Posts tagged retaliation
As UAW ‘is being watched with a microscope,’ new investigation puts Fain in crosshairs
July 1, 2024 // The Free Press has made numerous requests — none granted — over the years, including following the release of the latest status report, to interview the monitor, Neil Barofsky, a former assistant U.S. attorney and current partner in the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block. The consent decree stemming from the union's corruption scandal sets in place a six-year term of oversight by the monitor. Barofsky’s appointment was OK’d by U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson in May 2021. The monitor’s charge is broad, with the consent decree giving him “the authority and duty to remove fraud, corruption, illegal behavior, dishonesty and unethical practices from the UAW and its constituent entities.” The oversight by the independent monitor means that internal divisions and disagreements in addition to specific actions are much more likely to be brought to light. Masters described the situation as a fishbowl.
Op-Ed: The Supreme Court Ruling in the Starbucks Case Proves the Law Won’t Save Labor
June 17, 2024 // As a union organizer and Starbucks worker, I’ve seen the effects of corporate retaliation up close. In December 2020, I took a job at the Elmwood Avenue Starbucks in Buffalo, with the goal of unionizing my workplace. A year later, our store voted to become the first unionized corporate Starbucks location in the United States, sparking a wave of organizing across the company. In response to our union campaign, Starbucks unleashed a union-busting effort that began with managers and executives swarming our stores in Buffalo and escalated to firings (including my own), store closings, and the withholding of new benefits, like seniority pay and credit card tipping, from unionized stores nationwide.
UAW President Faces Probe Over Alleged Retaliation Against Other Union Leaders
June 11, 2024 // Monitor Neil Barofsky opened an investigation in February to review allegations, including that the UAW secretary treasurer said she had faced retaliation for her refusal or reluctance to authorize certain expenditures for Fain's office, according to the filing. Barofsky also opened a probe into the secretary treasurer's actions. The UAW declined to comment. Barofsky was appointed the federal monitor in 2021 as the UAW grappled with a corruption scandal that resulted in the federal convictions of several former leaders. Two former UAW presidents were sentenced to prison time as part of the probe.
UAW Local 4811 Authorizes Strike Vote Over UCLA and UCSD Administrations’ Actions
May 9, 2024 // The union called for amnesty for all academic employees, students, student groups, faculty, and staff who face disciplinary actions, divestment, and disclosure of funding, and to allow researchers to opt out of funding tied to the war in Palestine and offer them alternatives so they can continue their work. In a post on Twitter, the union said, “On Friday, May 3rd, 2024, our union filed Unfair Labor Practice charges in response to UC’s actions against peaceful protesters – including UAW 4811 members – over the past week. It is important for Academic Employees to vote YES in the strike authorization vote to show the UC Administration that this unprecedented crackdown on free speech on University campuses is unacceptable.
MICHIGAN: State House staffers seek higher pay, protection from retaliation in unionization effort
April 12, 2024 // Saliby: I know House Speaker Joe Tate is aware of the effort. So obviously, the organizing is proceeding and people have not been fired. But I want to talk more directly to you — have you talked about unionizing with Representative Edwards? Is she supportive? Berdy: Yes. She was one of the first people I went to. I let her know, "Hey, this is something I'm interested in doing. Would you support me and or, you know, put your neck on the line for me too?" Because we haven't had any retaliation from either side at attempting to do this, but if that had been the case, I wanted to make sure that at least you know, some of the representatives would have my back. Because if I got fired, that would be hard for me to find a job because most of my career I've worked in Lansing.
Ontario, CA-Based Dependable Highway Express Employees Force Out Teamsters Local 63 Union Officials
April 3, 2024 // Prior to their ouster, Teamsters union officials stirred tension in the workplace by threatening Cwiek, who in January sent letters to his coworkers containing publicly-available Department of Labor data on Teamsters bosses’ salaries. In retaliation for Cwiek sending the letters, a union official appeared at Cwiek’s workplace the next day, made accusations against him, and threatened that Cwiek wouldn’t be working at Dependable Highway Express by the next contract period. These types of threats are illegal under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protects employee speech critical of union officials, and protects employees’ right to refrain from union activities if they so choose. With Foundation aid, Cwiek separately filed federal charges against Teamsters Local 63 in February over this behavior. That charge was dropped in light of the union’s disclaimer of interest, and Cwiek remains employed at Dependable Highway Express. “I am deeply troubled by the blatant retaliatory actions taken by officials at Teamsters Local 63 in response to expressing the views of myself and several other hard-working drivers at Dependable Highway Express,” Cwiek commented at the time. “We will not be deterred by their bullying tactics and the baseless accusations they levy against myself and others.
Billionaire California growers battle farmworker union over biggest victory under new law
March 17, 2024 // Three workers, who now want their vote revoked, say they merely attended meetings and signed cards for the $600 relief payments and never wanted to join a union. They described feeling “tricked” and “lied to” by UFW organizers, while also pointing to the 3% dues that would be required by joining. They also struggled to recall specifics of when they met up with UFW organizers and if the cards they signed contained wording to make UFW their union bargaining representative.
Ontario Trucking Employee Who Revealed Union Boss Salaries Hits Teamsters Union with Federal Charge After Job Threats
February 6, 2024 // “We will not be deterred by their bullying tactics and the baseless accusations they levy against myself and others. I hope that the actions of the officials from Teamsters Local 63 serve as a clear example to my colleagues that the union cannot dispute the facts of their incompetence in representing us, so they must resort to intimidation and slanderous accusations. We will remain steadfast in our pursuit of a better future for ourselves and our families.”