Posts tagged retaliation
NYC legal aid union settles with lawyers who claimed anti-Israel bias
November 20, 2025 // A union representing New York-based legal aid lawyers said Thursday it will pay $315,000 to settle claims that it tried to retaliate against three of its members after they challenged the union's issuance of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and "an end to Israeli apartheid." As part of the settlement, the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325, will issue a statement acknowledging that "some of the communications" around the discussion of the resolution in November and December 2023 "were hurtful to union members and inappropriate."
UAW monitor warns of “toxic culture” amid leadership challenges
November 18, 2025 // The UAW’s court-appointed monitor issued a stern warning Friday, Nov. 14, saying the union must take meaningful reform seriously or face the risk of corruption and abuse returning. Neil Barofsky, the monitor overseeing the union under a consent decree since 2021, cited a “toxic culture of division and retaliation at the highest levels,” singling out union President Shawn Fain and close allies. Barofsky’s report, filed in federal court, details both serious challenges and some positive steps the union has made toward reform. The monitor emphasized that failure to act could extend federal oversight beyond its scheduled end in 2027.
Matt Stone Assures Actors’ Equity That Casa Bonita Isn’t Killing Off Black Bart
September 25, 2025 // With Casa Bonita’s seasonal pop-up “Casa BOOnita” right around the corner, South Park co-creator Matt Stone, who famously acquired and renovated the Lakewood, Colorado institution at great cost with Trey Parker, spoke to The Denver Post in an attempt to assuage concerns about the loss of jobs and shifts by unionized employees as well as the retirement of certain beloved characters. Stone called the accusations levied against him by Actor’s Equity a “falsehood,” saying of his and his partner’s devotion to the performing staff, “Obviously, Trey Parker is not going to eliminate Black Bart.”
UAW group pushing to oust Fain has to restart voting
September 8, 2025 // Among the group’s charges against Fain: financial mismanagement, workplace retaliation, including against two key international leaders, and appointing certain senior staff without adequate backgrounds in the union. Most of the locals that approved the charges represent Stellantis NV plants, which have faced layoffs since the UAW secured historic contracts with the Detroit automakers in 2023 — cuts that the anti-Fain group said should’ve never happened. But recently, the federal monitor overseeing the union after its years-long corruption scandal told the anti-Fain group that they had made a procedural error, said David Pillsbury, a worker at General Motors Co.’s Flint truck plant and one of the group’s organizers.
Cannabis workers strike to form union in Ann Arbor
September 4, 2025 // UFCW says an Exclusive Brands worker who was recently fired had been supporting the unionization effort and also claims the company tried to block a union election. UFCW filed a complaint with the state cannabis agency and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in late August. An Exclusive Brands spokesperson declined to comment to Axios. The Livonia-based retailer and grower has seven dispensaries in Michigan.
Op-ed: Stanford’s Graduate Student Union Tries to Stifle Dissent
September 4, 2025 // At the University of Chicago, graduate students in a similar position have taken their union to federal court, arguing that forced support of the union violates their constitutional rights. In Graduate Students for Academic Freedom v. Graduate Students United, the plaintiffs—including Jewish students—say they are being compelled to fund a union that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, a stance they view as antisemitic. The graduate unions at both Stanford and Chicago are registered as local chapters of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a national union that funds progressive activism.
Eaton Worker’s Federal Complaint Sheds Light on Union Fee Threats in St. Louis
August 29, 2025 // Another critic, the nonprofit Institute for the American Worker (I4AW), highlighted the LMRDA’s origins in addressing labor corruption and stressed the importance of robust financial reporting. I4AW expressed concern that the current proposal focuses too heavily on reducing paperwork rather than preserving oversight. They recommended reconsidering OLMS’s 2020 proposal, which raised thresholds more moderately and introduced a “long form” LM-2 for the largest unions. I4AW also cited recent criminal convictions for embezzlement and financial misconduct involving union officials whose unions would have benefited from the proposed threshold increase, underscoring the need for strong reporting to prevent abuse.
Employers Gain Additional Defenses In Union Salting And Deferral Cases Thanks to New Guidance from NLRB Official
August 27, 2025 // Under the AGC’s July 24 guidance, employees (or unions) filing charges must present evidence that the salt is “genuinely interested” in working for the employer. While the Board will independently evaluate this element, it will analyze evidence from the employer of the circumstances surrounding: the contents and completeness of the salt’s application; the applicant’s behavior and conduct during interviews; and the applicant’s previous refusal of similar employment.
Unionized Berkeley REI Workers Get Pay Raises After Labor Board Alleged They Were Shut Out
August 7, 2025 // Following a years-long organizing effort, some workers at a Berkeley REI store are set to get retroactive pay raises and bonuses as part of a labor deal with two unions representing workers at 11 stores across the country. The agreement reached last week between REI Co-op, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union — which represents the Berkeley workers — and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union establishes a national bargaining structure for unionized workers that provides compensation some workers previously did not receive between 2022 and 2024.
Under Trump, Student Labor Organizers Face New Challenges
August 7, 2025 // Anticipating a rollback of recent NLRB precedent, some unions have withdrawn petitions for recognition, looking for other paths to continue their work.