Posts tagged Joe Biden
Do Union Bosses Speak For The Working Class?
September 28, 2026 // Akash Chougule, the president of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, puts the mismatch bluntly: roughly 45 percent of union households voted Republican in 2024, while about 87 percent of union political spending benefited Democrats.
NLRB official says Stanford residential advisers can unionize
September 16, 2026 // A National Labor Relations Board official has ruled that student residential advisers at Stanford University are the school's employees and can vote on whether to join a union, teeing up review by the board on the novel issue. Regional Director Christy Kwon in Oakland said in the decision, opens new tab released on Saturday that more than 430 "residential student leaders" perform services under the control of Stanford for which they are compensated, making them employees under federal labor law.
Mamdani creates new DSA-inspired office to help NYC workers unionize: ‘Concerning for small business’
September 9, 2026 // The office will hold hearings on “worker issues” and develop policy proposals based on testimony from employees. It will also give out information about workers’ rights and help connect employees interested in starting unions with organizations that can help them, City Hall said. Tony Perlstein, a former dockworker, union organizer and deputy director of communications for the national lefty organizing group Center for Popular Democracy, will run the office. It’s not clear if anyone else will be hired to staff the office, or how much its budget will be. Perlstein will report to Mamdani’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, previously a cabinet official under President Joe Biden.
Editorial Board: Americans approve of unions. They just don’t want to join one.
September 9, 2026 // Gallup says 71 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, near a record high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 10 percent of American workers are in labor unions, near a record low. What gives? The first issue is that Gallup wasn’t asking whether respondents wanted to join a union themselves. In 2022, Gallup found that unions had the same approval rating as they do this year, but it also asked nonunion workers how interested they were in joining.
Biden’s NLRB stole workers’ secret ballot. It’s time to give it back
September 8, 2026 // It’s hard to overstate how harmful — and insulting — the Cemex decision has been to workers. Before the Biden-era NLRB handed down this decision, unionization elections typically followed a straightforward process. Unions kicked things off by convincing workers to sign cards in support of unionization. The union then presents the cards to the employer, demanding that management recognize the union via “card check” or hold a secret-ballot election.
Opinion: Biden made poor labor choices. I had a front-row seat.
September 5, 2026 // With three Republican votes, the NLRB is well positioned to address these — and many other — poor decisions that have exacerbated the board’s backlog. I know from experience that there will never be a quiet docket. But I also know that the number of open claims will shrink further if the board restores standards that are grounded in law and common sense. The NLRB already has the cases to overturn the board’s old rulings. It has the authority. Now it has the votes — and the duty to act.
Clashes Cloud Shawn Fain’s Re-election Bid at U.A.W.
August 31, 2026 // At a February 2024 meeting, the board voted to curtail the responsibilities of Margaret Mock, the union’s secretary-treasurer, after Mr. Fain accused her of obstructing the union’s work. Ms. Mock said Mr. Fain was retaliating against her for refusing to authorize some expenses. In May 2024, Mr. Fain removed Rich Boyer, a vice president, from oversight of relations with Stellantis, saying Mr. Boyer had made unauthorized concessions in negotiations. Mr. Boyer said Mr. Fain was retaliating against him for declining to intervene in a workers’ compensation claim by the sister of Mr. Fain’s fiancée, or to approve a cash bonus that would have benefited his fiancée. Mr. Boyer and Ms. Mock had supported Mr. Fain’s first run to lead the union. This year, Mr. Boyer is among five candidates running to replace Mr. Fain, with Ms. Mock on his slate.
Striking workers will need to seek jobs to qualify for WA unemployment benefits
August 24, 2026 // Workers on strike can receive up to six weeks of benefits. Unemployment is available following the second Sunday after a strike begins, plus a one-week waiting period. Typical unemployment insurance is offered for up to 26 weeks. The six weeks for striking workers was the result of negotiations between House and Senate Democrats. A person seeking unemployment benefits must show they are available and actively seeking suitable work. For each week they submit a claim, the person must complete three job search activities and keep a record of their efforts. They also must be signed up with a WorkSource employment center in the state, or an equivalent if they live in another state.
NY drops union deal on latest I-81 contract to better chances with Trump
August 19, 2026 // New York state will not require contractors on a $2.1 billion Interstate 81 contract to hire union workers for the first time on the largest ever transportation project in the state. The DOT has dropped the project labor agreement it used for the first half of the I-81 project as a preemptive measure to get approval from President Donald Trump’s administration, state and federal officials said.
Op-ed: New federal rule exposes rift between unions and their members
June 23, 2026 // If the rule takes effect as scheduled, union members can look forward to more detailed information about their unions’ sources of revenue and the management of union investments and assets. They will be able to differentiate between union expenditures for political purposes and lobbying. Similarly, they will be able to see how their union allocates resources to representing them in contract negotiation and administration versus unionizing new workplaces or industries.