Posts tagged picket
Are salaried workers required to cross a picket line during a labor strike? What happens.
August 23, 2023 // "If (nonunion workers) refuse to follow the direction they’ve been given by management, they could potentially lose their job if the company wanted to take such drastic measures," Kaminski said. "They could be fired for refusing to accept an assignment." ◾ Sympathy strikers can be permanently replaced, Kaminski said. Depending on their rank in an organization, some will retain the right to be put on a preferred recall list for a limited period of time. Many people consider being fired and being permanently replaced as the same, though technically different, Kaminski said.
Commentary: Shrinking labor unions flex their muscles
August 23, 2023 // Clearly, labor unions are flexing their muscles. But every year, a smaller percentage of workers belong to a union. That’s especially true for those in the private sector. Membership is down from 10.3 percent in 2021 to 10.1 percent last year, making it the lowest on record, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The percentage of union workers has nearly been cut in half since 1983, when 20.1 percent were represented. And it’s been dropping faster than that in the private sector. Government employees now make up one third of all union members. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, teachers and library employees have the highest percentages of union workers. Those workers earn, on average, 15 percent more than workers not in a union.
Ford union hosts strike authorization vote at Louisville Assembly and Kentucky Truck Plant
August 23, 2023 // Ford Motor Co., which operates both the Louisville Assembly Plant, LAP, and the Kentucky Truck Plant, KTP, in Louisville is facing a strike authorization vote from union members at UAW Local 862 as national UAW negotiations continue ahead of a nationwide contract expiration on Sept. 14. UAW Local 862 represents roughly 12,000 rank and file workers at both LAP and KTP. The LAP and KTP union halls were open for members to cast their strike votes from 11:30 a.m. Monday to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to a UAW Local 862 News Letter [sic], polling hours were increased from previous strike authorization votes with the hope of allowing more members an opportunity to vote. "Typically, elections have very low turnouts ... but strike authorization votes typically have a much different, stronger turnout, because the strike authorization affects every single member," Sheckles said.
Federal worker complaints rise with union activity in Minnesota
August 22, 2023 // National Labor Relations Board complaints this year in Minnesota and nationally are already above full 2021 and 2022 levels. Organizers expect even more in 2024.
WGA and SAG-AFTRA Cancel Monday Strike Pickets Ahead of Tropical Storm Hitting Los Angeles
August 21, 2023 // Both the writers’ and actors’ unions have canceled their Monday pickets due to anticipated heavy rain and potential flooding expected as Hurricane Hilary moves into Southern California. Hilary is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hits the Los Angeles area, according to the National Weather Service, but could still dump a significant amount of water on the area.
Nurses who planned to strike for 2 days at Joliet hospital will be locked out for 4
August 21, 2023 // St. Joseph nurses will be locked out Tuesday through Saturday, during which time the nurses will hold a picket line. The hospital’s operator Ascension has not responded to a request for comment. A statement on its website explains that when hiring nurse replacements for the two-day strike, staffing agencies, by contract, require four days of work.
When California’s public workers go on strike
August 11, 2023 // On Tuesday, thousands of city workers across Los Angeles, including staff at LAX and Van Nuys airport, City Hall, animal shelters, public swimming pools and other facilities, walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, reports the Los Angeles Times. There have been some efforts in the Legislature to expand strike rights for public workers. State Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would enshrine every worker’s right, including public sector employees, to join a union and negotiate with their employers “to protect their economic well-being and safety at work.” Another measure, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes of San Bernardino, would protect public employees from disciplinary action if they join a sympathy strike, refuse to cross a picket line or refuse cover work for striking co-workers.
Over 11,000 L.A. workers plan to strike, hoping to ‘shut down’ city
August 8, 2023 // Mayor Karen Bass (D) said Saturday that the city is committed to ensuring a fair contract for its workers. “City workers are vital to the function of services for millions of Angelenos every day and to our local economy. They deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January,” Bass said. “The City will always be available to make progress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Los Angeles did not return requests for comment regarding the possible disruptions to their operations that the strike could cause.
Regional union members support AMCOR workers strike
August 7, 2023 // The Teamsters Local 238 began it’s strike on Saturday, July 29 after the union rejected the company’s latest deal. On Sunday, members of other unions came to support the striking employees in a solidarity picket event.
Wabtec sues union, seeks injunction aimed at conduct of striking workers on picket line
August 3, 2023 // Since the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America went on strike on June 22, according to Wabtec's motion, the striking workers have, among other things, used racist and homophobic slurs against non-striking employees entering and leaving the plant, damaged employees' personal vehicles, blocked the plant's gates and subjected the plant to two phoned-in bomb threats. Wabtec sued the UE in asking for the injunction. "Wabtec has made consistent efforts to address the Union's unlawful and dangerous picket activity with the Union and its counsel, but the activity has persisted and most recently escalated, amounting to an unlawful seizure of the Wabtec facility," according to Wabtec's motion.