Posts tagged seasonal workers
“They Actually Had a List”: ICE Arrests Workers Involved in Landmark Labor Rights Case
May 7, 2025 // The raid did not appear to be a broad sweep but rather a targeted enforcement aimed at specific people, according to sources who have been in contact with the families and spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity to candidly discuss a sensitive legal situation. “At first we thought they were enforcing a deportation order, that they had one person that they’re looking for and then everyone else got dragged in — that’s kind of standard,” said one of the people with knowledge of the raid. “But this was strange because they actually had a list of most of the workers on the bus.”
A Fresh Look at the Independent Workforce with New BLS Data
November 27, 2024 // New BLS data reveal the size and growth of the independent workforce, preferences for independent work over W-2 employment, and key demographic and industry trends
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board approves union worker contract, ending strike
August 9, 2024 // LIUNA Local 363, the union that represents around 300 of the striking park workers, has said its members sought both increased wages and worker protection. Through back-and-forth negotiations, accusations were leveled by MPRB officials who said picketers threatened workers during their strike.
New protections empower H-2A agricultural workers to organize
June 27, 2024 // DOL’s new rule becomes effective on June 28. However, according to the agency, H-2A applications filed before Aug. 28, 2024, will be processed according to previously applicable federal regulations, and applications submitted on or after Aug. 29 will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the new Farmworker Protection Rule
Union push pits the United Farm Workers against a major California agricultural business
May 10, 2024 // The 2022 law lets the workers unionize by collecting a majority of signatures without holding an election at a polling place — a move proponents said would protect workers from union busting and employers said lacked safeguards to prevent fraud. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom reluctantly approved the changes with a nudge from the White House after farmworkers led a weekslong march to the state Capitol. Farmworkers in California are overwhelmingly Latino and among the state’s poorest and most vulnerable residents. Many are seasonal workers, which makes it tough to organize a job site, and many lack legal status in the United States. The new law could lead to a rise in union influence and a resurgence of the UFW, which represented at its peak tens of thousands of farmworkers but has seen its numbers dwindle, said Christian Paiz, a professor of ethnic studies at University of California, Berkeley.
UPS CEO addresses dangerous heat inside trucks and contentious weekend deliveries as a driver strike threatens to upend millions of deliveries
February 3, 2023 // At the heart of UPS's Saturday service is the "22.4" driver, named for the section of the contract that created the position. These drivers work Tuesday through Saturday and top out at $30.64, while regular drivers can reach $42. The Teamsters see these drivers as "second class" and now regret that the position was approved in the controversial 2018 contract. Because the contract restricts how many 22.4s the company can hire, UPS often pays weekday drivers overtime to work Saturdays. Tomé called weekend delivery service "table stakes."