Posts tagged unionize
Commentary: What happens when environmental justice nonprofit workers unionize?
October 19, 2026 // OVECU filed an unfair labor practice claim with the NLRB, which ruled that OVEC had unlawfully suspended and discharged one employee and discharged another because of their unionizing efforts, which was a protected concerted activity. In July 2021, workers voted in an NLRB-supervised election to certify the union. Four months later, in November, OVEC’s board voted 10-1 to dissolve the 34-year-old organization
Opinion: Mitch Carmichael: The 120-day clock that could rewrite your job
October 19, 2026 // The FLCA would set a timetable for negotiating a first contract after a union is newly certified or recognized. The parties would meet and begin bargaining within 10 days after the employer receives a written request. If they have no agreement after 90 days of bargaining, either party could request federal mediation. If mediation fails after another 30 days, the dispute will go to a three-person, federal-government arbitration panel. The panel’s decision would bind both sides for two years unless they agree in writing to amend it. That means a government panel, potentially unfamiliar with a particular West Virginia workplace, could decide matters as consequential as schedules, time off, health benefits and work rules. Unions and employers would have opportunities to present their positions, but neither would have the final say over terms imposed through arbitration. Nor would workers have an opportunity to ratify the final contract
State Health Dept. Sued Over Forced Unionizing of Michigan Home Caregivers
October 19, 2026 // The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s effort to classify home caregivers as state employees for union representation. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the Michigan Constitution’s rules governing state employment and invalidate the election that certified SEIU Healthcare Michigan as the bargaining representative for home caregivers. The foundation represents James “Jase” Bolger, a former member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger brings the lawsuit as a citizen, as the Michigan Constitution allows any citizen to sue to enforce its civil service provisions.
1,000 nurses at Endeavor Health Edward Hospital in Naperville move to unionize
October 14, 2026 // Over the past year, National Nurses Organizing Committee has organized nearly 3,000 nurses in the Chicago area, including at Olympia Fields Hospital, Rush University Medical Center and Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital. The National Nurses Organizing Committee now represents 9,000 nurses in the Chicago area.
Museum of History & Industry workers vote to unionize
October 13, 2026 // Employees in education, programs, special events, and visitor services are classified as nonprofessional workers. The vote follows an organizing campaign announced earlier this fall. Workers cited concerns about pay, staffing shortages, and employee turnover, according to earlier reporting by The Seattle Times. Organizers said they wanted a union that would advocate for better working conditions for employees throughout the museum.
Workers at Obama’s ‘Death Star’ presidential library strike back, vow to unionize over benefit cuts, ‘increasing workloads’
October 8, 2026 // Employees at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago are unionizing over their working conditions, claiming benefits have been cut and workloads are increasing just four months after the center opened in June. Workers circulated a letter to staff Wednesday announcing their intent to unionize, complaining about “increasing” workloads and “vague responses” from administrators to a list of complaints they’d raised, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Some of the complaints suggested the $900 million presidential center — often maligned for resembling the Star Wars Death Star or a huge trash bin — could already be facing financial trouble.
Editorial Board: Congress wants faster union contracts — except for its own staff
October 8, 2026 // Nicole Waring, the shop steward in Khanna’s office, explained why it took so long. “There’s a lot of back and forth. It takes time to review each passback of the contract [and] redline everything,” she told Politico. “The biggest thing was we wanted to make sure that this contract would be governable, and rather than just make things convenient and take shortcuts, make sure that it was going to be something that we knew would stand the test of time.” Other staff explained that going slowly was important because union contracts are binding and directly affect workers’ lives. They noted the unique workplace circumstances of a congressional office. Here’s the thing: Every workplace is unique. Every union contract directly affects workers’ lives. And that’s why the government should never force a contract on people without their consent.
Op-ed: Whitmer Lobbies Germany for the UAW
October 8, 2026 // By “incredible resources,” does she mean the taxpayer funds she has used to subsidize manufacturers that promise to retain or create jobs in Michigan? Is she suggesting a quid pro quo with her German counterpart? Help her UAW friends, and she’ll reward Mercedes and other companies based in Michigan? That seems to be her implication.
Workers at a SoCal Sephora revolt against union attempts after already rejecting it
October 8, 2026 // Employees at the sprawling 6,750-square-foot beauty store on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade told The California Post they’ve been harassed and bullied by officials with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 after rejecting the union — with workers claiming the bitter standoff has fueled a staff exodus and cost employees hours and benefits. “They’re just stuck waiting and have this union that again purports to represent workers, but is doing the opposite of it here,” said Patrick Semmens, vice president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which is providing informal legal help to the frustrated workers.
It took 4 years, but a Capitol Hill office finally has a union contract
October 7, 2026 // Khanna’s chief of staff, Marie Baldassarre, said in an interview the process for her office took years because “we realized like this is going to actually impact people’s lives, and it’s a binding contract, and so we have to get it right.” “It’s just never been done before, and none of us were experts,” she added. Staffers on Capitol Hill often face a grueling office cultures that can hamstring efforts to advance worker protections. Staffers for pro-labor Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), for example, voted to unionize in 2023 but then faced internal retaliation, according to the Nevada Independent.