Posts tagged Tennessee
Tennessee athletic director says collective bargaining with athletes the only solution amid chaos
May 23, 2025 // A federal judge is weighing final approval of a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that will clear the way for schools like Tennessee to share as much as $20.5 million directly their athletes every year. Schools are also likely to be asked to fall in line with the settlement given the patchwork of state laws in many places intended to benefit flagship schools.
Op-ed: Tennessee: The nation’s best right-to-work state
May 13, 2025 // Community Benefits Agreements might sound benign, but in reality, they have become a tool for politically motivated groups to extract money and influence on the taxpayers’ dime. These agreements often dilute or divert economic incentives by forcing businesses to commit funds to causes, organizations or hiring mandates or quotas that go beyond their agreed-upon economic obligations. This new law will block special interests from cashing in on taxpayer-funded incentives.
Huge win for Trump as world’s second biggest carmaker relocates manufacturing to US
May 12, 2025 // Shifting production lines to make room for Audi models could slow some of those exports, but it would deepen the domestic supply chain. Another potential site is in South Carolina, where VW is breaking ground on a new factory to build electric-based pickups and SUVs under the Scout Motors name. The third option remains undisclosed. An Audi spokesperson didn't immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. President Trump has claimed that his 25 percent tariffs will revive American manufacturing after decades of decline.
Investor group urges Ford to address claims of ‘union avoidance’ at Kentucky battery plant
May 8, 2025 // A nonprofit faith-based group that seeks to leverage its investing to advance human rights, racial equity and “the common good” is calling on automaker Ford to address claims of anti-union activities at the BlueOval SK battery plant in Kentucky. The letter from Investor Advocates for Social Justice details the group’s concerns over “strong indications that BlueOval Kentucky is engaging in union avoidance activities,” ranging from disseminating “anti-union flyers and media” to the United Auto Workers (UAW) telling the Washington Post that anti-union consultants have been brought in to persuade workers against unionization. The UAW launched a campaign last year to unionize the BlueOval SK battery plant in Hardin County, and workers at the plant in January asked the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election. The BlueOval SK battery plant, one of two planned at Glendale to produce batteries for electric vehicles, is jointly owned by Ford and South Korean company SK Group.
Liya Palagashvili: The Portable Benefits Revolution: How Did We Get Here?
May 1, 2025 // Senator Bill Cassidy just put flexible benefits on the map. This is the story of how a niche policy idea climbed to the top of the Congressional agenda.
U Rochester Ph.D. Student Workers Strike for an Election Without the NLRB
April 27, 2025 // University of Rochester Ph.D. student workers began striking this week to pressure the institution to agree to what they call a “fair union election.” And for the process to be fair, they say, it can’t be handled by the Trump-era National Labor Relations Board. “We don’t see any kind of path through the NLRB at present,” said George Elkind, a Ph.D. student on the proposed UR Graduate Labor Union’s organizing committee.
Tennessee Supports Independent Workers
April 7, 2025 // A portable benefits account is designed to empower contract and freelance workers by helping them save for key benefits such as health insurance, income replacement, retirement, and disability insurance. These accounts are owned by—or legally tied to—the worker and remain with them as they move between jobs, industries, or locations. This portability gives independent workers the flexibility and security they need to thrive. This year, Senator Bo Watson sponsored SB1377, accompanied by Representative Charlie Baum’s HB494, which allows any person or entity to contribute to a worker’s portable benefits account. The legislation includes three key protections
UAW Leader Gets $275K Payday While Union Dips Further Into Red
April 3, 2025 // Given the fact that former UAW president Gary Jones pleaded guilty to using union money to pay for personal expenses and was sentenced to 28 months in prison in 2021, it’s no surprise that members are keeping a close eye on executive pay. In Fain’s case, while his gross salary was $229,514, total payments from the union, including official business disbursements, reached $274,407 in 2024. The next top earner within the UAW was Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock,who earned a salary of $224,861, with total payments amounting to $247,169. Vice Presidents Mike Booth, Rich Boyer, and Chuck Browning all received the same $211,001 in gross salaries, while the head of the union’s Stellantis department, Kevin Gotinsky, had a total salary of $177,942. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the UAW’s membership grew from 370,239 in 2023 to 375,161 in 2024. This came thanks in part to its successful effort to unionize the VW plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but remains down from the 383,003 members it had in 2022.
Pennsylvania Teachers Union Admits Cyberattack That Hit 500,000 People in July
March 26, 2025 // Personal records of more than a half-million people were compromised in a cyberattack that occurred last July on the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The union acknowledged the data breach this week. On March 17, the state’s largest teachers union sent letters about a security data breach that occurred July 6, 2024. An investigation into the incident, completed Feb. 18, found that sensitive personal information was acquired by an “unauthorized actor” who accessed files on the union’s network, according to the letter.
Workers hope to steer giant Southern EV battery plant toward unionization
March 25, 2025 // Buoyed by notable victories in the last couple of years, the United Auto Workers union is revving up efforts to organize the EV and battery sector in the South. One target is a sprawling campus in rural Kentucky that, once completed, will be one of the largest EV battery plants in the world. A supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on joining the United Auto Workers. The nearly $6 billion electric vehicle battery campus in Glendale, Kentucky, is part of a joint venture between Ford and South Korea’s SK On. It’s not up and running yet, but early hires say they’re exposed to hazards on the job, including formation production operator Alisha Miller.