employees filed a petition to decertify (vote out) the union—unions won 41% of those elections. When the company filed a petition to vote out the union, unions won 78%, a remarkable win rate considering that the reason employers file such a petition is because of objective evidence of employee dissatisfaction with the union. Among the most prolific filers, the Teamsters saw 195 election petitions to a vote, winning 71% of the contests. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was an option in 152 elections and won 83% of them. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers won 89% of the 75 representation elections they contested.
Minor league hockey players’ union prepares to strike unless new agreement reached
December 30, 2025 // The Toledo Walleye’s Friday home game against the Wheeling Nailers might be cancelled as the minor league hockey players’ union prepares to strike that day. Union leaders said the strike will happen unless a new collective bargaining agreement is reached with the ECHL.
NIHD and AFSCME Reach Agreement, Averting Strike and Ending Labor Dispute
December 15, 2025 // Northern Inyo Healthcare District and AFSCME Local 315 have released details regarding a labor agreement made, following a lengthy state-mediated bargaining session held December 9. Union members voted Thursday to ratify the proposal, formally averting a threatened Unfair Labor Practice strike and resolving the union’s related charge before the Public Employment Relations Board. The vote alleviates tension between the healthcare district and frontline staff, who had authorized a ULP strike leading into the holiday season. Following ratification, the union withdrew its strike notice and the associated unfair practice filing.
Year in Review: Wave of campus labor organizing gains momentum, brings one new union to Penn
December 12, 2025 // From graduate student workers to research associates and postdoctoral scholars, 2025 marked an unprecedented surge in labor organizing at Penn. The past 12 months saw the formation of a new union on campus, alongside a strike authorization vote amid ongoing negotiations. The Daily Pennsylvanian compiled a timeline of unionization efforts on and around campus over the last year.
13 Republicans Vote to Nullify Donald Trump’s Executive Order
December 11, 2025 // Democratic Representative Jared Golden, who led the bill, forced a vote on it by using a mechanism known as a discharge petition. The Congressional procedure means lawmakers can force a vote on a piece of legislation against the wishes of the leadership on the condition that it has majority support in the House.
RELEASE: Gen Z Men Are the Most Pro-Union Generation in History
December 4, 2025 // A new analysis from the Center for American Progress finds that Gen Z men show stronger support for unions than do people of any other age or gender. The findings show that this historic support is closely tied to the substantial wage gains, benefits, and financial stability unions deliver for young workers. “Gen Z men are navigating high costs, uncertain job prospects, and delayed financial independence,”
Unions Brace to Bargain With New Boss Zohran Mamdani
December 2, 2025 // At a party during SOMOS, the annual Puerto Rico getaway for New York’s political class, District Council 37 executive director Henry Garrido proudly introduced Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to a packed outdoor crowd at the Caribe Hilton of jubilant union officials, political insiders and government lobbyists. Just days after Mamdani’s election, the public display of support from the union leader — highlighted with a hug — underscored the emerging alliance between the incoming mayor and the leader of New York City’s largest public-sector union. That bond is about to be tested, or at least leaned on more than ever before
Promotoras protest Re:Vision’s treatment of unionized workers
November 29, 2025 // DENVER — “¡Sí, se puede! ¡Sí, se puede!” More than 50 people chanted the phrase — which means “yes, it can be done” in Spanish — outside the Denver nonprofit Re:Vision Tuesday morning. The crowd gathered in the cold to listen to current and former Re:Vision employees and union organizers speak about the leadership of Re:Vision’s executive director Mariana del Hierro. Re:Vision is a food equity nonprofit in Westwood, a predominantly Latino and immigrant community.
Teamsters union approaches 100 days into hospital strike
November 26, 2025 // “We had a negotiation session with them last week and we just thought it’s time to start amping up the pressure a little bit,” said Dan Glass, president of Teamsters Local 332. “Get down here, remind this hospital that these are the nurses that give the care that is needed and provided. And we want to get back in this building.” According to Henry Ford Health, the contract the hospital is offering includes wage increases of up to 8.6 percent, a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, and agreed upon staffing ratios from previous Teamsters contract, plus a new shared governance model.