The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Andrew Spar, the President of the Florida Education Association (FEA), the union of Florida's teachers, and Emilio Azoy, the President of AFSCME Local 121, which represents over 1,800 Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department workers. Watch now to learn about Governor Ron Desantis' attack on public sector unions in Florida and how unions in the state are combatting his legislation.”

Washington – Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, the AFL-CIO announced its enthusiastic support for the Harris–Walz ticket. Other unions quickly followed suit. “By selecting Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris chose a principled fighter and Labor champion  who will stand up for working people and strengthen this historic ticket,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

“The process of union certification is a critical area of labor rights, acting as a precursor to collective bargaining. One method, card check, simplifies this process by allowing workers to express their desire for union representation through majority sign-up. Because it reduces opportunities for employer interference and expedites union certification, card check has come under significant fire from those who oppose unions.”

“Continuing a decades long tradition, union members and staffers stepped up to volunteer for the National Council of Jewish Women’s (NCJW) 24th annual Back to School! Store, which this year served more than 2,100 children. On July 30, the union helpers unloaded trailers of brand new backpacks, school supplies, books, coats, hats, gloves, socks, shoes, and personal care items and other essentials for underserved elementary school children throughout the St. Louis Greater Metropolitan area needed to start the school year with confidence and self-esteem. Other volunteers then created a comprehensive backpack of the various materials.”

“Part 1 of our analysis of the results of Power At Work’s Quarterly Labor Issues Survey (Q3 2024) analyzed labor insiders’ and knowledgeable outsiders’ predictions of how union members would vote in the 2024 elections and the outcomes of those elections. In Part 2, this post will discuss our respondents’ assessments of events that strengthened and weakened worker power during the first half of 2024.”

“Towering cranes pierce the sky, contrasting with the rural surroundings. It’s an early morning in June, the air already gauzy and thick, and construction is humming at the Toyota Battery mega-site in Liberty, North Carolina. Trucks and other heavy machines dart in and out of the complex. A line of food trucks is tucked around the corner, alongside a dozen tour buses used to move workers.”

“Labor unions are among Kamala Harris’ most fervent backers in her run for president, and federal employee unions especially so. Not only do they love her unabashed support for labor, they also fear what her opponent Donald Trump might do if he’s elected president again. It’s not hyperbole to say that since becoming vice president, Harris has played a key role in bringing federal employee unions back from the brink.”

“State lawmakers, responding to a report that the agency charged with ensuring worker safety in California has sharply cut back on enforcement of outdoor heat-protection laws, said new legislation is needed to protect employees amid escalating periods of extreme heat. Their comments addressed an investigation by Capital & Main that found that field inspections by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, dropped by nearly 30% between 2017 and 2023. The number of violations issued to employers during that period fell by more than 40%.”

“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created over 50 years ago to ensure safe workplaces for American workers. But American workers continue to get injured, sick, and killed in the workplace: sweltering under record-breaking heat, crushed in trenches, falling off of buildings, ground up in machinery, assaulted by patients, and sickened by chemicals. The OSHA law permits states to have their own OSHA programs covering all workers. These programs must be ‘at least as effective’ as federal OSHA, but they can also be more effective than the federal program. So it’s a breath of fresh air that some of the 21 full OSHA state programs are seeking to break out of the straitjackets imposed by paltry budgets, aging laws, and unrelenting political and legal assaults, by implementing innovative policies to protect workers.”

“A federal judge in Texas has blocked the Federal Trade Commission from moving forward with its ban on noncompete agreements, jeopardizing a major reform pursued by President Joe Biden. U.S. District Judge Ada E. Brown of the Northern District of Texas issued the nationwide order on Tuesday, just two weeks before the rule was slated to go into effect. Brown, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, ruled that the FTC does not have the power to pursue such a broad ban and called it ‘arbitrary and capricious.’ Employers use noncompete agreements to prevent workers from taking jobs with competing firms. Once the domain of higher-paid, executive-level positions, the agreements are now found throughout the economy, including in low-wage sectors.”

“Michael Rubke, a desk attendant at La Rive condo complex in Minneapolis, is fighting for a union against a behemoth building management company, FirstService Residential of Minnesota, that has a near-monopoly on high-rise condos in the Twin Cities. It’s been a difficult battle so far. The unionization campaign is “at square one,” the 41-year-old explained over the phone after working an overnight shift. “They’re pretending we’re not there.””

