Posts tagged unions
Cargill meatpackers in Fort Morgan expected to take another vote on contract they rejected
August 14, 2026 // Workers have been locked out of the beef-processing plant for nearly 85 days but things got worse after union strike pay was reduced. After workers rejected a Cargill Meat Solutions contract last week, reality hit the more than 1,700 unemployed meatpackers who’ve been locked out of the Fort Morgan plant for nearly 85 days. Now, a worker-led effort to take another vote on a contract has received enough signatures for the union to consider it.
Unions sue Education Department over RISE rule that reclassifies degrees and imposes loan limits
August 13, 2026 // As colleges prepare to start their fall semesters, a coalition of unions representing teachers, nurses and public service workers sued the U.S. Education Department on Tuesday over a student loan rule that took effect July 1. The Reimagining and Improving Student Education, or RISE, rule set new caps on federal student loan borrowing based on types of degree. The RISE rule capped professional degree student loans at $50,000 per year and $200,000 total. The limits are applicable to 11 approved professional fields: medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, theology and clinical psychology.
America Invented Elevators. Now We Suck at Building Them.
August 12, 2026 // The second big problem is labor unions. Specifically, the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC), which has a near monopoly on elevator installation and repair work in America. Labor costs are the single biggest part of installing a new elevator, and the IUEC likes it that way. Elevator construction is the highest-paid speciality construction job in the U.S., with hourly wages in excess of $51 in 2024. The union keeps those costs high by strictly controlling how many members it has: In 2021, more than 1,500 people applied to join New York City's local union of the IUEC. Only 115 were allowed to join.
Op-ed:Will Swaim: California schools turn to child sacrifice
August 7, 2026 // This was no accident. Sacrificing their younger union members in order to boost the pay of the older members is a key part of the union playbook – and the predictable outcome of state law commonly known as “LIFO,” or “last in, first out.” It’s buried in California Education Code section 44955, a single phrase that lays out the order of layoffs in any financial crisis: “employees shall be terminated in the inverse of the order in which they were employed.” Many younger teachers say they did not know about LIFO. “We’re pretty shocked,” said a two-year Los Angeles teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity. She said the general feeling among young teachers is “betrayal.” “We supported the bargaining team throughout this process – stood out in the rain to protest and rallied online support for the new contract,” she said. “No one, not even once, told me this could happen.”
Ride-Booking Unions Raise Specter of Same for Other Gig Workers
August 6, 2026 // Wilson called the effort in Massachusetts “a windfall for the union.” The union holds an exclusive franchise over every ride-booking driver in the state, and the law orders companies to deduct dues and hand them over, he said. “Dues are technically voluntary. But we know how ‘voluntary’ runs in right-to-work states, where unions still lean on the holdouts anyway: public free-rider lists, name-and-shame, peer pressure, the works. Expect the same here.”
Commentary: Australia’s Not-So-Super Retirement System
July 23, 2026 // In Australia the accountability problem is exacerbated by unions’ sway over a particular type of super fund. Known as industry super funds, these were originally set up by employers and unions to steward the savings of workers in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2025, ISFs controlled more than 40% of Australian superannuation assets. Under Australian law, employers and unions appoint directors to ISF trustee boards under what is called the equal representation model. Union leaders say this ensures that workers have some indirect influence over decisions made by ISF boards and managers. That claim is difficult to square with trends in union membership. The proportion of Australian employees who belong to unions fell from 51% in 1976 to 13.1% in 2024. Unions long ago lost the authority to serve as legitimate proxies for Australian workers.
As Jersey City cuts workers amid budget crisis, unions make their voices heard
July 23, 2026 // Hundreds of union workers — from police officers and firefighters to crossing guards and public works laborers — filled City Hall during last week’s City Council meeting. Over hours of public comment, they urged city leaders tasked with fixing the financial mess to value and protect the workers that make Jersey City run.
Affordability at forefront of union negotiations between Pinellas district and teachers
July 23, 2026 // If the district and teachers association are unable to negotiate a contract ahead of the July 31 deadline they will reach impasse. Impasse is a deadlock in negotiations between workers and employers. Though this has not occurred since 2009, association members and officials are saying that this year, impasse is not an impossibility. If an impasse is reached, Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission will appoint a special magistrate who will make recommendations on disputed contract items. If those recommendations are not approved by both parties, it will head to the school board which will make a final ruling on any remaining disputes.
D.C. Wants To Charge Robotaxis $6 Million. Unions Still Say No.
July 17, 2026 // A proposed bill would legalize commercial autonomous vehicles in D.C. under one of the country’s most expensive regulatory frameworks, but unions still want the brakes applied.