Posts tagged New York City
NYC Commercial Building Workers Authorize Strike
December 22, 2023 // The board is asking workers to kick in on health insurance premiums — a nonstarter according to the union. 32BJ has a self-funded health plan and has worked to keep health insurance costs down. Its members are among the minority of American workers that do not bear any of the cost of their insurance premiums. The board is also proposing a lower pay rate for new hires and other changes it refers to as “enhanced flexibility.” But 32BJ leaders disparage this idea, saying it’s akin to the two-tier wage system auto industry workers overturned this fall.
Boarded The Teachers’ Union Takeover of NY School Districts
November 21, 2023 // NYSUT’s involvement in state and federal elections is well-documented, but the low turnout in New York’s generally nonpartisan school board elections has given it an even bigger opportunity. The union also isn’t stopping with school boards: its electoral efforts involve elevating members to local, state and federal office, positions from which union members could eventually affect every facet of education policy. The system of campaign finance rules that regulate everything from elections for governor down to town assessors does not cover school board elections.
Cornell grad students overwhelmingly vote to unionize
November 13, 2023 // Union organizers have advocated that collectively bargaining with Cornell will be a path for graduate student to address issues ranging from improving the university’s services for foreign students studying on a visa, to assisting grad students with the cost of transportation, such as Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit’s bus services or parking on campus. In addition to improved wages and compensation, CGSU has also promised to advocate that Cornell provide dental and vision insurance to graduate students “at no extra cost.”
City Workers Ditch Unions, Skip Dues, Following Supreme Court Ruling
November 2, 2023 // Pre-Janus, public sector employees had the option to explicitly opt out of union membership thanks to an earlier Supreme Court decision but still had to pay “agency fees” out of their paychecks to the unions. Union leaders, including New York City’s Municipal Labor Committee, warned before the decision of potentially large declines in union membership if signing up became optional. Any dramatic loss of dues-paying union members could threaten unions’ operations or even their ability to exist – a possibility on the horizon in some so-called “right to work” states.
What could the new EEOC rule mean for unions?
November 1, 2023 // Seabron was just one of multiple black employees who experienced harassment from this union. Moeleek Thomas, a tow truck operator with the New York City police department traffic enforcement division was called racist names when he tried to raise concerns to union leadership. “Union leaders avoided my questions about the lack of a contract for our unit,” explained Thomas. “I was frustrated, and that frustration led to a confrontation with the vice-president of District Council 37 Local 983, Marvin Robbins, during which, Robbins called me racist names.” “In a phone call, Robbins called me a ‘house n—er,’ an ‘Uncle Tom,’ and he told me I was nothing but a ‘kiss-a–,’” said Thomas. Thomas hopes the EEOC rule could help hold union leaders, like Marvin Robbins, accountable for their actions. The EEOC has invited the public to submit comments regarding the proposed rule at https://www.regulations.gov/document/EEOC-2023-0005-0001 until Nov. 1.
Cannabist Co. cultivation workers in New Jersey vote to unionize
October 19, 2023 // New Jersey regulators certified the vote on Oct. 6. In a statement, UFCW Local 152 President Brian String said negotiations on a “fair contract” would commence. The local recently negotiated contracts for workers at Acreage Holdings-owned The Botanist dispensaries in Egg Harbor and Atlantic City, according to the news release. Along with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the UFCW is one of the major U.S. unions organizing workers in the legal cannabis industry. Both unions are aggressively courting workers and demonstrating more militancy in dealings with management.
NYC cafe chain will be a test of a new unionization process
September 28, 2023 // Under updated protocol, the proprietors of Hex will have two weeks to petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election if they opt not to voluntarily recognize a chapter of Workers United, the union that is organizing Starbucks. Under the previous protocol, workers would formally ask the NLRB, the federal agency that regulates union elections, to schedule an election to determine if a union represents them. The new arrangement shifts the responsibility of calling for an election to management. One of the most controversial aspect of the new process is the greater leeway it gives the NLRB to recognize the employees as a collective bargaining regardless of an election’s outcome. If the Board has found the employer has engaged in unfair labor practices of any sort leading up to the election, it can declare the union has prevailed, regardless of how employees voted. Previously, the NLRB’s ability to negate an election was much more constrained. Typically the regulatory body would instead call for a second election.
Op-ed: Workplace Democracy Dies in Darkness at the NLRB
September 19, 2023 // A current unionization campaign shows the threat. After losing an April election at a New York City store, the Trader Joe’s United union claimed that management tainted the election. How? By informing their employees about the company’s views on unionization and putting limits on posting union flyers on bulletin boards and break-room tables. The union wants the NLRB to force Trader Joe’s to bargain, yet regardless of whether that happens, unions will take advantage of Cemex and launch a new wave of organizing campaigns, even ones they’d normally lose. The Cemex decision should be seen for what it really is: A blatant handout to unions — and a blatant assault on workers and job creators. The best answer to the NLRB ruling is the Employee Rights Act, which, among other things, would permanently ban card check and protect workers’ right to a secret ballot. Workers would get a second election instead of being forced into an unwanted union. Businesses and workers are also likely to challenge the NLRB in federal court. They deserve to succeed. If unions want to represent workers, they should win a vote in a free and fair election.
Staten Island Ferry workers reach contract deal after 13 years
September 18, 2023 // It is common in New York City and elsewhere for union members to be left waiting for years without a contract. In fact, after a union is first certified, it can take over 400 days to ratify the first contract, not to mention future contracts. Some workers never see a contract. The Staten Island Ferry workers serve as an important reminder that collective bargaining is a lengthy process. And while unions continue raking in membership dues, members may not realize benefits for years or at all.
Elisabeth Messenger: Where Do Your Union Dues Go?
September 1, 2023 // I think when a union can stay very independent and hyper-local, it can be what it was meant to be, and that is a force to speak for all, to help all, to protect all, to raise all at the same time. But again, it’s only when it’s independent it’s not tied to a national, bloated corporate union. And it’s only when it’s at the local level.