Posts tagged Massachusetts
Illinois ride-share union bill pushed through amid disagreement on new fee
March 30, 2026 // House Bill 4743 would allow the more than 100,000 contract employees of ride-share services – such as Uber and Lyft – in the state to organize, requiring a minimum of 10% of active drivers to begin the process. The bill also sets a threshold of 30% of active drivers signing union authorization cards to begin any negotiations with the ride-share industry. The bill would also add a new 20 cent fee to each ride conducted in the state, something the Illinois Labor Relations Board opposes. Kimberly Stevens from the Board said the fee creates a conflict of interest for her organization.
Teamsters terminate agreement, strike at Smurfit Westrock site set for closure
March 26, 2026 // The company says the union terminated the two parties’ labor agreement at the Wakefield, Massachusetts, corrugated converting plant.
Public defenders bring fight for unionization to Beacon Hill
March 18, 2026 // On Monday, those state workers pleaded their case for the right to unionize and advocate for higher pay. Workers at the organization that oversees the state public defender system, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, have been discussing unionization for years and took their concerns to the state lawmakers.
Union sues Trump admin. alleging workers lost jobs because they are immigrants
March 17, 2026 // The workers claim they lost their jobs because they are immigrants. Advertisement All four worked as cabin cleaners and had what were called "Customs access seals." These seals allowed individuals, such as airport workers, to enter U.S. Customs and Border Protection security areas within the airport.
IUE-CWA Union Bigwig Joe Scott Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
March 4, 2026 // On January 21, 2026, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Joe Scott, former Treasurer of International Union of Electrical Workers – Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) Local 81154 (located in Gardner, Mass.), pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.
Op-ed: ‘The issue is the revolution’: Who is running your city’s teachers union?
March 4, 2026 // Under the banner of “social justice unionism,” teachers’ unions are increasingly treating classrooms, teachers, and even students as instruments in a wider ideological project — one organized, replicated, and funded across the nation. This shift helps explain why contemporary political controversies are now being filtered into elementary, middle and high schools. As one activist leader put it during the NEA Educators for Palestine webinar, the anti-ICE movement is “the spark that could ignite the fire under Labor.” As the saying goes, “The issue is never the issue — the issue is the revolution.”
Cannabis Workers Send UFCW Union Packing at Holistic Industries Monson Facility
February 25, 2026 // Packaging associates and delivery drivers at cannabis company Holistic Industries’ Monson plant have successfully removed United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union officials from their workplace. The victory comes after a majority of Holistic employees backed a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to administer a vote to remove the UFCW union from the facility (also known as a union “decertification” vote). Scott Browne, a Holistic packaging associate, submitted the petition with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
Ex-State Police Union President, Mass Lobbyist Sent To Prison In Corruption Case: Feds
February 19, 2026 // Dana A. Pullman, 64, of Worcester, was sentenced in a Boston federal court to two years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release on Wednesday, Feb. 18, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. US District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns also ordered him to pay $43,915 in restitution. Anne M. Lynch, 75, of Hull, received 15 months in prison and one year of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $41,795 in restitution, federal prosecutors said.
Commentary: In the Glass Hive of Art News: Dark Clouds at the Met, Boston’s MFA
February 5, 2026 // Two weeks ago, unions grabbed the pot of gold at the end of the phony-baloney rainbow when the Metropolitan Museum of Art staff voted 542–172 to join the United Auto Workers. Counterintuitive, I know, but the UAW has a portfolio of bargaining units that includes boutique left-wing, white-collar culture workers such as the curators, conservators, librarians, archivists, designers, marketeers, visitor-services coordinators, and fundraisers at the Met. Along with bread-and-butter issues, these workers can be mobilized to wail over false values like open borders, which suppress working-class wages, the climate change hoax, Black Lives Matter, Celebrate Your Abortion, Me Too, No Kings, From the River to the Sea, any or all while wearing “pussy hats,” which, ladies and real wannabe ladies, don’t flatter. So, a juicy, fresh plum is now added to the UAW stash.
Will this be the year Illinois rideshare workers are able to unionize?
January 28, 2026 // Drivers currently lack the right to unionize under federal labor law because they are classified as independent contractors. The proposal would not change that classification but would give rideshare drivers the right to unionize in Illinois despite their contractor status.