Posts tagged Hawaii
Thousands of hotel workers to rally in 18 cities ahead of contract negotiations
May 1, 2024 // Unionized hotel workers demanding significant pay raises will rally on May Day in 18 U.S. and Canadian cities, as talks are beginning with operators Marriott International (MAR.O), opens new tab, Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT.N), opens new tab and Hyatt Hotels Corp (H.N) , opens new tab. Talks will cover about 40,000 workers who look to secure new contracts for the first time since the pandemic. Workers want to reverse pandemic-era staffing and service cuts, as well as duplicate the big pay hikes that organized workers across the nation have been winning in the recent years.
Connecticut Union Membership at Three-Year High
February 2, 2024 // Nonetheless, there remains a possibility that they adhere to the initial strategy of adopting California’s emission regulations, which dictate that no new gas-powered vehicles can be purchased by the year 2035, with targeted annual mandates of electric vehicles (EV) sales beginning with 2027 model-year cars. Yankee Institute will be closely monitoring the progress of this potential bill and will keep you updated as the saga unfolds.
Hawaii: Kapiolani Medical Center nurses vote to authorize strike
January 9, 2024 // The nurses have been working without a contract since their last three-year contract expired Nov. 30. The nurses, who are represented by the Hawai'i Nurses' Association, Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 50, AFL-CIO, began their negotiations with management on Sept. 13.
As Hollywood strike drags on, Biden’s relationship with unions becomes complicated
September 6, 2023 // For example, in the 2020 election, labor unions contributed $27.5 million to Biden’s campaign while his opponent, former President Donald Trump, received less than $360,000, according to Open Secrets. The states with the largest concentration of union workers are hardline Democratic states, like Hawaii, New York, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey and California. In 2022, 10.1% of American wage and salary workers belonged to unions compared to 20.1%, in 1983, signifying a large drop in membership. But this hasn’t translated to a drop in popularity for unions, at least according to recent polls.
Here’s why the US labor movement is so popular but union membership is dwindling.
September 6, 2023 // Labor laws in the US make it more difficult for employees to form unions: Around 27 states have passed "Right to Work" laws, making it more difficult for workers to unionize. These laws provide union representation to nonunion members in union workplaces– without requiring the payment of union dues. It also gives workers the option to join a union or opt out. Workplace sectors that were traditionally union strongholds, now make up less of the workforce, such as manufacturing, transportation, and construction.
From Strikes to New Union Contracts, Labor Day’s Organizing Roots Are Especially Strong Across the Country This Year
September 5, 2023 // The first U.S. Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882. Some 10,000 workers marched in a parade organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor. A handful of cities and states began to adopt laws recognizing Labor Day in the years that followed, yet it took more than a decade before President Grover Cleveland signed a congressional act in 1894 establishing the first Monday of September as a legal holiday.
Former Honolulu Union Leader Headed To Prison For More Than 11 Years
July 24, 2023 // In a weeks-long trial last year, federal prosecutors detailed how the finances of Local 1260 nosedived after Ahakuelo took over as business manager and financial secretary. In 2010, the union had a surplus of approximately $700,000, Gillmor noted. Four years later, it had a deficit of some $760,000. Prosecutors said Ahakuelo hired family members at salaries exceeding what union rules allowed. His wife, sister-in-law, son and his children’s spouses were all on the union’s payroll. Their pay contributed to the union’s salary expenses jumping by 150%, the judge said. Ahakuelo was emboldened by an inexperienced executive board, handpicked by Ahakuelo himself, that literally and figuratively handed him signed blank checks to spend as he wished, Gillmor said. Ahakuelo was also able to make unilateral decisions on travel. On several occasions, he brought an unnecessary entourage of family members and other employees on trips with dubious connections to union needs.
UFW just got big union wins at New York farms. Is the same coming for California?
July 19, 2023 // Like many unions, UFW has struggled to organize over the last few decades, its membership dwindling from 60,000 to around 6,000. Even with legal protection, farmworker organizing is often slow, painstaking work. Many prospective union members are reluctant to give up 3% of their already low wages for dues, and worry that their immigration status leaves them vulnerable to employer retaliation.
Potential dock worker union strike causes families to shop in bulk on Oahu
June 9, 2023 // Long ongoing contract negotiations failed again for dockworkers on the California coastline. This has caused many of them to stop going to work and slowing down operations. There is a trickle-down effect because Hawaii relies on goods being shipped in. And now, many Hawaii residents are flooding local Costco stores to bulk up. “My friend texted me about a potential strike so I ran here for toilet paper. I take care of my 94-year-old mother and I need to make sure she’s fully supplied,” said Keith Lee, Makiki resident.
Illinois union boss embezzled funds
April 24, 2023 // A former union president in Illinois admitted to transporting stolen money after being caught embezzling over $200,000 from Local 214 of the American Federation of State, City, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Byron Clemons, Sr. pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen money from the local union in Alton, Illinois, where he served as president from 2017 to 2022. Prosecutors found that Clemons embezzled $202,100 from the local union’s bank account between February 2021 and January 2022 to pay for gambling and personal expenses. U.S. government officials blasted Clemons’s embezzlement as a selfish misuse of membership dues.