Posts tagged voluntary recognition
University of Chicago Press Staffers Move to Unionize
May 6, 2026 // The UCP Workers Guild would be the first union in the nonprofit publisher's 130-year history. If not recognized voluntarily, workers will seek a mail election monitored by the National Labor Relations Board. A supermajority of the 139 eligible staffers across the nonprofit publisher's divisions has already signed union cards, according to the Guild.
Is unionization of doctors a good idea amid rising patient loads? Editorial Board Roundtable
May 5, 2026 // Last Tuesday, organizers behind a proposed “Primary Care Providers Union of MetroHealth” asked the Cleveland hospital system to recognize the union immediately, without need for a unionization vote, Organizers seeking to create a chapter of AFSCME Ohio Council 8 said a majority of the MetroHealth physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses and certified nurse practitioners eligible to join had already signed union cards.
A quiet filing could decide what happens next inside one of gaming’s biggest studios
April 28, 2026 // From layoffs and return-to-office mandates to challenges around AI and creativity, it’s not all fun and games for video game workers. And now, some are seeking to unionize. On April 27, a group of game developers behind the digital collectible card game Magic: The Gathering Arena announced the intent to form a union in affiliation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The group is a part of the gaming studio Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), a division of Hasbro.
Federal labor official schedules union elections at West Allis, Madison mental health clinics
April 20, 2026 // In the April 14 order, Regional Director Jennifer A. Hadsall rejected Rogers’ position that the election should include all 13 Wisconsin Rogers locations. Hadsall instead directed elections at the West Allis and Madison clinics, where a majority of employees had signed up with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, according to the union. Union supporters at the Wisconsin clinics have said they decided to seek union representation in response to increased caseloads, changes in how employee productivity was measured and a reduction in individual time that therapists and other providers could spend with patients.
Union Effort at New York Transit Museum Heads to a Vote
March 17, 2026 // Museum workers first announced plans to unionize in early February, a decision they say was driven by concerns over job insecurity, unfair compensation, a lack of transparency around managerial decision-making, and isolation between workers in separate departments. The museum management’s decision to deny voluntary recognition marked a shift in its response toward unions at the institution: Last year, when three dozen sales associates working in the Transit Museum gift shop unionized through the Transport Workers Union 100, museum management opted to recognize the union voluntarily, allowing those workers to move forward without an NLRB election.
US union elections declined in 2025 after Trump hobbled labor board
February 11, 2026 // The number of workers participating in union elections dropped by 59,000, a 42% decline compared with the year prior, according to the report from the Center for American Progress. The total number of union elections fell from a 10-year high of 2,124 in 2024 to 1,498 in 2025. The success rate in union elections also dropped to 69.8% in 2025, after rising to 72% in 2023.
Cayuga Medical Center nurses are unionizing, pushing for hospital recognition
December 11, 2025 // The union is asking hospital management for voluntary recognition, which would mean the nurses wouldn’t need to hold an election to finish establishing the union and start bargaining their first contract. However, when reached for comment, a hospital representative did not say that Cayuga Medical Center would provide that recognition. Instead, they said Cayuga Medical Center respected nurses' rights to hold a vote on unionization. “We fully respect their right to pursue a secret ballot vote following National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rules,” the hospital said in a statement.
Suntrapp workers formally unionize with owner’s voluntary recognition
December 1, 2025 // While Suntrapp has not confirmed whether it will reopen or when that will occur, Suntrapp Workers United has shown optimism for the future.
LACMA Declines to Voluntarily Recognize Union Formed by Hundreds of Workers
November 8, 2025 // The AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36, a division of the national AFSCME Cultural Workers United, has helped workers unionize at other leading LA museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Foundation, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and La Brea Tar Pits. At the national level, AFSCME Cultural Workers United represents employees at museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Art Museum, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Earlier this week, employees at the Detroit Institute of Arts announced plans to join AFSCME Michigan. In its new statement, LACMA United said that the museum’s status as a county museum makes management’s position “particularly troubling,” noting that, unlike mutual-benefit nonprofits, LACMA was established by Los Angeles County as a public-benefit corporation and receives more than $30 million in public funding each year.
VOLUNTARY RECOGNITION IN POLICE COMMANDERS’ BID TO UNIONIZE
October 8, 2025 // Today, Mayor Ed Gainey and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s 12 Commanders are pleased to announce that the Administration has agreed to voluntarily recognize the commanders in their effort to form a union. The Commanders unanimously opted to form a union with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.