Posts tagged Mississippi
‘It’s about damn time’: College workers organize amid nationwide labor unrest
February 8, 2023 // A historic strike at the University of California kicked things off in November. And the six-week standoff among 48,000 campus workers, a broader surge in labor strikes across industries, a depleted pandemic workforce and a friendlier atmosphere in Washington has culminated in a wave of uprisings.+
19 Republican governors oppose proposed Project Labor Agreement rule
October 31, 2022 // Nineteen Republican governors wrote a letter to President Joe Biden (D) on October 17, 2022, opposing a proposed federal rule to mandate the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for federal construction projects. The letter was signed by governors from Arkansas, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. The proposed rule follows an executive order that was signed by Biden in February 2022 that aimed to require PLAs for large-scale construction projects. A group of Republican governors wrote a letter in April 2022 opposing the executive order, arguing that it granted a monopoly to unions and discouraged competition. The proposed rule would amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the executive order and mandate the use of PLAs for federal construction contracts exceeding $35 million.
The Motor City is moving south as EVs change the automotive industry
August 15, 2022 // Detroit is the city that “put the world on wheels,” but it’s towns like Spring Hill and others in neighboring states that are attracting the most investments from automakers in recent years, as production priorities shift to a battery-powered future with electric vehicles. Companies more than ever want to build EVs where they sell them, because the vehicles are far heavier and more cumbersome to ship than traditional models with internal combustion engines. They also want facilities for battery production to be close by to avoid supply chain and logistics problems. SPRING HILL, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Hyundai Motor, Rivian Automotive, workforce, supply chain and logistics, lowest electricity prices,
Organized labor gets big backing from foundations
July 13, 2022 // In turn, it will boost nascent organizing efforts, according to LIFT’s executive director, Jennifer Epps. “Right now, there is a worker- and community-led movement happening across the country and philanthropy is using its position and resource to help meet this moment alongside grassroots and labor partners to ensure a more just and democratic economy for workers,” she said. Epps said the collective’s funding will primarily go to support organizing and advocacy campaigns in five Southern states: Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. “This is our starting point to learn more about the region and invest in multi-racial coalitions advancing a more just economy and democracy that increases worker power, racial justice, and economic solidarity,” said Epps. Daisy Chung, Jennifer Epps, Amy B. Dean, ABD Ventures, Pierre Omidyar, eBay, Omidyar Network, Ford Foundation, Solidago, Open Society Foundations, Rebecca Greenberg, Solidago,
Ex-top MS Coast labor union official accused of embezzlement in 29-count indictment
July 8, 2022 // The former secretary and treasurer of a Mississippi Coast labor union pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges in a 29-count indictment accusing her of forging checks or other securities to embezzle over $33,000. Lisa Michelle Bennett, 50, had an arraignment in federal court in Gulfport on Tuesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert P. Myers appointed a federal public defender to represent Bennett before she pleaded not guilty to one count of embezzlement and 28 counts of uttering forgery. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie
Mississippi on verge of regaining all jobs lost
April 19, 2022 //
Starbucks employees and others trying to unionize in Mississippi face decades-old hardships
April 12, 2022 // Their efforts come amid a growing movement nationwide led by younger members in consumer-oriented jobs known for high turnover, not the stereotypical blue collar trade work usually associated with union representation.
Analysis: How Much School Funding Goes to Salaries & Benefits? Does Urban vs. Rural Make a Difference? Red State vs. Blue? Strong Union vs. Weak? Some Surprising Answers
December 1, 2021 // New York City and Little Rock, Arkansas, are as dissimilar as can be. But in one respect they are very much alike. Little Rock spent 75.3% of its education funding on employee salaries and benefits in 2018-19. New York spent 75.5%