Posts tagged voluntarily recognize
Maine’s labor movement sees big shift from small unions
December 7, 2023 // While overall union membership rates have fallen with closures of big unionized companies, the heart of Maine’s union movement is still beating, in part thanks to employees at small workplaces organizing at higher rates. These new unionized workers still face risks without the support of large collective action, but there are some advantages, too. And workers like Blackstock are coming to believe that the pros offset any cons. Unions formed at textile factories, paper mills, aircraft manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, Bath Iron Works and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – “the biggest blue-collar sectors” at the time, Hillard said. Many still exist today. That trend lasted through the 1950s, when union membership rates peaked nationwide at 35%.
Workers at Buffalo AKG Art Museum Launch Unionization Effort
December 1, 2023 // “We recognize that Art and the Labor movement are aligned in collective struggle, and we believe that unionizing is the best path to ensure that we, the workers at the Buffalo AKG, can all take pride of ownership and feel a secure sense of belonging in our workplace and the broader community,” said the workers’ statement, posted on Instagram and on X (formerly known as Twitter) on November 16.
ATTORNEYS AT CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ANNOUNCE UNIONIZATION
November 20, 2023 // If their union is recognized, the attorneys at the Center for Reproductive Rights will join more than 2,700 members of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) – UAW Local 2325. ALAA – UAW Local 2325 is a union for legal and social service workers, including attorneys, paralegals, social workers, investigators, receptionists, interpreters, advocates, administrative staff, and counselors with chapters at 25+ non-profits in the NYC metropolitan area. The Union represents members at public defender and public interest legal organizations such as the Legal Aid Society, Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service, Queens Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, as well as advocates for the indigent at non-profit social services organizations such as VOCAL-NY and New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE). The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys is the oldest union of attorneys, legal services, and advocates for the indigent in the United States.
NRDC recognizes staff union
November 6, 2023 // “Many staff currently feel that their dignity and wellbeing — or that of their coworkers — is not being adequately considered in today’s climate at NRDC,” the letter said. “Staff have expressed concerns around fair and transparent compensation, career development, NRDC’s commitment to equity in its advocacy, and, critically, its treatment of staff of marginalized communities.” A week after that letter, NRDC announced that it was laying off 6 percent of the group’s staff — including dozens of employees — as part of a “reset.” The group was making internal changes, Bapna told staff, to “strengthen NRDC for our next chapter and to balance the budget.”
Eeva, Philly’s first independent unionized restaurant, is closing
October 30, 2023 // The closure comes nearly 11 months to the day after eeva’s staff registered their intent to unionize and after eeva owners Greg Dunn, Mark Capriotti, and Mark Corpus voluntarily recognized the union. (Staff at ReAnimator unionized, and were voluntarily recognized, in 2022.) The union, represented by Philly’s Local 80, had been at the bargaining table as recently as September. Amidst a long list of comments on the Instagram post mourning eeva’s closure, a handful allude to unresolved contract negotiations.
Workers announce intention to unionize at The Bulletin, Redmond Spokesman
October 24, 2023 // Wright said, “Central Oregon Media Group has received a request from the PNW Newspaper Guild to voluntarily recognize members of our news staff at two our newspapers, the Bend Bulletin and the Redmond Spokesman. We are reviewing the request. Whatever the outcome, we stand by our employees.” The Central Oregon NewsGuild is represented by the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America and the largest union representing journalists and media workers in North America, according to the guild.
Vibrant Coffee Roasters baristas and bakers want to unionize
October 18, 2023 // Korshak Bagels, which was the first workplace to unionize with Local 80, closed last month. Theirs was the only Local 80 bargaining unit that had ratified a contract. Others are still bargaining. Employees of Korshak Bagels told Billy Penn that they had pushed for changes in the store’s process and practices that would have allowed greater profits, but the store’s owner resisted those changes. Owner Phil Korshak has said the proposed changes, like automating doughmaking and using computer kiosks for orders and payment, would not be “on brand for Korshak Bagels.” Caiside Ní Chuinn was part of the organizing committee at Good Karma, where they worked for a year-and-a-half, and is now working at Vibrant. Ní Chuinn worked at the Good Karma location that closed in January.
‘Barbenheimer’ was a boon to movie theaters and a headache for many workers. So they’re unionizing
October 16, 2023 // Alamo held meetings in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the weeks leading up to union votes. In each gathering, management officials acknowledged discontent among staff members, while reiterating that any issues were better worked out entirely within the company. In Brooklyn, per the recordings, League reflected on the company's history, dating back to its origins in the 1990s. He spoke of his dedication to Alamo and of his own progressive affinities, including his “passionate” support for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Both League and his wife and Alamo co-founder Karrie League have contributed to various Democratic Party candidates. Tim League has publicly praised the pro-labor senator's 2016 presidential run, telling a CNBC interviewer in 2016 that “Bernie is going to be good for America." League emphasized that he "understood" why Hollywood actors and writers were striking, and why auto workers went on strike. But for Alamo, he said, unions would be a step back, a "communication block." “I fully recognize my own personal bias here,” he said. “I don’t think that forming a union is the right solution for Alamo, that is my personal opinion. I’m concerned that a union is going to drive a wedge between us."
Oregon sees record-high unionization
October 9, 2023 // what’s happening here in Oregon is a little different: it’s driven by independent unions. Rather than join AFL-CIO, SEIU or other big unions, some Oregon workers are taking a “grow your own” approach to unionizing. Local chain Burgerville’s independent union, Burgerville Workers Union, won federal recognition in 2018 and signed its first contract in 2021. Seeing Burgerville’s success in organizing without the resources of a bigger union inspired workers at Voodoo Doughnut.