Posts tagged unionize
Workers at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh to unionize after years of pushback from management
July 22, 2026 // Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh provides pet adoption and veterinary services, with locations in Homewood and North Side and a wildlife center in Verona. United Steelworkers, based in Pittsburgh, has grown to represent workers beyond heavy industry, including education, service and health care.
Minneapolis warehouse workers claim Sony shut warehouse hours before union talks
July 21, 2026 // Inspired by anti-ICE general strike demonstrations in Minneapolis, Esparza said workers decided to organize a union. But just hours before the group's first bargaining session, Teamsters representatives received unexpected news. "Our Teamsters representative called me two hours before our meeting and said, 'Sony just informed me that they're closing the warehouse,'" Esparza said.
Union and Troubled Home Care Company Maintained Close Partnership, Records Show
July 21, 2026 // Home health aides the company employs have decried missed paychecks, glitchy software, and hours-long waits on the phone, among other issues. Last month, PPL agreed to a $162 million settlement to resolve claims of wage theft, and the US Department of Justice sued the company, alleging Medicaid fraud. The powerful health care union 1199SEIU is currently seeking to unionize PPL’s roughly 200,000 workers, who care for disabled and elderly New Yorkers. But 1199 has also been working closely with the PPL for years, according to internal records obtained by New York Focus.
NLRB dismisses Healthy Living’s bid to overturn union election
July 20, 2026 // The National Labor Relations Board has stepped in after labor leaders accused Healthy Living of meddling in union elections, dismissing the grocery chain’s appeal and clearing the way for collective bargaining.
Mount Vernon-based Baby’s On Fire Cafe to shutter after workers seek to unionize
July 13, 2026 // Baby's On Fire Cafe will close its doors soon, according to an Instagram post made Friday. Owners Shirlé Hale-Koslowski and David Koslowski cited "significant losses in revenue" as the reason for the closure of the Mount Vernon-based cafe and record store, with the last day of service set for Sunday, July 19.
KC Streetcar workers are unionizing after record-high passenger traffic during World Cup
July 13, 2026 // The workers would be represented by Teamsters local 955. They want higher pay, more staffing, better working hours and more safety protections on the job. The union, which could include more than 70 streetcar operators and maintenance workers if approved, would also work to get clear hiring, firing and discipline policies. Erhardt said one other priority is securing bathroom breaks, which aren’t currently guaranteed.
Commentary: Both University of Chicago Press and Hachette Book Group have voted to unionize.
July 9, 2026 // This effort is part of a nationwide labor movement that’s currently gunning for the publishing industry—and gaining huge wins. For just yesterday, employees at the Hachette Book Group also voted (388 to 130) to unionize with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild. This victory is historic for its size. According to Publishers Weekly, the Hachette Workers Coalition—i.e., the org behind the union drive— speaks for “600 union-eligible remote and NYC-based staff,” making it the largest union in trade publishing history.
Opinion: The Faster Labor Contracts Act could enable antisemitism
July 8, 2026 // The FLCA’s cure is worse than the disease, and in today’s union environment, the disease is increasingly political. According to a recent study by the Gevura Fund, “Combined [National Education Association] spending on political activities, lobbying and contributions to outside organizations totals approximately $175 million in FY2025, nearly four times the $45 million spent on direct member representation.” The National Education Association is a public-sector teachers’ union, but its conduct represents a broader pattern, considering how politicized unions have become. The FLCA would essentially fast-track union contracts built on ideological activism rather than workers’ rights.
Ocean State Media, Rhode Island’s NPR and PBS organization, has voted to unionize
June 25, 2026 // Also in the May petition, the group called for “fair and transparent compensation, clear role expectations, and a say in determining our protections and benefits.” The union currently represents neighboring stations, including New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) which joined in 2021 and and WBUR in Boston which joined in 2019.
It Was the First Unionized Apple Store in the U.S. Apple Just Closed It.
June 23, 2026 // The closure was announced in April, and Apple also shuttered two nonunionized stores on Saturday. The union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, noted in filings to the National Labor Relations Board that employees in the nonunion stores had been given the option to take similar positions at nearby stores. But Apple required the Towson workers to apply for jobs the way typical applicants would, without an easy transfer to another location.