Posts tagged unionized
Democrat Party’s Embrace of Union Tactics Emboldens Corruption
February 9, 2024 // The Biden administration’s green-lighting of Big Labor’s thuggish tactics has only served to exacerbate union corruption. In 2023, the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) conducted 155 criminal investigations into union activity, handing down 39 indictments and 57 convictions. Union crimes the OLMS prosecuted include petty theft, embezzlement, racketeering, and falsifying records.
San Francisco set to approve millions in raises while facing deficit
January 5, 2024 // The San Francisco Unified School District is set to approve raises for its non-unionized employees amidst projected deficits of hundreds of millions of dollars for the upcoming fiscal years. The school district in December announced it had approved "historic" raises for its unionized employees. Now, the school board has been recommended it approve the same raises for its non-unionized employees at its Jan. 9 board meeting, according to reports. The across-the-board raises for all employees are budgeted to cost $88 million in 2024. The district is estimating a deficit of $194.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year of 2024-25 and a $420.5 million deficit for the fiscal year 2025-26.
Unionized strippers on strike through Saturday in North Hollywood
December 11, 2023 // Lawyers for the Actors’ Equity Association, which represents the Star Garden strippers, say they’ve filed multiple charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the club’s alleged interference with employees’ ability to earn cash tips. The union also alleges disciplinary actions were taken against dancers contrary to the club’s longstanding policies and that the club owner has refused entry to some union supporters and charged others higher fees.
Commentary: Expect More UAW Strikes, and Be Prepared
November 21, 2023 // Many sectors could see the impact of labor momentum. Every union should be studying the UAW negotiations and strikes. The circumstances will be different at each company and negotiation, but a more aggressive and strategic approach is likely to be valuable in many contexts. Unions should also look at the UAW ratification process, internal communications, supplier headaches and unionization drives for lessons to emulate and avoid. On the management side, companies – particularly if they are unionized – should expect unions to follow the new playbook. Employers will need to study the lessons as well and prepare for a more confrontational labor environment. Companies other than the D3 should firmly resist the pressure to align their contract expiration and avoid what is likely to be a confrontational spring in 2028. This is only a small example of how companies would benefit from the 360° perspective that game theory and scenario wargaming give in complex and uncertain times.
How the Amazon Labor Union helped shape modern workers’ rights
October 19, 2023 // For every 1% of Amazon's workforce that unionizes, analysts expect it to lead to an incremental $150 million in annual operating expenses.
Workers at Elysian Brewing Have Unionized, and Want to ‘Set a Trend’
September 7, 2023 // Elysian is one of many craft breweries in the U.S. that is owned by multinational beverage titan Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), which is sometimes vilified by smaller breweries. One curious aspect of the beer industry is that many of the facilities that produce ABI’s best-selling beers, are unionized, but craft breweries are generally non-union. The large number of craft brewers, most of which don’t have many employees, hasn’t been fertile ground for union organizers. But craft brewery employees across the country may be looking at unionization. They’re spurred on (like most workers who consider joining unions) by low pay and poor working conditions, but also by the realization that though craft breweries are often small, the craft industry as a whole is now a big chunk of the overall beer market. As ABI has bought up brewers, “craft” is no longer really synonymous with “small” or “anti-corporate.” (ABI has reportedly laid off workers at breweries this year in response to an overall decline in the craft beer market.)
Cornell to Stop Serving Starbucks Coffee After Company Shut Down Unionized Cafes
August 21, 2023 // In May, Starbucks Corp. announced it would close its last two unionized corporate-run cafés in Cornell’s hometown of Ithaca, New York. It had previously shuttered the other location that organized. In response, Cornell’s student government passed a resolution, and activists staged a sit-in demanding that the university cease serving Starbucks coffee at its own cafés in response to the alleged union-busting. “Cornell Dining does not intend to serve Starbucks Coffee in its café venues after the current agreement with the company expires in 2025,” the school’s vice president for university relations, Joel Malina, said in an email. The university will instead consult with the student government on an “inclusive process” to transition to a new vendor.
TCG Player employees claim two victories in fight to unionize
August 18, 2023 // "As a result of the NLRB decision, we have recognized the CWA as the collective bargaining representative for the now certified unit of our AC team members. Unfortunately, whether certain disputed job classifications should be included in that bargaining unit was not addressed by the NLRB decision and remains unresolved. However, these unanswered questions will not delay our commitment to bargaining over a contract for those non-contested AC job classifications. We are taking steps to immediately move forward with the bargaining process with the goal of reaching a labor contract."
Some part-time UPS workers say “historic” contract falls short
July 27, 2023 // Peter Lyngso, a part-time package sorter working in Chicago, called the agreement a "sellout," and said it doesn't address longstanding pay disparities between full-time and part-time workers. "There has been a very loud rank and file movement of part-timers across the country demanding a realignment of wages for what is a brutally difficult job," he said on social media. "I'm preparing to go to the mat over it for a no-vote," he told CBS MoneyWatch. Part-time workers make up the majority of unionized UPS Teamsters. Leading up to the negotiations, union head Sean O'Brien called them the "unsung heroes" of the company.