Posts tagged unions
Op-ed: A GOP Gift to the Cultural Left
June 15, 2026 // We wonder if Republicans know what they’ve voted for—and not merely on wages or pensions. Unions, allied with Democrats, have long supported a progressive agenda that includes collective bargaining for abortion coverage and transgender healthcare. The model language the AFL-CIO recommends to local chapters says “all health plans offered to bargaining unit members shall cover comprehensive . . . reproductive healthcare services, including contraceptives, abortion services . . . and gender affirming care.” In 2012 the Service Employees International Union unanimously approved a resolution “calling on local unions to bargain for trans-inclusive healthcare.” The NewsGuild of New York/Communications Workers of America said in 2022 it “unequivocally supports access to abortion as a healthcare right.”
A New York Bill Protects Unions, Not Workers
June 15, 2026 // Assembly Bill A10835A makes it illegal to “falsely impersonate” a union representative. It gives Attorney General Letitia James power to investigate, fine and subpoena any organization in any state for communications she believes to be “impersonation” of a union. The fine is $1,000 per incident. The Freedom Foundation communicates with tens of thousands of workers. Do the math. The bill’s real purpose isn’t stopping impersonation. It’s stopping workers from hearing what unions won’t tell them: that the Supreme Court decided eight years ago this month in Janus v. Afscme that no public employee can be forced to fund a union. Since then, we’ve helped more than 278,000 workers nationwide opt out—nearly 7,500 in New York, including some 1,400 this year. Each opt-out means lost dues revenue, so rather than make a better case for membership, unions asked Albany to make it illegal.
Gavin Newsom’s race to block a billionaire tax
June 13, 2026 // The growing coalition is tightening pressure on SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan, whose wealth-tax crusade has roiled California politics for months, to pull the measure. The message to Regan is blunt: Back down now, or risk going into a costly ballot fight increasingly alone. “Dave Regan is seeing very plainly what he’ll be up against if he goes through with this,” said a consultant working to defeat the measure who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive dynamics. The union downplayed the mounting pushback, arguing it was not representative of the groups’ members.
Hollywood unions, workers push back against Paramount-Skydance deal
June 8, 2026 // The event, held at Lumiere Music Hall, marked the first stop of a three-city "Main Street vs. The Merger" campaign organized by advocacy groups, industry workers, and the Writers Guild of America.
Lawmakers Consider Hiking Fees for Filling Prescriptions
June 8, 2026 // In response to that opposition, the bill’s sponsors amended the bill to exempt the “collectively bargained” health plans covering union members. It also does not apply to Medicare or the “self-insured” health plans offered by most large employers, which are exempt from state regulation by federal law. As a result, the bill primarily targets the health plans purchased from insurance companies by small and medium-sized employers – where it will add to premium costs that are already among the highest in the U.S.
Key Vote Alert – HOUSE & SENATE – “NO” ON THE FASTER LABOR CONTRACTS ACT
June 5, 2026 // This bill borrows from the same compulsory-union playbook as the PRO Act and other failed Big Labor priorities. It strengthens union leverage, pressures employers to accept terms they may never voluntarily agree to, and invites federal intervention into private workplaces. The result would be less flexibility, higher costs, more litigation, and fewer opportunities for workers and businesses alike. Congress should reject this federal takeover of private-sector bargaining. Workers do not need politicians using “pro-worker” branding to deliver wins for union bosses. They need freedom, flexibility, and the right to negotiate, work, and prosper without being trapped in federally imposed labor contracts.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act would force workers into unions they never voted for
June 4, 2026 // The retail, leisure, and hospitality sectors, by contrast, are traditionally harder for unions to organize because the workers who would back a union are also less likely to stick around. That’s why the unions want contract deadlines to apply to all negotiations, not just cases in which companies may be deliberately delaying things. Unions might otherwise find themselves in a “herding cats” situation because workers are constantly coming and going.
Goldwater Institute: Embracing the Future: Say No to Driver-in Mandates
June 4, 2026 // If an autonomous truck cannot operate safely, it should not be on the road. But if it can operate safely without a human driver, requiring one anyway does not improve safety. It simply raises costs, slows deployment, and forces consumers to pay more. The United States has never prospered by forcing new technology to imitate the old system it improves upon. Policymakers should allow autonomous vehicles and trucking to develop under clear, evidence-based safety rules. They should not revive the logic of railroad featherbedding for the age of artificial intelligence. Autonomous vehicles should be judged by their safety and performance, not by whether they preserve the labor arrangements of the past. The future of freight should be faster, safer, and less expensive. Policymakers should let it arrive.
Faster Labor Contracts Act Bad for Workers and Small Businesses
June 4, 2026 // The supporters on the right also argue that pandering to a piece of legislation championed by Big Labor and the whole Democratic Party will save Republican seats in Congress. Kishi further argues that “the Republican Party today draws its strength not from boardrooms and donor retreats, but from working-class Americans.” Working-class Americans voted for President Donald J. Trump and put Republicans in charge of Congress because they reject the anti-family, woke agenda of a far left that has captured the agenda of the Democratic Party. Arguing that Republicans should adopt Democrat-lite policies to win over votes ignores the fact that voters can just vote for Democrats if they want big government and anti-business policies.
Illinois lawmakers pass bill allowing rideshare drivers to unionize
June 2, 2026 // Critics have raised concerns about potential cost increases and how the changes could impact service availability. The legislation could affect rideshare drivers throughout Northern Illinois, including in Rockford and surrounding communities, where gig work remains a supplemental income source for many residents.