Posts tagged health coverage
Lewis Ginter union workers reject ‘last, best and final’ contract offer
August 17, 2026 // Garden agreed to include the generous benefits it already offers its employees: Health Insurance and the organization’s HSA contributions (the Union proposed no changes) Retirement benefits with the organization’s contribution (the Union proposed no changes) 35 days of paid time off Three weeks of paid parental leave The Union’s current demand for an immediate approximately 11.4% wage increase for unionized staff, followed by additional increases in subsequent years, is simply not a sustainable approach for an organization that does not make a profit and must budget on a year-to-year basis.
Op-Eds Union bosses almost blew the $2.5 billion Nippon deal. Don’t let them sabotage the next contract
August 13, 2026 // In 2025, USW held two significant strikes. One that put nearly 2,000 represented employees out of work for eight months, and another that forced 650 people out of work for five months. The strike likely cost these workers tens of millions collectively in lost wages. It also reported 615 employees earning more than $75,000, with an average total compensation of $107,476. The union paid its own staff more than 10 times what it paid in strike benefits. The terms were strong, as Nippon’s offer included $2.7 billion in capital investment earmarked specifically for USW facilities.
Ghirardelli chocolate workers in San Francisco walk off job for 3-day strike
August 3, 2026 // Workers at San Francisco's Original Ghirardelli Chocolate and Ice Cream Shop walked off the job on Thursday for a three-day strike. Union members and their representatives say the company isn't being transparent about how much it earns from a health coverage fee it charges customers. The workers want to stay on their current healthcare plan. Two other stores in Ghirardelli Square that are staffed with non-union workers, remain open.
Report: 5 unintended effects kicked in after California raised minimum wage
July 10, 2026 // So the $20 wage may technically work. Some workers really do earn that much per hour now. But the bigger goal, helping fast food workers build a stable life, is slipping away in a different direction. The jobs are shrinking. The hours are shrinking. And the restaurants of the future may not need a person at the counter to hand you your food at all.
Logan Airport Food Fight: Workers Move Closer To Strike As World Cup Masses Descend
June 21, 2026 // UNITE HERE has been lining up strike-authorization votes at stadiums, hotels and airports in World Cup host cities and has warned that major labor disruptions are on the table during the tournament. In a June 2 press release, the union said workers in multiple host cities are prepared to withhold their labor during World Cup events if contracts are not settled, a tactic meant to sharpen employers’ incentives as international visitors arrive, according to UNITE HERE.
EdSource workers strike over unfair labor practices
May 16, 2026 // Unionized staff at EdSource, the largest education newsroom in California, are on strike today, May 14, 2026 to protest unilateral changes to healthcare benefits and management’s lack of progress toward a fair contract.
Writers Guild West Staffers to Lose Health Coverage Soon Amid Strike
April 1, 2026 // WGA West staffers can be covered by the Producer-Writers Guild of America (PWGA) Health Plan, the same plan that is offered to the Hollywood union’s members. Staffers accrue coverage on a month-to-month basis as long as they work 31 hours per week the previous month. Staffers unionized with the Writers Guild Staff Union (WGSU), who have been out on strike since Feb. 17, say they learned on Tuesday that they will lose eligibility starting Wednesday.
West Contra Costa Teachers Are Near a Pivotal Moment in Their Potential Strike
December 1, 2025 // UTR has proposed a 10% pay raise over the next two years and full health coverage. The district’s most recent counterproposal included a 2% pay raise for the 2025-26 school year. The union argues that an increase in compensation will attract and maintain quality educators to help the district address its staffing shortage
Empowering Idaho’s self-employed workforce with portable benefits
November 15, 2025 // What’s notable is that these workers aren’t asking for government mandates or subsidies. They’re asking for the freedom to participate in modern systems of security without sacrificing the independence they’ve chosen. Portable benefits meet that need — offering stronger financial security without compromising the initiative and determination that define Idaho’s workforce. By removing outdated barriers to voluntary portable benefits, Idaho can prove that independence and security not only coexist — they make each other stronger.
Fred Rogers Prod. & Spiffy Pictures Animation Writers Unionize Under WGA East-PBS Contract
September 15, 2025 // The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) announced Friday that children’s entertainment studios Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures have both recognized the organization for collective bargaining for animation writers working on their public television programs. The move achieves unionization for writers on future seasons of PBS KIDS favorites Alma’s Way, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Carl the Collector.