Posts tagged Covid
GOP Reps: Biden’s New Rule Rips Freedom Away from Workers, Small Businesses | Opinion
January 17, 2024 // Biden's rule on independent contractors circumvents Congress, the people's representation, to enact a disastrous policy similar to that in California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) and the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. AB5, enacted in January 2020, led to countless Californians who were working as freelance employees losing their income mere weeks before the COVID pandemic. The radical PRO Act would take away independent contractors' ability to work how they see fit. Taking these failed far-Left policies nationwide would devastate millions of American businesses by depriving individuals of entrepreneurial opportunities, the ability to set their own hours, and the flexibility to care for their families the way it suits them.
Workers at Good Vibrations adult retailers move one step closer to unionizing
January 2, 2024 // If the union election results in workers deciding to unionize, Good Vibrations stores in Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz will be affected, along with the adult entertainment store Camouflage in Santa Cruz, according to Jim Araby, spokesperson for UFCW Local 5. Araby said Good Vibrations workers needed at least 30% of them to sign union authorization cards in order to spur a union election and they received well over 50%.
Unions pumped $700M into Democratic Party causes nationwide, nonprofit report finds
December 7, 2023 // "Our research illuminates the considerable political influence wielded by government unions, both in Washington, D.C., and in states throughout the nation," David Osborne, the Commonwealth Foundation's senior fellow of labor policy, told Fox News Digital. "Government unions use this power not only to advance leftist causes but also to elect political leaders who will protect their interests and influence. The result, unfortunately, is that federal, state and local governments are increasingly led by politicians who care more about union executives than union members or taxpayers."
Commentary: Teachers Union Head Mystified by Increase in Homeschooling
November 19, 2023 // Parents started seeking accountability on their own terms, at home. The surge in homeschooling during the 2020 school year has not dropped off, attracting enthusiasts from diverse racial and income backgrounds. While there are many reasons for the shift, a significant factor is leaders like Weingarten left a vacuum parents had to fill. When they did, parents learned they could do it without the leaders who left them in the lurch. Their kids' education could be flexible and tailored, without the constraint of having to sit at a desk between four walls for seven hours a day. Parents learned they had the power to fix some of the problems the pandemic posed.
City Workers Ditch Unions, Skip Dues, Following Supreme Court Ruling
November 2, 2023 // Pre-Janus, public sector employees had the option to explicitly opt out of union membership thanks to an earlier Supreme Court decision but still had to pay “agency fees” out of their paychecks to the unions. Union leaders, including New York City’s Municipal Labor Committee, warned before the decision of potentially large declines in union membership if signing up became optional. Any dramatic loss of dues-paying union members could threaten unions’ operations or even their ability to exist – a possibility on the horizon in some so-called “right to work” states.
SEPTA, workers union reach tentative agreement on new contract: ‘It’s a really good deal’
October 31, 2023 // In an email announcing the tentative agreement, SEPTA said the focus during negotiations was to "find a way to recognize employees' hard word and ensure that SEPTA is in the best possible position to build ridership and address the looming fiscal cliff when federal COVID relief funds run out next year." SEPTA argued during negotiations that it's facing a $240M drop in operating funds in April when its COVID relief money runs out. The so-called "fiscal cliff" is believed to be why the tentative agreement reached Friday is a short-term deal.
Opinion: Radical Unions Elected Biden, Chaos Ensues on International Front, but Others Bank on Same Formula
October 26, 2023 // Additionally, Biden unveiled a $400 billion American Jobs Plan designed to force thousands of Medicaid home healthcare providers back into the union membership they declined following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling in Harris v. Quinn. Unofficially, Biden waited weeks to survey the damage in fire-ravaged Hawaii and still hasn’t visited East Palestine, Ohio, where a 38-car train wreck last February created a huge hazardous waste disaster. But he saw fit to wade into a private-sector labor dispute by siding with the striking United Auto Workers and became the first sitting president in history to join a picket line.
Michigan credit unions offer assistance to workers impacted by UAW strike
October 24, 2023 // To assist these workers, who will be without their usual wage for an undetermined amount of time, credit unions around the state have reached out to their members to offer a wide array of relief options. Most common among options are skip-a-pay waivers, modifications to existing loans and new loan products with one-to-three month payment extensions. “When our members struggle financially, credit unions consistently step up with solutions,” said Terry Katzur, CEO of ELGA Credit Union in Grand Blanc. “We did it during the COVID pandemic when our members were without jobs and we are showing the credit union difference again as a response to the UAW Strike.” ELGA Credit Union is providing fee-free loan payment deferment for any worker impacted, whether they are a UAW worker on strike or laid off due to strikes, as are many non-union workers at auto parts suppliers. The credit union is also offering personal loans to UAW workers. LAFCU, the Lansing-based credit union founded by Oldsmobile employees 87 years ago, is offering special strike loans (up to $4,000 for 36 months at 8.99% APR), as well as debt consolidation, refinancing options and free credit counseling.
Despite rising number of strikes, union memberships remains low
September 7, 2023 // While the rate of work stoppages in 2023 is on pace to break the record set last year, union membership is still lagging at a record-low. So far, there have been 251 strikes in 2023, compared to 417 in 2022, according to data compiled by Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. Last year’s 10.1% unionization rate was the lowest on record, however, and workers have a long way to go to reach the 20% rates not seen in 20 years. While no comprehensive data exists detailing the success rate of recent worker strikes or labor disputes nationwide, some union workers have gotten their way this year.
Biden takes shot at Trump on jobs in battleground Pennsylvania
September 5, 2023 // A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed that the economy, unemployment and jobs remained Americans' top concern. A full 60% of Americans, including one in three Democrats, said they disapproved of Biden's handling of inflation, according to the poll. The Fed's preferred inflation gauge has moved down to 3.3%, from its peak of 7% last summer. Although the decline was a "welcome development," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said late last month, inflation "remains too high" and interest rates may need to move higher. Republicans and some economists say Democratic policies helped spark the rise in prices, making Americans pay more for rent, groceries and gasoline under Biden's watch. Economists say inflation was also stoked by the lifting of COVID-era restrictions and revival of business activity that followed.