Posts tagged Maryland
Proposal to allow Frederick city employees to unionize tabled
September 25, 2025 // Shortly before the Frederick City Council voted on Thursday to table an ordinance allowing employees to collectively bargain, Council Member Ben MacShane said, “It really feels like we don’t know what we’re talking about.” Council members spent a large portion of Thursday’s meeting discussing provisions like the number of unions allowed and whether the ordinance should stipulate the timeline of a unionization election.
Trump’s mass probationary firings were illegal, judge concludes, but he won’t order re-hirings
September 17, 2025 // Normally, Alsup said, his findings would require the Trump administration to return all probationers to their jobs. He noted the Supreme Court has specifically rejected such relief, however, and “too much water has now passed under the bridge.” Some employees have found new jobs, while some agencies have engaged in reorganizations that have eliminated the roles altogether. “The terminated probationary employees have moved on with their lives and found new jobs,” Alsup said. “Many would no longer be willing or able to return to their posts.” Instead, the judge once again ordered agencies to, by Nov. 14, send letters to all fired probationary employees that state “you were not terminated on the basis of your personal performance.”
Metro Transit workers’ union is taken over after ‘corruption or financial malpractice’
September 3, 2025 // The international ATU says Local 788, which represents 2,600 bus drivers, light rail operators and associated service employees in the St. Louis area, has a budget deficit of more than $930,000.
Baltimore union leadership faces shake-up as DPW workers push for change
August 26, 2025 // AFSCME Local 44 represents employees at several city agencies, including the Department of Public Works, Recreation and Parks, and Department of Transportation. Several DPW previously voiced their frustration with Local 44 over safety conditions within the agency and their pay. “The Union, we don't have a union. You know, we really, really don't because they totally aren't 100% for us,” said Reginald Nobel during a previous interview with FOX45 News. “Yeah, they're totally for their self.
Portable Benefits Are (Finally) Having a Moment
July 31, 2025 // I’ve been fortunate to contribute to this conversation from the beginning — by publishing research and policy guides that examine outdated assumptions about work and benefits. I’ve shared these findings with Sen. Cassidy’s and Rep. Kiley’s team, as well as with every congressional or state lawmaker who showed interest — and have testified more than a dozen times before Congress and in state legislative hearings.
Opinion: Democrats Attack Gig-Worker Benefits
July 23, 2025 // In a committee hearing on the bill last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders sidestepped the issue of worker benefits to address his party’s real concern—giving unions more power over individual workers. “These bills are about giving corporations the freedom to deny workers the right to form a union,” he said. Independent contractors can’t unionize under the National Labor Relations Act, so unions and the Democrats they support want to outlaw contract work, or at least deprive it of benefits that could attract workers. Democrats on the committee were united in opposition. This political opposition has deterred several gig companies from offering benefits. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has pledged more than $650 million a year to fund health insurance and paid time off if lawmakers would withdraw the threat of reclassifying the company’s drivers.
City security guards protest ‘unfair labor practices,’ ‘shoddy work conditions’
July 21, 2025 // Workers said they are prepared to strike as early as next week if the company isn't willing to negotiate. They laid out their demands in a rally on Tuesday, July 15, at city hall. "We think that a company that gets $45 million from the city since 2017 should be able to do better for the workers and the people of Baltimore who actually fill those contracts," said Jaime Contreres, the executive vice president of labor union 32BJ.
Democrats boycott DC restaurant hotspots on behalf of union workers
June 10, 2025 // More than 50 congressional Democrats signed a union pledge to boycott a half dozen Washington, D.C., restaurants. The Democratic lawmakers signed Unite Here Local 25's pledge to boycott restaurants, including Le Diplomate, Osteria Mozza, The Occidental, Rasika, Modena, and Bombay Club. Many are favorites of the Democrats' power elite — Le Diplomate was one of former President Joe Biden's favorite spots during his presidency.
US labor unions fight to contain AI disruption
June 5, 2025 // The threat extends beyond manufacturing. The CEO of Anthropic, which created Claude as a competitor to ChatGPT, warned last week that generative AI could eliminate half of all low-skilled white-collar jobs, potentially driving unemployment rates up to 10-20 percent. "The potential displacement of workers and elimination of jobs is a significant concern not just for our members, but for the public in general," said Peter Finn of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, America's largest union.
Why Chicago Teachers Union’s $7.3B tax hike will hurt all of Illinois
May 18, 2025 // The Illinois Revenue Alliance, a group which includes the Chicago Teachers Union, has released a proposal to impose nine tax increases and hike statewide taxes by $7.3 billion annually. Some of CTU’s ideas are likely illegal and tax all Illinoisans for the union’s excesses. The Chicago Teachers Union has released a new proposal that calls for nine new tax hikes that would increase statewide taxes by $7.3 billion.