Posts tagged working conditions
A group of Dash’s Market employees want to unionize, but not everyone agrees
July 8, 2025 // “This is not a big corporation. This is a local, family-owned grocery chain, so I don't feel like it's necessary,” Dash's employee Adam Colin said in front of the Hertel store. “They're very understanding. They give you the time off when you need it. They're just giving you free food sometimes if you work long enough,” added another employee outside of the store. Dash’s President Mark Mahoney was also outside with employees who oppose the union but declined to comment when asked about the claims.
Dash’s Market workers seek to unionize
July 6, 2025 // Workers United has been active in organizing employees at many Starbucks locations around the country, as well as workers at Spot Coffee. Dash’s Market, which reportedly employs about 500 workers, celebrated 100 years in the grocery industry in 2023. The company was founded by Joe Dash’s grandparents, and the family also operated as a franchisee of the Tops Friendly Markets chain for many years.
Philadelphia teachers have voted to authorize a strike. Here’s what to know
June 20, 2025 // Ten percent of the district’s budget comes from federal dollars, and the Trump administration has threatened various cuts to those funding streams. The district is also facing a fiscal shortfall of more than $300 million for 2026. Superintendent Tony Watlington and other officials decided to extract 40% of the district’s rainy day fund to cover the difference and stave off budget and programming cuts for one more year, but the deficit is set to keep ballooning in size. The district in March blamed inflation, employee salaries and benefits, and charter school payments for the growing expenses. The union has stood staunchly in opposition to charter expansion, with President Steinberg harshly criticizing the Board of Education for approving a new charter school in recent weeks.
The Providence City Council has passed 14 pro-union resolutions. What’s behind the push?
June 20, 2025 // Last month, Miller and Councilors Justin Roias and Miguel Sanchez joined striking workers at the Butler Hospital picket line. The council is currently considering an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance that would exempt striking workers, following a series of $500 fines issued against those at Butler Hospital for violating the ordinance. Miller has a background in labor organizing, but she said that everybody on the council is passionate about supporting working-class people in Providence and that’s why they prioritize causes such as addressing the city's housing and affordability crisis.
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.
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.

County workers vote to unionize (Fairfax County, Virginia)
June 4, 2025 // First, however, the county must recognize the vote’s result. Thousands of workers can negotiate their pay, work benefits, and conditions through the union if recognized. “This historic victory is the result of nearly two decades of tireless organizing,” LaNoral Thomas, president of SEIU Virginia 512, told the Fairfax County Times. “Our union, alongside allies in the labor movement, played a leading role in overturning a 45-year ban on collective bargaining in Virginia.” “The journey began in 2006 when the founding president of our Fairfax Chapter began organizing, following a tragic workplace fatality. Her leadership and the unwavering dedication of workers across the county have led us to this pivotal moment,” Thomas continued.
BUFFALO: Nursing home workers begin strike at 5 facilities
May 21, 2025 // Late Monday night, 1199SEIU announced that it had reached two three-year agreements for nursing home workers at Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Williamsville and Schofield Residence in Tonawanda. The union also withdrew strike notices at four more facilities: Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Center, Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, and The Grand at Delaware Park. Among the remaining facilities set to strike, several are owned by The McGuire Group, which released a statement assuring residents and families that care would continue uninterrupted.
Jennifer Abruzzo Wants Workers to Fight Back
May 14, 2025 // On May 5, Workday Magazine interviewed Abruzzo, who has since returned to the Communications Workers of America, as a senior advisor to the president. We talked about how protected concerted activity can include Gaza protests, why it’s a shame that domestic workers and farm workers are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, and what workers can do to fight back in the Trump era. “It’s up to the people to actually use their power and flex their muscles in order to get the changes that they deem are appropriate,” she says, “so that they can live the lives that they deserve with dignity and respect.

LETTER: Congress must reject proposed job-killing labor legislation
April 20, 2025 // However, a new threat to Kansas business owners has emerged in the form of a legislative framework that the Institute for the American Worker has dubbed the “PRO Act Lite,” modeled after the failed policies of Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressive lawmakers. While it may come with a new label, the substance remains the same. This proposal would drive up labor costs, stifle economic opportunity, and make it significantly harder for employers to create jobs.