Posts tagged wages
Op-Eds Union bosses almost blew the $2.5 billion Nippon deal. Don’t let them sabotage the next contract
August 13, 2026 // In 2025, USW held two significant strikes. One that put nearly 2,000 represented employees out of work for eight months, and another that forced 650 people out of work for five months. The strike likely cost these workers tens of millions collectively in lost wages. It also reported 615 employees earning more than $75,000, with an average total compensation of $107,476. The union paid its own staff more than 10 times what it paid in strike benefits. The terms were strong, as Nippon’s offer included $2.7 billion in capital investment earmarked specifically for USW facilities.
America Invented Elevators. Now We Suck at Building Them.
August 12, 2026 // The second big problem is labor unions. Specifically, the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC), which has a near monopoly on elevator installation and repair work in America. Labor costs are the single biggest part of installing a new elevator, and the IUEC likes it that way. Elevator construction is the highest-paid speciality construction job in the U.S., with hourly wages in excess of $51 in 2024. The union keeps those costs high by strictly controlling how many members it has: In 2021, more than 1,500 people applied to join New York City's local union of the IUEC. Only 115 were allowed to join.
United Academic Workers
August 8, 2026 // On campus, the same bloc has changed what a strike is about. In May 2024, UAW Local 4811 called a strike against the University of California over the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian encampments, demanding divestment from weapons manufacturers, amnesty for arrested protesters, and a right for researchers to opt out of military-tied funding. UC warned that the precedent would expose every public employer in California to work stoppages “advancing political and/or social viewpoints.” The UC contract ratified this March carried politics into the agreement itself, featuring a $400,000 legal fund for international workers and a commitment to “non-collaboration with ICE.” The bargaining committee described the deal as having “compelled management to side with workers and not with Trump.”
5 largest healthcare strikes in 2026, involving 76,000 workers
August 7, 2026 // Healthcare strikes in 2026 have drawn in tens of thousands of workers across hospitals, health systems and home care settings, with disputes centering on wages, staffing and contract terms. Becker’s has tracked 17 strikes so far this year.
Lewis Ginter CEO calls out union workers attempts to ‘smear and tarnish’ non-profit’s image amid labor contract dispute
August 6, 2026 // To date, we have opted to provide minimal comments to the broader media about negotiations in order to protect the Garden and respect the negotiating process. However, given the impact of the Machinists’ actions this past week, I’d like to use this opportunity to share some facts about negotiations. The Machinists union is a large international organization representing nearly 600,000 active and retired members across aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other large industries in North America. They are sustained by union dues collected by their members. We are either the first, or among the first, botanical garden and non-profit organization their local lodge has represented. In fact, unions in museums, gardens, zoos and cultural sites are rare and the Machinists has little experience supporting the nature of the work we do as a place-based cultural site.
Eric Carle Museum Staff Seek Union Vote
August 5, 2026 // Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers has petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to allow employees at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass., to vote on whether to unionize. The local represents museum, university, publishing, and nonprofit staff in New York and New England.
Op-ed: Dues & Don’ts: Unions are political — and union money is again driving opposition to initiatives
August 4, 2026 // Public unions do more than bargain over wages and working conditions. They endorse candidates and ballot measures, produce voter guides, use direct mail and other member communications to urge workers and their families who and what to support. They get into all sorts of campaign fights using treasuries built with members’ wages. The current election season displays this clearly. The Washington Education Association (WEA) opposes all three statewide measures slated for the November ballot: Initiative IL26-001, concerning parental rights in public schools, Initiative IL26-638, concerning participation in athletics at K-12 schools, and IP26-645, the initiative to repeal an income tax passed by Democratic state legislators earlier this year. (Unlike candidate contributions, which come from voluntary WEA-Political Action Committee donations, member dues may be used for ballot-initiative campaigns without separately obtaining each member’s approval for that particular campaign.)
Union declares impasse on Batavia Downs contract negotiations
August 4, 2026 // The United Public Service Employees Union Local 1222 declared an impasse on contract negotiations with Batavia Downs, with over 150 members picketing outside of the casino Friday. According to Western Regional Off Track Betting Human Resources Vice President Danielle Fleming, the dispute will move to mediation with an administrative law judge in September.
Councilman seeks contract fix for JTRAN union workers
August 3, 2026 // JTRAN workers said they plan to return to the picket line until they reach an agreement with MV Transportation that they find satisfactory. Stokes said he plans to bring the issue before the next Jackson City Council meeting in hopes of resolving the conflict and moving forward with a new contract.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act: What You Need to Know
July 31, 2026 // While the FLCA may accelerate the negotiation process for both the employer and the union to reach an initial contract, faster does not always mean better, and the binding arbitration provision sidelines the interests of both parties and leaves the decisions about worker pay, benefits, and working conditions in the hands of arbitrators acting under the auspices of the federal government. The arbitrary timelines under the FLCA, while making the negotiation process move faster, may not give sufficient time for both parties to reach an initial contract that best represents the interests of both sides, given all the facts and circumstances of the working arrangement.