Posts tagged voluntary recognition
U.S. labor secretary says UAW win at Tennessee Volkswagen plant shows southern workers back unions
April 25, 2024 // Biden is backing unions in other ways. Su noted the administration in January finalized a rule mandating unionized labor on all federal construction projects costing more than $35 million, despite complaints from nonunion contractors that the rule reduces competition and increases costs. “That’s one way that we ensure that you've got good union workers on jobs," Su said, saying union labor agreements are rising sharply on construction projects. Southern states are also pushing laws that would claw back economic incentive dollars if companies recognize unions without requiring a secret ballot election. Every major southern auto plant has received state economic development assistance.
MICHIGAN: State House staffers seek higher pay, protection from retaliation in unionization effort
April 12, 2024 // Saliby: I know House Speaker Joe Tate is aware of the effort. So obviously, the organizing is proceeding and people have not been fired. But I want to talk more directly to you — have you talked about unionizing with Representative Edwards? Is she supportive? Berdy: Yes. She was one of the first people I went to. I let her know, "Hey, this is something I'm interested in doing. Would you support me and or, you know, put your neck on the line for me too?" Because we haven't had any retaliation from either side at attempting to do this, but if that had been the case, I wanted to make sure that at least you know, some of the representatives would have my back. Because if I got fired, that would be hard for me to find a job because most of my career I've worked in Lansing.
‘Make It A Union Town’: Harvard Labor Organizers Discuss Push to Unionize at HLS Event
April 4, 2024 // Last month, HAW-UAW and Harvard reached an agreement allowing the group to hold a unionization election in early April, bypassing a lengthy union recognition hearing process with the National Labor Relations Board. If the vote to unionize succeeds, HAW-UAW will begin preparing to bargain with the University. Given said the renewed push to unionize Harvard has been a “long time coming.” In response to all of the frustrations expressed, Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement that “Harvard is committed to the democratic process, respects the individuals’ right to choose whether or not to be represented by a union, and strongly believes that voters should make the choice that is right for them.”
Commentary: Biden pursues organized labor’s agenda through regulation
March 14, 2024 // The OSHA “walkaround” rule flies in the face of a regulation that stipulates that people who accompany an OSHA inspector must be employed by the company under inspection. Under the proposed rule, OSHA representatives would have to simply state that a union official was “reasonably necessary” to the inspection to bring that individual to the site. The walk-around rule presents an opportunity for union organizers to collect information or otherwise infiltrate nonunion workplaces, a clear attempt by OSHA to give unions a leg up in organizing drives. Another example is the Securities and Exchange Commission’s universal proxy rule, which forces companies to include management and dissident shareholder nominees on a single proxy card in contested elections. The rule enabled a coalition of our nation’s largest and most militant unions to extract new concessions from Starbucks by threatening to mount a hostile takeover attempt of the coffee company’s board. Unions will continue to exploit the universal proxy rule to bring other publicly traded companies to the table with threats of a hostile takeover.
GEORGIA: Bill would require companies receiving incentives to use secret union ballots
February 16, 2024 // "Senate Bill 362 is designed to stop organized labor from pressuring its way into small businesses and other workplaces," NFIB State Director Hunter Loggins said in a statement. "Union leaders want the power to force workers to say in front of their co-workers and union organizers whether they support the idea of joining the union. Union leaders know full well how intimidating and coercive that would be.
IN POSSIBLE TEST OF FEDERAL LABOR LAW, GEORGIA COULD MAKE IT HARDER FOR SOME WORKERS TO JOIN UNIONS
February 12, 2024 // he state Senate voted 31-23 on Thursday for a bill backed by Gov. Brian Kemp that would bar companies that accept state incentives from recognizing unions without a formal secret-ballot election. That would block unions from winning recognition from a company voluntarily after signing up a majority of workers, in what is usually known as a card check. Senate Bill 362 moves to the House for more debate. Union leaders and Democrats argue the bill violates 1935’s National Labor Relations Act, which governs union organizing, by blocking part of federal law allowing companies to voluntarily recognize unions that show support from a majority of employees.
Holden Forests & Gardens workers are unionizing
February 8, 2024 // "The current gulf in understanding between our board, leadership and workforce promotes a lack of transparency and a decision-making process that rarely includes the voices of those most directly impacted." By the numbers: HF&G has 173 employees, but it's unknown how many would be in the bargaining unit.
City Lights Workers Establish a Union
January 30, 2024 // At City Lights, Toledo cited “strikingly low pay, despite working at one of the most famous independent bookstores in the world,” as well as “no grievance process of any kind.” She noted that “the overwhelming majority of us, if not all of us, are low income in one of the most expensive parts of California and have housing situations to reflect it.” Some bookselling hires come on board at San Francisco’s minimum wage, which is presently $18.07/hour, although others with additional responsibilities—Toledo was hired to be in charge of consignment—earn slightly more. Toledo also expressed concern that there is “a total dearth of communication surrounding the direction of the publishing part of City Lights.” Union staffers see a need for greater transparency between the company's bookselling and publishing sides. “We have had a busy year for the store, and some of the newer titles from publishing are doing quite well,” Toledo said. City Lights, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023, is known as a bastion of radical literature, free speech activism, and social justice, although its staffers have not until now been unionized.
Planned Parenthood Northern California workers move to unionize
January 25, 2024 // Planned Parenthood Northern California workers announced their unionization efforts today at all of the nonprofit’s 18 regional locations, including a San Francisco health center at 1522 Bush St. A “supermajority” of the organization’s hundreds of clinicians, nurses, social workers, administrative and support staff voiced their support for the forthcoming union, PPNorCal United, through union authorization cards, according to Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which PPNorCal United intends to join. Chelsea Fink, a communications specialist with SEIU 1021, said the union drive grew rapidly over the past two months, fueled by the short staffing and scheduling issues that have plagued Planned Parenthood since the Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion rights in June 2022.
Workers at Tacoma Art Museum vote unanimously to unionize
November 21, 2023 // With the vote, the union will join the Washington Federation of State Employees, [AFSCME Council 28/WFSE] part of the nationwide American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents some 10,000 cultural institution workers nationwide. Significant about TAMWU’s bargaining unit is the inclusion of employees from multiple museum departments. Museum workers across the country have struggled to bargain as a whole and have been split into separate unions. Often, workers at museums are separated into unions based on positions, like the security guard union at the Seattle Art Museum and at the Frye Art Museum.