Posts tagged unfair labor charges
George Washington University Medical Residents Vote To Unionize
May 1, 2023 // Of the 455 residents and fellows eligible to vote, 253 ultimately cast their ballot in favor of organizing a unit, with 16 voting no. (To win, the group needed a simple majority.) They’ll be represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), an arm of Service Employees International Union (SEIU). CIR also represents the residents and interns at Children’s National Hospital and Howard University Hospital. The organizing campaign began around the fall of last year as Miller and other colleagues gauged interest amongst their coworkers and connected with residents at other programs who had led similar unionization drives. Before filing for the election, a majority (67%) of residents and fellows signed authorization cards to be represented by CIR. GWU declined to voluntarily recognize the union, prompting organizers to file for a ballot election with the National Labor Relations Board — which took place Thursday.
Starbucks CEO says things have gone sour for young people
February 24, 2023 // As of mid-February, the National Labor Relations Board has certified 282 stores that voted to unionize, and 56 that voted against. There are about 9,300 US company-operated Starbucks stores, and a relatively small number have voted to unionize. To Schultz, this means that the vast majority of workers at Starbucks stores are happy with how things are. When Schultz re-joined the company last year, he spent months visiting with employees as part of a listening tour that helped him develop a new roadmap for the company, which he said had “lost its way.” “I’ve talked to thousands of our Starbucks partners,” he told Harlow. “I was shocked, stunned to hear the loneliness, the anxiety, the fracturing of trust in government, fracturing of trust in companies, fracturing of trust in families, the lack of hope in terms of opportunity.” American companies are “faced with unionization because [workers are] upset, not so much with the company, but the situation.”
Howard Brown Health workers begin 3-day strike
January 4, 2023 // “After looking at every option for cost-saving measures, many of which we have already started to implement, we are now taking difficult but necessary actions to reduce expenses with a reduction in workforce,” said David Ernesto Munar, president and CEO of Howard Brown. “The goal is to minimize the impact on our employees and maintain the high-quality services that our patients expect and deserve. While painful in the short term, these cost-saving measures will help ensure Howard Brown’s ability to serve our communities for decades to come.” Margo Gislain, an organizer with the Illinois Nurses Association, said she hopes the charges before the National Labor Relations Board will result in the workers’ jobs being restored with back pay.
Amazon workers strike amid allegations of crackdown on unionization activities
October 27, 2022 // But Amazon workers plan to fight another union election at Amazon ONT8 warehouse in Moreno Valley, California. They plan to resubmit an election petition in the next few weeks, after an initial one was challenged. In the meantime workers across the US allege that the giant company is conducting a harsh crackdown on unionization activities and they have responded with protests and strikes.
Union efforts, unfair labor charges spike in US
July 15, 2022 // “The NLRB is processing the most cases it has seen in years with the lowest staffing levels in the past six decades. Our dedicated staff, especially in our 48 field offices, are handling unsustainable caseloads. The Agency urgently needs more resources to process petitions and conduct elections, investigate unfair labor practice charges, and obtain full remedies for workers whose labor rights have been violated,” said NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.