The Weekly Download

“Responding to the first Power At Work Quarterly Labor Issues Survey, labor insiders and knowledgeable outsiders predicted that union membership would increase in 2024, with the largest percentage increase coming in the private sector rather than the state and local government or federal government sectors. Survey responses suggested that these labor insiders and knowledgeable outsiders do not believe unions’ membership growth in 2024 would be sufficient to increase union density in the United States. A plurality of respondents predicted the UAW would increase its membership at a faster rate than other unions. Respondents also expect that strike activity in 2024 will equal or exceed 2023’s elevated level of strike activity.”

“This surge in student worker organizing reflects a recent trend, with support for unions at record highs, especially among young workers. Petitions for union representation elections are up 35% at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) compared with last year, building upon significant increases over the last few years. The NLRB has also helped streamline the representation election process by adopting new rules that have cut the time between election petition and election from 105 days last year to 59 days. Young workers, including student workers, were a large part of the increase in union membership last year.”

“Mercedes put on an ‘A-level boss fight.’  Which was only to be expected. So how can the union win next time?”

“Disneyland Resort employees who portray costumed characters such as Mickey Mouse or Cinderella have voted to unionize under the Actors’ Equity Assn. The unit, which consists of 1,700 people, voted 953 in favor of unionization and 258 against, Actors’ Equity said Saturday night on the social media platform X. Of the votes tallied, 79% were pro-union. The results of the vote, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, come after a three-day election period in which employees, known as “cast members” in Disney parlance, placed their votes at three polling sites in Disneyland. The employees announced their intent to unionize in February.”

“Laboratory technicians and assistants at Oregon locations of the multibillion-dollar multinational testing chain Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (better known as Labcorp) took part in a groundbreaking union election this month. The results came in with a resounding win for labor, as all seven locations involved in the election voted to unionize. The percentage of workers that voted to unionize in the May 1-3 election was, if not totally unprecedented, at least remarkably high at 86 percent; for a union election, such a rate is practically unanimous. Several factors underlie the widespread assent found among Labcorp employees — their resounding certainty regarding the necessity of a union speaks to both the effectiveness of organizers and the camaraderie and solidarity among staff, as well as the difficult conditions in which they labor.”

“Citing pay and job security, nearly 2,000 eligible biomedical research workers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) are looking to form a union through Oregon AFSCME. A strong majority of those workers submitted union authorization cards to the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB) on April 26. OHSU research workers at OHSU are on the cutting edge of live-saving biomedical research focusing on a range of topics, including cancer, ALS and seizure disorders, coronaviruses and mental health disorders. Eligible workers who signed cards range from scientists to clerical staff to software/analytical tool makers.”

“Postdoctoral researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a private nonprofit institution in the Bronx, have unionized with a 152-to-32 vote. Einstein Researchers United, the new union, said postdocs voted Wednesday and Thursday. It said it will represent about 230 workers. The union is affiliated with the UAW. Brandon Mancilla, director of the UAW region that contains New York City, said in a news release that the postdocs ‘overcame intense opposition from the Einstein administration to win their union.’”

“Uber wants you to think “innovation” and “diversification” are the reason they finally turned a profit in 2023. The real reason? The company raised prices 65% in 5 years while taking a bigger cut from drivers. They even admitted it all. We have the proof.”

“As university encampments have become the center of American popular resistance to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the most powerful voices in the country calling for a cease-fire continue to be labor unions. For many, the logical next step after endorsing a cease-fire would be for unions to take more concrete actions to press this demand. The problem for unions is figuring out how to maximize pressure on the corporate and political classes who enthusiastically (and profitably) support Israel’s apartheid regime and genocide in Gaza, given that US labor law intentionally restricts the ability of unions to use workplace actions for political ends — like striking to stop a war.”

“Before the ink was even dry on President Joe Biden’s executive order on the use of project labor agreements for large federally funded infrastructure projects, some interest groups started crying foul and filing lawsuits. While courts will ultimately adjudicate the legal merits of these claims, the bigger and more important question is what real-world data tells us about project labor agreements. How do PLAs impact projects out in the country, their workers and the construction industry as a whole? New research suggests that they have a positive effect, bringing more cost-saving efficiencies to projects for businesses and the taxpayers who foot the bills while strengthening and diversifying our infrastructure workforce.”

