Posts tagged Nevada
Pipefitters Union Hit with Federal Charge for Illegal Retaliatory Fine against Non-Union Las Vegas Worker
March 10, 2023 // An employee in Las Vegas, Nevada, has filed federal charges against the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA) union Local 525, in response to union officials illegally threatening to fine him. The employee, David Webb, chose to exercise his right to work during a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-sanctioned election. The case was filed at the National Labor Relations Board Region 28 by National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys to challenge his retaliatory fines by the union officials. Webb, a Universal Plumbing and Heating Inc. employee, has not been a union member since 2017. Despite this, UA union officials initiated internal union disciplinary charges against him, resulting in an attempt to levy a fine of $4,999 against him for exercising his right to participate in a NLRB-sanctioned election, including as an official election observer.
Nevada: Follow the Money: Unions were biggest category donating to Legislature in 2022 cycle
February 21, 2023 // Nearly 96 percent of all big-money contributions from union and labor groups went to Democratic lawmakers, with Sen. Skip Daly (D-Sparks), who previously served as business manager of LIUNA Local 169, leading the field by a wide margin. Another lawmaker finished second — Assemblyman Max Carter (D-Las Vegas), who is affiliated with several unions, including International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357 in Southern Nevada. In the second-place spot is the combined spending of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which gave more than $147,000 to 34 lawmakers. By far the largest beneficiary of that spending was freshman Assemblyman Max Carter (D-Las Vegas), an electrician by trade and member of IBEW Local 357 who received the maximum $10,000 from three IBEW affiliate PACs for $30,000 total — nearly 10 percent of the $338,000 he raised from all big-dollar donors. In a distant second to Carter in IBEW fundraising was Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), who raised a combined $13,000. Others in competitive districts also saw combined IBEW totals north of the $10,000, including Sen. Julie Pazina, Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, Sen. Melanie Scheible, and Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola — all Democrats from Las Vegas, save Marzola, a Democrat from Henderson.
Smart & Final warehouse workers vote to unionize
February 15, 2023 // Last November, the Teamsters union said its members ratified a new contract covering 1,500 warehouse workers and truck drivers at The Kroger Co., providing improvements in wages, benefits, and working conditions. A report from Bloomberg law, meanwhile, found that the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents 835,000 grocery workers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubled its victory count in 2022, winning 111 of its 158 elections. That compares with 51 victories in 74 elections in 2021.
McDonalds President Says It Might Be ‘Impossible’ to Operate in These Key States
February 1, 2023 // While California has led the pack with fast-food worker protection movements, Virginia followed with a similar bill just six months later. This month, it introduced Virginia's House Bill 2478. While not committed to a specific minimum wage, the passed law would require a council of state legislators, elected officials, industry representatives and fast-food workers to get together and regularly oversee worker conditions and compensation.
First Orlando, Now Vegas: Convention-Center Labor Strikes Authorized
December 14, 2022 // For event planners seeking to avoid a similar labor crisis that could derail their events, veteran events-industry attorney Joshua L. Grimes, Esq., of Grimes Law Office in Philadelphia, offers these thoughts: “If your event is coming up soon, I think it’s appropriate to ask the host facility specifically how they intend to handle things if the union members strike. The answer given to groups is usually, ‘Don't worry, we're going to take care of it.’ But without a labor agreement in place, I would say it's reasonable to ask the in-house catering company for a detailed backup plan. And if a group does not have confidence in what it hears, the group could demand the right to bring in its own caterer” or to use other options such as food trucks. Further, “due diligence requires that a group not wait until a few days before the event to start asking questions. There's a legal doctrine called ‘anticipatory breach’ that says a group may not need to wait until the last minute to see if foodservice can be provided at an acceptable level of quality. If it's clear that the in-house caterer won't be able to perform its contractual obligations, the group may be able to cancel the foodservice contract before the event starts and proceed to make alternate arrangements to get F&B for its guests” at an acceptable level of both product quality and service quality.
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.
THE DEMOCRATIC MACHINE IN NEVADA MIGHT BE FALTERING
October 20, 2022 // Clearly it was an unhappy development, especially for a Democratic incumbent governor in the final weeks of a close reelection race, but it didn’t appear debilitating: The state’s largest teachers’ union announced last week that it would be withholding an endorsement. For connoisseurs of Nevada politics, though, the news was closer to the rumble of an approaching earthquake. “This would never have happened,” one Nevada Democratic insider says, “if Senator Reid were still alive.”
Episode 58: Unions have Forgotten why They were Originally Created
July 13, 2022 // As unionization in the private sector continues to decline, many labor activists are getting ever-more desperate to force workers into union representation. From the federal “PRO Act” in the private sector to state-level “opt-out” periods for public sector workers, unions are increasingly trying to make it more difficult for workers who don’t want union representation to say “no” to membership.
Sparks firefighters union files ethics complaints against city manager, former chief
July 11, 2022 // The Sparks firefighters union has filed ethics complaints against city manager Neil Krutz and former fire chief Jim Reid for alleged sprinkler code violations at two private homes — but the code may not apply. “The complaint against me is completely without merit,” Krutz said in a phone call with the RGJ. “I welcome any and all questions that are going to be posed to me by the Nevada Commission on Ethics.” Local 1265 firefighters union
Strippers Turn to Unions After Litigation, Legislation Falter
June 3, 2022 // Ryan Carlson, CEO of Deja Vu Services Inc.—one of the largest strip club operators in the US—said seven of his clubs in California became unprofitable and were forced to close after being required to classify dancers as employees. Dancers at the remaining clubs only get part-time shifts, he said.