Posts tagged Michigan

    Petitions for union representation doubled under Biden’s presidency, first increase since 1970s

    October 17, 2024 // There has been a doubling of petitions by workers to have union representation during President Joe Biden's administration, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board. There were 3,286 petitions filed with the government in fiscal 2024, up from 1,638 in 2021. This marks the first increase in unionization petitions during a presidential term since Gerald Ford's administration, which ended 48 years ago.

    Harris faces challenge with union voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania

    October 9, 2024 // One labor official who requested anonymity said many members of his union come from more culturally conservative households and aren’t very familiar with Harris’s record on labor issues. “We have a lot of Republicans in our membership,” the official said, adding that union members reflect society’s spectrum of different political views. That diversity within union membership, however, didn’t stop labor groups from embracing Biden in 2020, as well as Clinton in 2016 and former President Obama in 2012 and 2008.

    Teamsters President Sean O’Brien eviscerates the Democratic Party: ‘They have f**** us over for the last 40 years’

    October 8, 2024 // 'I'm a Democrat but they have f***** us over for the last 40 years and for once we're standing up as a union saying what the f*** have you done for us?' O'Brien said in scathing remarks. 'I'm getting attacked from the left you know and since I've been in office over two and a half years we've given the Democratic machine $15.7 million. 'We've given Republicans about $340,000 truth be told, so it's like you know people say the Democratic party is the party of working people, but they're actually bought and paid for by big tech,' O'Brien explained.

    Workers at Mt. Clemens tooling company are on the way to decertifying the UAW

    October 4, 2024 // Most workers at the factory believe the union does little for them, Patrick Semmens, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation, wrote in an email to Michigan Capitol Confidential. “Yet without right-to-work, union bosses are empowered to have these employees fired if they refuse to pay for the union’s so-called ‘representation’ that they oppose.”

    CNN’s Harry Enten Has Very Bad Union News for Harris, Polling Shows How Much Trouble She’s In

    October 1, 2024 // That's not going to be good for her, particularly in the Rust Belt. I wrote about some of the trouble they were having there earlier, in Michigan, including with polling that Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) was warning them about. If we look at what union members were telling MSNBC were their concerns -- jobs and illegal immigration -- you can see why they would more naturally gravitate to Trump, versus Harris. It's also why Trump might have more of a pull for members than a regular Republican out of central casting migh

    In swing states that once went for Trump, unions organize to prevent a repeat

    October 1, 2024 // This year, UNITE HERE says it is once again mobilizing its members and plans to knock on more than 3 million doors in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan “to ensure that Kamala Harris wins the presidency.” In Wisconsin, the Laborers are building political messaging into a union project to engage members more closely, “connecting union members with other union members,” Miller said, to explain how negotiations affect wages and health and retirement benefits, as well as the importance of increasing union representation.

    Michigan passes bills allowing home care workers to unionize

    September 30, 2024 // “We know that more and more Michiganders are going to need care, that number is not going to go down, they should have access to adequate care and it’s about building a union but it’s also about making sure that every single person in the state of Michigan has the care they deserve and the care that they need,” said Menz. The bills are now waiting for Governor Gretchen Whitmer to officially sign them into law. Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt said in a statement sent to News 10: “These bills only further grow the size of the government while simultaneously shrinking the available resources meant to help those in need.”

    Opinion: The Dangers of Union Expansion in Missouri

    September 25, 2024 // Consider the fact also that the UAW has spent lavishly on travel, hotels, and executive salaries over the past several years. For example, from 2013 to 2018, the UAW spent $43 million on hotels and resorts and $4 million on restaurants and bars. Two past UAW Presidents have been convicted of felonies involving financial mismanagement. Meanwhile, current President Shawn Fain is under investigation by a federal court-appointed watchdog. Fain has been accused by two union officials of retaliating against them when they refused to take actions that would have benefited Fain’s fiancé and her sister.

    The real impact of the Teamsters’ non-endorsement

    September 20, 2024 // “Union endorsements are valuable because they usually come with access to resources, particularly volunteers to knock on doors and work phone banks,” Squire said. “Leadership may be able to persuade some members to vote the way they would like, but the real value is in campaign assistance.” Besides the setback of having fewer volunteers, there’s also some possibility that the non-endorsement could sway non-union voters sympathetic to labor issues.