Posts tagged Massachusetts
Op-ed: Other states should copy NC’s model labor policy
October 21, 2026 // In both the public and private sectors, North Carolina protects employees’ right to choose. It gives private employees a right to opt out of union dues. And it protects public employees from having a union contract foisted on them. In effect, it respects choice by preventing coercion. But elsewhere, public policy is moving in a different direction — a direction that sacrifices choice in favor of more union membership. The prime example is a recent proposal by academics at Harvard University, which would create a statewide system of “sectoral bargaining.” Sectoral bargaining is the opposite of choice: It funnels every employee in an industry into a single union, whether an employee voted for the union or not. The proposal’s premise is that unions are automatically good for workers, so workers should automatically be put into unions. Choice is beside the point.
Freelance Busting: “They All Had A Different Answer”
October 20, 2026 // Senator after senator described statewide confusion about the rule among business owners, attorneys, accountants and constituents. Senators said people are constantly asking them about the legality of continuing to hire every conceivable kind of working person, from financial advisers to babysitters. One senator described what’s happening in some industries as “panic mode.” Another said he convened accountants in his district to ask about the independent-contractor rule, and “they all had a different answer.” Yet another asked, “Who’s the guru of the determining if you pass or fail the ABC Test?” and wondered aloud if there was going to be a Division of ABC Test Clarification within the state’s Labor Department.
Commentary: New Jersey Takes Aim at Freedom of Its Independent Contractors
October 16, 2026 // In 2019, the legislature voted in AB5, and it was quickly signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Enforcement went into effect in 2020, and as Karen Anderson, founder of Freelancers Against AB5, explained on her Substack, four years later, independent professionals are still experiencing the fallout.
Former Immigration Services Officer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Union
October 8, 2026 // Between 2019 and 2024, Aguja defrauded AFGE Local 38 by siphoning funds from the union bank account to pay for her own personal and non-union related expenses. As part of her fraud scheme, Aguja also paid union expenses out of her personal accounts and commingled union and personal funds to conceal her embezzlement. Specifically, Aguja used the AFGE Local 38 credit card to pay approximately $12,508 for personal expenses such as restaurant meals, bills, clothing and dance lessons. She also made 128 cash withdrawals totaling over $23,700 from the AFGE Local 38 account, and transferred over $25,000 from the AFGE Local 38 account to her personal accounts. Aguja falsified annual forms regarding the union finances that AFGE Local 38 was required to submit to the United States Department of Labor-Management Standards, in order to conceal her fraud.
Op-ed: Hospital Strikes Should Be Illegal
October 7, 2026 // Hospital workers should not be legally permitted to withhold their critical labor from the patients who need them just because their union has a disagreement with management. If railroad workers can’t do it and public employees can’t do it, hospital workers should not be able to do it either. Congress should amend the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit strikes by hospital employees.
Massachusetts: Brigham and Women’s nurses set date for potential open-ended strike
October 5, 2026 // Months after holding the largest health care worker strike in Massachusetts, nurses from Brigham and Women’s Hospital are set to go on an open-ended strike starting Oct. 14, their union announced Friday.
Ballot Question 2 asks: Should public defenders have the right to unionize?
September 29, 2026 // Question 2 would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or CPCS, to participate in collective bargaining. If they negotiate a contract, CPCS would then be required to request the funding needed for that agreement from the governor within 30 days. The Yes On 2 campaign was organized to help grant public defenders the right to join a union. The campaign’s central argument states: CPCS employees should have the same opportunity to organize and negotiate collectively that many others have.
20 healthcare strikes in 2026
September 28, 2026 // Union activity in healthcare continues in 2026, with 20 reported strikes since the beginning of the year. Some of these actions involve healthcare workers and leaders across hospitals and clinics in multiple states.
Illinois’ new rideshare union law could hurt drivers, passengers
September 23, 2026 // The law could lead to job losses for rideshare drivers if they become more expensive to the companies than emerging self-driving technologies. Companies such as Waymo are already replacing human drivers with autonomous vehicles. In February, Waymo started the process of mapping out the city of Chicago for its fleet of driverless vehicles and announced that “we look forward to serving the city in the future.” While autonomous vehicles haven’t rolled out in Illinois yet, Waymo will be ready if lawmakers approve legislation to allow them to operate.
Commentary: Are Unions Rising from the Political Grave?
September 21, 2026 // Here again, however, there may be less than meets the eye. Despite its surprising bipartisan support, the FLCA would raise significant constitutional questions if enacted. By relying on a government-mandated arbitration panel to resolve labor disputes, the law effectively empowers the state to impose contractual terms on private parties—a form of what constitutional lawyers call “state action.” As attorneys Alex MacDonald and Vinnie Vernuccio observe: “[S]tate action opens the door to a slew of constitutional requirements and restrictions, notably to protect rights of free speech and association.”