Posts tagged pay and benefits
Ken Girardin: To Deliver Public Excellence, Mamdani Must Challenge Public-Sector Privilege
October 8, 2026 // Meanwhile, the city pays more than $1 billion annually into union-managed “welfare funds” meant to provide dental, vision and other benefits for current workers and retirees. Former Comptroller Brad Lander all but stopped conducting oversight reviews of these funds, even after a trio of union officers became guests of the federal government for swiping money from one of the funds. Instead of turning over cash to dozens of union funds, the city could cut out the middlemen and administer benefits directly. That would allow it to achieve greater economies of scale and avoid further embezzlement and abuse—though it would trim the number of patronage jobs union executives can hand out.
Teamsters president throws down gauntlet to UPS: Strike coming in 2028
September 11, 2026 // Perhaps, the most unusual strike trigger is a new demand that all four union regions, which are governed by supplements to the national master agreement, be allowed to go on strike mid-contract if the parties remain deadlocked on how to resolve union grievances. "It's going to be a battle and we are probably going to strike UPS. I mean, we have to because they don't respect us. They don't do what they're supposed to do on the obligation of the contract. They fight us on everything," O'Brien said on a recent episode of the "Better Bad Ideas" podcast.
Beverage Market strike nears 100 days as workers seek better pay and benefits
August 19, 2026 // Union representatives allege there have been confrontations involving people working at the business and those on the picket line. According to representatives, one striking worker was struck by a vehicle and another was shoved. The circumstances surrounding those incidents and whether any charges were filed could not immediately be independently verified.
Columbus Metropolitan Library workers begin union vote
June 18, 2026 // Columbus Metropolitan Library employees begin voting on Tuesday to decide whether to unionize. The vote is scheduled to take place by mail from June 16 through June 30, with votes counted on July 7. The election comes after an estimated 600 eligible employees signed authorization cards in support of a vote to create a union. The employees would be represented by the Ohio Federation of Teachers.
‘Demanding a voice’: Tri-State workers go on strike, want union recognition
May 12, 2026 // Workers at Batesville Products plan to begin a strike Monday morning after unanimously voting to demand union recognition, according to Teamsters Local 135. The group — including machinists, polishers, and shipping and receiving employees — is organizing with the union amid concerns over workplace conditions, long hours, pay and benefits. Workers say many have been required to work 60-hour weeks for months with little improvement in conditions. Employees requested voluntary recognition from the company April 28, but the request was denied. They then filed for a representation election with the National Labor Relations Board.
University of Alaska staff vote to unionize
April 5, 2026 // University of Alaska staff announced a vote to form a union on Wednesday. The union would represent 2,300 permanent staff across the three universities and a dozen community campuses. Staff voted to form the union Coalition of Alaska University Staff for Equity, or CAUSE, which would be part of the national United Auto Workers union, in a 1,106 to 610 vote, with 64% voting yes. UA staff that would be represented by the union include student services staff, researchers, fiscal and administrative staff, development staff, science communicators, information systems specialists, library workers, athletics coaches
First Student bus driver strike averted after tentative agreement reached, union announces
March 31, 2026 // The union voted last week to authorize a strike, saying it showed that drivers are willing to do what it takes to get the agreement they believe they deserve. Key issues for union leaders included pay and benefits. The union said this new deal includes better retirement benefits, improved health care access, and contractual protections for all union members. Union members will be able to vote on the new agreement in the coming weeks, the union said.
A Columbia Student Strike May Foreshadow the End of Unions
March 28, 2026 // Columbia graduate students this month voted to authorize a strike, their second in five years. Their list of demands naturally include things related to pay and working conditions. They are seeking $76,000 a year in pay, about twice the stipend I got as a graduate student (adjusting for inflation) and a more than 50% increase from the current level.
The Trump administration paid these employees not to work for more than a year. It just called them back
March 26, 2026 // “The department made the choice to bring these employees back to work to focus on other, non-DEI related tasks,” the spokesperson said. “To be good stewards of taxpayer money, it was common-sense to repurpose these employees to carry out the department's mission. We are proud to say the department will no longer push a woke agenda like DEI initiatives which were designed in the previous administration to divide America.” In the intervening year, employees who did not seek other employment frequently felt like they were on the verge of losing theirs. “The year has been marked with depression and anxiety,” the employee said. “We would hear rumblings that something would happen ‘soon’ but that would be said several times and nothing would happen.”
Union Agrees to US Refineries Contract, Averting Nationwide Strike
February 10, 2026 // The U.S. United Steelworkers union adopted on Friday a national agreement on pay and benefits, averting a nationwide strike that could have affected 30,000 workers at 26 companies operating crude oil refineries and petrochemical plants.