Posts tagged Missouri
St. Louis marijuana workers win union vote after two-year ballot fight
May 21, 2026 // Agricultural workers are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, the federal law that protects most private-sector employees' right to unionize without fear of retaliation. "We agree with the regional [NLRB] director, for the reasons provided in her decision, that none of the workers employed in the classifications at issue here are agricultural laborers under the secondary definition of agriculture," the national board members wrote.
Union says metro ammunitions manufacturer is on strike
April 7, 2026 // Union members who work at the Lake City Army Ammunition plant began a strike Saturday morning in Independence. The IAM Local 778 announced Saturday that its members rejected a contract proposal from Olin Winchester and began a strike.
Opinion: Unions are on a comeback. Americans are paying the price.
April 2, 2026 // So far, the union comeback has mostly been confined to courthouses and state legislatures. Membership hardly budged last year, rising from 9.9 percent of U.S. workers in 2024 to 10 percent in 2025. Yet if more states continue to mandate collective bargaining for public-sector workers — or decide to repeal right-to-work statutes for the private sector — rates can be expected to rise in those jurisdictions. If workers at a unionized shop are forced to pay dues regardless of their membership status, more will opt in as the financial incentive to remain unorganized slips away.
Build-A-Bear workers fired for unionizing in St. Louis, dispute claims
March 1, 2026 // The company has said the employees were terminated for “fraudulent activity related to improper use of customer rewards and Bonus Club Reward Certificates,” not for union activity. In a public statement, Build-A-Bear said all individuals terminated acknowledged understanding company policies and that many admitted to violating them. The company said it applies its policies consistently and will present its case through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) process.
Opinion: Teachers Unions Get Desperate
February 17, 2026 // Antichoice plaintiffs “usually file lawsuits right before families sign up for the program just to be particularly cruel. They know they’ll lose nearly every case, but delaying or enjoining the programs in any way is the last-ditch effort to slow maximum uptake for families,” says Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children. Many suits are striking out. Idaho’s high court just ruled 5-0 in favor of the state choice program. Top courts in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia have upheld choice programs. The U.S. Supreme Court has continued to issue beneficial rulings. Yet the legal threat is real, and unions, often accompanied by local school districts, continue to throw millions at litigation and disruption, forcing states to spend huge amounts to defend against them. Then the unions and the districts claim schools are underfunded.
I4AW Presents 2025 Defender of Worker Freedom Awards to Rep. Onder and Kim Kavin
December 15, 2025 // “Both Rep. Onder and Kim Kavin have used their unique positions to stand up for the American worker,” said I4AW President F. Vincent Vernuccio. “Rep. Onder has been a leader in Congress, keeping workers at the center of developing labor legislation. Kim Kavin continues to publicize the struggles independent workers face against government overreach and bring real life context to how specific regulations would hinder their ability to prosper.”
Starbucks Union Says 30 More US Stores Are Joining Week-Old Strike
November 22, 2025 // Starbucks said the strike has caused minimal disruption to its operations, and noted that this year's Red Cup Day was the strongest in the company's history in terms of sales and store traffic. Placer.ai, a location data company, said Starbucks' foot traffic jumped 44.5% last Thursday compared to this year's daily average. Starbucks said only 49 of the 65 stores that the union vowed to strike last week experienced any disruption, and 29 of those have reopened.
Boeing defense workers ratify new contract to end 3-month strike in the Midwest
November 13, 2025 // Several thousand Boeing machinists in the Midwest who assemble military aircraft and weapons voted Thursday to approve a new contract, ending a three-month strike that saw them reject four earlier offers from the company.
Workers Reject Boeing’s Latest Offer After Nearly Three Months on Strike
October 28, 2025 // “To fund the increases in this offer, we had to make trade-offs,” including reduced hourly wage increases tied to attendance and certain shift work, Boeing Vice President Dan Gillian said in a message to workers on Thursday. IAM leaders have pressed the planemaker for higher retirement plan contributions and a ratification bonus closer to the $12,000 that Boeing gave to union members on strike last year in the company’s commercial airplane division in the Pacific Northwest.
Starbucks workers union planning pickets, rallies through Nov. 2. See in which states
October 27, 2025 // Starbucks, for its part, says it is willing to bargain with the union, which the company says represents about 9,500 of its "partners," or employees. "Workers United only represents around 4% of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk," corporate spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners," Anderson said. "We’re investing over $500 million to put more partners in stores during busy times. The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average, and we get more than 1 million job applications a year.”