Posts tagged Kentucky
With or Without UAW Momentum, Southern Autoworker Activists Determined to Fight On
June 22, 2026 // Still, despite the waning of organizing momentum, workers say that poor treatment has created ripe conditions for organizing. Ballooning health insurance costs have also been eating into Southern auto workers’ paychecks, even as coverage deteriorates. “Up until this year, our health care was free,” says Murphy. “Now we have to pay for it.
A Federal Court Limits the NLRB’s Power to Force Union Bargaining: What Hospitality Employers Should Know
May 5, 2026 // On March 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a significant decision in Brown-Forman Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board. The case addresses how the National Labor Relations Board (Board) may impose bargaining orders when employers interfere with union organizing campaigns
Commentary: Unions make slight gains in South, mirroring national trends
April 29, 2026 // Southern states continue to lag significantly behind the rest of the country in union membership. Close to 4.9 percent of workers in the South belong to a union, and 5.9 percent of workers are employed in a workplace that enjoys union representation. That compares to 12.7 percent union density in the rest of the country, and 14 percent of non-Southern workers having union representation at their workplace. Labor’s modest gains come amidst a wide-ranging assault on worker protections under the Trump administration. Since coming into office, Trump has sought to strip collective bargaining rights for more than 1 million federal workers and eviscerated worker health and safety protections.
How a $15 minimum wage will regionally affect a diverse and unequal Virginia
April 28, 2026 // The age-old economic debate over minimum wage has been a sticking point between Republicans and Democrats in the Old Dominion, as Youngkin called the $15 minimum wage proposal a "one-size-fits-all mandate" that "ignores the vast economic and geographic differences," in his veto memo last year. "Implementing an arbitrary $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions lead to historically higher wages, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside," Youngkin wrote.
Ninth Circuit Affirms Bargaining Order in Cemex Without Opining on NLRB’s Cemex Framework
April 25, 2026 // The Ninth Circuit could have joined the Sixth Circuit in rejecting the Cemex Framework outright, or it could have affirmed the Cemex Framework, which would have established a circuit split and set the stage for Supreme Court review. By choosing to do neither, the Ninth Circuit’s decision means the Board’s authority to issue bargaining orders under the Cemex Framework will remain unsettled. In the meantime, employers outside of the Sixth Circuit (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee) should be aware that the Board will likely continue to enforce the union-friendly Cemex Framework (as it did after Brown-Forman). Dinsmore’s labor and employment attorneys will continue tracking these developments closely and provide updates as courts weigh in on the future of the Cemex Framework.
IBEW Union Bigwig James Burke Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Union Funds
March 23, 2026 // James Burke, Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 549, has pleaded guilty to embezzling over $40k from union funds.
Sixth Circuit Rejects NLRB’s Cemex Bargaining Order Framework
March 15, 2026 // On March 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a significant decision in Brown‑Forman Corporation d/b/a Woodford Reserve Distillery v. National Labor Relations Board, rejecting the Board’s controversial 2023 Cemex Construction framework, which altered the longstanding standard for union recognition and expanded the circumstances under which the Board could issue bargaining orders—even when a union did not win an election.
‘Right to work’ unlikely to change much in Va. this year, union and business leaders agree
January 20, 2026 // Speaking at a Jan. 14 forum sponsored by Advance Arlington, Slaiman said a contentious fight over Virginia’s unionization framework would get in the way of more pressing priorities in a year when Democrats have control of the governorship and both houses of the General Assembly. “We’re not going to disrupt this [legislative] session. We’ve got too much of an agenda,” said Slaiman, whose union local represents 15,000 workers. Addressing right-to-work’s future “will come later,” he said.
Labor board rules in favor of union in contested BlueOval SK election
January 13, 2026 // Despite BlueOval SK's plans to shutter its electric vehicle battery plant in Glendale next month, workers there have officially won a union election. More than 1,200 hourly workers voted in the election last summer with 526 votes in favor of joining the United Auto Workers while 515 ballots were cast against representation. The 11-vote victory by the UAW was contested by the company.
SRM Glasgow drivers vote to unionize, join Teamsters Local 89
January 7, 2026 // Teamsters Local 89 has misrepresented both the facts and SRM Concrete’s record and has been dishonest with employees regarding the Company’s intentions and practices. Allegations of intimidation, retaliation, or unlawful conduct by SRM Concrete are categorically false and will be addressed, and disproven, through the appropriate legal channels. Unfortunately, the Teamsters objected to the Company’s lawful efforts to provide employees with accurate information, attempting to prevent employees from learning the facts.