Posts tagged labor organization
Jennifer Abruzzo Wants Workers to Fight Back
May 14, 2025 // On May 5, Workday Magazine interviewed Abruzzo, who has since returned to the Communications Workers of America, as a senior advisor to the president. We talked about how protected concerted activity can include Gaza protests, why it’s a shame that domestic workers and farm workers are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, and what workers can do to fight back in the Trump era. “It’s up to the people to actually use their power and flex their muscles in order to get the changes that they deem are appropriate,” she says, “so that they can live the lives that they deserve with dignity and respect.
Employer Free Speech on the Ballot in Alaska
October 10, 2024 // The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects such meetings, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized their legality and importance in helping employees gather information on potential union representation. As a result, even if the referendum were to pass, a court would likely find it unlawful. Alaska’s referendum also increases the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027 and provides at least 40 hours of paid sick leave to many workers.
At What Point Does a Nascent Worker Group Become a “Labor Organization”?
June 27, 2024 // Key points of the legal analysis: The Regional Director applied the broad statutory definition of "labor organization" from Section 2(5) of the NLRA. The decision analyzed whether the petitioner met the three-part test for labor organization status: (1) employee participation, (2) purpose of dealing with the employer, and (3) dealing with terms and conditions of employment. The Regional Director found all three elements were met, even though the petitioner was a nascent organization that had not yet engaged in formal bargaining. The lack of formal structure (no constitution, bylaws, dues, etc.) did not preclude finding labor organization status for an incipient union. The Regional Director concluded the petitioner qualified as a labor organization and directed an election in the stipulated unit.
Teacher Alleges Discrimination, Segregation in Ca. Union
May 31, 2024 // “Race-based discrimination is both immoral and illegal, yet my union has decided to segregate its ranks by imposing a racial litmus test as a requirement to run for this board seat. Union officials apparently believe that the best solution to America’s shameful history of discrimination is more discrimination. I believe that their actions are an illegal and a divisive distraction from our educational mission.” — Isaac Newman
As PRO Act Stalls, US Labor Department Rethinks Status of Independent Contractors
July 7, 2022 // “Only a handful of people asked the department to change the rule, and most of them weren’t even independent contractors,” according to Fight For Freelancers cofounder, Jen Singer. “They were union organizers or union members who wouldn’t be affected by any rule change.” Lorena Ortiz-Schneider, founder of CoPTIC America, noted that of the 350-plus attendees of the employer’s panel, the 44 participants who spoke up were mostly small business owners. virtual public forums, American Translators Association, AB 2257, Bill Rivers, Federal Register
Who’s the Real Author Behind Seattle’s “PayUp” Legislation?
May 19, 2022 // One illuminating display of Wilson’s influence was an October 2021 letter sent by Councilmember Herbold to several gig companies. In the letter, she scolded the representatives for their concerns with the PayUp legislation: “I’m disappointed that you’ve not expressed the depth of, nor raised all your issues during our weekly calls.”
How did $1.2M in PPP loans get to Pennsylvania unions? Congressional Republicans want to know
April 18, 2022 // The PPP loans were made quickly by the Small Business Administration in the early days of the pandemic to avoid mass layoffs. Yet the speed in which $800 billion of taxpayer money was doled out left the program liable to waste, fraud, and abuse. An NBC News investigation estimated the cost of fraud at $80 billion, or 10% of the overall fund. That’s in addition to a $900 billion COVID-19 relief fund that may have been defrauded of $90 billion-$400 billion.
Legislation Aims to Address Poorly Performing Federal Employees
March 23, 2022 // New legislation aims to restore four Trump era executive orders placing restrictions on unions and making it easier to fire federal employees.
Mayor Bowser Signs Agreement with Unions that Represent More than 11,000 DC Government Employees
March 14, 2022 // Mayor Bowser was joined by representatives for the Compensation Units 1 and 2 in signing a four-year collective bargaining agreement that serves more than 11,000 employees across District Government. Compensation Units 1 and 2 represent 20 local unions and seven labor organizations, supporting DC Government career service employees who make up professional technical, administrative, clerical, trade and craft employees, delivering some of the District’s most integral services.