Posts tagged benefits
NASA spent almost $900K on taxpayer-funded union time last year — to negotiate trivial workplace issues: ‘Absurd’
June 2, 2025 // “They’re left negotiating for tedious things that are of zero or negative benefit to taxpayers,” Rachel Greszler, a senior research fellow on workforce and public finance at the Heritage Foundation, previously explained to The Post. “This includes things like the height of cubicle panels, securing designated smoking areas on otherwise smoke-free campuses, and the right to wear Spandex at work.” In 2023, there were 43 employees at NASA who logged in taxpayer-funded union time, with about 6,588.5 hours of union work done that year. By 2024, that jumped to 49, with 8,780.25 union work done, according to the new data.
Commentary: Cutting red tape for 64 million American workers
June 1, 2025 // Americans and freedom are a perfect match. We don’t want the government dictating every aspect of our lives. Unelected bureaucrats have no role in deciding how everyday Americans should do their work. That’s why at Americans for Prosperity, we’ve always supported the right of workers to choose what type of work best suits them, and bills like the Modern Worker Empowerment Act and the Modern Worker Security Act do just that.
Farmworkers in NY and CA File Federal Challenges Against Statutes Letting Union Bosses Seize Control Without Employee Vote
May 28, 2025 // Workers contend that “card check” unionization method leads to false claims of majority union support, intimidation, and constitutional violations
Commentary: How Federal Workers Can Leverage Civil Disobedience as a Strategy to Win
May 27, 2025 // Strikes, slowdowns, sickouts—workers have many ways to withhold their labor to protest injustice in the workplace. Federal employees have no legal right to strike, which is why they have generally avoided this tactic. The last time there was a major strike by federal workers was in 1981. President Ronald Reagan crushed the strike by firing and replacing air traffic controllers who walked off the job, a moment widely viewed as the beginning of the labor movement’s decline. But there is much that separates the strike under Reagan from what federal workers face today under Trump. Reagan had both public sentiment and the law behind him when he fired over 11,000 federal workers.
Grand Forks International Airport Firefighters Vote to Unionize for Expected Benefits
May 23, 2025 // At a Thursday, May 15, Airport Authority Board meeting, it was announced that the firefighters had voted to unionize. Among the benefits that led them to make this decision, according to Burrows, were additional training opportunities, additional health benefits, access to an international peer group, the ability to support research regarding firefighter safety — such as cancer and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — as well as the ability to participate in charitable events like the Fill the Boot campaign and Toys for Tots.
‘We deserve to be treated with respect’: More than 300 workers go on strike at Detroit-area nursing homes
May 21, 2025 // The workers are seeking an increased wage scale for Competency Evaluated Nurse Assistants (CENAs) and increased starting rates for Ciena workers in housekeeping, dietary, activities, cooking and maintenance. Other demands include shift differentials, annual raises for all workers, paid sick time, holidays and health insurance. The workers have been working without a contract for months, with some working without a contract since January of 2024.
Trump’s mass layoff threat drives US government workers to resign
May 21, 2025 // Mass resignations driven by fear of firings Trump and Musk aim to cut federal workforce by 12% Unions angry over perceived harassment, forced resignations Tens of thousands of U.S. government workers have chosen to resign rather than endure what many view as a torturous wait for the Trump administration to carry out its threats to fire them, say unions, governance experts and the employees themselves. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on taking office to dramatically slash the size and cost of government. Four months later, mass layoffs at the largest agencies have yet to materialize and courts have slowed the process.
BUFFALO: Nursing home workers begin strike at 5 facilities
May 21, 2025 // Late Monday night, 1199SEIU announced that it had reached two three-year agreements for nursing home workers at Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Williamsville and Schofield Residence in Tonawanda. The union also withdrew strike notices at four more facilities: Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Center, Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, and The Grand at Delaware Park. Among the remaining facilities set to strike, several are owned by The McGuire Group, which released a statement assuring residents and families that care would continue uninterrupted.
Sesame Street Workers Say, “U Is for Union”
May 20, 2025 // While many of the puppeteers, actors, and crew members on the show have long been represented by entertainment unions, the new union covers the employees who bring Elmo and friends to life: artists, early-childhood experts, fundraisers, and more. Organizers see their campaign for dignity and respect at work as a natural continuation of Sesame’s mission to teach children to grow “smarter, stronger, and kinder.” “Workers at Sesame are deeply committed to doing things that are kind and fair,”
A ‘War’ on the Civil Service or Controlling a Powerful Union Political Machine?
May 17, 2025 // Fed unions remain unable to strike — enforced by President Reagan’s firing striking air-traffic controllers — so unions became powerful in more subtle ways. A study by the Institute for the American Worker documents how Federal government unionization works today. “Generally, federal employees are not permitted to strike, and their unions are limited in what conditions of employment they may bargain over.” Management rights and other matters “specifically provided” for by federal statute are still not bargainable. “This includes pay, health insurance, retirement, and certain workplace insurance (e.g., workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance), among other benefits.” The study continues,