Posts tagged top story
Feud between progressive unions that put Mayor Johnson in office yields Giannoulias key endorsement
October 21, 2026 // The Service Employees International Union Locals 1 and 73 threw their formidable support behind Alexi Giannoulias, the presumed frontrunner with a campaign war chest of $19.2 million. SEIU affiliates together donated over $4.5 million to Johnson’s 2023 mayoral campaign. The union also provided scores of campaign workers and materials.
Member Apathy and College Students Give Fain a Second Term as UAW President
October 21, 2026 // While the results from the election are currently waiting for certification, Fain appears to have been reelected with about 68 percent of the vote in an election with an abysmally-low turnout rate of nine percent. Notably, Fain performed strongest in regions that have a lower number of union members working in actual auto plants. Fain’s strongest areas were UAW Region 9A, which generally represents university students and lawyers in the northeast, and UAW Region 6, which generally represents students at the University of California. Fain took 76.65 percent of the vote in Region 9A and 75.23 percent of the vote in Region 6.
Huge N.J. refinery locks out 400 union workers amid contract talks, negotiators say
October 20, 2026 // Negotiators for Houston-based Phillips 66, which owns Bayway, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union Local 877, which represents 400 workers at the refinery, had reached a tentative agreement on a new contact. However, a narrow majority of rank-and-file union members declined to ratify the deal in a vote on Friday, prompting the company to block union workers from entering its gate on Park Avenue in Linden on Monday at 4 p.m. Phillips issued a statement Tuesday saying it was “disappointed” by the situation, but that the refinery would continue operating without disruption using, “properly trained and qualified personnel to meet all customer requirements.”
Henry Ford Genesys nurses approve contract after 411-day strike
October 19, 2026 // The hospital said it has already begun implementing elements of a revamped staffing model, including giving frontline nurses greater say in decisions involving patient care, nursing practices, safety and their work environment. The contract ratification comes just days after the nurses submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board, seeking an election on removing Teamsters Local 332 as their bargaining representative.
Former Michigan House speaker sues over home caregiver ‘dues skim’
October 14, 2026 // The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims on Wednesday, Oct. 7, on behalf of former House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Republican who also previously served as a member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger, president & CEO of the West Michigan Policy Forum, is bringing the suit in his personal capacity.
Commentary Mailee Smith: Federal labor bill could force social agendas into private school contracts
October 8, 2026 // A union that organizes employees with the intent of ultimately closing their schools also is capable of organizing a private school with the intent of introducing drastic contract provisions, especially when those provisions already have been demanded in its other contracts. The FLCA would give teachers unions an additional tool in their arsenal against anything that isn’t a traditional public school.
Editorial Board: Congress wants faster union contracts — except for its own staff
October 8, 2026 // Nicole Waring, the shop steward in Khanna’s office, explained why it took so long. “There’s a lot of back and forth. It takes time to review each passback of the contract [and] redline everything,” she told Politico. “The biggest thing was we wanted to make sure that this contract would be governable, and rather than just make things convenient and take shortcuts, make sure that it was going to be something that we knew would stand the test of time.” Other staff explained that going slowly was important because union contracts are binding and directly affect workers’ lives. They noted the unique workplace circumstances of a congressional office. Here’s the thing: Every workplace is unique. Every union contract directly affects workers’ lives. And that’s why the government should never force a contract on people without their consent.
Op-ed: Whitmer Lobbies Germany for the UAW
October 8, 2026 // By “incredible resources,” does she mean the taxpayer funds she has used to subsidize manufacturers that promise to retain or create jobs in Michigan? Is she suggesting a quid pro quo with her German counterpart? Help her UAW friends, and she’ll reward Mercedes and other companies based in Michigan? That seems to be her implication.
Opinion: The United Academic Workers of America
October 6, 2026 // Yet while union workers lose their jobs, the UAW is expanding its administrative ranks. In 2014 the UAW raised dues to pad its strike fund, though much of the money has gone to adding overhead. Mr. Boyer, who is challenging Mr. Fain for president, pledges to “cut overspending,” reduce union dues, and “end the hiring of non-UAW members at excess salaries.” He says the union has added 23 “administrative assistants” and 12 “public relations specialists” since 2020, many of whom make two to three times as much as auto workers. The election is a test of whether the UAW exists to help workers, or the interests of union bosses and the priorities of the university left.