Posts tagged pensions
Walberg, Allen Seek Trump DOJ Assistance in Recovering Bailout Payments that Funded Pensions for Dead People
February 21, 2025 // The Committee’s oversight work highlighted gross mismanagement of the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program that was included in the American Rescue Plan Act. Taxpayers funded pensions for dead people to the tune of more than $164 million for 33 plans that have paid the money back. However, more than 30 other union plans have yet to pay back any of the overpayments. In the letter, the chairmen write: “As part of this investigation, the Committee is seeking information about the steps DOJ is taking to ensure that taxpayer money is recovered after the Biden-Harris administration made improper payments to multiemployer pension plans."
Thousands of Denver-area King Soopers grocery store workers go on strike
February 6, 2025 // UFCW Local 7 members voted by 96% last week to authorize the unfair labor practices strike. King Soopers, a chain owned by Kroger, with 121 stores in Colorado and Wyoming, has been negotiating a new contract since October. The current contract expired in January.
How lavish benefits pushed by NY teachers’ unions ramped up school spending — to highest in nation at $36K per kid: reports
January 21, 2025 // Empire State teachers were the second-highest compensated in the US during 2024, raking in an average of $92,696, according to a National Education Association study. And their generous pay has only increased from the 2020-2021 school year, when New York teachers’ $87,738 was the highest average pay in the nation, the Empire Center for Public Policy found. Employee benefits at that time were between 200% and 250% higher than the national average, according to the report from the Albany-based government watchdog group.
Southern California Kaiser Mental Health Workers Enter Second Week of Strike
October 29, 2024 // The union added that one-fourth of the 1,508 mental health professionals hired by Kaiser’s Southern California region between January 2021 and September 2024 have already left their positions.
Kaiser mental health workers prepare to strike, this time in Southern California
October 16, 2024 // The previous Kaiser mental health strike, which involved Northern California mental health workers, took place in 2022 and lasted almost 10 weeks. Those workers ultimately won certain concessions, such as higher wages and more hours each week to handle patient care duties such as charting and responding to emails. Southern California mental health workers say they are now asking Kaiser to match what their colleagues in the north of the state receive.
Boeing strike costs top $1.4 billion as pressure on company mounts
September 27, 2024 // The second week of the strike was more costly than the first, “as is typical for major industrial strikes,” Anderson noted. After union members overwhelmingly voted to reject an initial contract proposal earlier this month, the IAM refused to vote this week on Boeing’s “best and final offer” that included a 30 percent pay hike and a $6,000 contract ratification bonus, double the initial offer.
Boeing Worker Side Hustles Could Drag Strike Out for Months
September 23, 2024 // But as workers stare down the embattled manufacturer for better pay and benefits, the 33,000 members of IAM District 751 have the full benefit of a tight labor market and gig economy that provides a quick transition into jobs that help make ends meet. That gives the union bargaining leverage, potentially frustrating Boeing’s effort to swiftly end a conflict that’s costing it an estimated $100 million each day. While the battle between one of the world’s largest exporters and its blue-collar workers may look like an uneven fight on its surface, Boeing finds itself in an increasingly untenable situation with its finances so dire that it can ill afford a drawn-out paralysis.
Yellow Found Liable for $6.5 Billion in Pension Claims
September 20, 2024 // Earlier this month, Goldblatt ruled that Teamsters president Sean O'Brien could be deposed regarding the leadup to Yellow's bankruptcy, which could be a factor in whether the estate must pay up the class-action claims. According to Yellow, letters and conversations between O'Brien and former Yellow CEO Darren Hawkins show that the trucking company had a reasonable basis to believe it could prove that the company is not liable for the WARN Act claims. The Teamsters represented 22,000 of Yellow's roughly 30,000 employees when the company went under, with both parties blaming the other for the logistics firm's demise.
Workers at Portland-area Fred Meyer stores to go on strike starting Wednesday morning
August 28, 2024 // Union leaders say the strike is necessary to encourage Kroger to reach a deal. The sides still disagree on pensions and wage scales, among other items. An unfair labor practices strike, often referred to as a ULP, is a common tool used by organized labor and, by definition, is a limited-duration protest. “A ULP strike is crucial to force Fred Meyer to comply with their obligations as an Employer to their Employees,” Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555 said in a statement, adding that members overwhelmingly approved the strike.
Mercedes-Benz Workers in Alabama Facing Unionization Pressure
May 13, 2024 // Just as foreign countries shouldn’t interfere in U.S. presidential elections, foreign actors shouldn’t interfere in American union elections. Foreign unions don’t have American workers’ best interests at heart. If Mercedes wants to operate in America, it should follow American law and not cave to IG Metall.