Posts tagged healthcare
Places for People workers call for company support in unionization efforts
November 16, 2023 // Workers include custodians, nursing aides, technicians, case workers and substance abuse specialists. Union organizers said they have not filed for union certification with the National Labor Relations Board as efforts are ongoing. They said they have not received recognition or support for unionization from the Places for People leadership board, either. If their unionization effort is successful, organizers said they are looking to be able to bargain for more equity in pay, time off and other health care benefits.
Strike ends for Mack Trucks workers after 39 days on the picket line
November 16, 2023 // Reggie Benjamin and his union brothers strike and walk a pickett line along Eisenhower Blvd. in Lower Swatara Township, Pa., Oct. 11, 2023. Benjamin is a Reman Technician working on assembly line transmissions and is from Lewisberry, Pa. Mark Pynes | pennlive.com Reggie Benjamin and his union brothers strike and walk a pickett line along Eisenhower Blvd. in Lower Swatara Township, Pa., Oct. 11, 2023. Benjamin is a Reman Technician working on assembly line transmissions and is from Lewisberry, Pa. Mark Pynes | pennlive.com © Mark Pynes | pennlive.com/pennlive.com/TNS The Mack Trucks employee strike has ended after more than a month of picketing. “After 39 days on strike, UAW members at Mack Trucks have voted by 93% to ratify their new contract with significant local improvements,” United Auto Workers said on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday evening. People Born Before 1969 Eligible For Walk-In Tubs People Born Before 1969 Eligible For Walk-In Tubs Ad profind.com Workers had been out demonstrating at the Mack Trucks plant along Commerce Drive in Lower Swatara Township and along Eisenhower Boulevard in Swatara Township as well as plants in the Lehigh Valley, Hagerstown, Maryland, and at distribution centers in Baltimore and Jacksonville, Florida. United Auto Worker Local 677 members strike along Eisenhower Blvd. in Lower Swatara Township, Pa., Oct. 11, 2023. Mark Pynes | pennlive.com United Auto Worker Local 677 members strike along Eisenhower Blvd. in Lower Swatara Township, Pa., Oct. 11, 2023. Mark Pynes | pennlive.com © Mark Pynes | pennlive.com/pennlive.com/TNS “UAW leadership has informed us that their members have ratified the new five-year agreement,” Mack Trucks said on its website. “The agreement guarantees significant wage growth and delivers excellent benefits for our employees and their families. At the same time, it will safeguard our competitiveness and allow us to continue making the necessary investments in our people, plants and products. We look forward to welcoming our employees back to our sites on Monday, November 20, for your usual shift.” Related video: Congressman Trone rallies UAW strikers at Mack Truck Plant in Hagerstown (WDVM Hagerstown) Maryland Congressman David Trone spent the morning at the Mack Current Time 0:14 / Duration 0:44 WDVM Hagerstown Congressman Trone rallies UAW strikers at Mack Truck Plant in Hagerstown 0 View on Watch View on Watch The vote for the new contract took place on Wednesday, after the United Auto Workers 677 negotiating committee said in a letter to its members that it met with the company and put formal requests across the table to address members’ needs but the company rejected all of the proposals. The negotiating committee did say that the company agreed to “some significant changes” since the strike began but that members would be voting on the same contract that was voted down in early October. The letter said that the negotiations were over and the contract would come up for a vote. Most notably, the letter warned of the repercussions of voting down the contract, which included possible lost of jobs, loss of insurance after Dec. 1 and a loss of a $3,500 ratification bonus.
Piscataway L’Oreal Employee Says RWDSU Union Boss Threats and Misinformation Undermined Vote to Oust Union
November 7, 2023 // Hoyos Lopez’s objections will now be investigated and a rerun election will occur if the NLRB determines union officials’ actions were objectionable and interfered with employees’ free choice in the election. “If RWDSU union officials truly believed they would win an election among L’Oreal employees, they would not engage in such acts of coercion, including threatening the employees they claim to ‘represent,’ misrepresenting facts prior to the vote, and shamelessly sowing division,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “We will continue to fight for Ms. Hoyos Lopez and her coworkers to get a fair opportunity to freely choose whether RWDSU bosses should remain in their workplace.”
