Posts tagged Black Lives Matter
Starbucks dress code didn’t violate NYC workers’ labor rights, appeals court rules
September 4, 2026 // The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said the National Labor Relations Board failed to properly balance Starbucks' ability to present its preferred image to customers with its workers' rights to encourage unionizing.
Nurses and teachers unions bankroll leftist candidates and causes
July 21, 2026 // Additionally, the AFT donated $150,000 to Gov. Tina Kotek’s (D-OR) reelection campaign on the eve of the May primary. Kotek then decided in June to opt Oregon out of the Trump administration’s school choice program, which would subsidize scholarships for K-12 students to cover the cost of private school tuition and homeschooling expenses. AFT has been lobbying Democratic governors to reject the education tax credits offered by the program, calling it a “private school voucher scheme.” Meanwhile, the Oregon Education Association declined to endorse Kotek, despite doing so in the past, out of frustration with the state’s school funding levels.
Explosive report unearths prominent union money trail labeled a ‘stunning betrayal’ of MAGA members
June 22, 2026 // The union allegedly sent more than $441,098 to "left-wing" organizations, including the Center for American Progress, a leading progressive think tank; more than $100,000 to the National Democratic Club across multiple years; and the National Teamsters Hispanic Caucus, according to the report. The report said both the National Democratic Club and the National Teamsters Hispanic Caucus are known for their stances against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The report further examines the Teamsters' Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education (D.R.I.V.E.) PAC, which BMWED-IBT joined after its political action committee merged into the PAC in 2004, saying the PAC heavily favored Democrats in its political spending by donating about $13.76 million to Democratic Party committees compared with about $729,846 to Republican committees.
Commentary: California Unions Prioritize Left-Wing Ideology Over Workers
April 16, 2026 // Undeterred, SEIU 1021 gave the former mayor $50,000 to fight the recall—despite the FBI’s having already raided her home. Rank-and-file members were likely stunned by the union’s support for a mayor widely rejected by the very communities whom they claim to represent. In November, Thao was recalled, with some 60 percent of voters supporting her ouster. Thao is just one of the hard-left politicians that SEIU 1021 has supported. The union also backed Oakland councilmember Carroll Fife, who ran for city council in 2020 with hopes of “eliminat[ing] racial disparities” and defunding the police. Per my earlier reporting, SEIU 1021 contributed $235,000 to her city council campaign.
America’s Largest Teachers’ Union Prizes Activism Over Education
April 2, 2026 // Members of America’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association (NEA), were back in training in February, this time for a confidential webinar entitled “Advocacy and Free Speech Rights for K-12 Educators.” The leaked slide deck, posted by the watchdog group Defending Education, reveals that the NEA is less focused on American students’ stagnant test scores than on training its members to become activists, while using misinterpretations of the First Amendment as a shield.
8th Circuit Backs Home Depot in “BLM Apron” Case
November 16, 2025 // The Eighth Circuit disagreed, holding that Home Depot had “special circumstances” justifying enforcement of its dress-code policy. The store was near the site of civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, and the Court accepted that Home Depot could lawfully restrict potentially divisive messaging to protect employee safety, maintain order, and preserve its public image based on a “reasonable belief” as opposed to direct evidence. The case was sent back to the NLRB for further review under that standard.
Trump Is Making Major Concessions To Union Bosses. Is It Worth It?
August 15, 2025 // The Institute for the American Worker noted that union members who had funds embezzled by their leaders in recent years would now have less insight into how their dues were being spent. For example, in 2024, the Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 2198 pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $63,000; under the proposed rule, the group would no longer have to file an LM-2.
National Right to Work Foundation Submits Comments Opposing Proposed DOL Rule Loosening Union Financial Disclosures
August 1, 2025 // Rule will let huge number of unions escape meaningful scrutiny over how union bosses spend worker funds while providing no tangible benefits
Protests Go Beyond Immigration to Include Array of Left-Wing Causes
June 15, 2025 // “In this moment we must all stand together,” said Becky Pringle, the head of the National Education Association, the largest individual union in the country and one of the groups that sprang into action as the protests emerged in Los Angeles. Local chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Communist Party offshoot of the Workers World Party, have also played a leading role, working with local leftist groups to post information about new demonstrations from California to Maine.
Jennifer Abruzzo Wants Workers to Fight Back
May 14, 2025 // On May 5, Workday Magazine interviewed Abruzzo, who has since returned to the Communications Workers of America, as a senior advisor to the president. We talked about how protected concerted activity can include Gaza protests, why it’s a shame that domestic workers and farm workers are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, and what workers can do to fight back in the Trump era. “It’s up to the people to actually use their power and flex their muscles in order to get the changes that they deem are appropriate,” she says, “so that they can live the lives that they deserve with dignity and respect.