Posts tagged cost of living
Inside The Now-Shuttered Federal Agency Where Employees Lived ‘Like Reigning Kings’
March 20, 2025 // The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) occupied a nine-story office tower on D.C.’s K Street for only 60 employees, many of whom actually worked from home, prior to the pandemic. Its managers had luxury suites with full bathrooms; one manager would often be “in the shower” when she was needed, while another used her bathroom as a cigarette lounge. FMCS recorded its director as being on a years-long business trip to D.C. so he could have all of his meals and living expenses covered by taxpayers, simply for showing up to the office. FMCS is a 230-employee agency that exists to serve as a voluntary mediator between unions and businesses. As an “independent agency,” its director nominally reports to the president, but the agency is so small that in effect, there is no oversight at all
Unionized Grocery Workers Are a Sleeping Giant
February 5, 2025 // A coalition of UFCW Locals 7, 324, 770, and 3000 helped defeat the largest proposed grocery merger in US history between Kroger and Albertsons. Now these locals are collaborating on contract negotiations and sending support to the King Soopers strike in Colorado
An embattled Adams gathers his union allies at Gracie Mansion
January 31, 2025 // Mayor Eric Adams, who has been laying low with a reported medical condition this week, hosted two union presidents at Gracie Mansion on Monday night as he contemplates his political future. The meetings — confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of them, who were granted anonymity to freely discuss a private event — come as Adams grapples with an upcoming corruption trial, sagging poll numbers and dire financial problems.
OREGON: City of Portland delivers final offers to unions as strike threat looms
January 30, 2025 // The most significant issue preventing an agreement is the major monetary gap, with AFSCME requesting an increase of $28 million and DCTU seeking an additional $13 million beyond the city’s proposed budget. AFSCME, the city’s largest bargaining unit with over 1,000 members, has requested significant wage increases for a wide range of job classifications, such as water and police, and increased longevity pay.
BATON ROUGE: Transit union threatening strike if CATS does not meet their demands
January 29, 2025 // Unsatisfied with CATS response, the union says they are taking a stand. Decuir says they will conduct a series of "workforce actions," meaning they will continue to be vocal about their concerns without disrupting operations.
Unionized Blue Bottle Coffee baristas walk out for nearly eight minutes, demand fair wages, working hours
January 29, 2025 // Saturday’s walkout at the Newbury Street location, in addition to the Chestnut Hill and Kendall Square locations, came in response to the company’s failure to guarantee working hours and tip differentials to subsidize thinly-spread tip pools amongst additional baristas.
California fast food restaurant owners warn that hiking $20 minimum wage will ‘cripple’ them
January 8, 2025 // The council, which consists of 10 members appointed by the governor, is empowered to raise the minimum wage by up to 3.5% — or the annual rate of inflation each year — beginning Jan. 1 of this year. The union representing fast food workers has accused restaurant owners of cutting employee hours in response to the wage increase — all but offsetting the hike in wages.
Heal thyself? Hundreds of NYC Health + Hospitals doctors could strike this month in union battle for higher wages
January 6, 2025 // Nearly 1,000 doctors at four NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) facilities are ready to go on strike this month if their contract demands are not met, the Doctors Council-Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced on Thursday.
Shawn Fain was Kamala Harris’ most forceful union backer. It could cost him his job
December 30, 2024 // United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain was one of the most prominent union leaders backing Vice President Kamala Harris in this year’s US presidential election and one of the harshest critics of Donald Trump while on the campaign trail. And because of that, he’ll have a powerful enemy when Trump takes back the White House on January 20.
Unionized Women & Infants Hospital workers prepare to launch strike Dec. 12
December 2, 2024 // The hospital highlighted its “generous proposal,” crafted over two months’ worth of “good faith” negotiations, according to a hospital press release. The current offer includes a $19 million wage and pension package over three years. That package would sport a minimum 5.5% wage increase for union employees, with some receiving higher bonuses, as well as low-cost health plans for workers. A strike, however, would cost the hospital at least $9 million just to continue operations as normal, and striking workers would not be paid for any shifts missed, Sullivan said.