Posts tagged Union
Three Takeaways From Our Investigation Into a Shady New York Union
August 21, 2026 // Our investigation into the union — International Brotherhood of Trade Unions, or IBOTU — found that it enriches its leaders at the expense of its members, who are low-wage workers in grocery stores, ambulance companies, and home health care, among other industries. The union has repeatedly been targeted by federal regulators for labor law violations, and some of its leaders have been arrested for criminal activity. IBOTU is also a family business: three of its current top officers married the founding president’s daughters. All three currently make about $1 million per year.
Seattle TV On-Air Talent Officially Wins Freedom from Unwanted SAG-AFTRA Union Bosses After Successful Decertification Vote
August 20, 2026 // The on-air staff at Seattle’s KOMO-TV have successfully won their independence from the union officials at the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The effort was led by Emmy-award winning reporter Jeremy Harris, who filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking “decertification” to end SAG-AFTRA’s monopoly bargaining power over all on-air talent. Harris’s petition was filed with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
Ex-NFLPA lawyer settles lawsuit with union over alleged retaliation
August 18, 2026 // McPhee was fired less than two weeks after filing her federal lawsuit, which accused former union executive director Lloyd Howell Jr., lead counsel Tom DePaso and Matt Curtin, president of union licensing arm NFL Players Inc., of illegal misconduct, sex discrimination, breach of fiduciary duty and retaliation. Last July, Howell resigned as ESPN prepared to report that he had used union funds to pay for a car service from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport to a Miami strip club and had sought union reimbursement for a visit to an Atlanta strip club accompanied by a pair of union employees.
Healthy Living Appeals to NLRB Not to Recognize Its Labor Union
August 14, 2026 // A number of overqualified job seekers — some with no retail experience and some who had recently relocated to areas around Healthy Living stores — had taken positions with the company. The small grocery chain, which employs 300 people in its South Burlington, Williston and Saratoga Springs, N.Y., stores, was staffed so well that it didn’t have to recruit workers for the 2025 holiday season, as it had each year for the previous decade.
Houston airport workers receive 33% raise under Whitmire order, continuing union wins at city facilities
August 13, 2026 // The Texas chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents many of the covered employees at the city's two airports. They work across passenger service, cleaning and baggage operations. The order requires vendors and contractors at the city-owned airports to meet the new wage standards.
Hotel Union President Accused of Corruption in Bombshell Whistleblower Report
August 13, 2026 // “Mr. Maroko had personal knowledge of, and either directly participated or directed others to misappropriate millions of dollars of retail income… He accepted and allowed his Elected Officers to accept gifts of Hotel Rooms, Liquor, Gourmet Food and Electronic Items from Hotel Officials on a Quid Pro Quo System.” The union responded to these allegations with two investigations by third-party law firms that HTC describes as “exhaustive” and “independent.” The union claims that these investigations cleared the union of wrongdoing. But a closer look reveals that the law firm that conducted the first investigation may be less independent than presented.
‘One flag for each laid off dev:’ Union workers stage unmissable protest for Xbox boss Asha Sharma
August 13, 2026 // In July, Sharma confirmed plans to eliminate 3,200 jobs across Microsoft's video game division by the end of the current fiscal year—starting with immediate cuts at major studios including Obsidian, id Software, and ZeniMax Online Studios. It marked the fifth round of mass layoffs at Xbox in three years. "We heard that Microsoft leadership was coming to our office this week, and decided to make our presence visible at the office to show how our developers have been impacted by these devastating layoffs," said Hahn. "To show our presence, we put up posters around the office, but we were immediately told by management we couldn't have posters facing the outside of our cubes. Then, we brought in balloons so that they could see we were here, but inside our cubes this time. A separate team of laid off developers planted flags outside, one flag for each laid off dev.
Commentary: When driverless vehicles are attacked, look for the union label
August 10, 2026 // The news website TechCrunch has reported that CARS is registered to an employee of Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC, a labor-side lobbying and government affairs outfit with offices in New York and DC. The firm’s clients include the Amalgamated Transit Union, the Transport Workers Union, the Transportation Communication Union, and the Garage Employees Union, among other labor groups. The unions likely oppose driverless vehicles because you cannot unionize machines. (Not yet, anyway. Perhaps we shouldn’t be giving them ideas.) They may also be trying to protect traditional cab drivers and city bus drivers, who are often unionized, from competition from the new technology. Never mind that driverless vehicles will provide new options for DC residents, who can’t always get cabs or buses when they need them.
Opinion: I was NYC’s first female lifeguard chief. Here’s a way to save lives.
August 10, 2026 // For nearly two decades, the roles of citywide lifeguard coordinator and president of the city’s lifeguard supervisors’ union were held by one man, Peter Stein. During my time as a chief lifeguard, I watched as Stein abused his privileges and retaliated against those who opposed him, all while the Parks Department turned a blind eye. Last year, Stein finally retired — and the city has a chance to fix what has gone wrong.
Dues and don’ts: Large union, SEIU, targets Target
August 6, 2026 // Target employees are not SEIU union members. So targeting Target is not about members’ wages or working conditions. I hope SEIU realizes that damaging a company that employs more than 400,000 employees could harm those employees and prospective ones.