Posts tagged schedule
Beware the labor regs of March!
March 11, 2024 // A new rule from the federal government meant to protect workers is set to take effect today, March 11. It will instead leave most workers worse off by limiting their options for employment. Businesses will likely pull back from hiring entirely in many cases because the rules make it too risky. The rulemaking in question is the Labor Department’s (DOL) worker misclassification rule. The stated intent is to prevent situations where employers exploit workers. The rule is extremely vague on when business activities trip the line to exploitation however. DOL essentially leaves it up to federal regulators to decide. The rules won’t change things overnight. Regulators will still have to pursue cases based on them and court fights are sure to follow. But today is the day the mischief will officially start.
Dartmouth Basketball Players can now Unionize
February 8, 2024 // The players were ruled to be employees of the school, meaning they can unionize. Not only will the players be able to negotiate their salaries, but also their practice hours and when they will travel to and from games. However, this would go against the NCAA’s amateurism rule, which states that athletes can not be compensated for competing in college athletics unless the money they receive is from scholarships and expenses. The problem is that Ivy League schools do not award scholarships for athletics meaning the Dartmouth men’s basketball team are essentially playing for free. Another problem is that these athletes are being overworked. According to the players, they testified that they were spending over 40 hours a week playing basketball. The NCAA only allows teams to practice 20 hours a week.
Despite Biden’s Efforts to Empower Unions, Membership Rates and Wage Advantages Fall to All-Time Lows
January 24, 2024 // So, why have unionization rates and union wages been falling despite significant union-organizing efforts at places such as Starbucks, Amazon and Trader Joe’s, as well as President Joe Biden’s “whole of government” approach toward increasing unionization? Primarily, it’s because unions aren’t providing things that workers want or need. Many workers don’t like unions spending their dues on politics instead of representation, their not infrequent deception and coercion to gain support or their rigid structures that impede flexibility and prohibit performance-based pay. Meanwhile, by engaging directly with their employers, workers have been able to achieve stronger wage gains (albeit entirely erased by inflation), increased workplace flexibility, expanded benefits (such as paid family leave) and a multitude of educational opportunities.
Staten Island Ferry workers union agrees on $103 million labor contract with NYC after 13-year delay
September 5, 2023 // After 13 years without one, the Staten Island Ferry workers’ union has reached a deal with Mayor Eric Adams’ administration on a labor contract that ensures retroactive raises and establishes new scheduling and vacation protocols. The deal, announced by Adams on Monday, ensures salary increases of at least 38% for all Staten Island Ferry captains, assistant captains, mates and engineers, as calculated from the retroactive Nov. 7, 2010 start date of the contract through the Jan. 4, 2027, end date. The contract will cost city taxpayers a total of $103 million. Renee Campion, Adams’ Labor Relations commissioner, explained the wage structure means Staten Island Ferry mates will earn $124,400 annually at the end of the contract if they’ve been on the payroll since 2010. By comparison, a Staten Island Ferry mate earned $51,000 in 2010.
Almost a year after successfully unionizing, this Appleton Starbucks’ employees are on strike
May 26, 2023 // This Wednesday and Thursday, employees of the 631 W. Northland Ave. Starbucks will be on the strike line at 7 a.m. demanding basic rights, including livable wages with consistent scheduling, safe and respectful workplaces and the right to organize without fear and intimidation. Last June, the same Starbucks location became the third in the state to successfully unionize for the same concerns they are striking over. The store is now among more than 300 locations nationwide represented by Starbucks Workers United, which organizers say is meant to create better and safer workplaces for all Starbucks employees.
Workers at Georgia School Bus Maker Blue Bird Begin Voting on Whether to Unionize
May 12, 2023 // Georgia workers at one of the nation's largest school bus manufacturers will begin voting Thursday on whether they want to be represented by a labor union — a chance for organized labor to make gains on the stony soil of the Deep South. More than 1,400 employees at Blue Bird Corp.'s two factories and warehouse in Fort Valley will be voting through Friday on whether they want to unionize under the banner of the United Steelworkers. That union represents more than 850,000 workers nationwide in a variety of industries.
The State of the Union: Unpacking the Recent Rise in Labor Unionization
January 20, 2023 // Considering unions’ historical role in curbing disproportionate corporate profits and inequality, it makes sense that the NLRB reported a 57% jump in union representation petitions and 14% more complaints of unfair labor practices in the first half of 2022. In the current moment, it seems that workers are turning to unionization as a means of righting the wrongs of corporate inequality. But this push for unions, while having recently enjoyed a burst of momentum, has been a long time coming. Public support for unions stands at 71%, up from 48% in 2010 and at its highest since 1965, according to a recent Gallup poll. Organizers are also being buoyed by a political environment conducive to labor organizing. President Biden has taken decidedly pro-union stances since entering office, replacing Trump’s pro-business and anti-labor NLRB general counsel with former union attorney Jennifer Abruzzo and backing the PRO Act, which would simplify the process of unionizing. It also helps that unions have evaded the extreme partisanship that has swamped most other issues in contemporary politics: While Democrats are twice as likely to view unions favorably compared to Republicans, almost half of Republicans still say that they would approve of unionization in their workplaces.
A Twin River Casino union is threatening to strike. Here are their demands
June 30, 2022 // Doyle said that the union represents about 200 of the 1,900 employees at the Lincoln casino. She said the union does not have members at the company's Tiverton casino. Lynette Ng, Patti Doyle