Posts tagged coronavirus pandemic
Some Penn State faculty want to unionize as the university considers campus closures
March 11, 2025 // Unrest has been growing among some faculty as the university makes cuts to close a deficit by this summer. An attempt to hold a vote of no confidence in Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi was tabled at a faculty senate meeting last week. Also at that meeting. Bendapudi laid out plans to close some of the Commonwealth campuses. Just how many campuses is uncertain, but none will close before the end of the 2026-27 year. Twelve of the 20 campuses ― Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and York ― are under consideration for closure. They will be evaluated by a team led by several top administrators appointed by Bendapudi; she expects to make a decision before commencement in May.
Congressional hearing features union-backed politicians
May 1, 2023 // Six of the seven Democratic Party lawmakers received campaign contributions from AFT, and yet not a single lawmaker publicly acknowledged their financial ties to the union. Zero Republican committee members received AFT funding. According to Open Secrets, a campaign contribution transparency website, AFT’s political action committee (PAC) donated to each of the following committee members between 2021-2022: AFT was not the only teachers union to donate to committee members. The National Education Association donated to 6 of the 7 Democrat lawmakers on the committee, who were Reps. Ruiz ($10,000), Mfume ($10,000), Ross ($4,000), Dingell ($4,000), Bera ($4,000), and Hawaiian Rep. Jill Tokuda ($6,000) for a total of $38,000.
Worker unions split on Atlantic City casino smoking ban. The mayor is against it.
May 2, 2022 // The United Auto Workers wrote a letter to legislators this week calling on them to hold hearings on a bill that would end a 16-year-old loophole carving casinos out of a statewide prohibition on smoking in most indoor public places in New Jersey.
Union Says Over 50 Amazon Warehouses Have Reached Out After NYC Vote
April 6, 2022 // Amazon has so many employees that Business Insider reported last year that one out of every 153 employed workers in the U.S. works for the company. According to Amazon's website, the company's fulfillment centers can employ more than 1,500 full-time employees, meaning that if all 50 warehouses were to unionize, about 75,000 workers would be affected.