“On August 12, program and community organizers at the Planned Parenthood health center in Lansing, Mich., joined UFCW Local 951. This organizing win marks the second Planned Parenthood health center to join UFCW Local 951, which represents medical assistants at the Planned Parent health center in Kalamazoo.”

“Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed union-busting continues as the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) mails out ballots to Miami-Dade County Public School union members to determine the union’s future. Ballots were mailed out on Aug. 13 to United Teachers of Dade (UTD) members, and significant controversy and strategic maneuvering surrounds the process. The election has drawn intense scrutiny from political consultants, union leaders, and educators as another tactic to dismantle the local teachers’ union and further derail public education across the state. Jeffrey Garcia, a political consultant working with the union, provided insight into the election and the broader implications of the voting process. According to Garcia, the ballot presents three options for teachers: to continue with the current United Teachers of Dade, to reject union representation altogether, or to switch to the Miami-Dade Education Coalition (MDEC), a newer group that has been aggressively campaigning against UTD and is directly funded by the Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank behind anti-union policies and censorship in education, including Senate Bill 256.”

“ITHACA – After months of negotiations, over 1,000 UAW members have walked out on strike at Cornell University, as the university has failed to present a fair package and has not bargained in good faith, stalling and retaliating against protected union activity by the workers.”

“After nearly two years of bargaining, unionized journalists at the LexisNexis-owned newsroom are ready to walk off the job in September. NEW YORK – Unionized editorial workers at LexisNexis-owned Law360 have put management on notice that they will walk off the job on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike in September unless there’s real progress in rectifying the harm caused by the company’s unlawful tactics and at the bargaining table.”

“Hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE today published a guide of travel tips to help hotel guests plan for possible strikes across the United States. Thousands of hotel workers in nine cities have now authorized strikes at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotels, but hotels rarely notify guests of a strike, and travelers sometimes learn of a strike only upon arriving at their hotel and being met by a boisterous picket line. The union launched the travel guide ahead of Labor Day weekend, when millions of Americans are planning travel.”

“Belvidere, IL – On Thursday, August 22nd, UAW members and leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, and Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen, will rally in Belvidere, Illinois to call on Stellantis to keep the commitment the company made to reopen Belvidere Assembly and invest in thousands of jobs in that community.”

“After 22 months on strike, CWA members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (CWA Local 14827, Local 14842, and TNG-CWA Local 38061) were vindicated on Wednesday when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed for an injunction against the company for its unlawful behavior during and leading to the country’s longest-running strike. In the filing, the NLRB argues that the Post-Gazette has demonstrated that it will not follow federal labor law without a federal judge forcing it to do so.”

“Registered nurses (RNs) at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California, voted late last week with 89% supporting the ratification of a new three-year contract. The RNs are represented by the California Nurses Association, an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), and have been bargaining for this agreement since April of this year. Thanks to the bargaining unit’s unfaltering unity—including during an informational picket in June—members are celebrating a powerful new contract that secures critical provisions members need to continue delivering quality care to patients. Highlights of the deal include strengthened health and safety measures, the establishment of an equity and inclusion committee focused on diversity, language to ensure nurses can take their breaks with safe staffing levels and a 14.5% across-the-board wage increase over the three-year term.”

“Costco Teamsters were forced to suspend negotiations for a new National Master Agreement after the wholesale giant, despite its claims of being pro-union, refused to accept a card check agreement that would make it easier for nonunion Costco workers to join the Teamsters. The current national contract, first negotiated in 2022, is up for renewal and protects more than 18,000 workers across the country. The contract expires January 31, 2025.”

“Albany, NY – Yesterday the New York Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) ruled in several cases involving farms in New York contesting the UFW’s certification as the collective bargaining representative for these farms’ workers. In each case, the UFW’s certification was upheld and the growers’ objections were rejected.”

“RWDSU/UFCW members at six Guitar Center locations in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Nevada recently ratified a new contract. The three-year contract includes an increased minimum wage rate for every position, which will continue to go up every year of the agreement. Tenured employees received an additional seniority wage adjustment. The contract also maintains the union health plan with the addition of a short-term disability benefit.”