Posts tagged Michigan
Labor Day: Americans Flee Forced-Unionism States and Move to Right-to-Work States
September 6, 2026 // Among the top ten growth states in the U-Haul index, nine have a Right-to-Work law that protects workers from being forced to pay dues to union bosses as a condition of employment. -Among the bottom ten states in the U-Haul index, NONE has a Right-to-Work law. All are forced unionism states. -Of the 25 top ranked cities in the U-Haul Growth Index, 24 are located in Right-to-Work states.
Washington Security Guard Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against SPFPA Union for Illegal Religious Discrimination
August 31, 2026 // Complaint: Union officials repeatedly threatened worker with termination if he did not authorize union dues deductions in violation of his religious beliefs
Clashes Cloud Shawn Fain’s Re-election Bid at U.A.W.
August 31, 2026 // At a February 2024 meeting, the board voted to curtail the responsibilities of Margaret Mock, the union’s secretary-treasurer, after Mr. Fain accused her of obstructing the union’s work. Ms. Mock said Mr. Fain was retaliating against her for refusing to authorize some expenses. In May 2024, Mr. Fain removed Rich Boyer, a vice president, from oversight of relations with Stellantis, saying Mr. Boyer had made unauthorized concessions in negotiations. Mr. Boyer said Mr. Fain was retaliating against him for declining to intervene in a workers’ compensation claim by the sister of Mr. Fain’s fiancée, or to approve a cash bonus that would have benefited his fiancée. Mr. Boyer and Ms. Mock had supported Mr. Fain’s first run to lead the union. This year, Mr. Boyer is among five candidates running to replace Mr. Fain, with Ms. Mock on his slate.
Novi school board OKs some teacher buyouts amid budget pressures
August 17, 2026 // The Novi Community Schools board of trustees on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to offer buyouts to teachers in the union’s highest three pay grades as the district faces mounting financial pressures.
Union boss at center of warring socialist factions in battle for control
August 12, 2026 // The WSWS has acknowledged Fain's links to socialism, reporting that Fain's former chief of staff, Chris Brooks, and a current union official Jonah Furman, are both Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members. Furman also previously served as the former communications director for the UAW and was brought on board as Fain's top assistant after Fain ascended to the union's presidency, according to Sage Journals. Furman previously worked for the 2020presidential campaign of socialist Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as the congressional campaign of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,according to Sage Journals. Brooks left UAW leadership in 2023 after a federal monitor reported him to be involved in improperly attempting to have the duties of the UAW's secretary-treasurer removed, Reuters reported. He is now a columnist at Jacobin, a socialist magazine.
Longtime Union Leader Prepares to Step Back From a Movement Under Threat
July 30, 2026 // Mr. Saunders had to reckon with another internal division after George Floyd’s murder, when a subset of members called for law enforcement groups to be banished from the union. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is a liberal union, but its political composition can be quite diverse: Its 1.4 million dues-paying members across the country include nurses in Michigan, transportation workers in New York and corrections officers in New Mexico, along with domestic workers, clerks, cops and librarians. Mr. Saunders thought it would be a mistake to push out the police.
Second public defender union goes on strike
July 29, 2026 // The union said that during its most recent bargaining session, NDS management offered a one percent COLA and did not include no-cost healthcare over the term of the proposed three-year contract. NDS also has offices based in Texas and Michigan, where union members staged picket lines on Friday. The union was joined on their first day of striking by Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who previously worked at NDS Harlem as an investigator before winning the Democratic primary for New York's 13th congressional district in June.
Wayne County public defenders launch strike over healthcare, wage fight
July 24, 2026 // The union, which represents not just lawyers but also investigators, social workers and paralegals, has been fighting to maintain cost-free health insurance in addition to a 3% annual raise, instead of the 1% raises they’ve been offered.
GM lays off more than 1,000 workers, adds 50 robots at flagship Detroit plant: ‘We’re disgusted’
June 24, 2026 // The automaker insists the cobots are not replacements to human workers and are actually necessary at the Detroit-Hamtramck electric-truck plant to stay competitive while improving “safety and ergonomics” for the workers, according to Crain’s Detroit Business and a company spokesman.
GM lawsuit could fuel debate over calls for worker seats on corporate boards
June 23, 2026 // General Motors filed its lawsuit against Chrysler in 2019, after the U.S. Department of Justice successfully prosecuted executives, employees, and union officials at Chrysler for financial and collective bargaining corruption. At the center of the suit is Iacobelli’s role as a labor relations executive responsible for union negotiations and labor-management programs. The lawsuit claims that the union used Iacobelli’s position at GM to obtain confidential information and create bargaining contracts at Chrysler that gave it a competitive advantage over GM.