Posts tagged job security
NY Times tech union’s bizarre demands to avert strike include four-day work week, ban on scents in break rooms
September 19, 2024 // Tech union workers at the New York Times have threatened to strike on Election Day over a bizarre list of demands that include pet bereavement leave, a four-day work week — and even a ban on scented products in break rooms, according to a report. The Times Tech Guild’s laundry list of demands during its protracted two-year battle for a contract has also included a call for unlimited sick time, job security for non-citizens who are in the United States on work visas in the event of layoffs and mandatory trigger warnings when discussing news events, Semafor reported.
Trump and Vance shouldn’t give in to European-style labor regulation
July 30, 2024 // Economists have proposed a variety of unique ideas to protect workers, ranging from the earned-income tax credit to pursuing some variation of a negative income tax policy. American unions could also be transformed by eliminating their government-granted exclusive-negotiator status so that multiple unions could represent workers for any given employer. Doing so would increase union membership and give workers a more diverse set of institutions and protections or benefits to seek in the workplace. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are correct that conservatives should pursue a pro-worker agenda. But it must lean into what has traditionally made the U.S. labor market vibrant—entrepreneurial dynamism, not rigid European-style labor policy.
Boeing Workers Pass Strike Vote to ‘Save Company From Itself’
July 22, 2024 // CLOSE X CONTINUE Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:56 Quality Fullscreen By Hugh Cameron Live News Reporter FOLLOW 2 Members of Boeing's biggest union have voted to authorize a strike if their current contract negotiations with the aerospace company fail, compelling the company to take their demands for higher salaries and job security seriously. Over 30,000 Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) met in Seattle on Wednesday to cast their vote on possible industrial action. "Thousands of Machinists from IAM District 751 who work at the Boeing Company put down their tools and silenced the factories to come together at T-Mobile Park to cast their vote," a statement shared by the International Association of Machinists read. "The message was clear – Boeing workers deserve better." The vote will compel Boeing to "bargain earnestly," according to IAM District 751 President Jon Holden. "Our jobs, our legacy and our reputation are on the line right now. We are fighting to change this company and to save it from itself." IAM strike vote International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker Union District 751 members drop their ballots into a ballot box during an early strike-sanction vote event at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington on July 17, 2024. The... More JASON REDMOND/GETTY IMAGES The procedural vote, which the IAM said passed "by nearly 99.9%," gives the union advanced notice of its members' intention to strike, ensuring that they can receive strike benefits without delay if industrial action goes ahead. Sign up for Newsletter NEWSLETTER The Bulletin Your Morning Starts Here Begin your day with a curated outlook of top news around the world and why it matters. Enter your email address I want to receive special offers and promotions from Newsweek By clicking on SIGN ME UP, you agree to Newsweek's Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. The vote to strike will not take place until September 12, when the current negotiations between the IAM and Boeing come to a close. However, the union said that the vote serves as a "momentum builder," and sends a strong message to Boeing that "members won't accept anything less than the fair contract they deserve." Exclusively Available to Subscribers Try it now for $1 "We don't want to strike – but we're ready and willing to do so to bring home the best aerospace contract our members have ever seen," Holden said. "From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company once again. We are the watchdog with a unique opportunity to make things better for all." READ MORE Boeing Concern Over Boeing's 'Influence' As Sweetheart Plea Deal Delayed FAA Must Rein in Boeing After Engine Fire: UK Government Boeing Bosses Face Marathon 20-Hour Grilling by Watchdog Boeing Workers Meet for Crunch Vote on Strikes IAM President Jon Holden International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker Union District 751 President Jon Holden speaks as members and supporters attend an early strike-sanction vote event at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington on July 17, 2024. Holden... More JASON REDMOND/GETTY IMAGES The negotiations between Boeing and its workers began in March and are set to finish in September at the close of their current 10-year contract. The IAM is seeking a 40 percent salary increase over the next three to four years to amend "ten years of stagnant wages," as well as improved healthcare plans, "dignified" retirement plans and a greater say in their over overtime hours. However, the IAM said that job security "could tip the scales" when members cast their votes to strike on September 12. Holden previously told Newsweek that the IAM was demanding that Boeing's next airplane program be placed in the Puget Sound region, Washington.
Disneyland will work with union representing character performers
June 4, 2024 // While most of Disneyland's 35,000 employees are represented by 26 unions, the park's 1,100 character performers and 600 parade performers and support staff had not been unionized until now. California's minimum wage increased to $16 an hour in 2024 with the hourly rate set to rise to $18 in 2025. After a lengthy court fight, Anaheim's Measure L boosted Disneyland's minimum wage to nearly $20 an hour.
Op-Ed: SEIU Brings Progressive Union Politics to Philly
June 4, 2024 // While serving as president of SEIU Local 2015, Verrett faced one of the largest union staff labor strikes in American history after accusations of union-busting, surveillance, assault, and intimidation. Verrett’s dedication to SEIU’s progressive politics, however, is unmatched. In the words of the union’s new leader, America’s “ugly, insidious, anti-black racist structures” inform her decision to make “eradicating structural and anti-black racism a core strategy” of union operations.
Liz Shuler Wants AI to Reinvigorate the Labor Movement
April 2, 2024 // Fast forward a few years, and the world has evolved. Shuler is now the president of the AFL-CIO, having moved into the top spot in the summer of 2021, following the death of the organization’s longtime leader, Richard Trumka. Thanks to artificial intelligence, anxiety about technology’s impact on job security has only increased — not only among kitchen workers, but also white-collar professionals who long saw themselves as immune from disruption: writers, lawyers, health care professionals, marketers, financial analysts.
600 Activision QA workers unionize, Microsoft voluntarily recognizes
March 13, 2024 // “Now under Microsoft with the neutrality agreement they signed with CWA, it’s a lot easier,” Fannon said. “We don’t have to be concerned about any form of union-busting tactics. Microsoft made sure all managers were trained on neutrality. We knew that if we encountered union busting, we could bring it up so it’s addressed.” The other positive is that neither Activision’s QA workers nor Microsoft management have to go through the union election process with the National Labor Relations Board, which can sometimes take a while. Instead, Activision QA workers have been voting since Feb. 22 with either a union authorization card (a document, physical or digital, indicating approval of the union) or a confidential vote through an online portal.
DTNA union okays work stoppage as labor negotiations continue
March 13, 2024 // More than 7,000 United Auto Workers (UAW) union workers at Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) manufacturing sites in three states have voted to authorize a strike if necessary if-or-when their current labor deal expires April 26.
Worker misclassification could cost big bucks for small businesses
February 22, 2024 // Audited companies found to have misclassified employees face significant penalties. Just federally that means repaying all the employer portions of taxes that had been paid by employees and a portion of the employee contribution. There are also interest and penalty costs. “That’s just the tax piece,” Panning said. “If there’s a class action lawsuit by these independent contractors saying we’re employees, we deserve the benefits, then it’s even more because you get into the court system.”
As Musicians Start Talks With Studios, Hollywood Labor Leaders Lend Support In Picket
January 22, 2024 // The program - which featured music performed by AFM brass musicians and speeches from labor leaders including Teamsters Local 399 secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty, Writers Guild of America West vice president Michele Mulroney and L.A. County Federation of Labor president Yvonne Wheeler - took place hours before the AFM was scheduled to begin negotiations over new Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture contracts with the AMPTP in an office just steps away.