Posts tagged Washington D.C.
Op-Ed: Union leaders need Trump more than he needs them
July 18, 2024 // Collective bargaining is a right and workers should be supported in it when that represents an honest expression of their collective will. It’s part of the First Amendment’s right to “peaceably” assemble. However, that’s not the same thing as accepting the claims of leaders like O’Brien that they need more leverage to pressure workers into joining unions for their own good. Workers can make their own choices. O’Brien spoke to the GOP convention in part because many of his own members are already Trump supporters and he needed to demonstrate to his folks that he’s willing to at least talk. Trump has thus far avoided catering to union leaders and has instead talked directly to the workers. It has worked for him too, getting the Teamsters boss to sing his praises. In short, O’Brien needs Trump more than Trump needs him.
Compass Coffee union election on hold over challenged ballots
July 18, 2024 // More than 100 workers from seven Compass Coffee shops voted Tuesday on whether to unionize, but after all the ballots were cast, nothing was resolved in this contentious battle between union organizers and the Washington-based company that has been accused of hiring dozens of new employees to dilute the vote. All 22 workers whose ballots went unchallenged voted in favor of a union, according to tallies from the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday. But union organizers and Compass representatives challenged 101 ballots, which puts the issue in the NLRB’s hands.
WASHINGTON D.C.: Sofitel Lafayette Square Employees Have Successfully Obtained Secret Ballot Vote to Remove Unite Here Union from Hotel
May 28, 2024 // After Unite Here union officials imposed union control over hotel employees without a secret ballot vote, workers at Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square have successfully obtained an election to remove the union. Sofitel employee Mwandu Chibwe submitted on May 15 a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a decertification election at her workplace. Ms. Chibwe is receiving free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Op-Ed: Many federal public union employees remain AWOL
May 28, 2024 // "I'll get these people back to work if I have to send in troops to get them." – Joe Biden In response to Biden's plans to end "federal work at home offices" last week, the White House Office of Management issued a time sensitive guidance for agencies to “substantially increase productive in-person work at Federal offices, particularly at headquarters and their equivalents.” Biden's mandate went over like a lead balloon with federal unionized employees who were told that Biden's harsh decree to return to work possibly violated their union contract.
America’s freelance capitals, ranked
May 22, 2024 // Freelancers account for 4.1% of the U.S. labor force, per the report — and many seem to be finding success, with 43% reporting a revenue bump last year... What they found: The country's freelancers seem a generally optimistic bunch, with 55% expecting to earn more this year than in 2023. 29% of freelancers also have a traditional job, though the share who solely freelance hit 71% in 2023, compared to 61% in 2021. A "striking" 75% of freelancers with a full-time gig say they're highly satisfied with their side hustle, per the report, compared to just 47% who feel the same way about their day jobs.
Journalists turn to picket lines as the news business ails
February 16, 2024 // At the L.A. Times, where Schleuss got his start as a labor activist, owner Soon-Shiong made deep cuts last June and again last month, saying he is losing tens of millions of dollars a year on the paper. He says the union's refusal to give him greater leeway in making job cuts in January forced him to lay off more journalists. He had offered buyouts in exchange for relaxing protections by seniority. The union instead went out on strike.
Kaiser Permanente union workers poised to strike after contract expires
October 2, 2023 // More than 75,000 workers at the largest nonprofit private health-care provider in the United States are poised to strike Wednesday after negotiations failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. The workers’ contract with Kaiser Permanente expired Saturday with disagreements still simmering over staffing levels, which unions have made a focus of their demands, along with better pay and benefits. The Coalition of Kaiser Unions on Monday accused Kaiser of negotiating in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices. Workers will strike Wednesday morning if Kaiser executives do not take “dramatic action now to solve the Kaiser short staffing crisis by investing in its workforce,” the coalition said in a statement to CNBC.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom to name former Kamala Harris advisor to Feinstein Senate seat
October 2, 2023 // Butler's biography on the Emily's List says she currently lives in Maryland, but that line was deleted from the website Sunday evening within hours of the news of her appointment. Newsom's office told ABC News that Butler moved to the Washington D.C. area when she became president of EMILY's List in 2021 but she is a longtime resident and homeowner in California, and will re-register in the state before being sworn in.
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers threaten strike if labor agreement not reached
September 25, 2023 // The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions warned Kaiser that more than 75,000 workers will strike in early October if an agreement is not reached by the end of next week. The unions say understaffing has led to dangerous wait times for patients. Kaiser Permanente is the largest nonprofit health-care organization in the U.S. serving nearly 13 million patients. Kaiser has called the unions’ claims misleading and urged employees to resist a call for a strike.
DC restaurant workers claim attempt to unionize caused popular eatery to close
May 25, 2023 // In a statement to partners at 7News, IHG Hotels & Resorts, the owners of The Wharf’s InterContinental Hotel, announced that it will be parting ways with Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien and options are “being explored for a new concept” to replace the restaurant. The closure comes more than a month after the restaurant made Food and Wine’s “10 Best Restaurants in the U.S.”