Members phkrause Posted December 11, 2023 Author Members Posted December 11, 2023 Largest U.S. Teachers Union Allows Private Equity To Prey On Educators The National Education Association’s benefits arm is pushing high-fee, poorly performing retirement plans run by a firm accused of fraud and mismanagement. https://www.levernews.com/largest-u-s-teachers-union-allows-private-equity-to-prey-on-educators/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted January 24, 2024 Author Members Posted January 24, 2024 Share of unionized workers hits new low Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Axios Visuals The share of American workers who are members of a union hit a new low in 2023 — it's now 1 in 10, Axios Closer co-author Nathan Bomey writes from new data. The big picture: 2023 felt like a strong year for unions. The UAW scored record contracts from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis after an unprecedented strike. The Teamsters won concessions from UPS without a strike. Actors and writers unions got new deals from Hollywood after bruising work stoppages. And public opinion of unions is higher than it's been since 1965, according to Gallup. Yes, but: Unions represent a smaller share of the workforce than ever before. 14.4 million workers were union members in 2023, up from 14.3 million in 2022 — but the percentage fell because the workforce grew at a faster rate than union membership. Go deeper. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted February 16, 2024 Author Members Posted February 16, 2024 Ford CEO says company will rethink where it builds vehicles after last year’s autoworkers strike DETROIT (AP) — Last fall’s contentious United Auto Workers’ strike changed Ford’s relationship with the union to the point where it will “think carefully” about where it builds future vehicles, Ford’s top executive said Thursday. https://apnews.com/article/ford-auto-workers-contract-ceo-rethink-factory-locations-ed580b465d99219eb02ffe24bee3d2f7? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted February 16, 2024 Author Members Posted February 16, 2024 Amazon Is Afraid Of Its New Union Organizers On this week’s episode of Lever Time, producer Frank Cappello and reporter Amos Barshad are joined by union organizers Griffin Ritze and Fatou Souare, who are both involved in a current union drive at an Amazon warehouse in Kentucky. Griffin, an Amazon employee who was recently fired as alleged retaliation, and Fatou, a local community leader with the Kentucky African Women’s Association, speak to The Lever about the unique challenges of organizing a large, diverse workforce in one of Amazon’s largest locations — and what their efforts mean for the larger fight ahead against Amazon. https://www.levernews.com/lever-time-amazon-is-afraid-of-its-new-union-organizers/ Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted April 21, 2024 Author Members Posted April 21, 2024 🚗 South's union breakthrough Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Union supporters have renewed hopes of organizing in the South after the United Auto Workers scored a breakthrough victory late last night, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports. Why it matters: The South has historically been a no-go zone for unions at major private companies due to political, legal, cultural and business opposition. VW workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., voted 73% against 27% to become the only non-Detroit Three automotive assembly plant in the U.S. to be unionized. 🔭 Zoom out: The victory came after the UAW's two previous attempts to organize the VW factory in 2014 and 2019 failed by a narrow margin. But public support for unions just hit a near-six-decade high. The UAW is riding high after winning record contracts from GM, Ford and Stellantis. 👀 What to watch: The next milestone is the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County, Ala., where the UAW has secured a vote May 13-17. Keep reading. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted April 22, 2024 Author Members Posted April 22, 2024 Following the UAW’s wins against the Detroit Three, TN Volkswagen workers vote to join the union After the United Auto Workers (UAW) won big contracts last year resulting from its stand-up strike against the Detroit Three — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis — President Shawn Fain vowed that the union would take that momentum into organizing foreign auto companies in the U.S. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/04/21/following-the-uaws-wins-against-the-detroit-three-tenn-volkswagen-workers-vote-to-join-the-union/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted June 19, 2024 Author Members Posted June 19, 2024 😬 Dems' union problem Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Democratic lawmakers in battleground states are worried that their long-running support from union voters may be the latest casualty of a political realignment threatening President Biden's re-election. Republicans have focused on courting labor this year, and — even more concerning to Democrats — the head of one of the country's largest unions is making overtures to the GOP. 💰 In February, the Teamsters made its first major donation to the Republican National Committee since 2004 after its president, Sean O'Brien, met with former President Trump the previous month. O'Brien has since requested speaking slots at both the Republican and Democratic conventions. 🚗 Another sign of a potential shift: The United Auto Workers — a powerful force in battleground Michigan — waited until January to endorse Biden amid tensions over electric vehicles. 💪 The Biden administration has enacted policies strengthening unions, with Biden also taking the unprecedented step of visiting a UAW picket line last September before winning the group's endorsement. Biden says he's the "most pro-union president in history," and has racked up endorsements from dozens of unions, including many of the nation's largest. 👂 What we're hearing: One House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, chalked up O'Brien's dueling convention requests to his "ego," but said the move "doesn't mean Joe Biden doesn't have a union problem." The lawmaker suggested O'Brien is "playing to his members to some extent," adding: "He does have members who like Trump." "We need to be concerned," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), adding that although Democrats are the more pro-union party, "We can't just assume people are going to figure it out for themselves. We've got to tell the story." Another House Democrat said of union voters' apparent swing to the GOP: "Every Democrat knows that this is going to happen." 🧮 By the numbers: Biden did significantly better with union voters in 2020 than Hillary Clinton in 2016, but NBC polling in February found his strength against Trump in union households has diminished considerably. A March Quinnipiac poll of Michigan voters showed Biden with a 9-point edge over Trump with voters in union households — down from a 25-point lead in 2020 exit polling. 