Posts tagged Nebraska
Commentary: What’s Next for America’s Independent Workers?
December 15, 2022 // If various state and federal policymakers have their way, however, Ms. Rankin’s business model might be soon regulated out of existence — whether she likes it or not. Rankin, like every other owner‐operator truck driver in America, is an independent worker – someone who takes on projects or jobs from different clients, relatively free from the clients’ control.
Right-to-Work battle looms in Michigan: Businesses fear repeal by Democrats
December 5, 2022 // Michigan business groups are wary of Democrats’ calls to repeal Right-to-Work laws when they take charge in Lansing early next year, saying the state instead should focus on economic policies that attract jobs. Business Leaders for Michigan, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and chamber leaders from the state’s two largest cities — Detroit and Grand Rapids — all urge caution. But Democrats — who are backed heavily by unions including the Michigan Education Association and United Auto Workers — say the move prioritizes workers and labor rights.
Rail union approves deal offering hope of avoiding strike
November 7, 2022 // Concerns remain about the possibility of an economically devastating strike because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions voted down their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don’t address their quality-of life concerns. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions’ demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.
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.
Railroads back plan calling for 24 percent raises but workers wary
August 22, 2022 // Both sides have 30 days to negotiate a new contract before federal law would allow a strike or lockout, but even if they can’t reach an agreement Congress is likely to intervene to prevent a strike that would disrupt the flow of goods across all sectors of the economy. The unions were still reviewing the 124-page report Wednesday — one day after it was issued — and didn’t immediately comment on the details. But individual railroad workers commenting about the report on Twitter said it didn’t do enough to address their concerns about restrictive attendance policies that make it hard to take days off and demanding working conditions after thousands of jobs have been cut in recent years.
Union election begins for over 400 Planned Parenthood workers
June 29, 2022 // Like other nonprofit workers who have formed unions in recent years, Planned Parenthood staffers hope to gain more control over decisions that affect their day-to-day work in support of the organization’s mission. “I am often training the same position in the same clinics over and over again, and this has been an ongoing trend for the last several years,” Clark said. “Caretakers often cannot voice issues on the job in a way that leads to meaningful change. We trudge on until we burn out, and then we leave.” Planned Parenthood workers said wages and working conditions also factored into the decision to unionize. Many of her co-workers, Brewer said, are “overworked, underpaid and undervalued.” April Clark, Mimi Arabalo, Sadie Brewer,
140,000 Americans walked out of work last year to strike for higher pay and safer workplaces — and thousands got what they wanted
February 24, 2022 // In 2021, about 140,000 workers were involved in work stoppages. In total, there were 265 work stoppages last year, according to researchers at Cornell University's ILR School, who created the ILR Labor Action Tracker and compiled the data used in its first annual report. Cumulatively, that means there were about 3.27 million "strike days" in 2021 — which the researchers define as how long strikes lasted, multiplied by the number of strikers.
5 states sue Biden over minimum wage hike for federal contractors
February 10, 2022 // The states — Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska and South Carolina — argue President Biden overstepped his authority when he signed an executive order mandating the minimum wage last April. The order went into effect Jan. 30.
Buffett rejects Sanders’ call to intervene
December 31, 2021 // Several hundred striking workers at a manufacturing facility owned by Berkshire Hathaway have picked up some high-profile support from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the company's CEO, Warren Buffett, has declined to get involved in the contract dispute.
Kellogg strike resolution being hailed as victory for organized labor
December 29, 2021 // "In the current climate, it's easy to negotiate with the labor shortage," he said. "With union workers, it's our time. It's time for the workers of the world to step up and our leaders to negotiate good deals. There's still a massive wage disparity where the CEO of BP is making way more than the refinery workers. We want to do projects for those companies. But we want the worker to make money. The company should make money. The customer should make money. Everyone should make money. It's about how they choose to divide the pie."