Posts tagged unionized
Unionized POLITICO Journalists ‘Win Landmark Arbitration’ On AI Protections
December 9, 2025 // Unionized Journalists employed at POLITICO and E&E News (The PEN Guild) have secured a major victory in their arbitration case against POLITICO management over the company’s unilateral introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that bypassed negotiated safeguards and undermined core journalistic standards. In a detailed decision, the arbitrator found POLITICO violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it launched two AI-driven products - a “Live Summaries” feature used during the 2024 Democratic National Convention and Vice Presidential Debate, and the Capitol AI Report-Builder tool for POLITICO Pro subscribers - without providing required notice, bargaining, or human oversight, as required by the contract.
Starbucks Union Says 30 More US Stores Are Joining Week-Old Strike
November 22, 2025 // Starbucks said the strike has caused minimal disruption to its operations, and noted that this year's Red Cup Day was the strongest in the company's history in terms of sales and store traffic. Placer.ai, a location data company, said Starbucks' foot traffic jumped 44.5% last Thursday compared to this year's daily average. Starbucks said only 49 of the 65 stores that the union vowed to strike last week experienced any disruption, and 29 of those have reopened.
SUNY Albany TPUSA chapter to host ‘Unionized Hot Dog Stand’ exploring effects of labor regulations
November 10, 2025 // Students will get to enjoy free hot dogs while taking part in a hands-on demonstration about the effects of labor regulations and unionization on small businesses. To make the lesson interactive, student organizers will “unionize” their own stand by implementing mock workplace rules, hosting collective bargaining sessions, and requiring symbolic dues payments. The goal is to show how increased labor regulations can drive up costs, reduce efficiency, and limit opportunities for workers and consumers alike.
Promotoras successfully unionize at Westwood nonprofit Re:Vision
November 10, 2025 // Promotora is a Spanish word which literally translates to “promoter.” They are community health workers. Re:Vision’s promotoras provide food and health education to their community, staff a no-cost grocery store and teach their neighbors how to grow produce at home. The nonprofit has employed a promotora model for community health since 2010. Del Hierro became executive director in 2022. The majority of the organization’s promotoras joined UFCW Local 7, the local chapter of the United Food & Commercial Workers labor union. This move gives the promotoras more leverage in negotiations with Re:Vision management.
REI Co-op to close Boston location, a unionized store, in ‘late 2026’
October 14, 2025 // REI Co-op's only Boston store will be closing next year. A spokesperson for the company, which is headquartered near Seattle, confirmed the Boston location will be closing in "late 2026." Stores in Paramus, New Jersey, and in New York City's SoHo neighborhood will also be closing next year.
The future of white-collar work may be unionized
October 10, 2025 // “The way layoffs happened at Google, where it wasn’t clear what the reason for people getting laid off was, definitely created a sense of job insecurity and mistrust,” says Parul Koul, a software engineer at Google and president of the Alphabet Workers Union. Another driver has been artificial intelligence threatening to replace entry-level knowledge work. Few white-collar industries epitomize the challenge of integrating AI into workflows more than the practice of law. While many legal experts say AI will have a transformative impact by automating repetitive research tasks, some also fear it will dilute entry-level associate roles at law firms.
Unionized Berkeley REI Workers Get Pay Raises After Labor Board Alleged They Were Shut Out
August 7, 2025 // Following a years-long organizing effort, some workers at a Berkeley REI store are set to get retroactive pay raises and bonuses as part of a labor deal with two unions representing workers at 11 stores across the country. The agreement reached last week between REI Co-op, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union — which represents the Berkeley workers — and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union establishes a national bargaining structure for unionized workers that provides compensation some workers previously did not receive between 2022 and 2024.
Amazon faces legal complaint for refusing to negotiate with unionized S.F. workers
April 24, 2025 // A hearing is scheduled for August before an administrative law judge. If the judge rules against Amazon, the company could be ordered to begin negotiations — a move that may influence similar union efforts at warehouses in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Southern California. The San Francisco workers were part of a national strike last December, calling for higher wages, improved safety and official union recognition.
Unionized Microsoft Developers Authorize Strike After Failing To Reach A Deal After Two Years Of Negotiations
April 4, 2025 // "We’re not afraid to use our union power to ensure that we can keep making great games," said Skylar Hinnat, a quality assurance tester and member of ZeniMax Workers United-CWA. Hinnat continued, "All of us want to be working. We hope that Microsoft will allow us to do so with dignity and fairness to all by securing a first contract with our union." Some of the key issues the ZWU-CWA is bargaining over are expanding remote work options, better pay, workplace improvements, and mandating that Microsoft inform the union of any intentions it may have to outsource quality assurance work to a third party.
Trump puts America first with federal collective bargaining ban
April 3, 2025 // The legal basis for this move is clear — and firmly grounded in common sense. While federal law allows collective bargaining at government agencies, it also allows the president to exclude any agency that deals with “intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.” Collective bargaining must be “interpreted in a manner consistent with the requirements of an effective and efficient government,” according to the same federal law.