Posts tagged free speech
Commentary: Workers deserve to hear all sides of a story
October 23, 2023 // Neutrality agreements are contracts that require employers to stay silent in union organization efforts. They mean that employers can’t freely offer knowledge of workplace realities, counter misleading information given by an outside organization or give workers “cons” to a union’s “pros.” Long-sought by unions, neutrality agreements allow unions to give workers the information of their choosing while gagging employers. Requiring employers to remain silent during unionization efforts can leave workers with a one-sided argument — the union’s side. Long-standing precedent in which the judicial and legislative branches of government have defended worker rights would send the Biden Administration to detention for trying to deprive workers of their right to information.
Public workers who exercise free speech will be protected under new Colorado law
July 5, 2023 // Queer workers, workers of color, women, mothers, parents — all tend to feel retaliation a lot harder in the workplace. – Jade Kelly, of Communications Workers of America 7799 It follows a change to state law last year that gave employees in large Colorado counties the right to unionize and collectively bargain. That effort initially included a larger portion of public-sector workers, but it was pared down during the legislative process. “It shows testament to workers’ power on the rise,” said Jade Kelly, president of Communications Workers of America 7799, a coalition of several unions across Colorado, about the passage of SB-111. “We were organized, testifying in committees and making sure that workers’ voices were heard at the Capitol in a concentrated, meaningful way.” Queer workers, workers of color, women, mothers, parents — all tend to feel retaliation a lot harder in the workplace. – Jade Kelly, of Communications Workers of America 7799 The bill is personal for Kelly as well. She said that she requested a gender neutral bathroom several years ago at her University of Colorado Boulder job, but she was told that accommodation would be a security threat. Kelly, who is a transgender woman, spoke with her coworkers and they started organizing, only to be told by leadership that the group could be fired for taking action.
NLRB Takes on Free Speech Yet Again
May 31, 2023 // Eventually, the anti-free speech charges brought by the NLRB will find their way to federal court, where they are likely to run into a buzzsaw. Not only is employer free speech protected by Section 8(c) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), but the U.S. Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision from 2008 has made that point abundantly clear. In the meantime, the agency will continue harassing businesses for engaging in perfectly legal activity. This seems like a ridiculous waste of time and money. Despite getting an extra $25 million from Congress last year, the NLRB is still pleading poverty. Perhaps if agency spent its money more productively, it wouldn’t feel the need to go back to the taxpayers for more.
ABC MICHIGAN V. ABRUZZO
March 17, 2023 // Soon after taking her new job, Abruzzo issued a memo announcing that the NLRB will now consider it illegal for employers to talk to employees about unions at mandatory meetings
Op-Ed: John Grande: Hartford Federation of Teachers shirked its duty to represent me
February 23, 2023 // This skewed process is one reason why unions exist. I should know—I was a member of the Hartford Federation of Teachers (HFT) for 29 years, a building representative for five years, and helped negotiate two teacher contracts. I always stood up for my colleagues when administrators treated them unfairly. Though I resigned from the union in 2018, teachers still call me when they need advice. I knew that I could effectively defend myself in front of an unbiased third party during arbitration. But only the union can start the arbitration process. That’s when the surprise came: HFT’s vice president emailed me saying that because I was no longer a dues-paying member, the union would not initiate arbitration. Over 30 years of teaching service. Thousands of dollars in dues payments. A union appreciation plaque for being part of a team that negotiated Hartford teachers’ last good contract. None of this swayed union officials whose representation I, by law, must accept.
Union-friendly changes in the works at U.S. labor board
January 4, 2023 // The U.S. National Labor Relations Board's Democratic majority is poised to make a series of key changes to federal labor law in 2023 that will aid unions amid a surge in organizing that gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NLRB and its general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, have signaled their interest in overturning a number of Trump-era decisions that were favored by business groups.
The National Labor Relations Board is trying to silence employer speech
December 5, 2022 // The NLRB recently filed a complaint against Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, claiming a statement he made on CNBC constituted an unfair labor practice. When asked about the ongoing campaign to unionize Amazon, Jassy said: “It’s employees’ choice whether or not they want to join a union. We happen to think they’re better off not doing so, for a couple of reasons at least. You know, first, at a place like Amazon that empowers employees, if they see something they can do better for customers or for themselves, they can go meet in a room, decide how [to] change it — and change it. That type of empowerment doesn’t happen when you have unions. It’s much more bureaucratic, it’s much slower. I also think people are better off having direct connections with their managers.”
Chris Smalls Taunts Musk, Says ‘Disgruntled’ Employee Wants Help Unionizing
November 30, 2022 // Labor organizer Chris Smalls taunted Elon Musk Monday evening, saying a "disgruntled" Tesla employee reached out to him, seeking help with unionizing. Smalls tweeted an image showing an email he received from an unidentified individual with the subject line: "Organizing activity at Tesla." He captioned the picture with a barb aimed at Musk, the Tesla CEO who has made headlines in recent weeks over his purchase of social media giant Twitter.
Op-ed: The NLRB is gutting free speech to protect unions
November 4, 2022 // The reason behind Biden’s vow remains clear as day — unions are one of the largest drivers of cash to Democratic campaign coffers, spending $1.8 billion in the 2020 cycle alone. To deliver on this campaign promise, Biden has weaponized the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to clamp down on workplace speech and drive up union membership. Congress needs to get hold of the runaway NLRB before it is too late.