Posts tagged lawsuit
It’s not a happy holiday at Starbucks, facing boycotts over the Middle East war and unionization
December 21, 2023 // Some of Starbucks' problems have been self-inflicted. It kicked off a wave of anger in October when it sued Workers United — the union organizing its employees — because the union had posted a pro-Palestinian message on social media. Starbucks sued to stop the union from using its name and logo, saying the company had no official stance on the war and the union's post might confuse customers. But protesters saw the company's move as pro-Israel. In mid-November, the company refiled its lawsuit. This time, it included language saying it respected workers' rights to express their views on the war in the Middle East and other political issues, and said the lawsuit was about protecting workers' safety and Starbucks' reputation. But the damage was done.
USPS Won’t Say Whether It Shared Americans’ Contact Information with Labor Unions
December 15, 2023 // But Americans for Fair Treatment (AFFT) uncovered a clause in the online form’s small print, saying USPS can disclose to labor organizations the highly personal information Americans submitted – without their consent. This information includes both where they live and how to contact them directly. USPS’s disclosure raised alarms about why USPS would potentially aggregate vast amounts of Americans’ sensitive data and give it to labor unions. Since then, it appears USPS has added this labor unions language to the fine print for purchases both through USPS.com and in brick-and-mortar stores. It even added the language to its Change of Address form.
NYPD officer sues city, claiming years of sexual abuse by union
November 27, 2023 // In a lawsuit filed Wednesday afternoon, Officer Meaghan Ciotti, 39, said Officer Jamie Angelastro demanded sexual favors from her, threatened her with his gun, strangled her and violently raped her. Ciotti said she has suffered from migraines, neck pain, panic attacks and crippling fear because of the alleged abuse. The suit comes a day before the deadline for the Adult Survivors Act, a state law that provides an extra year for people to file sexual assault lawsuits past the statute of limitations, in civil court.
Ex-employee files charges with labor board against Pleasanton company, union
November 16, 2023 // A Pleasanton-based construction company and the union representing a majority of its employees are each facing charges brought by a former, non-union employee alleging that she had membership dues deducted from her paycheck against her will and was effectively terminated from her position for refusing to join the union. Alexandra Le filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board on Oct. 4 against Construction Training Services and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local No. 3, with Virginia-based attorney Byron Andrus of the National Right to Work Foundation providing legal counsel.
Buffalo Starbucks Worker Files Groundbreaking Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of NLRB Structure
October 4, 2023 // Buffalo “Del-Chip” Starbucks employee Ariana Cortes has hit the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with a federal lawsuit, arguing that the federal agency’s current structure violates the separation of powers. The lawsuit, filed with the District Court for the District of Columbia, follows Cortes’ challenge to an NLRB Regional Director’s dismissal of her and her coworkers’ petition seeking a vote to remove Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) union officials from their store. Cortes is receiving free legal aid in both proceedings from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The lawsuit contends that, because NLRB Board Members cannot be removed at-will by the President, the NLRB’s structure violates Article II of the Constitution. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the law which established the Board, restricts a president’s ability to remove Board members except for neglect of duty or malfeasance. The complaint argues that “[t]hese restrictions are impermissible limitations on the President’s ability to remove Board members and violates the Constitution’s separation of powers. Thus, the Board, as currently constituted, is unconstitutional.”
Ford announces pause on Marshall EV battery plant
September 26, 2023 // The company has commented that this site was meant to bring in 2,500 hundred jobs. The factory was set to start making batteries in 2026, with an expected output of enough energy cells to supply 400,000 vehicles a year. The state had allocated nearly $1.7 billion in incentives for the project. Following Monday’s announcement, Republican Representative Sarah Lightner, whose district covers parts of Calhoun County, issued a statement: “Gov. Whitmer threw $1.7 billion in taxpayer dollars at Ford to bring its new EV plant to Marshall, but even that wasn’t enough to make the company turn a blind eye toward the anti-business climate the Democrat majority has created. Their far-left policies put more red tape and higher costs on businesses. The extreme energy mandate they’re currently pushing will raise costs even further while leaving large manufacturers like Ford worried about blackouts affecting their bottom line. If this keeps up, Michigan workers will pay the price as industries suffer and opportunities vanish.
Tennessee Teachers’ Union Drops Lawsuit Demanding Right To Deduct Fees From Paychecks
August 16, 2023 // The law prohibits paycheck deductions and also bumps the minimum salary for a teacher to $50,000 by the 2026-2027 school year. Before the union withdrew its suit, the court said the union's arguments were unlikely to succeed. "We hold that the Plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of either claim," the court said. "Plaintiffs have failed to show that the Act substantially impairs either set of contracts implicated by the change in the payroll deduction process." The union originally argued that the law was unconstitutional.
FREEDOM FOUNDATION WINS $75,000 FROM SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY IN PUBLIC RECORDS CASE
August 11, 2023 // Last November, the Superior Court of San Bernardino County agreed the Freedom Foundation was entitled to the contact information for county employees— information already freely provided to the unions — and ordered the county to compensate the organization for the costs incurred in the lawsuit. During the entire ordeal, county officials continued to drag their feet and cause needless — and expensive — delays. “The meter was running,” said Eric Stahlfeld, the Freedom Foundation’s chief litigation counsel. “The longer the case dragged on, the more time we spent on it and the higher their bill kept getting. “In cases like this, government agencies know they’re playing with house money,” Stahlfeld explained. “They couldn’t care less how much the process costs or how long it takes. That’s why ordinary people either don’t bother suing the government or don’t stick with it very long. They don’t have endless streams of money to pay lawyers.”
Judges block Tennessee law banning teacher group from deducting member dues from paychecks
July 3, 2023 // The group’s lawsuit contends that combining the two changes into one bill violates a single-subject requirement for legislation under the Tennessee Constitution. The challenge calls for a judge to leave the pay raise in place, but block the deductions ban. The association says the ban will cost the group money and diminish its own revenues, which come entirely from member dues.
Rail workers protest after they say company fired 31 workers for joining union
June 30, 2023 // The lawsuit established a timeline showing how the employees say this all played out. It reads, “Back in April, the Railroad Engineering Services employees voted 39 to 9 to join the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division.” It goes on to specifically reference a group known as “Tie Gang 2,” which it said included 31 of the most passionate union supporters. Fast forward to May, it says the BMWED sent RES its intent to negotiate a first contract. Three days later, it said the Tie Gang 2 was called into a meeting, told it was being disbanded, and that all 31 employees were being fired.