Posts tagged Democrat
DOJ Civil Rights Lawyers Try to Unionize Amid Uncertain Future
August 5, 2024 // The employee organizing committee is aiming to hold a representation election by October 2024—a secret ballot process requiring majority approval for certification. Although that’s a compressed schedule compared to typical union drives, the committee said that in their first week after launching, they’ve already collected signatures of support from more than 30% of the 365 lawyers they estimate are eligible for the bargaining unit. That would meet the minimum legal threshold to apply for a representation election, but organizers are waiting to do so until they reach 50% support.
Illinois bans companies from forcing workers to listen to their anti-union talk
August 2, 2024 // U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business are challenging similar laws in other states. The groups say the laws are a violation of the First Amendment, denying employers their right to free speech, and are also in conflict with the National Labor Relations Act, which protects an employer's communications with employees as long as they do not contain threats of reprisals or promises of benefits.
Federal worker union shifts presidential endorsements to Harris
July 31, 2024 // The American Federation of Government Employees was the first federal employee union to officially endorse Harris, noting that the vote by the union’s National Executive Council was “unanimous.” Couched as a “reaffirmation” of the union’s previous endorsement of Biden last summer. AFGE touted Harris’ work as a senator to protect federal employees at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as her tenure as co-chairwoman of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, a panel convened by Biden as part of his effort to strengthen labor unions in both government and the private sector.
Trump and Vance shouldn’t give in to European-style labor regulation
July 30, 2024 // Economists have proposed a variety of unique ideas to protect workers, ranging from the earned-income tax credit to pursuing some variation of a negative income tax policy. American unions could also be transformed by eliminating their government-granted exclusive-negotiator status so that multiple unions could represent workers for any given employer. Doing so would increase union membership and give workers a more diverse set of institutions and protections or benefits to seek in the workplace. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are correct that conservatives should pursue a pro-worker agenda. But it must lean into what has traditionally made the U.S. labor market vibrant—entrepreneurial dynamism, not rigid European-style labor policy.
Kamala Harris’s War on American Workers
July 29, 2024 // Harris’s labor policy platform is designed to force every American worker into a union. Big Labor is one of the Democratic Party’s fattest cash cows, spending at least $1.8 billion to elect the Biden-Harris ticket and down ballot Democrats in 2020. The more union dues-paying workers there are, the more money flows into Democratic campaign coffers. The centerpiece of Harris’s plan is banning right-to-work laws, which allow workers to earn a living without being forced into a union as a condition of employment. Right-to-work laws, which protect more than 166 million Americans in 27 states, promote economic growth and prosperity.
Rhode Island convention plans opposed by unions, women’s health groups
July 29, 2024 // It's not yet clear what would be on the agenda for a constitutional convention next year if voters approve the move. With Democrats holding a super majority in the state Legislature, possible amendments might include enshrining the right to get an abortion and other liberal proposals, political observers say. Despite that, critics of the plan — including Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island chapter of the AFL-CIO — are mobilizing in an effort to convince voters to oppose the ballot question.
Labor groups begin to unite behind Harris’ campaign — but some holdouts remain
July 24, 2024 // Yet some notable union holdouts remain, suggesting Harris will still have some work to do to win over other working-class voters. On Monday, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the biggest federation of unions in the U.S. and a longtime supporter of President Joe Biden, announced its endorsement of Harris.
Op-Ed: Union leaders need Trump more than he needs them
July 18, 2024 // Collective bargaining is a right and workers should be supported in it when that represents an honest expression of their collective will. It’s part of the First Amendment’s right to “peaceably” assemble. However, that’s not the same thing as accepting the claims of leaders like O’Brien that they need more leverage to pressure workers into joining unions for their own good. Workers can make their own choices. O’Brien spoke to the GOP convention in part because many of his own members are already Trump supporters and he needed to demonstrate to his folks that he’s willing to at least talk. Trump has thus far avoided catering to union leaders and has instead talked directly to the workers. It has worked for him too, getting the Teamsters boss to sing his praises. In short, O’Brien needs Trump more than Trump needs him.
How California’s nonprofits got dragged into a fight between unions and local governments
June 19, 2024 // It was the latest salvo in a big-money lobbying fight between labor unions and local governments over the hiring of private contractors that perform services for the state’s 4,800 counties, cities, special districts and schools. Local governments rely on contractors to perform a wide range of services paid with taxpayer funds. Contractors run animal shelters and after-school programs. They provide health care in local jails as well as homeless, legal aid and immigration services. Contractors cut fire breaks around rural communities, perform engineering services for public works projects, build affordable housing and fix government computer systems.
The astonishing number of fast food jobs lost – and restaurants shut – because of California’s new $20-an-hour minimum wage
June 11, 2024 // When the Democrat governor signed the law in 2023, Newsom said the state was getting 'one step closer to fairer wages, safer and healthier working conditions, and better training by giving hardworking fast food workers a stronger voice and seat at the table.' But Republican critics claimed the wage hike would simply mean workers are replaced with self-checkouts and 'robot cooks.' Harsh Ghai, a Burger King franchisee with 140 restaurants on the West Coast announced in April how he planned to have digital kiosks installed in all his locations in two months.