Posts tagged surveillance
Thousands of LA County workers go on strike over alleged unfair labor practices
April 30, 2025 // The strike could impact several services, including the county's non-urgent health clinics, public libraries, wildfire clean-up services, trash pick-up and homeless encampment enforcement. The union is citing 44 unfair labor practices they claim have gone unanswered for six months. They are calling on the county to stop contracting out and instead increase wages and fill vacancies.
Opinion: Algorithmic surveillance helped Amazon crush unionizing effort
March 21, 2025 // Now, in a critical study titled "Weaponizing the Workplace: How Algorithmic Management Shaped Amazon's Antiunion Campaign in Bessemer, Alabama," Teke Wiggin, a researcher at Northwestern University, says that Amazon might have pressured workers to vote in a certain way. According to Wiggin, Amazon might have leveraged “the specific control technique of algorithmic management to repel (not just prevent) collective action by workers.” “The findings reveal that employers can weaponize elements or effects of algorithmic management against unions via repurposing devices that algorithmically control workers, engaging in 'algorithmic slack-cutting,' and exploiting patterns of social media activity encouraged by algorithmic management,” the paper says.
No Love Lost: Acting National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Rescinds Litany of Former GC Abruzzo’s Policy Memoranda in Valentine’s Day Shakeup
February 19, 2025 // During her tenure, former GC Abruzzo frequently issued employee-friendly memos on a host of issues, including opposing captive audience meetings, clamping down on employer surveillance, and expressing her perception of the legality of non-compete agreements and pay-or-stay provisions (for example, see alerts here and here). The memos, issued by the NLRB’s top prosecutor, signal the agency’s policy and enforcement priorities, and impact agency staff’s interpretation of their role in carrying out the agency’s objectives. Under Abruzzo, Regional Directors evaluated and acted on unfair labor practice claims as directed by the memos instead of the binding law and NLRB precedent.
Amazon warehouse workers hold vote to unionize in North Carolina
February 12, 2025 // The company was also accused of coercion and being selective in its enforcement of company rules, according to a letter from CAUSE. Among the things organizers are asking for are consistent scheduling, one-hour paid lunch and higher wages. Amazon has a history of rejecting union actions, arguing that internal company changes are more beneficial for its workers.
Costco rejects 98% of Teamsters’ demands
December 17, 2024 // With the current contract – ratified in October 2022 -- set to expire in 7 weeks, the union is negotiating for paid family leave, bereavement policies, sick time, safeguards against surveillance, and establishing critical language in the contract on seniority. If the company does not present a collective bargaining agreement before Jan. 31, Costco (COST) employees who are members of the union will go on strike.
How AI Is Impacting Labor Relations—and Why Employers Need to Pay Attention
October 25, 2024 // One key takeaway from the DOL guidelines is the importance of worker involvement. In unionized workplaces, rolling out AI without worker input is risky. Unions are already pushing back, trying to ensure that AI doesn’t replace jobs or erode working conditions. Employers should expect collective bargaining proposals that set clear parameters around AI usage, from performance monitoring to task automation. Industries like entertainment are leading the charge, with unions such as SAG-AFTRA and the WGA negotiating limits on AI-generated scripts and digital replicas. At ports, the International Longshoremen’s Association is resisting fully automated systems. These are clear signs that AI’s impact on labor is at the top of many unions’ minds.
Amazon Air Hub workers walk out, demand higher wages and better working conditions
July 26, 2024 // Amazon delivery drivers from Illinois, who have been striking since the end of June, were also there. "I've been working at Amazon for a year now. The only reason why I stayed past the first few months is because I learned of this unionization," said Amazon driver Ebony Echevarria. Amazon said it already offers competitive pay, health benefits from day one, and career growth. The company also said full-time employees at the Air Hub have a starting wage of $21 up to $23 and a 401k. The union wants its workers to be paid $30 an hour.
Disneyland workers reach tentative deal with company, averting strike
July 25, 2024 // The bargaining committee previously accused Disney of having "engaged in multiple instances of conduct we allege are unfair labor practices, including unlawful discipline and intimidation and surveillance of union members exercising their right to wear union buttons at work." The union buttons in question depict a Mickey Mouse-style white glove raised in a fist. (The company has insisted that costumes worn by cast members are "a critical part of enhancing the experience of our Disney show.")
Voters Rights for Workers in Tennessee and Georgia—and More?
April 3, 2024 // Recent introduced, SB 231 also ties state subsidies with businesses committing to conducting unionization votes via secret ballot and to obtaining employees’ written permission before sharing their contact information with unions. As the bill’s sponsor, Senator Arthur Orr explains, “It’s good policy to have the private vote matter [and] to make sure that the employees… can keep their votes to themselves and not be coerced or bullied one way or the other.” Like Tennessee and potentially Georgia’s and Alabama’s reforms, ALEC’s Taxpayers Protect Worker Act strives to protect workers’ personal information and their right to a secret ballot. Approved at the 2023 ALEC Annual Meeting, the model policy affirms that “whenever State funds or benefits are sought by a private business… such benefits [should] be conditioned on the private business agreeing not to waive its employees’ right to a secret ballot election when recognizing a labor organization.” It likewise states that employees and subcontractors have the right to decide if their personal contact information is shared with unions.