Posts tagged Republican
Judge Reinstates Labor Board Member Fired by Trump
March 7, 2025 // Judge Howell made a joke about the case’s possible trajectory, saying that she understood that “this court is merely a speed bump for you all to get to the Supreme Court.”
Trump’s labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer advances to final Senate vote
March 7, 2025 // In a 66-30 vote, 15 Democratic senators signaled support for President Trump’s pick, as Chavez-DeRemer advanced to a final vote on her nomination – which is scheduled to take place on Monday. Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Gary Peters of Michigan, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Adam Schiff of California, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Mark Warner of Virginia, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island voted in favor of Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican opposed to Trump’s labor pick.
Union contracts should not protect drunken teachers
March 6, 2025 // The Bay City union contract spelled out the process: A teacher’s first offense resulted in a written reprimand and the teacher was required to go through counseling. The second offense resulted in a three-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Third offense: a five-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Fourth offense: a 10-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Only upon the fifth offense could the district fire the teacher. It gets worse. A teacher using illegal drugs at school got three strikes before she could be fired. Even teachers caught selling drugs could not be fired until their second offense.
Act 10, Scourge of Wisconsin Teachers, Faces Uncertain Future in Court
March 4, 2025 // According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the proportion of union members in Wisconsin’s workforce fell by nearly half, from 14.2% to 7.4%, between 2010 and 2023 (since that figure includes workers from all sectors, the drop for government employees is likely much steeper). A report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a right-leaning think tank, showed that the total number of unions holding annual recertification votes across the state declined from 540 in 2014 to 369 in 2018. The largest teachers’ union in the state, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, experienced a dizzying loss of manpower and organizing heft. A 2019 study conducted by a pair of researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that WEAC was forced to restructure and cut its staffing by about two-thirds. The retrenchment was made necessary by a freefall in the collection of dues, the payment of which was made voluntary by Act 10. The loss of paid organizers could be offset, in part, by the efforts of teacher volunteers. But the union had no ready replacement for the millions of dollars in government relations funds that had suddenly evaporated; WEAC went from being one of the biggest lobbying forces in Madison to a second-tier player virtually overnight.
Scoop: Hawley leads bipartisan pro-labor push
March 4, 2025 // "Greedy corporations will stop at nothing to keep workers from getting a fair first contract," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement to Axios. "Teamsters are proud to support the Faster Labor Contracts Act—real labor law reform that forces employers to bargain in good faith and holds them accountable when they don't," O'Brien continued.
Analysis: 93% of Idaho teachers union political spending benefited Democrats in 2024
February 19, 2025 // In short, the IEA may endorse GOP candidates that it finds ideologically compatible if those candidates are going to win anyway but, in competitive races where its support might make a difference, the IEA consistently backs Democrats while simultaneously throwing moral support behind the Democrat candidate in any race involving a Republican it doesn’t think it can work with.
Worker rights? Racial bias? A law change for manicurists prompts debate, confusion
February 17, 2025 // Since the beginning of the year, licensed manicurists and nail salon owners in Orange County and across the state have been confused about whether a change in state law allows the business practice of renting a booth to continue or not. After an exemption expired under state law, nail salon workers are now subject to a rigorous test to determine if they are independent contractors while licensed aestheticians, electrologists, barbers and cosmetologists remain exempted from it.
Wisconsin Supreme Court hears lawsuit from UW Health nurses seeking to unionize
February 17, 2025 // The nurses argue that UW Health, which is governed by a public authority but otherwise operates similarly to a private health system, is required to recognize their union under the Wisconsin Employment Peace Act, which governs private sector labor negotiations. However, Act 10 explicitly removed references to UW Health from the Peace Act. A ruling in favor of the nurses would allow them to move forward with unionizing and chip away at the restrictions of Act 10.
EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Take Aim At Taxpayer-Funded Union Activity
February 12, 2025 // Federal employees spent 2.6 million hours, the equivalent of almost three centuries, on union activities, costing taxpayers at least $135 million, according to Ernst, who cited data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Unions also used at least $24 million in office space and supplies paid for by taxpayers.
Utah Legislature bans collective bargaining for teachers unions and other public sector jobs
February 11, 2025 // “If there’s not going to be consensus, then let’s just run it on its face,” said Sen. Kirk Cullimore, the bill’s Senate sponsor. Labor experts say the proposal, which is headed to the governor’s desk, would establish one of the most restrictive labor laws in the country as Republicans seek to curb the political influence of teachers unions.