Do we all work for the federal government?
November 6, 2023 // Under the NLRB’s reasoning, the federal government is a joint employer of all workers covered by these laws. It even says that joint employers include those who exercise “reserved control” — i.e., they don’t set standards, but they have the power to do so. That expands the definition of joint employer even more. Congress has the power to draft legislation affecting essentially any part of the economy. As such, it reserves the right to set standards for all workers, making the federal government a joint employer of anyone and everyone. It’s highly unlikely that unions or the NLRB will try to apply the new rule in this way, since it’s clearly beyond the pale. (Imagine Department of Labor officials bargaining with union officials over the future of workers at your mechanic, along with almost every other business you’ve ever patronized.) Yet if it’s wrong to say that Washington, D.C., is a joint employer over the economy’s workers, it’s equally wrong to make that claim about larger companies and the workers at their independent franchisees. It defies logic — and will injure millions of small businesses and their workers.
Union workers end strike at Thombert after new contract is signed
October 31, 2023 // When picketing first began, workers were frustrated Thombert, Inc. had grown “leaps and bounds,” but their paychecks did not reflect that. Others argued the initial offer from management was an “insult” and “ridiculous.” Later that month, union groups from across the state joined Thombert employees on strike outside the company’s Newton factory. Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, advocated for fair contracts. “We are here to show support and solidarity to let them know they’re not alone,” he said. “You’ve got people from every single different kind of union out here right now, the trades, private sector, the public sector.
Vernon, police union reach agreement over contract, ending court dispute
October 28, 2023 // The town and union had previously gone to arbitration with the union over pay and healthcare premiums during which the town failed to submit its final best offers on a wide range of contract issues to the arbitrators in what was called a “scrivener’s error,” resulting in the arbitration panel awarding the union everything it asked for at the time. The town then took the matter to court to overturn the arbitration decision. Vernon argued that because both parties agreed to waive statutory arbitration requirements, it was not required to submit last best offers on issues that were not in dispute. The arbitration panel disagreed with this argument, saying state statute requires that they reach a decision according to the statement of the last best offer and could not consider any offer that wasn’t documented in writing before them. That court case, which had statutory interpretation issues at stake, however, will no longer play out as the town and union appear to have reached an agreement, primarily around pay for officers and maintaining previous contract language around a number of other issues that had been decided by the arbitration panel when there was no final best offer from the town.
UAW workers at ZF plant in Alabama ratify labor deal, end strike
October 20, 2023 // United Auto Workers union members who went on strike at Mercedes-supplier ZF's plant in Alabama last month demanding higher pay and better healthcare benefits ended a nearly month-long walkout on Thursday. The union said the strike by 190 workers was over after a tentative agreement had been ratified. Workers last month had rejected an earlier contract offer. ZF, which makes front axles used by Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) at its nearby Alabama plant, said last month the Tuscaloosa factory would operate while talks with the union continued.
The year of the strike: what’s causing this labor movement and the potential impact
October 16, 2023 // Data from the Economic Policy Institute shows the number of workers striking fell sharply in 2020 and 2021 but then jumped 50 percent last year alone. Labor historians said another factor is the victory after some of these strikes. “As workers do engage in these actions, they encourage each other, to emulate the demands and to emulate the tactics in some ways,” said Joseph McCartin, labor historian at Georgetown University.
Bernie Sanders | Senator argues for reduced working week due to advancements in AI
September 21, 2023 // Sanders, who is known for his progressive stance on labor issues, argued that as technology accelerates work processes, the benefits should be shared with laborers in the form of more paid time off. Sanders emphasized the mounting pressures faced by most Americans, including challenges related to parenting, housing, healthcare, and finances, which often lead to shortened life expectancies.
Is Gen Z the reason behind growing support for unions?
September 21, 2023 // Austin Johnson, 21, works at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. He has a long family history with Ford. His mom works at the plant and his grandfather and great-grandfather worked for Ford. Johnson, who was worked for Ford for two years, walked out last week after contract negotiations failed and his union local was called to strike. "I am a tier two employee. I want to get rid of tiers and completely cancel that, and that's why I am here and striking for," he said.