📉 The signs of slippage with union voters come as polling indicates drops in support for the president among other constituencies — Black, Arab and young voters — that are key to his success in swing states. Several Democrats expressed confidence that their party's pro-union record will translate into support from workers in November — and that unions courting both parties is nothing new. "We've always had people within the union movement, especially the building trades, try to be more bipartisan," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a Labor Caucus co-chair. He said the "overwhelming union viewpoint" favors Biden. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted August 29, 2024 Author Members Posted August 29, 2024 Americans embrace unions Data: Gallup. Chart: Axios Visuals Americans' views of labor unions are at a nearly 60-year high, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck reports from new Gallup data. Just 23% of Americans say they disapprove of labor unions — the lowest since 1967. 70% said they approve of unions. That's just 1 point shy of the record hit in 2022 — also a 57-year high. 🪧 Between the lines: Unions have seen a resurgence in recent years — with an uptick in strikes and organizing efforts, helped along by more positive public sentiment. The rising popularity of unions helps explain why the Trump campaign and other populist Republicans are courting labor — a stark break from the GOP's recent history. 📉 Reality check: The overall share of workers who are union members is just 10%, a record low. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted September 17, 2024 Author Members Posted September 17, 2024 States are pushing back with anti-labor laws as union popularity grows, policy experts say Growing union organizing across the country has triggered an anti-labor legislative response in some states, but cities and counties are increasingly pushing back, a new report found. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/09/17/states-are-pushing-back-with-anti-labor-laws-as-union-popularity-grows-policy-experts-say/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted September 17, 2024 Moderators Posted September 17, 2024 Disclosure: For nine years, I served as a Steward for the AFGE Labor Union. SDA Position: Membership in a Labor Union is a personal decision. It is permitted, but not encouraged in actual practice. Types of US Labor Unions: Labor Unions in the US age governed by three distinct sets of laws and therefor may be considered to be of three types. 1) The typical national labor union in the U. S. is what is normally reported in the news. It is allowed to strike and can negotiate just bout every work-place issue. They are governed by Federal law. 2) Federal employee labor unions are governed by a different set of Federal labor law. That law does not allow for a strike. Membership in the Union is voluntary. Some restrictions on the issues that can be negotiated exist. In return, the Federal agency must allow Union Officials (of which I was one) to perform Union activities while being paid by the Federal agency. So, if I went off for 40 hours of Union training, I retained my normal pay while I was taking that training. In addition, Federal agencies are required by the law to bargain in good faith with the Union. NOTE: As a point of interest, while I was a Steward, a 310 page national contract governed how the agency and the Union interacted with each other. So, I had to comply with that document. 3) Labor Unions for local and State employees, are normally subject to the laws of that State and generally not to federal law. Additional Comments: As I understand it, in Brazil, to be employed at a good job, you will likely be required to join a Labor Union. In England a Labor Union has defended the rights of Sabbath keepers to be free of working on the Sabbath. phkrause 1 Quote Gregory
Members phkrause Posted September 18, 2024 Author Members Posted September 18, 2024 Autoworkers United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain said Tuesday the union plans to hold strike authorization votes against Stellantis because the automaker is failing to live up to guarantees it made in a 2023 labor deal at the conclusion of a six-week strike. Stellantis — which makes vehicles in North America under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands — had 43,000 UAW members nationwide at 19 manufacturing facilities at the time of last year's strike. It is possible, since only some locals will be holding strike authorization votes, that only some plants will go on strike. But even a limited strike could affect operations at several Stellantis facilities. The automaker denied violating its contract and said it still had plenty of time to meet the agreed investment targets and vehicle production commitments. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted September 20, 2024 Author Members Posted September 20, 2024 Teamsters union The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse a presidential candidate on Wednesday after releasing internal polling that showed a majority of its members supported former President Donald Trump. The Teamsters, which represents truck drivers, freight workers and other workers, is the last major labor union to make an endorsement announcement. The nation's other major labor organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers, have backed Vice President Kamala Harris. An endorsement from the Teamsters — which counts members heavily represented in critical swing states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — would have been a crucial get for either candidate. The last time the Teamsters sat out a presidential election was 1996. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted October 7, 2024 Author Members Posted October 7, 2024 More Black and Latina women are leading unions - and transforming how they work Women make up roughly half of U.S. labor union membership, but representation in top level union leadership positions has lagged, even in female-dominated industries and particularly for women of color. https://apnews.com/article/labor-union-diversity-black-latina-women-leaders-0c186ea63ae8eebeaadb15e131b77a61? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
Members phkrause Posted January 29 Author Members Posted January 29 👷 Record low for unions Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart: Axios Visuals Union membership in the U.S. declined to the lowest level on record last year, Axios' Emily Peck writes from new Labor Department data. Why it matters: Unions would need to organize hundreds of thousands of workers to offset this drop-off — something that looks to be virtually impossible, even in a climate of surging organizing. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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