Posts tagged safety
CALIFORNIA: WCCUSD teachers’ strike not inevitable, union says, but sides remain far apart on salary and benefits
November 23, 2025 // The district has said it doesn’t have sufficient funding, citing a budget deficit that has put it at risk of state takeover. The district plans to withdraw $13 million from reserve funds to cover the projected deficit for this school year. The union’s demands include a 10% increase in salary over two years, full medical benefits coverage, and reductions in class sizes. The district initially offered no increase in salary or in the percentage of benefits it pays, but then offered a 2% salary increase and a bump in its health coverage from 80% to 85%, which the union rejected.
Some employees at Columbus Metropolitan Library want to unionize
November 20, 2025 // Some employees at the Columbus Metropolitan Library are working to unionize about 600 workers. The Ohio Federation of Teachers is the union the employees would join. Their aim is to improve wages, paid time off and increase safety for library employees.
Dollar store workers fight to improve jobs, even without a union
October 17, 2025 // In 2022, Williams joined an organization that seemed, to him, like his best shot: Step Up Louisiana. Like several successful campaigns before it, Step Up organizes workers to improve their jobs, but stops short of calling for a union under the National Labor Relations Board. The approach, sometimes referred to as “premajority unionism,” is a natural fit for places like the South, with histories of public hostility to unions. Today, suggest experts, it may also be workers’ best bet for building power amid the hostility of the Trump administration.
Newsom signs bill giving 800,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in California the right to unionize
October 7, 2025 // California is the second state where Uber and Lyft drivers can unionize as independent contractors. Massachusetts voters passed a ballot referendum in November allowing unionization, while drivers in Illinois and Minnesota are pushing for similar rights.
Union launches vicious $1M ad campaign against Eric Adams’ push for NYC horse carriage ban
September 25, 2025 // TWU Local 100, which reps the 170 horse carriage riders and other industry workers — many of whom are immigrants — endorsed Adams’ successful 2021 bid for mayor. Overall, the influential union represents 41,000 mostly city subway and rail workers and bus drivers.
Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote
September 11, 2025 // Workers at some of the Bay Area’s most popular rock climbing gyms have voted to unionize, joining colleagues at five gyms in Southern California that are in contract negotiations with their employer, Touchstone Climbing. Employees of Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, as well as The Studio in San Jose and Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, won their unionization votes on Monday night.
BlueOval SK begins production one week out from pivotal union vote. Here’s what that means
August 21, 2025 // Production is beginning just one week ahead of a major crossroads for workers. Plant staff will vote on whether or not to unionize with the United Auto Workers on Aug. 26 and 27.
Unions ‘Wait and See’ on Elections as Trump Upends Labor Arena
August 20, 2025 // That political uncertainty, coupled with a volatile economy and labor market, could have workers second-guessing whether they’re ready to stick their necks out for collective action, the data show. College athlete employment, protections for political protests, and higher penalties for labor law violations are just some of the issues that worker advocates may want to steer away from a Republican board. The average number of newly certified unions per month dropped 22.3% between January and July this year, compared to the last six months of the Biden administration, according to data from the NLRB’s monthly election reports.
Union concerned as prisons report increased violence
August 19, 2025 // The St. Louis Correctional Facility is in the central part of Michigan and can house more than 1,100 inmates. Operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections, the facility is currently designated a level IV facility. In the MDOC system, prisons are categorized by security levels I through V, with level V being maximum security. A level IV facility typically houses prisoners considered high risk for violence, escape, or disruptive behavior, with many serving long sentences. MCO is calling for action to protect the facility’s correction officers.
For first time in decades, Mountain Cement plant workers to vote for unionization
August 18, 2025 // This marks the first time since 1991 that a union election at the plant reached the threshold for a formal vote. Previous efforts failed to secure the 30% employee support required to trigger an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, which gives workers the chance to decide on union representation.