Posts tagged op ed
Amazon Endures the Union ‘Wave’
May 4, 2022 // The press predicted a surge of Big Labor victories after an Amazon warehouse unionized last month, but the labor "tidal wave" has yet to claim a single island. A separate vote this week shows that unions still face long odds in organizing at Amazon and other private employers.
The Employee Rights Act Puts American Workers, Not Union Bosses, in the Driver’s Seat
April 13, 2022 // The Employee Rights Act contains several other provisions to protect workers from union intimidation. The bill criminalizes union threats in the workplace and bans unions from using personal employee data for anything unrelated to campaigns, taking Big Labor’s most aggressive and unethical tactics off the table. The bill also prohibits union “salting,” a tactic where a union pays an individual to apply for a job within a company that has not yet been unionized. Instead of becoming a productive employee, the “salt” is there to organize a union and be Big Labor’s mole on the inside.
Opinion: Amazon Employees Don’t Need a Union
March 25, 2022 // Tight labor markets empower workers more than any union. That’s why it’s unlikely that the 7,500 Amazon workers at the JFK8 plant in Staten Island, New York, who are voting today on whether to join the Amazon Labor Union, will choose to be organized. Voting at Amazon’s LDJ5 plant (also in Staten Island), which employs 1,500 workers, will take place next month.
OP-ED | A Better Approach to the Silver Tsunami
March 18, 2022 // Too often, for unions, the customers are themselves rather than the public, which is why the state should be taking advantage of retirements by focusing on modernizing, reorganizing, retooling, and outsourcing as much as possible. The major advantage in choosing among hiring private employees/services is that change can be made quickly to accommodate the needs of customers. Not working well? Terminate the contract and find a better solution in the marketplace.
Manchin is Right on the Filibuster, but Wrong on the PRO Act
January 25, 2022 // When it comes to the filibuster, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) reflects his home state. Opinion polling shows that strong majorities of West Virginians oppose ending the filibuster, as does Manchin, who recently wrote in his state’s largest newspaper, “If I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it.”
Billions in spending, hundreds of millions in grants- union future influence in the infrastructure bill
January 25, 2022 // Only about 6 percent of workers in America’s private sector are union members, yet the infrastructure bill the Senate passed last month gives unions a prominent role. Union leaders will have significant influence over several advisory boards, working groups and committees that make recommendations about billions of taxpayer dollars in spending and hundreds of millions in grants.
House tax bill subsidizes union political campaigns
January 25, 2022 // The tax bill going through the House discriminates against workers who do not want to support union politics. The draft House reconciliation tax bill contains a $250 deduction for union dues. But only workers who fund union political activities can claim it. This indirectly subsidizes union political campaigns.
National Labor Relations Board shift will harm workers and job creators
January 25, 2022 // Recent changes to the composition of the National Labor Relations Board and its general counsel will mean significant changes in the law for private sector collective bargaining. The Board oversees unionization campaigns authorized by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and generally plays referee between employees, employers, and unions.
Vaccine mandates put unions in a bind
January 25, 2022 // President Biden once proclaimed himself the “most pro-union president.” Now he’s looking less like a hero to union members who could lose their jobs because of his vaccine mandate. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that one-third of unvaccinated workers would quit before submitting to vaccination.
Virginia election is a teachable moment for unions
January 25, 2022 // Virginians who support giving parents more say in schools spoke loud and clear at the ballot box this month. But the conversation isn’t over until policymakers also consider the rights of teachers.