Posts tagged West Virginia

    Kentucky Coinkydink

    May 4, 2023 // The teachers who conducted the Kentucky sickout were officially unaffiliated with the Kentucky Education Association. They formed a Facebook group and called it KY 120 United. After the protests were over, they solidified their organization and eventually turned it into a union, affiliating with AFT, which previously had no real presence in the state. KY 120 United has had an uneasy relationship with KEA ever since. KY 120 United was recognized as a labor organization by the Fayette County Schools in 2021, but the school board rescinded that recognition last month, stating that the union had failed to file required paperwork. A district spokesperson said the union had to “show through bylaws and a democratic method that they represent our employees in order to ensure this is truly a representative group.”

    Senate panel advances Biden Labor nominee Julie Su

    April 26, 2023 // “Today’s party-line vote is another reminder that Julie Su is no Marty Walsh, who advanced in a bipartisan 18-4 vote only two years ago,” said Michael Layman, a top lobbyist at the International Franchise Association, in a statement following Wednesday’s vote. The AFL-CIO is fighting back, running ads in Arizona and D.C. backing Su’s efforts to counter wage theft in California. The ads tell viewers that workers are “tired of getting ripped off by big corporations.” The labor federation is also mobilizing its members to lobby senators. “We’re going to defend Julie against these baseless corporate special interests attacks,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told reporters last week. “Every senator, especially those that haven’t yet said that they’ll vote yes, needs to be aware of how much this confirmation means to working people’s lives.”

    Biden’s ‘nightmare’ Labor nominee under fire from small businesses, contract workers

    April 5, 2023 // "As the chief enforcer of AB 5, Julie Su was a nightmare for freelancers and small businesses in California. She has no business being Labor Secretary after her track of failure," said Freelancers Against AB 5 founder Karen Anderson. Wes Snyder, the owner of a FASTSIGNS franchise in Arizona, criticized Su’s stance on franchise liability. "This business model gives anyone the opportunity to experience the transformative power of entrepreneurship while strengthening their local communities," he said. "Julie Su wants to rob us of this opportunity – she will turn the American dream into the American nightmare."

    Video: ALEC’s Labor of Love: A History of Championing Worker Freedom

    March 10, 2023 // Today, ALEC debuts its first episode, “Worker Freedom,” in our 50th anniversary video series. The episode features ALEC champions Scott Walker (45th Governor of Wisconsin), Matt Hall (Michigan House Minority Leader and ALEC Board of Directors Member), and Vinnie Vernuccio (Senior Fellow, Mackinac Center), discussing ALEC’s pivotal role in securing Worker Freedom policy wins across the states. In some states, private sector workers can be forced to join, leave, or pay fees to a union as job requirement. The Right-to-Work Act, which ALEC task forces approved as a model policy, provides a solution to this issue. It prevents private employers from requiring or banning union membership (or fees) as conditions for employment, giving workers in Right-to-Work states a guaranteed right to support a union or not to support a union without this choice affecting their hiring or job security.

    Which States Are Best for Remote Workers?

    March 2, 2023 // Remote work has proliferated as a work arrangement since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. While its popularity has declined since its Spring 2020 peak, remote work remains far more common today than it was before the pandemic (see Figure 1). Research from Nicholas Bloom and others found that last month, nearly 13 percent of workers were fully remote, and an additional 28 percent worked in a hybrid arrangement.

    As Federal Cash Flows to Unions, Democrats Hope to Reap the Rewards

    February 13, 2023 // In places like West Virginia, money from three major laws passed by Congress is pouring into the alternative energy industry and other projects. “I think it’s a renaissance for the labor movement,” said one union official. Beyond the inflation act, Democrats, with help from a few Republicans, were able to add prevailing wage requirements to the semiconductor bill. And both the Energy and Transportation Departments are making clear that access to unions, payment of prevailing wages and commitments to local hiring will be big advantages for competitive bidders seeking infrastructure and highway electrification projects, though Republican governors like Joe Lombardo in Nevada are trying to block some of those requirements.

    Collins Aerospace workers locked out amidst contract negotiations

    May 25, 2022 // Workers said they want the public to know they are not on strike. Employees did tell 59 News that Collins Aerospace is in negotiations with their union to work out a new contract. Until then, they will not receive health insurance or paychecks.