Posts tagged Labor
How United Auto Workers grew from small Detroit union into national force
May 27, 2026 // "Prior to the sit-down strike at GM, they had 75 members," Marchioni said. The strike lasted 44 days and ended with General Motors recognizing the UAW. Afterward, union membership surged. "Two weeks later, they had 2,000 members and a year later, they had 75,000 members," Marchioni said.
Commentary: Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Harm: The Real Cost of Union Monopoly Power
May 22, 2026 // The Mercatus paper's survey findings cut against the union narrative in ways that should matter to anyone who follows labor policy. When asked directly, workers say they prefer unions that cooperate with management over unions that are more powerful but adversarial. They prefer having multiple options for representation rather than one organization with legal monopoly control over their workplace. And union progressive political activity and strikes, the two things union leadership most reliably prioritizes, are the only factors that consistently make workers less favorable toward organized labor.
Unions, businesses urge legislators in opposite directions on independent contractor rules
May 13, 2026 // “New Jersey’s labor department says it may consider some factors in one case but not in another case, so who knows what matters?” said Kim Kavin, a freelance writer long opposed to ABC regulations. “The department says it may consider factors that aren’t listed anywhere.”
Commentary: The 2026 Battle of Trenton
May 12, 2026 // Unfortunately, my camera failed to record video of my testimony, and there is no video from the state—only an audio recording of the hearing. But suffice it to say that, as usual, I found myself in a hearing room largely dominated by men, testifying before a panel of senators who are all male, as debate raged about policy that economic research shows is already having a disproportionate and negative impact on women.
Companies are abandoning ‘peanut butter’ raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
May 11, 2026 // This disparity between employees challenges the idea behind “peanut butter raises,” which aim to address some of the criticisms with merit raises, namely, that they are subjective and bias-prone, according to Payscale’s report. While across-the-board raises may seem equal on the surface, high performers or AI super users may not see it that way, said Hannah Yardley, the chief people and culture officer at Achievers, a software company that tracks employee recognition and offers rewards.
Commentary LAUSD avoided a strike and now wants a state taxpayer bailout to avoid fiscal disaster
May 1, 2026 // Caving to union demands is easy, but paying for them might prove difficult. LAUSD spends more money than it receives each year from federal, state, and local governments. They project a $1.3 billion budget deficit this year and a $1.5 billion hole in fiscal year 2027. A big reason for the deficits is that the district has too many non-teachers on its payroll. Despite losing about 75,0000 students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, LAUSD has reduced staff by only 321 employees. Birth rates are down, families are moving out of the region, and parents are seeking other options, such as private and charter schools.
LA hotels face financial strain exacerbated by city policy shifts: report
April 13, 2026 // Increasing labor expenses are a major concern for hoteliers nationwide, as total salaries, wages and benefits paid by U.S. hotels are projected to increase approximately 3% year over year in 2026 amid a weakened performance cycle. In Los Angeles, however, local legislation is exacerbating this challenge, hoteliers reported. Last year’s passage of the Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance, in particular, has forced local hoteliers “to make serious changes to maintain business operations,” according to the report. For example, 88% of hotel stakeholders said they have reduced staffing or hours in the past year as a result of LA city council policies, per the report.
UAW strike in Findlay enters day 10 as company allegedly seeks replacement workers
April 4, 2026 // Despite the strain, union members say they are prepared to continue the strike indefinitely. Workers are receiving $500 per week in strike pay, and the international union is covering health benefits, according to McDonald. He also warned that broader impacts could emerge soon. The Findlay facility produces union-made PTFE seals used across the U.S. auto industry, and McDonald said existing supplies could run low as early as next week.
Op-ed: Labor ‘Wins When They Run Union Members For Office’
March 30, 2026 // Today, less than 10% of the Nation’s voters are in a Union - down from more than 30% in the 1960s when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the writing on the wall and decried “Right-To-Work” as a false slogan meant to eviscerate Labor Unions. And yet right now, the percentage of candidates we’re trying to send to Congress who also happen to be Union Members is nowhere close to 10%. The CWCP took the trouble to identify all Congressional Candidates between 2010 and 2022 and found that just 5% have been Union Members.
“This Sucks”: WGA West’s Internal Battle Continues As Writers Join Staff Union’s Picket Line
February 26, 2026 // In public messaging, the WGA has tried to assure its own members that this strike would have no effect on the writers union’s upcoming negotiations with the AMPTP. With an industry still reeling from a major global production contraction, all eyes are on the above-the-line unions who are set to make new deals with the major studios in the coming months after a contentious round of 2023 bargaining that led to historically long, dual writers and actors strikes. Membership on the picket lines Tuesday seemed dissuaded by the attempts from leadership to cast aside the staff’s contributions to the bargaining cycle.