Posts tagged private sector
Federal worker union shifts presidential endorsements to Harris
July 31, 2024 // The American Federation of Government Employees was the first federal employee union to officially endorse Harris, noting that the vote by the union’s National Executive Council was “unanimous.” Couched as a “reaffirmation” of the union’s previous endorsement of Biden last summer. AFGE touted Harris’ work as a senator to protect federal employees at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as her tenure as co-chairwoman of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, a panel convened by Biden as part of his effort to strengthen labor unions in both government and the private sector.
Union Election Requests Hit Their Highest Level In A Decade
July 18, 2024 // Workers file petitions with the labor board when they want to hold a vote on whether to unionize, typically after a strong majority of workers have signed union cards. Employers can also request an election be held after workers have demanded a union be recognized. The labor board said unions have won 79% of the elections so far this fiscal year when workers have filed the petitions. Unions have prevailed in 70% of the cases where employers filed the petitions.
VERMONT: Phil Scott allows ‘ghost guns,’ union organizing bills to become law without his signature
June 5, 2024 // To allow a bill to go into law without a signature is a middle-ground approach available to the governor — in between striking it down with a veto and endorsing it with a signature. Scott holds the record for issuing the most gubernatorial vetoes in state history: 46. “One concern with the bill is the potential to adversely impact the employer-employee relationship by limiting an employer’s ability to communicate their point of view on a range of issues, including the advantages and disadvantages of unionization,” he wrote. Scott in his letter also said he is “concerned that S.102 is a slippery slope to future disruptions in the employee-employer relationship in agriculture, domestic services and independent contracting as well as any local businesses and non-profits working solely within state lines.”
Teamsters Memo Signals Rift Between Major Unions
June 4, 2024 // In 2013, several years after the Teamsters left the AFL-CIO, the union tried to raid bargaining units at American Airlines and then-U.S. Airways, which later merged with American. The mechanics at U.S. Airways were represented by the IAM. At the time, the IAM accused the Teamsters of “dividing already unionized employees with hollow promises.” The Teamsters and the IAM later reached a peace. They even announced in 2022 that they would work together to organize a broad swath of workers at Delta alongside the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. The Teamsters were to represent the airline’s mechanics, the IAM Delta’s ramp and cargo workers, and the AFA Delta’s flight attendants.
Commerce agency near ‘collapse’ over telework, layoffs, union says
June 3, 2024 // Lawmakers, especially Republicans, have been wary of widespread remote work, saying customer service backlogs at government agencies including the Social Security Administration and the IRS prove the case for more in-person staff. Just last week, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s HR department, assured lawmakers that more than half of all federal employees work in-person full time.
CONNECTICUT: Senator’s Dual Roles Raise Ethical Questions Amid Legislative Decisions
April 29, 2024 // Citing the need to pay people “a fair wage and a fair pension,” Sen Hochadel argued that the state must provide higher wages — which already exceed the private sector — to address state job vacancies. This stance suggests a dual agenda: to attract job candidates to the state and swell the ranks of her union with more dues paying members. During her remarks, the Senator acknowledged her members, expressing appreciation for their contributions to the state of Connecticut and urged her colleagues “to vote yes.” While this advocacy may not be surprising, she also serves as the president of the Connecticut American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — one of the unions involved in the negotiations. AFT represents a broader group than just teachers. The union also includes dues paying members who are state employees in the executive and judicial branches, as well as staff at state colleges, universities and UConn Health.
Alphabet Soup: NLRB, NMB, FMCS
April 4, 2024 // This is the third in a series of introductory guides to help you navigate the alphabet soup of federal labor and employment agencies. Throughout the federal government, there is agency overlap and the pendulum often swings with each new President in the White House. Ultimately, the general framework for each agency’s mission and the statutes they enforce remains little changed. Below is an introductory guide to the National Labor Relations Board, National Mediation Board, and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help you better understand their missions and mandates.
Op-ed: A ‘Fairness Initiative’ to Tackle Too-High Government-Employee Pay
March 29, 2024 // You probably don’t recall those compensation discussions because you were not part of them. The “negotiations” to set pay and benefits for government employees, which are conducted between two groups of government employees, tend to be resolved quickly and with alarming amicability. On one side of the table are union officials representing government workers. On the other side are government employees representing you and your fellow taxpayers. You did not choose those representatives. In all likelihood, you are unaware that they are representing you. They were chosen for you by Joe Biden. And when the two parties get down to hard bargaining, there is no unseemly discord. Not a single fistfight has been reported.
Commentary Big Labor’s Decline and Left Turn: Membership Decline
March 23, 2024 //
Unions using ESG to control workers — and drain Americans’ retirement savings
March 21, 2024 // They’re pushing board nominees and shareholder proposals that aim to force more workers into union membership, even when workers don’t want it. The Biden administration has smoothed the path for this underhanded strategy, and not only does it threaten workers, it endangers millions of Americans’ retirement savings. A new Institute for the American Worker report shines a light on labor unions’ reliance on ESG.