Posts tagged United Steelworkers
US Steel Deal ‘Doomed,’ Says Union ‘Steadfast’ in Opposition
September 13, 2024 // United Steelworkers union says it will not be bullied into accepting Nippon Steel Corp.’s last-ditch efforts to win over workers for its takeover of United States Steel Corp., calling the $14.1 billion acquisition a “doomed deal” and pledging to fight any foreign ownership of the company.
This Pennsylvania battery plant just voted to unionize—here’s why it matters
September 10, 2024 // Eos Energy has received a roughly $400 million conditional loan guarantee from the Department of Energy and has also received millions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Section 45X advanced manufacturing production tax credit, designed to incentivize production of renewable energy components such as batteries. If the company expands production as planned, Eos will be eligible for $1.98 billion in Section 45X tax credits between 2026 and 2032. Legislators framed the Inflation Reduction Act as a source of “good-paying union jobs” within the renewable energy sector. But the legislation did not require companies receiving federal funds to commit to union neutrality agreements.
Scoop: Biden marries Big Labor to Big Solar
August 19, 2024 // With the support of the Biden White House, the United Steelworkers Union (USW) has established a beachhead in the domestic solar industry, Axios has learned. Why it matters: For organized labor, it's a deeper step in unionizing an industry that's expected to explode with new positions and products, bolstered by billions of dollars in tax breaks from Biden's signature climate and clean tech legislation. For the White House, it's a blueprint on how to achieve two of Biden's key objectives: combating climate change and creating the next generation of union-paying jobs.
Commentary: Call for End to Israel Aid Is More Proof Organized Labor Is Progressivism and Progressivism Is Organized Labor
July 24, 2024 // The UAW called for a cease-fire in Gaza in December of last year, with some UAW locals calling for one mere days after the Hamas attack on October 7. The UAW, in particular, has a large contingent of higher-education workers in its ranks, with college campuses being hotbeds of anti-Israel activism. The UAW represents about the same number of workers at the University of California system as it does at General Motors. The UAW Arab Caucus, which also supports the BDS movement, called for the union to change its stance from calling for a cease-fire only to also calling for a halt to all U.S. military aid back in February.
Biden, Trump battle for blue-collar voters as steel merger looms
June 30, 2024 // But Rudy Sanetta, a maintenance worker at US Steel, prefers Trump on the economy and because of his stance on gun rights. "I like him for his resistance to the politicians," Sanetta said of Trump. "The other guy, I have no confidence." Working class voters "are the most pivotal because they're the ones who have actually demonstrated that they're willing to select either Trump or Biden," said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
OSHA tries to walk union officials into workplaces
April 9, 2024 // This change is something that unions have long pushed for. OSHA’s official notice for the rulemaking includes numerous statements submitted by unions arguing they should be able to accompany federal inspectors. For example: “The United Steelworkers Union (USW) noted that it has brought in technical experts to serve as designated employee representatives in OSHA inspections.” Not coincidentally, gaining direct access to worksites where management might otherwise try to bar them is a classic union organizing tactic. Granted, OSHA’s new rule would require a worker to invite the union in. That isn’t likely to be a great hurdle for unions thanks to the practice of “salting.” That’s when a union has an organizer covertly apply for an open position at a worksite for the express purpose of organizing.
House Seeks Information from Unions on Policies to Prevent Corruption
March 20, 2024 // Each of the letters asks for a comprehensive description of the policies and procedures the union has in place to monitor and deter fraud, corruption, and improper accounting, including any third-party audits, the types of training and education provided to prevent fraud or corruption, internal reporting mechanisms, and disciplinary policies. These questions apply both to each union’s headquarters as well as its locals. U.S. House Subpoenas UAW Local over Controversial Resolution Chairwoman Foxx cites specific examples of corruption for each union. For example, in the Teamsters letter, she cites a state senator from Illinois who was indicted for taking more than $245,000 in fraudulent income and other benefits from Teamsters Joint Council 25 while purporting to be a union organizer.
Steelworkers union president expects Biden endorsement soon
March 20, 2024 // The statement comes after Biden opposed the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese conglomerate. The president said it was “vital” that the industrial giant remain domestically owned, garnering praise from the union. The 1.2-million-member union endorsed Biden in 2020, once projecting a massive Biden campaign sign onto the side of a Chicago skyscraper. The move would be consistent with Biden’s focus on unions. Biden has dubbed himself the “most pro-union president in American history” and made firsts last year by joining striking auto workers on the picket lines in Michigan.
Chair Foxx Investigates 12 Unions for Recent Fraud, Corruption Seeks answers on protecting workers from further union malfeasance
March 18, 2024 // “The Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) is concerned about fraud, embezzlement, and corruption perpetrated by union officials. To ensure workers represented by labor organizations are shielded from malfeasance by union officials, the Committee requests documents and information relating to…efforts to protect employees and deter fraud, corruption, and improper accounting.”
Palo Alto Medical Foundation Nurses Vote Union Out at Sunnyvale and Mountain View Facilities
March 14, 2024 // Victory continues string of successful union decertification attempts by healthcare workers across the country Palo Alto Medical Foundation Nurses Vote Union Out at Sunnyvale and Mountain View Facilities