Posts tagged labor unions
Biden Labor Department Relies on Union-Funded Think Tanks To Push Pro-Union Message
March 18, 2024 // The Department of Labor’s Worker Organizing Resource and Knowledge (WORK) Center, which the Biden administration launched in August 2023, bills itself as the "premiere online resource" for information on labor unions. It offers guides on how to organize workplace unions, and data that tout the benefits of unionization. But those data come from think tanks like the Economic Policy Institute, which says "Unions Promote Racial Equality" and "More Worker Power is the Only Sure Path to Safe Work and Pandemic Recovery." The Center for Economic Policy Research’s study, "Unionization Confers Significant Advantages for Hispanic Workers," is also listed on the site, as is a 2016 report from the left-wing Center for American Progress. The title of that study, "Unions Help the Middle Class, No Matter the Measure," highlights the overlap between the Biden administration, union leaders, and progressive groups.
Labor unions end proxy fight at Starbucks after bargaining progress
March 8, 2024 // A group of labor unions said on Tuesday that it was ending its proxy fight at Starbucks, after the two sides agreed last week to work toward a "foundational framework" on collective bargaining. "We feel that now is the time to acknowledge the progress that has been made and to allow the Company and its workers to focus on moving forward," the Strategic Organizing Center said in a release. The SOC said it is withdrawing the three nominees it had put forth for election to Starbucks' board.
‘You better be ready for a fight’: Labor union warns Legislature not to target worker’s rights in Utah
March 6, 2024 // Pushback by Utah’s labor unions was enough to derail a pair of bills that aggressively targeted workers during this year’s legislative session. A show of force from Utah’s labor unions likely played a big hand in the outcome. HB429 sought to eliminate career path protections for new state employees, reclassifying them as “at will.” Right now, after a 6-month probationary period, state workers can only be fired “for cause.” The bill squeaked through the House of Representatives on a close vote, but died in a Senate committee after hundreds of Union members showed up in person to oppose the bill.
Why is union support so important in politics?
March 5, 2024 // LaShawn English is the director for Region 1 of the UAW, and she said President Biden's support during their recent strike was critical. "We just came out of a strike. So 70% of Americans supported our strike, and we had a president who came out and supported our strike. So his actions pretty much swayed us in the way we needed to support someone because we wouldn't have won the things that we have," said English. English and her members have met with President Biden and had the opportunity to talk with him, and she said those interactions only solidified her support for the president. She has said she would "run through a wall" for him, and that there is nothing he could do that would change her support for the president.
Opinion: The Biden Administration Should Look to Virginia Democrats For a Better Way to Help Gig Workers
February 25, 2024 // The concept of coupling the protection of contracting status with a flexible benefits system is an idea that also should appeal to right-leaning policymakers. That’s because such an approach not only helps businesses, but stands to benefit workers by preserving the entrepreneurial flexibility they desire as independent contractors. In addition to this flexibility, it likewise provides workplace protections and benefits that can help these workers weather the exigencies of life—all without the harmful negative impacts of widespread worker reclassification. According to our sources, local Virginia labor unions initially expressed interest in this Democrat-introduced portable benefits model, only to catch flak from their national parent organizations who pressured them to reverse course. Unfortunately, the influence of the national labor brass appears to have doomed the bill for now, although its mere existence suggests that Democratic lawmakers are starting to buck the party’s consensus on worker reclassification.
Labor unions, with power and popularity rising, are still trailing in the biggest nationwide battle
January 29, 2024 // But according to the Gallup polling, only one in six Americans live in a household with a union member, and its polling, as well as polling by others, shows that nonunion workers remains divided, about fifty-fifty, on interest in joining a union — Gallup's 2022 polling showed the percentage of nonunion workers who were not interested in membership as high as 58%.
Despite more ‘salting,’ labor unions are getting pushback in their drive to organize restaurants
January 24, 2024 // While unions "salt" more restaurants with organizers posing as employees, a countermovement is building among the already-unionized to end their representation by groups like Workers United, as this week’s episode of the Working Lunch podcast attests. The broadcast features a guest appearance by Mark Mix, president of the Right to Work Committee. The group helps organized employees across all industries to vote on whether to remain in their unions, a process known as decertification. He spoke a day after Workers United, the parent of the union that’s organized 375 Starbucks units, decided to end its representation of an Ultimo Coffee café. All but one employee of the store had signed a petition asking federal regulators to permit a vote on whether to oust the labor group.
New for 2024: Minnesota law to grant more workers access to sick and safe time
December 29, 2023 // Four Minnesota cities — Bloomington, Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul — have already adopted similar policies. If a city offers more generous earned sick and safe time benefits, employers operating there would be asked to honor those.
COMMENTARY: By Ending Forced Representation, New Proposal in Congress Could Benefit Workers and Unions Alike
December 14, 2023 // Exclusive representation muffles the voices and denies the rights of at least a minority of workers, and imposes undue burdens on unions. Prioritizing workers’ choices and reducing government barriers to work pursuits are crucial to elevating workers’ voices, improving their well-being, and expanding their opportunities.
Commentary: ‘Worker’s Choice’ Is the Way Forward
December 13, 2023 // Employees trapped in union contracts need true freedom in the workplace, or what advocates have long called “worker’s choice.” That’s why on Wednesday, Rep. Burlison will introduce The Worker’s Choice Act of 2023. It would give workers a real alternative to union membership. Under this reform, employees at unionized companies could still become union members with union contracts. But if they opt out of union membership, they would negotiate contracts directly with their employers, as workers at nonunion companies do. The legislation wouldn’t affect non-right-to-work states, where workers are still required to pay union fees. It also wouldn’t apply to railroad and airline employees, who are required by federal law to pay union fees, or to government employees, who would qualify for worker’s choice only via state law. Every worker would win under this policy. Those opting out of union membership could negotiate the contract that’s best for them.