Posts tagged Seattle
Seattle workers rally for new contract, express outrage over city proposal
September 21, 2023 // Cat Hernandez, a Seattle Dispatcher’s Guild member, highlighted the city’s vocal commitment to equity, race and social justice, challenging city leaders to uphold those stated values in giving city employees a living wage. Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda attended the rally in support of the workers, stressing to the crowd they were not only fighting for fair wages and improved working conditions but also for the city to address its housing problem, affordability and the climate crisis.
Workers at world’s largest Starbucks reject bid to unionize
August 28, 2023 // The vote was 90 to join the union and 119 against it, after an on-site election at the five-story roastery located on the Mag Mile, according to a corporate statement released Saturday. The Sun-Times reported that workers who didn’t want unionization said the campaign hurt the relationship between management and staff, with one barista calling it a very difficult and unfortunate time.
Will Starbucks’ union-busting stifle a union rebirth in the US?
August 28, 2023 // Many baristas say one Starbucks strategy in particular has discouraged workers from unionizing. In May 2022, Schultz announced that Starbucks would give certain raises and benefits to workers at its more than 9,000 non-union stores, but not offer those raises and benefits to its unionized workers. Starbucks insists it would be illegal to impose any raises or benefits on its unionized stores without first negotiating about them, but the NLRB’s general counsel asserts that this policy constitutes unlawful discrimination against Starbucks’ unionized workers. Under this policy, Starbucks has given its non-union workers, but not its unionized ones, a more relaxed dress code, increased training, faster sick leave accrual and, most important, credit card tipping. (Workers at the first few Starbucks stores to unionize had asked early on for credit card tipping.)
Starbucks’ ‘overbroad’ workplace civility rule oversteps NLRA, Board rules
August 17, 2023 // On the heels of its Stericycle ruling, which increased scrutiny of employer handbooks, NLRB said Starbucks must rescind its “How We Communicate” workplace policy.
Seattle Mariners Retail Employees Vote Out UFCW Union, Defeat Union Boss Attempt to Block Election Using “Card Check”
July 27, 2023 // Over the objection of UFCW union officials, the NLRB Regional Director in May ordered a union decertification election at the request of the Seattle Mariners’ retail employees. Union bosses subsequently filed a Request for Review at the NLRB in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt the election. They argued that a so-called “voluntary recognition bar” should be imposed to block the Mariners’ employees from exercising their right to vote on the union’s removal. However, the NLRB denied the union’s Request for Review on July 25. After NLRB Region 19 certifies the 50-9 vote result, the Seattle Mariners’ retail employees will finally be free from the unwanted UFCW union. The retail workers were able to challenge union officials’ card check drive thanks to the Election Protection Rule (EPR), a reform to the election rules enacted by the NLRB in 2020 following Foundation advocacy. While union officials pre-EPR were able to manipulate the so-called “voluntary recognition bar” to block employees from voting out a union for at least a year after an employer recognized a union’s supposed card check victory, the EPR granted employees a 45-day window in which to petition for a secret ballot election to challenge the card check result.
Starbucks union says workers at more than 150 stores will strike over Pride decor
June 23, 2023 // Workers United has alleged instances in at least 22 states when workers have not been able to decorate. It says it filed an unfair labor practice charge over the alleged change in policy. The coffee giant said its policy on decorating has not changed and that it unwaveringly supports the LGBTQ+ community.
West Coast dockworkers making $200K demand higher pay
June 12, 2023 // International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) dockworkers handle cargo across the West Coast, including at the major container gateways of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland in California, and Seattle and Tacoma in Washington. The ILWU is demanding wages and benefits in the next five-year contract that reflect dockworkers’ role in the COVID-era import boom, a one-off event that ended last year. The prior contract expired July 1, 2022. The union cited the decrease in member wages and benefits as a share of the revenues of terminal employers and ocean carriers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).
Ports of LA, Long Beach return to normal operations amid ongoing labor dispute
June 6, 2023 // "We aren't going to settle for an economic package that doesn't recognize the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce that lifted the shipping industry to record profits,'' Adams said. Similarly, the ports effectively shut down for two days in April because of work shortages. But the union claimed it was the result of workers taking time off for religious holidays and for attending a union meeting.
Amazon workers walk out in protest of company climate policies, return to office, job cuts
June 2, 2023 // Organizers said on their website that Amazon has put mandates in place requiring workers to return to the office. The company has also laid off employees and failed to fulfill the Climate Pledge the company made in 2019.
U.S. Independent Professionals Earned $286 Billion in 2022, a Nearly 10% Increase Compared to 2021, According to Fiverr’s Sixth Annual Freelance Economic Impact Report
May 19, 2023 // Women see a clear advantage to freelancing over traditional employment This year’s report reveals that women are pursuing freelance work for a number of reasons, including that they prefer to work from home (41% versus 31% men), want more flexibility in their schedule (39% versus 22% men), feel burned out (25% versus 17% men), want to avoid an unpleasant or toxic work environment (26% versus 15% men), and experience a lack of enjoyment in their work (22% versus 13% men). The ability to “work from anywhere” remains a priority for freelancers and more plan to work and travel next year The ability to “work from anywhere” while traveling is a major factor or somewhat of a factor in the decision for nearly three-in-four (73%) freelancers who work independently to do so. Working remotely while traveling is becoming more common, with one-third (32%) of independent professionals reporting they did at least some work from remote locations in 2022 compared to only 23% in 2021.