Posts tagged wages
When Union Leaders Cross the Line
June 12, 2025 // SEIU represents hundreds of thousands of essential workers. Their focus should be on improving wages, working conditions, and safety, not interfering in federal law enforcement or fueling divisive political narratives. When union leaders act like activists first and representatives second, it is the workers who lose. This moment is a wake-up call. America needs unions that are fair, transparent, and focused on results, not organizations that tolerate or even celebrate lawbreaking from the top.
Sen. Hawley Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $15
June 10, 2025 // Some business advocacy groups still oppose minimum rate hikes, including Hawley's proposed bill. "This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs," Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said in a statement to The Hill. "An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers and shutter businesses."
Strike averted at N.J. hospital as nurses agree to contract
June 10, 2025 // If an agreement wasn’t reached, the nurses were slated to walk off the job Monday. The union had informed the hospital of the planned strike on May 29, under a National Labor Relations Board requirement that prohibits strikes at health care facilities without at least 10 days’ notice. Before Sunday’s deal, the union had charged Hackensack Meridian Health was resisting contractual language that would limit the number of patients nurses could be assigned. Hackensack Meridian Health countered that it had presented a proposal prioritizing safe staffing, but that the union refused to let its members vote on it.
Nurses walk off job at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital in labor dispute
June 10, 2025 // The hospital states that it staffs its hospitals based on patient volumes and other factors and that mandated staffing ratios hinder its ability to adapt to varying patient conditions. The two sides are also at odds over what the union claims is bad faith bargaining and alleges that they are being retaliated against.
Commentary– Kenyon: DHMC nurses mourn failed attempt at unionization
June 9, 2025 // The group of 50 or so registered nurses who led the effort at DHMC had outside help from the Northeast Nurses Association, which assists health care workers in four states in forming unions. Nela Hadzic, the group’s regional organizing director, spent enough time with DHMC nurses to see what they were up against.
Butler workers march, urge Care New England CEO to settle contract
June 4, 2025 // However, no progress was made and SEIU 1199NE claimed the hospital management’s latest offer provided “lower wages, higher health care costs, less on retirement and no movement on our workplace violence committee.” According to SEIU 1199NE, Butler Hospital told the workers it would not respond until sometime this week, despite the fact that the union members’ insurance benefits expired over the weekend. Nearly 800 workers began contract conversations with Butler and CNE in March, seeking competitive wages, paid training, stronger job safety protections, and improved benefits.
Unionized doctors picket outside Allina clinics in first for Minnesota
June 4, 2025 // Braving rain and willdfire-induced bad air, the physicians at times seemed unfamiliar with picket line practices: A SEIU staff member shouted out instructions on picketing — where to start walking and where to pivot back — before they started. More than once the group seemed to forget to keep moving and came to a standstill, while two people led competing chants at different paces, muddying what’s typically a clear call-and-response. But nevertheless, they got their point across. Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are sure to become more practiced in blue collar labor demonstrations in the years to come as unionization increases. Just this year, resident physicians at Hennepin Healthcare and the University of Minnesota unionized with SEIU’s Committee of Interns and Residents, one of the fastest growing health care unions in the country.
New Jersey Copycats California’s Job-Destroying Policy
June 3, 2025 // This proposal comes five years after the New Jersey legislature attempted and failed to codify the ABC test. A controversial bill in 2019–the same year that California passed AB5——failed to pass after loud public outcry from industries and independent contractors themselves. What policymakers could not enact through the law, they’re now seeking to advance through regulation.
How Today’s Young Workers Are Creating a New Opportunity for Unions
June 2, 2025 // A new survey from LaborStrong found that 77% of workers aged 18-28 believe union workplaces are better than non-union ones. More than half say unions should be tackling urgent issues like AI and automation this year — not sometime in the future. And 56% of Gen Z workers are actively seeking out unionized workplaces when considering where to work. This is not nostalgia for the labor battles of the past. It's a new generation's urgent search for collective strength in a world that feels increasingly unstable.
Faculty at School of Visual Arts in New York Unionize
June 1, 2025 // Adjunct faculty make up most of SVA’s teaching corps. According to labor organizers who spoke with Hyperallergic, which first reported the news, the adjunct model has eroded both financial security and morale. SVA has cited stagnant wages, heavier course loads and the loss of retirement contributions and paid sabbaticals, as reasons for unionizing.