Posts tagged union election
After Yearlong Wait, Bates Unionization Vote Fails
March 29, 2023 // They had lost, 186 to 254, all the way back in January 2022. William A. Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, said in an email Friday that “A vote against representation by faculty, other professionals and/or staff in higher education has been rare over the past decade.”
Equipment maintenance crew votes against unionizing at Ascension St. Vincent
February 24, 2023 // Equipment maintenance workers at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis voted against forming a union Friday, the latest failed effort for unions to break into the increasingly consolidated health care industry in Indianapolis.
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.”
Google contractors in Austin strike for better union practices
February 22, 2023 // The release went on to detail that if workers are forced to return to the office, they are "faced with 'voluntarily termination' for being unable to physically show up at the office." During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the employees were hired remotely and do not live close enough to the Austin office to commute on a regular basis. "At $19/hr, workers are not paid enough to afford gas, childcare and other costs related to in-person work. The current RTO mandate is an attempt to derail union organizing and for the striking YouTube Music workers, the ULP strike is the only thing protecting their jobs," the release stated.
Secret ballot vital in union elections
February 17, 2023 // Consider one example from the public sector. In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that public employees can’t be forced to join unions or pay union dues. The Commonwealth responded by passing legislation that allows public employee unions to agree to different terms for union members and non-members, giving unions the sole right to negotiate lesser pay and reduced benefits on behalf of the non-members. The law also promotes tried and true intimidation tactics by giving unions access to employees’ personal information, including home addresses; work, home, and personal cellphone numbers; along with work and personal email addresses. Anyone in Massachusetts public policy circles knows the Commonwealth’s unions aren’t interested in using that information to augment their holiday card lists.
Graduate students vote to unionize with a 97% majority
February 6, 2023 // Graduate students across three Hopkins campuses voted in a union representation election, facilitated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), on Jan. 30 and 31. The election was organized by Teachers and Researchers United (TRU), which is affiliated with United Electrical Radio, and Machine Workers (UE). The vote overwhelmingly favored unionization — out of 3,335 NLRB-registered voters, 2,053 voted yes and 67 voted no, resulting in a 97% majority and 64% turnout rate. According to TRU-UE, the majority of graduate students signed cards calling for an election, with over 2,000 cards submitted to the NLRB in total. The two-day election took place in Homewood, East Baltimore and Washington, D.C. campuses. TRU-UE’s platform includes a livable wage, guaranteed on-time payments, improved support and protection for international students, safe and reliable transportation and facilities, fair grievance procedures and a commitment to Baltimore.
Unionizing is off the menu at Waltham Starbucks
January 26, 2023 // The majority of employees voted in the secret ballot election; eight voted to unionize, while 15 voted against it. After months of organizing by workers to secure a union election as part of a nationwide movement, baristas at the Market Place Drive Starbucks voted against unionizing.
Union Election at Books-A-Million Outlet in Virginia Fails
January 26, 2023 // According to a release dated November 18 issued by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, “every single worker at the store signed union authorization cards in support" of an election to determine whether the 15 BAM employees in the Leesburg store would join UFCW Local 400 so as to collectively bargain contracts. Still, UFCW national press secretary Brian Doherty told PW in an email after yesterday’s election, “unfortunately, the vote did not go our way.” Doherty did not offer further details.
Workers at Starbucks-Amazon store reject union membership
December 22, 2022 // The workers, who legally work for Starbucks, requested a union election because they said the tie-up between the coffee chain and Amazon.com. doubled their workload with no additional pay. The vote was very close, with 13 voting to join Starbucks Workers United, and 14 voting no, according to a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees union elections.
Festive NLRB Provides Holiday Gifts to Unions/Employees
December 16, 2022 // It has been clear for some time that the Board and General Counsel are doing their part to encourage, cultivate, and increase union density in the privatized workforce.