Posts tagged union contract
No-Show Workers Add Wrinkle to Stellantis Union Contract Talks
September 14, 2023 // The auto giant has a hard time getting some US factory workers to show up for their shifts. They just don’t align on how to solve it. Stellantis has made fixing absenteeism a priority in contract talks with the UAW for its 43,000 unionized workers. The absentee rate at its US plants was 23% last year, according to a copy of the company’s initial contract proposal reviewed by Bloomberg. Absent workers led to $217 million in lost sales in 2021 and 2022, the company estimated.
Biden hails West Coast dockworker union contract as possibility of UAW strike looms
September 8, 2023 // "The contract finalized last week represented a prime example of Bidenomics at work, reflecting workers empowered and bargaining together for the wages, benefits, and quality of life they deserve, and company owners recognizing those unions' right to organize," a White House official said in a statement. Chronic worker slowdowns plagued the ports as negotiations lagged on, in some cases diverting shipments and leading to temporary port closures.
Frontier, CWA strike new labor union contract
September 6, 2023 // A CWA rep told Fierce the agreement covers both customer service representatives – including call center workers in Ashburn – and broadband technicians. Frontier and CWA continued to negotiate on a new union contract after the previous one expired August 19 at 11:59 p.m. In July, CWA members voted to give union leaders authority to call a strike if CWA and Frontier “failed to reach a fair settlement.” As part of the deal, Frontier is committing to creating additional jobs, which will consist of 25 full-time regular Outside Plant technicians and 10 full-time regular Engineering Assistants, said the CWA rep.
El Milagro workers cite gains, but why is no union involved?
August 1, 2023 // For around two years, workers at the tortilla manufacturer have waged a brave campaign for higher wages and better treatment. With help from the advocacy group Arise Chicago, they have had news conferences and briefly walked off the production lines to make their case. They also hauled the company before the National Labor Relations Board. And they have cited victories, including a wage increase, an end to illegal seven-day workweeks and other improvements. But it has all happened without the discernible involvement of a labor union. El Milagro would seem a worthy target for a union drive. It has about 450 employees and has been in business for decades. But one union leader, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive issues, said organizers may see it as a low-margin business with lots of competition.
How unions and employers dodge accountability
June 26, 2023 // As it turns out, her collective bargaining agreement—with wording agreed to by both the school district and the union—allows the superintendent to make decisions “for the good of the district.” This broad language essentially allows the school to transfer the teacher as they wish and erases any recourse she has if she believes there are questionable motives behind it all. Because neither the school board nor union would address her concerns, this teacher has had to turn to her community for assistance. She is asking people such as former students to contact the superintendent/school board to make the case that she should stay in her position. No teacher represented by a union should find themselves caught in between and left without representation. With two parties in negotiations, there’s always someone else to blame. And this story serves as a reminder as to why both employers and unions often support collective bargaining for reasons that can hurt employees.
As Illinois budget comes together, total costs of migrant health care, union contracts not known
May 26, 2023 // For pensions, the state plans to spend $10.2 billion, short of the actuarial estimate of what should be paid. “I think that is somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 billion,” Sims said of the actuarial estimate. During a committee hearing on the budget, state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, asked how a looming union contract with state workers will impact the budget. “This is going to hit us eventually, right, presumably in ‘24,” Rose said. “So is it the … departments, plural, are gonna have to live within the means of this budget or are we anticipating another supplemental down the road whenever the contract is released?” Sims said it’s not uncommon for legislators to pass supplemental appropriations if issues arise. Rose said unless the governor is able to curb union employee cost increases, that’s going to be likely.
Starbucks Union Demands Company Bargain A National Contract
May 24, 2023 // The company's insistence on separate contracts for more than 300 organized stores has made the process unworkable, union president says. Fox said Starbucks should agree to a broad contract that sets a national minimum wage, “fair scheduling” procedures, guaranteed minimum hours and an agreement for union elections moving forward, among other provisions. Regions and individual stores could then add supplemental agreements if they choose to. But Starbucks said Workers United should stick to negotiating individual contracts since the union has been organizing stores one by one.
‘Right to work’ in spotlight after Michigan tosses law aside
March 28, 2023 // Liberal opponents of right-to-work laws say they suppress workers by undermining unions. Many progressives cite Martin Luther King, who said, “Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights.” A solid body of research shows that states with right-to-work laws are correlated with less pay, worse benefits and more on-the-job injuries. The laws also create what critics often call the “free rider” program, in which certain workers get the advantages of union-negotiated contracts without having to contribute to the union itself. Supporters of Michigan’s right-to-work repeal say it may be difficult to replicate their success elsewhere in the country. Most states with these laws on the books are led by Republicans who support them. Any hopes of a nationwide change are slim given the current makeup of Congress.
Hollywood shows unions how to let workers shine
March 12, 2023 // Entertainment unions such as SAG-AFTRA, on the other hand, set only a salary floor. Many sports unions take a similar approach. Members can expect a minimum salary but, from there, can negotiate higher pay depending upon their unique talents and ability to draw an audience. “Nothing,” the general contract for the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists reads, will prevent a performer from “negotiating and obtaining better conditions and terms of employment” than those in the union contract. In other words, actors are free to compete for the most competitive terms they can get. Some are paid more for being better at their craft, not simply for logging yet another year on the job. Under this model, people of extraordinary talent are not limited by arbitrary pay limits and workers are motivated to continually sharpen their skills. Granted, the model isn’t perfect. In return for representation, Screen Actors Guild members abide by what’s known as Global Rule One: Union actors won’t work on non-union projects.
21 months after unionizing, Tartine workers still don’t have contract
December 23, 2022 // According to Evan McLaughlin, a union organizer and former Tartine employee, what the union hopes to achieve in this long-overdue contract is primarily a scheduled and guaranteed raise for workers. The company, he said, insists on merit-based pay increases. The union has been hoping to reach a partnership with the company, while the company has been very uncooperative, and “decided to fight,” said McLaughlin.