Posts tagged President Joe Biden
MLB and players reportedly reach an agreement to unionize the minor leagues
September 12, 2022 // The bargaining unit would include minor leaguers except for 40-man major league roster players on option, who are covered by the big league union; players assigned to the Dominican Summer League, which is outside the U.S.; and players on the voluntary retired list. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Friday he anticipated an agreement. Martin Scheinman
Support for labor unions has increased, but union membership is at an all-time low
September 9, 2022 // Harvard Business School also keeps data on union membership in countries around the world, since the late 19th century. Since their data goes back even further than the BLS data, we can see that the all-time peak for union membership was in the mid-1960s, when it exceeded 30 percent. Like the BLS data, Harvard’s figures show the percentage of the workforce in a union has been steadily declining for decades, and has recently reached lows not seen since before World War II.
Freight railroads, some unions reach contract deals covering 15,000 U.S. workers
August 30, 2022 // The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Rail Division said the 24% compounded pay raise over the five-year contract would be the largest ever if ratified. On Aug. 16, the emergency board tasked with helping major freight railroads and unions end a contract negotiation stalemate proposed annual wage increases of 3% and 7% from 2020 to 2024 equal to a 24% compounded hike. The board also recommended five $1,000 annual bonuses and an additional paid day off.
SSA, AFGE renegotiate agreement to give employees more official time
August 29, 2022 // After months of ongoing discussions, SSA and AFGE reached an agreement on July 25 to reinstate previous levels of official time for union activity, and the union’s use of SSA facilities, that existed in an earlier iteration of the national contract from 2012. Rich Couture, AFGE’s spokesperson for SSA, told Federal News Network that settlement discussions earlier this year ultimately led to the changes to the contract. The new provisions of the national agreement will raise the caps on the maximum hours that union representatives can use toward union time, and put more available hours in a bank for other SSA employees. The new provisions of the national agreement will raise the caps on the maximum hours that union representatives can use toward union time, and put more available hours in a bank for other SSA employees. SSA Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi,
Most Unionized Occupations
August 2, 2022 // But unionization has been on a steady downward trajectory in recent decades. Workers in heavily unionized fields like manufacturing lost power amid the economic downturn and high unemployment of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Globalization and free trade agreements made it easier for employers to offshore jobs to less expensive labor markets, and automation and other technological advances have also decreased the number of workers in unionized jobs. Deregulation and other policy changes like right-to-work laws have decreased union strength. These shifts sharply cut down the share of U.S. workers in unions.
Punching In: High Court Signals Coming Curbs on Agency Deference
August 2, 2022 // The Supreme Court earlier this summer affirmed that agencies can’t regulate “major questions” with significant economic or political implications unless Congress explicitly gives them the power to do so, Given the court’s recently expanded view of what presents a “major question,” some attorneys say the conservative-majority court may next take a swipe at Chevron deference all together. And with the Biden administration’s ambitious regulatory agenda, the DOL’s moves to define an approach to independent contractor status, alter how prevailing wages are calculated, expand overtime pay protections, or issue most any other regulation could be more vulnerable to litigation if that happens. A revised version of President Joe Biden’s $94 billion bailout for union-backed pension plans will take effect next week, outlining a realistic path for hundreds of cash-strapped plans to pay benefits for the next 30 years. Michael Lotito, co-chair of Littler Mendelson PC’s Workplace Policy Institute,
‘She’s an arsonist pretending to be a firefighter.’ Critics say newly re-elected AFT head’s agenda is destroying education as she steers $12m to Dems and encourages beliefs like white teachers ‘spirit murder’ minority kids
August 1, 2022 // A glance at the AFT's spending under Weingarten's leadership is enough to eradicate any notion of political or ideological neutrality. Since she assumed leadership in 2008 the power of the union coffers has been harnessed and used almost entirely in the interests of the Democrats. In 2008 the union spent $2.6million on campaign contributions with 10 percent of that going to Republicans. Tiffany Justice, parental rights activist, Weingarten earns $534,240, eight times the average teacher's salary, Moms for Liberty, Daniel Buck, Chalkboard Review, Social and Emotional Learning, Stanford University professor Terry Moe,
Congress’ Vote on Delphi Pensions Bailout Shows Problem With Putting Unions Above Law
July 28, 2022 // Congress is set to vote this week on HR 6929 to retroactively bail out the pensions of about 20,000 former Delphi auto-parts employees who had their pensions reduced beginning in 2009. This proposed bailout, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022, is different in a number of ways from the recent no-strings-attached $97 billion bailout of about 250 select union pension plans, but it highlights the problem of lawmakers putting powerful unions above the law and requiring taxpayers to pay for their wrongdoing. Delphi Salaried Retirees Association, Bruce Gump, James Sherk, Todd Zywicki, Auto Bailout or UAW Bailout? Taxpayer Losses Came From Subsidizing Union Compensation,
Biden NLRB Counsel Rewrites Labor Law History
July 18, 2022 // Prior to the approval of the Taft-Hartley amendments, Big Labor bosses would often present to employers pro-union cards purportedly signed by a majority of their workers and demand to be granted monopoly-bargaining privileges over those employees based on those cards alone, without a vote. Recognizing that many employees signed so-called “union authorization” cards only after being “cajoled, coerced and intimidated,” and in some cases “beaten up,” by Big Labor agents, Congress sought to prevent monopoly-bargaining regimes from being installed when a majority of workers didn’t want one. Lauren McFerran, U.S. Supreme Court’s 1969 Gissel decision, Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, Hannaford Bros. Co., Flomatic Corp., and S.S. Logan Packing Co. , John P. Serpa and 1966 Aaron Brothers cases, Dominick Manoli, Linden Lumber,
Rail union members could go on strike Monday amid contract impasse
July 15, 2022 // The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the interests of the U.S. Class I railroad operations at the bargaining table, has said their proposals offered competitive employee benefits and compensation at levels higher than most U.S. industries. If an emergency board is established by President Joe Biden to oversee the dispute, then that board will conduct hearings and issue a report. A work stoppage would be prohibited for 30 days following the report’s issuance, according to NCCC. Congress could also potentially intervene. Dennis Pierce