Posts tagged hazard pay
SEPTA to negotiate new contracts with majority of workforce
September 27, 2023 // Considered “one of the most strike-prone large transit systems in the country,” SEPTA may face difficult negotiations and the potential for strikes due to the fund restrictions. Further complicating the issue is the sheer number of collective bargaining agreements that must be negotiated. “SEPTA is committed to continuing good-faith discussions toward reaching agreements that are fair to employees and fiscally responsible to farepayers and taxpayers,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. While each unit will bargain over individual issues, most will tackle issues related to worker shortages, pay increases, and hazard pay.
PHILADELPHIA: SEPTA must negotiate contracts with nearly all its labor unions amid looming financial crisis
September 18, 2023 // The authority projects an annual operating deficit of $240 million beginning next July 1 as the last of its federal pandemic aid is spent, a situation dubbed the “fiscal cliff” that afflicts most transit systems in the United States. Riders have not returned in pre-COVID 19 numbers, and changing travel patterns have accelerated in the last three years. SEPTA and the state’s other public transit agencies are pushing for the legislature to adopt a measure that would give them a greater share of the sales tax to support operations. Uncertainty about finances makes it difficult to say “yes” to increased pay and benefits for TWU Local 234, which represents operators of buses, trolleys, and transit trains, SEPTA CEO Leslie S. Richards said Tuesday during a hearing of the state House Transportation Committee at the agency’s headquarters.
New Stanford subcontractor threatens union jobs, workers say
April 19, 2023 // In late March, Stanford decided to switch from UG2—a maintenance service company used by the University to subcontract workers—to a new custodial provider, Service by Medallion, at its Redwood City campus. This shift is scheduled to take place this Friday, April 14—a change that the union claims will violate the existing union master contract and may impact the employment of 25 UG2 janitorial workers in Redwood City, with potential implications to all 7,000 union members. On Wednesday, a dozen Stanford students drove to Redwood City at noon to show support for the workers advocating for their employment. Students and around ten workers who were on lunch break at the time also sought to present Executive Director of Operations Laura Di Mario with a petition which received over 500 signatures from Stanford affiliates in 24 hours. The petition demanded that “Stanford honor its contract” by not switching to Medallion and not requiring workers to go through the “rehiring” process.
Unions rally for COVID hazard pay after arbitrator sides with the state
June 22, 2022 // “Pay us our motherf***ing money.” The American Rescue Plan is the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package approved early in President Joe Biden’s term. That measure sent more than $10 billion to Ohio — about half it going to the state and the other half split among local governments. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther contrasted his decision to use that funding for public employees. “If we can do it at the local level, we certainly can do it at the state level,” Ginther said. “And we stand in solidarity with you today.” Lorain Correctional Institution, Appalachian Community Grant Program, Wilson Humphrey,
NJ Unions Hit the Bricks for Hazard Pay
June 21, 2022 // On June 16, union members, a couple with their toddlers in tow, snaked through the Capitol complex looking to present a letter making the case for hazard pay. It was signed by several union presidents, including Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO and was addressed to Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. The letter was also addressed to Gov. Phil Murphy. New Jersey Transit ATU, Janet Booker, 32 BJ SEIU, Make the Road New Jersey, Essex County Assemblywoman Mila Jasey,
Workers at Trader Joe’s, Amazon, and Starbucks Are Unionizing, But Want Their Independence From Organized Labor
June 15, 2022 // “There’s no mandate that the company has to bargain,” she says. “This is where having resources and a legal team that is funded is essential for winning.” Campos-Medina says it’s not hard to envision independent unions partnering with a national union once they get to the collective bargaining stage for resources and assistance. Yosef said that while Trader Joe’s United is independent, members of the labor community in Hadley offered legal advice and administrative support to help guide organizing workers in the process leading up to the election filing. Courtney Vinopal, Hadley, Maeg Yosef, Patricia Campos-Medina, Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations,
Big Labor is failing to meet the moment, advocates say
April 15, 2022 // Institutional labor is out of touch, said one person familiar with the inner workings of the AFL-CIO who didn't want to publicly criticize their own organization. Too many union officers didn't start out as unionized workers — but instead rose through the ranks as staffers for the organization. "If you can't relate to the people you're representing, you're lost," the source said.
What a Surge in Union Organizing Means for Food and Farm Workers
March 25, 2022 // By organizing with the Warehouse Workers for Justice, many were able to get their jobs back and have their demands met. “What’s really interesting is that there’s a huge movement right now for worker centers and unions to work together ... to essentially surround the industry,” Oliva said. “So if an employer busts the union, the worker center emerges. If the worker center is unable to organize the workers, the union organizes them.”
Smith’s strike averted with assist from Mother Nature
February 13, 2022 // Frazier said he believes a 10-day strike in January by Denver-area workers at King Soopers, another Kroger subsidiary, played a major role in the negotiations.
3,500 Hennepin County workers announce plan to strike beginning Feb. 2
January 19, 2022 // The strike would disrupt social services for the county’s 1.3 million residents if a deal isn’t reached by Feb. 2, with nurses, child protection workers, psychologists and workers in dozens of other roles walking off the job. County officials say they’re working on contingency plans to mitigate any disruption.