“April 1, 2024, marked the 33rd anniversary of the federal law that permits employers to pay tipped workers a cash wage of just $2.13 per hour, which is $5.12 per hour less than the federal minimum wage for the rest of the workforce. But federal law also mandates that all workers are due the full federal $7.25 minimum wage. So, what gives? The customers do! The two-tiered wage system that exists in the US today was legalized in 1966 when the landmark Roosevelt-era Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was amended. The 1966 amendment extended labor protections to service workers, but it also allowed for much of the newly covered workforce to be paid a subminimum wage that was originally half of the regular minimum.”

“The University of California has asked the state for an injunction to force striking graduate students back to work. Hundreds of grad students at UC Santa Cruz walked off the job Monday in protest of the university system’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Their union, United Auto Workers Local 4811, has warned that the walkouts could soon spread to other campuses across the state. The university asked the state labor relations board on Tuesday to enjoin the strike, arguing that the work stoppage is illegal. If the request succeeds, the strikers would lose legal protections should they refuse to return to work.”

“Virginia is becoming union strong as more and more IAFF locals are winning contracts in a state that recently approved collective bargaining. One of the latest is Prince William County Local 2598. ‘This is a big moment for us as this contract was decades in the making,’ Local 2598 President Mitch Nason said. ‘It means we have a guaranteed seat at the table as decisions are being made about our livelihood, working conditions, wages and benefits.’ Key provisions of the contract include a cost-of-living wage adjustment each year for the life of the deal, paid family medical leave, and a stipend for paramedics, HazMat technicians and technical rescue personnel.”

“Workers at New Flyer's Anniston, Alabama facility have achieved a monumental victory by overwhelmingly ratifying their first union contract with an astounding 99.39% of union members voting in favor. This resounding endorsement underscores the significance of the contract and reflects the strong collective support among workers for the gains achieved through negotiations. This triumph not only signifies a significant step forward for the employees at New Flyer but also marks a watershed moment in Southern labor history, where unions are making strides in traditionally anti-union territory. Represented by the International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA), the industrial division of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), these workers have secured a landmark agreement with the largest transit bus manufacturer in North America enhancing their wages, benefits, and workplace rights.”

“On Monday, 72% of participating union members at Mobilization for Justice (MFJ) voted to ratify the contract offer presented by MFJ Management last week. Pending MFJ Board ratification, this agreement will conclude the Union’s nearly three-month strike — the longest NYC legal services strike since 1991 — with major victories including double digit raises for MFJ’s lowest paid workers.”

“In this blogcast,  Professor Orly Lobel joins the Burnes Center for Social Change and the Power at Work Blog to discuss her new book The Equality Machine - Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future. Burnes Center Senior Fellow and former top White House labor policy advisor and Deputy U.S. Secretary of Labor Professor Seth Harris moderated the discussion. The conversation continued the Burnes Center’s Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI lecture series and was recorded live on May 16th. The Equality Machine is a contrarian constructive response to debates on AI, automation, and datafication. The book examines distributive justice and the potential – as well as risks – of digital technology to tackle inequities in our labor markets, media, government, health, family, and intimate relations.”

“Mary Kay Henry had one big success and one big disappointment in her 14 years as president of the Service Employees International Union, which is one of the biggest and most politically powerful in the United States. Henry, who chose not to run for re-election and stepped down on Monday, spearheaded the successful campaign to raise wages to $15 an hour or more for many of America’s lowest-paid workers, particularly in fast food and home care. “Since 2012, more than 26 million workers have won higher pay to the tune of $150 billion,” nearly half of them workers of color, the National Employment Law Project said in a tribute to Henry after she announced she would not seek re-election.”

“Amazon STL8 fulfillment center worker Wendy Taylor recently stood with U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) to introduce the Warehouse Worker Protection Act. The measure, if passed, would protect all warehouse workers, drivers, subcontractors, and “temp” workers by requiring quota transparency, limiting surveillance, and securing worker rights to organize. The federal bill builds on statewide legislation that workers have fought to pass in New York, California, and Minnesota and is the result of years of worker organizing at the Amazon STL8 warehouse in St. Peters, Missouri.”

“They’ve really stepped in it. The incumbent Unity Caucus that runs the huge teachers union in New York City is facing a challenge from the Retiree Advocate slate who hope to take leadership of the powerful 70,000-person retiree chapter within the union. Ballots were mailed May 10 and will be counted June 14. The rallying issue has been the United Federation of Teachers’ collusion with the city to put municipal retirees, including retired teachers, into a for-profit Medicare Advantage plan run by Aetna. The plan would replace their traditional Medicare, which is provided premium-free along with a cost-free wraparound.”