Posts tagged Columbia
Commentary: Ivy Leaguers Aren’t Auto Workers
July 21, 2025 // In general, NLRB decisions are fake law made by fake judges who have to interpret a poorly written statute from 90 years ago that is based on assumptions about industrial organization that no longer obtain in the United States. But the NLRB remains powerful nonetheless, and its decisions matter. That’s why Russell Burgett, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University, which is private, is asking the NLRB to overturn the 2016 Columbia ruling. He isn’t a member of the Cornell graduate students’ union, a UE affiliate, and he said in charges filed with the NLRB on Monday that his choice not to join makes it harder for him to complete his education.
UAW chief slams mass arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses
May 3, 2024 // The leadership at UAW 4811, the union chapter representing postdoctoral scholars and researchers of the University of California campuses, voted on Wednesday to hold a strike authorization vote as early as next week should the “circumstances justify.” “Should the university decide to curtail the right to participate in protected, concerted activity; discriminate against union members or political viewpoints; and create or allow threats to members’ health and safety, among others, UAW 4811 members will take any and all actions necessary to enforce our rights,” UAW 4811 wrote in a statement.
Cannabis workers across Missouri begin push to unionize dispensaries
December 11, 2023 // One of the things that draws people to the industry is the camaraderie among employees who are passionate about cannabis, Shannon said. And that’s also what makes it the perfect breeding ground for organizing. “Cannabis workers are the right community,” he said. “This is a tight-knit community that takes care of each other. They’re already learning that … having a union backing you up, it’s the only way to truly make a difference. I’ve been telling people, ‘Wait till you feel that contract high.’”
A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND UNION RAMPS UP EFFORTS TO SWEEP THE SOUTH
August 30, 2023 // The Union of Southern Service Workers began making headlines last fall after formally christening themselves during a rally in Columbia, South Carolina. This union holds some familiar attributes, given that it began as an offshoot of Raise Up, the Southern leg of the SEIU’s Fight for $15 initiative. Yet this is no ordinary effort by the SEIU, for the USSW purports to not only be “built by and for low-wage workers” but also stretches across many industries. A key distinction: The union frames itself as a cross-sector organization, designed to retain members even if they job-hop between industries, i.e., fast food, retail, hotel, nursing home, warehouses, etc.
Columbia marijuana dispensary employees picket for right to unionize
May 18, 2023 // Employees claim the owners of Shangri-La Dispensaries have denied workers their rights to collectively bargain. The employees also claim at least nine workers have been suspended without pay or terminated under "suspicious circumstances." However, owner Nevil Patel denied this. "If any or all of them feel like they need to conduct a normal union vote, we are happy to do it," Patel said. "In fact, we are working with NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] and providing them information on a daily, weekly basis so they can make proper decisions.
Union of Southern Service Workers rallies at Labor Department to protest unsafe work conditions, deliver complaint
April 6, 2023 // The new Union of Southern Service Workers and affiliated workers staged a rally outside the U.S. Department of Labor’s downtown Atlanta office on Tuesday to demand stronger workplace protections and federal enforcement of safety regulations. About 50 USSW organizers and workers from Family Dollar, Waffle House and other companies converged on the Department of Labor’s office at 61 Forsyth St., before marching to Centennial Park.
Teachers, employees at MSD vote to unionize
February 16, 2023 // The MSD Faculty and Staff Association has technically existed as a union for decades, but until last week, it didn’t have collective bargaining rights, said Edna Johnston, its president. “It was like a dog without any teeth,” Johnston said in American Sign Language as an interpreter translated. Now that the association has negotiating rights, Johnston said, there are two main areas of focus. One is making sure all MSD employees become part of the state’s formal personnel management system. Currently, Johnston said, about a third of the teachers at the school are contractors, meaning they aren’t eligible for the benefits owed to state employees.
Workers at Columbia SC Sonic restaurant set to strike soon.
February 6, 2023 //
Starbucks union creates $1 million fund to cover lost pay for striking baristas
June 3, 2022 // The union backing organizing efforts at Starbucks is creating a $1 million fund to cover lost pay for baristas who go on strike, giving workers more firepower in their fight to unionize.