Posts tagged U.S. Senate
Starbucks Strike Enters Third Week Deadlocked With Both Sides Holding Firm
December 2, 2025 // While the union is waiting for the company to put forward “new proposals that address union baristas’ demands,” Starbucks is holding out for contract negotiations to resume. The company has made clear that the union’s pay demands, such as a 65% wage increase, are untenable, since the company already offers one of the best wage and benefit packages in retail, totaling $30 per hour for workers who average 20 hours or more per week. Supporting that claim, Starbucks receives more than a million job applications per year and has a turnover rate that is less than half that of the retail industry. To date, the company has made no statement regarding the ULP allegations. However, in June 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Starbucks, finding that it followed the law after terminating seven Memphis employees during unionization efforts.
Congress Can Empower Workers Through Choice—Not Coercion
November 24, 2025 // A case in point is the legislative package that Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced on Nov. 10, joined by others including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C). They’d protect workers’ paychecks by requiring unions to get approval before spending dues money on politics. They’d also protect workers’ privacy by letting them choose what contact information unions get during the organizing process. And they’d protect workplace democracy by requiring that at least two-thirds of workers participate in union elections — preventing a minority of people from determining the fate of every employee. Another praiseworthy reform is the Employee Rights Act, which Scott introduced in the shutdown’s early days after Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) previously introduced it in the House. Among its many good ideas, the Employee Rights Act guarantees the secret ballot and protects workers from intimidation and harassment. It also gives unionized workers in the 26 right-to-work states the freedom to negotiate their own contract with their employer, so they can better address their individual needs. And the Employee Rights Act guarantees that self-employed workers have maximum flexibility to design their jobs to fit their lives.
Foxx: Block on ‘Big Labor’ a commonsense move by U.S. Senate
December 18, 2024 // "Thankfully, his colleagues had enough commonsense to stop a move that dramatically undercuts the will of the voters, and I look forward to the Trump administration enacting a truly pro-worker agenda." Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate come January, ending Schumer's time as leader. Foxx herself is also changing positions; she will be succeeded by Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., as chairman of the Committee on Education & The Workforce in the U.S. House.
Why Manchin took down a nominee for the National Labor Relations Board
December 12, 2024 // Manchin told Semafor that supporters were “playing hardball” to get his vote but he had already told them he would not vote for McFerran due to her support for the joint-employer regulation broadening the reach of labor laws. “Hell yes, they know,” Manchin said. The vote was tied 49-49, with all Republicans opposed as well as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Manchin returned before Vice President Kamala Harris could break the tie. “The only thing they could do is catch me when I’m not there,” Manchin said.
Schumer moves to lock in place Democrat-majority labor board
December 11, 2024 // Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is attempting to ensure that the Democrats retain control of the National Labor Relations Board, the main federal labor law enforcement agency, until at least 2026 by extending the term of its current chairwoman, Lauren McFerran. A Senate floor vote on McFerran’s nomination is pending and, while it is possible that Senate Republicans could block it, it is not clear if enough will show up for the vote to do that. The vote may happen on Wednesday. This matters because the current board has been an aggressive advocate for unionization.
Commentary: Julie Su again headed toward DOL confirmation, trucking still opposed
February 28, 2024 // "No matter how many times she’s renominated, Julie Su’s record remains a huge red flag for our industry and any senator concerned about radical policies from California becoming federal law," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "The independent contractor rule she just finalized as acting secretary undermines the livelihoods of 350,000 professional truck drivers across our country who choose to run their own small businesses, and she needs to answer for it."
Changes to federal union rules would hurt struggling minority-owned businesses
April 13, 2022 // Congress could help Georgia businesses by permanently killing a particularly dangerous piece of legislation called the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a major overhaul of America’s workplaces that grants far too much power to labor unions. While the PRO Act itself never passed the U.S. Senate, its proponents ceaselessly continue to amend its most job-killing provisions to otherwise popular bills.
Contesting the PRO Act’s Coercive Vision
April 1, 2022 // The Employee Rights Act presents a firm contrast with the vision outlined in the PRO Act and supported by Big Labor and its allies in Congress and the Biden administration. Where the PRO Act increases union financial coercion of workers to aid its political allies, the ERA reduces it. Where the PRO Act infringes on workers’ informed consent on union formation, the ERA protects it. Where the PRO Act limits worker privacy, the ERA expands it. Where the PRO Act fails to provide financial transparency and scrutiny in union operations, the ERA provides it. And where the PRO Act endorses Big Labor’s every-job-a-factory-job vision, the ERA promotes modern understandings of compensation and flexibility in working arrangements.
DOL Nominee Rejected by Senate: David Weil
March 31, 2022 // On March 30, 2022, the Senate rejected the nomination of David Weil to serve as administrator of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The vote failed 47-53.
Editorial: Biden’s favors to unions keep costing taxpayers
March 16, 2022 // Pitching the executive order as a cost saver is disingenuous, as collective bargaining inherently drives up costs. It’s the same faulty logic used to defend prevailing wage laws that force union-level pay and benefits on publicly funded construction projects.