Posts tagged healthcare
Opinion: A Union Sandbags Newsom With a Wealth Tax
October 27, 2025 // The SEIU-UHW collected $136 million in worker dues and agency fees in 2024, according to the union’s most recent U.S. Labor Department filing. Much of this has financed ballot campaigns and political lobbying to promote its own interests and the progressive agenda more broadly. The wealth-tax initiative is a case in point.
Allina Doctors Council announce 1-day strike happening Nov. 5
October 27, 2025 // Members of the Doctors Council at Allina Health announced the filing of a 10-day strike notice, which is the first time in Minnesota history physicians in the state have gone on strike.
Starbucks workers union planning pickets, rallies through Nov. 2. See in which states
October 27, 2025 // Starbucks, for its part, says it is willing to bargain with the union, which the company says represents about 9,500 of its "partners," or employees. "Workers United only represents around 4% of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk," corporate spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners," Anderson said. "We’re investing over $500 million to put more partners in stores during busy times. The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average, and we get more than 1 million job applications a year.”
The future of white-collar work may be unionized
October 10, 2025 // “The way layoffs happened at Google, where it wasn’t clear what the reason for people getting laid off was, definitely created a sense of job insecurity and mistrust,” says Parul Koul, a software engineer at Google and president of the Alphabet Workers Union. Another driver has been artificial intelligence threatening to replace entry-level knowledge work. Few white-collar industries epitomize the challenge of integrating AI into workflows more than the practice of law. While many legal experts say AI will have a transformative impact by automating repetitive research tasks, some also fear it will dilute entry-level associate roles at law firms.
Marriott, Hilton workers strike in Philadelphia
October 7, 2025 // Union employees at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown and the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City are calling for higher pay and improved benefits.
Op-ed: When Workers Have Other Options: Rethinking Power in the Multi-Earner Economy
October 5, 2025 // Well, monopsony is the flip side: when one (or just a few) buyers dominate a market. In labor markets, that “buyer” is your employer. And when employers have monopsony power, they can pay you less than what your work is actually worth—because where else are you going to go? Here’s the thing: you don’t need to live in a company town with one employer to experience monopsony power. It happens if the cost of leaving your job is too high. Maybe you need the health insurance.
1,900 Kaiser Permanente hospital workers in Hawaiʻi voting on union strike authorization
September 18, 2025 // Local bargaining started in April, and national bargaining with Kaiser Permanente, the country’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system, began in May. Union leaders point out that some Hawai‘i workers are paid up to 30% less than their counterparts on the mainland and face growing concerns over burnout and patient care. If approved, the vote would give union leadership the authority to call a strike once current contracts expire on Sept. 30. The online vote began at 6 a.m. on Sept. 15, with results expected by the end of the week or early next week. Meanwhile, rallies are scheduled to take place on Friday across the state.
Striking Janesville health care workers to rally at state Capitol
September 4, 2025 // The union has also established a food pantry at 1795 Lafayette St. to support striking members and is accepting donations of non-perishable food and baby items. Donations can be dropped off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Financial contributions to the strike fund can also be made by check. The strike has garnered support from other labor groups and community members in the Janesville area, who have joined picket lines and contributed to the strike fund.
Unions, contractors clash over proposal to require labor equity in Spokane projects
August 24, 2025 // Priority hires must either be a graduate from a state-certified pre-apprenticeship program; a veteran, person of color, woman, those formerly convicted of a crime, formerly homeless or a tribal member; or living in an area of the city with higher rates of poverty and lower rates of higher education and employment. “We do not believe the government should mandate or compel any firm to change its labor policies in order to perform these projects,” said Cheryl Stewart, executive director for the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, during a Monday reading of the proposal. “This law is not inclusive, it’s exclusive: over 85% of Washington’s workforce is non-union, and 98% of women- and minority-owned firms are non-union, and these contractors and their employees would be shut out or forced to change their labor policies.”
UPS buyout details: What’s in the offer, how many jobs are affected and what Teamsters say
July 30, 2025 // UPS is offering a voluntary buyout program to U.S. full-time drivers for the first time in its history. The Teamsters union criticizes the buyout, calling it "insulting" and a violation of the 2023 contract. UPS attributes the buyout to restructuring efforts following revenue decline and increased costs. The buyout, called the "Driver Voluntary Separation Program" is available for consideration by full-time, U.S.-based drivers, and is the first time in the company's history this sort of offer has been made to drivers, UPS said in a statement.