Posts tagged plumbers
How affordable housing in National City became a cash machine for San Diego County labor unions
July 9, 2025 // Public records show these same union leaders, who manage the coalition and the apartments, also direct political action committees that help channel rent and laundry payments into various political causes. Since 2016, about 11 cents of every dollar collected from tenants has been used to influence elections for city councils and school boards across the region, finance ballot initiatives that advance labor interests and pay these same union leaders six-figure salaries.
Op-ed: Protect American workers: How Trump’s team can fulfill his promise
March 6, 2025 // Regulatory reform is needed at three federal agencies that oversee labor laws and regulations: the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. At the Labor Department, the administration should remove the economically inept "environmental, social and governance" investment criteria and instead protect workers’ retirement savings. Investment managers should be prohibited from advancing political agendas that reduce pension returns. The administration should guarantee workers freedom of information and transparency, so union members know how their leaders are spending dues.
Production Assistants Launch Ambitious Bid for Unionization With LiUNA
September 3, 2024 // The group acknowledges that they’re ramping up their organizing at a time when major Hollywood firms are cutting costs and production work in L.A., at least, still hasn’t fully rebounded. But they’re confident that they will eventually succeed in bringing a union to production assistants, even as they and their colleagues have been affected by the ongoing contraction. “It’s a new chapter in our organizing effort with the strength of LiUNA. We are so confident that we are going to get our union,” says Ravens.
Mike Rowe calls Gen Z the next ‘toolbelt generation’ amid increasing vocational enrollment
April 22, 2024 // Rowe doubled down on the demand for electricians, pipe fitters and plumbers, among others, despite emerging technologies. "Look, plumbers are not going to be outsourced," he added. "Electricians, steam fitters, pipe fitters, the people my foundation tries to assist — they have a level of job security that the article in the Journal is referencing, and it's a big deal, because those jobs have always been here for the last 20 years, as long as I've been doing this, they've been open, and it's starting to tip where we're literally turning a tanker around with regard to perceptions."
House Seeks Information from Unions on Policies to Prevent Corruption
March 20, 2024 // Each of the letters asks for a comprehensive description of the policies and procedures the union has in place to monitor and deter fraud, corruption, and improper accounting, including any third-party audits, the types of training and education provided to prevent fraud or corruption, internal reporting mechanisms, and disciplinary policies. These questions apply both to each union’s headquarters as well as its locals. U.S. House Subpoenas UAW Local over Controversial Resolution Chairwoman Foxx cites specific examples of corruption for each union. For example, in the Teamsters letter, she cites a state senator from Illinois who was indicted for taking more than $245,000 in fraudulent income and other benefits from Teamsters Joint Council 25 while purporting to be a union organizer.
California faculty at largest US university system launch strike for better pay
December 4, 2023 // The California State University chancellor's office says the pay increase the union is seeking would cost the system $380 million in new recurring spending. That would be $150 million more than increased funding for the system by the state for the 2023-24 year, the office said. Leora Freedman, the vice chancellor for human resources, said in a statement that the university system aims to pay its workers fairly and provide competitive benefits. “We recognize the need to increase compensation and are committed to doing so, but our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable,” Freedman said.
SF school district reaches memorandum of understanding with tradespeople, staving off strike
December 4, 2023 // “SFUSD and Common Crafts agreed to negotiate in good faith to address outstanding grievances, arbitrations, memorandums of understanding, and other contract negotiation-related issues,” said the school district. The district has agreed to meet with employees to negotiate salary and resolve outstanding pay issues, convene a task force to work toward completing these negotiations by Feb. 1, and will pay Common Crafts unit members a one-time, off-schedule $3,000 stipend by Friday, SFUSD officials said.
Called To Strike, Union Of Cal State Trade Workers Urge Trustees To Raise Pay
November 9, 2023 //
California: Anti-worker or pro-worker? Why labor unions are fighting over a housing bill
May 12, 2022 // Under Wicks’ bill, developers would have to pay union-level wages — which are common to builders of exclusively affordable housing, but rare among market rate developers. Projects larger than 50 units would require health benefits for workers and contractors would need to request the dispatch of apprentices, but if they’re unavailable, the project would move forward anyway.
Newsom, unions eye $50k bonuses for juvenile prison workers
March 14, 2022 // All of the unions representing youth corrections employees in the bonus negotiations donated to stop Newsom from being recalled in last year’s election. The largest contributor was the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which gave $1.75 million, according to the Secretary of State’s website.