Posts tagged Democratic
What role will unions play in the 2024 presidential election? A visual guide
October 28, 2024 // Nearly a quarter of the workforce belonged to a union 40 years ago. Now that number is just over 10%. Though worker stoppages have kept up, labor union rates have steadily declined for decades. From 1983 to 2022, union membership fell by half, from 20.1% to 10.1%. "Union density reached a high of over 30% in the post-World War II decades in the 1950s and 1960s," said Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center.
The Highest Stakes Commentary: Kim Kavin
October 16, 2024 // In this version of the ABC Test, Part B states that a person can only be a legally operating independent contractor if: The person performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business. That line has been an unmitigated income- and career-destroyer for Californians in more than 600 professions. It hit everyone from comedians who could no longer perform at comedy clubs to translators who could no longer provide translation services for translation companies to freelance writers who could no longer write articles for publishers. Owner-operator truckers are still battling in the courts and trying to explain how it could decimate the supply chain, with the threat of taking so many self-employed truckers off the road. The damage to people’s livelihoods was so significant that within a year—just one year—of AB5 going into effect:
New law bans California companies from forcing employees to meet on politics, religion or union issues
October 4, 2024 // But starting next year, California employers will no longer be able to force employees into so-called “captive audience” meetings about politics, including unions, or religion. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday banning these compulsory meetings. The new law, which was supported mostly by unions, prohibits employers from retaliating against employees when they don’t attend a meeting related to religion or politics, including union organizing.
Port Strike Leader Harold Daggett and ILA Union’s Political Donations
October 3, 2024 // In 2022, the PAC contributed nearly double, with $220,000 to Democratic candidates and $13,500 to Republicans. In the last 10 years, most annual contributions have averaged under $200,000—significantly less than in previous decades. In 2000, the PAC gave $562,300 to Democrats and $41,750 to Republicans, a total of $607,050. The largest individual campaign donations at the time were $18,000 to then-Democratic Whip David Bonior. A separately registered ILA PAC identifies North Bergen, New Jersey—where the union is headquartered—in its name. Similarly, the PAC contributes to campaigns and other PACs, making several small donations to state and U.S. House races. In 2020, it donated $5,000 to Biden's presidential campaign and $50,000 to a general majority PAC, according to OpenSecrets.
In swing states that once went for Trump, unions organize to prevent a repeat
October 1, 2024 // This year, UNITE HERE says it is once again mobilizing its members and plans to knock on more than 3 million doors in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan “to ensure that Kamala Harris wins the presidency.” In Wisconsin, the Laborers are building political messaging into a union project to engage members more closely, “connecting union members with other union members,” Miller said, to explain how negotiations affect wages and health and retirement benefits, as well as the importance of increasing union representation.
SMART Union Spent Over $6 Million on Left-Leaning Advocacy Between 2019-202
September 30, 2024 // “The public and union members deserve to know how the union is spending workers’ dues dollars. 99 percent of SMART’s recent advocacy spending has gone to left-leaning organizations,” said communications director Charlyce Bozzello. CUF examined the SMART’s LM-2 financial filings from 2019 – 2022 with the Office of Labor and Management Standards (OLMS) to offer a transparent look into the union’s financial priorities and how it spends members’ dues dollars.
Commentary: The Teamsters nonendorsement is an opening for Republicans
September 26, 2024 // This fact has been clear since Trump’s first term. He and his fellow Republicans repeatedly pursued policies that union leaders loathed but union members loved. He protected the rights of independent contractors, which has the support of 67% of union households. Sixty-four percent backed his protection of franchise small businesses from union control. Trump also sought to increase transparency and disclosures of union finances, which 81% of union households support. A second Trump term could see the GOP make further progress on union-member priorities. Polling shows that union members want guaranteed secret-ballot voting, protections for worker privacy, and right-to-work laws — all Republican policies. Yet union leaders oppose these same priorities. The Teamsters president made this fact clear in his speech to the Republican convention this summer, railing against the very policies his own members support. Republicans should ignore union leaders’ far-left demands. They should also ignore union-curious “conservative” groups that want Republicans to compromise on their principles.
Union members aren’t just voting on labor this year
August 27, 2024 // She believes Harris can deliver for her and fellow union members, calling the Democratic nominee a “breath of fresh air” for whom she’s canvassing alongside UNITE HERE colleagues. Gangwer, meanwhile, said he has struggled to grapple with recent inflation. He pushed off “must-do’s” on his home, like a partial roof replacement, because it’s too expensive. His co-workers have become more willing to vote for Republicans in recent years, he said, citing the party’s commitments to cut taxes and an emphasis on law and order.
Walz will address union members in first solo campaign stop
August 13, 2024 // As Minnesota governor, Walz signed a variety of pro-worker laws supported by labor — most significantly paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave. He also supported laws that banned noncompete agreements, prohibited employers from holding mandatory meetings intended to persuade workers against unionizing, raised safety standards in warehouses and meatpacking plants, and expanded unemployment benefits to hourly school employees who do not work during the summer.
Teacher’s Union Accused Of Laundering $1.5 Million To Bankroll Josh Shapiro’s Campaign
July 25, 2024 // The Freedom Foundation filed three complaints that allege the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) illegally laundered and sent $1.5 million to fund Shapiro’s campaign, according to a press release by Freedom Foundation. The complaints were filed with various parties in Pennsylvania, including the FBI and IRS, as Shapiro has emerged as a contender to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. “PSEA’s scheme to secretly launder nearly $1.5 million in members’ dues through the Democratic Governors Association to support Josh Shapiro’s 2022 candidacy appears to have violated both an array of Pennsylvania laws and the Internal Revenue Code,” Freedom Foundation Director of Research and Government Affairs Maxford Nelsen said in the press release.