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☆ Labor unions, with power and popularity rising, are still trailing on one big battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Natalie Rose Goldberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

High-profile strikes by writers and actors against Hollywood brought the union power to the mainstream as pictures of celebrities holding picket signs flooded social media. But one big win continues to elude labor: the need to translate its rising popularity into an increase in rank-and-file union membership, which has stagnated in recent decades. It's not a lack of support from the public that's holding unions back from making more progress in growing their ranks. Even before the big wins of 2023, polling conducted in recent years showed rising union popularity, with support at its highest level since 1965, according to 2022 data from Gallup. 'The Great Reset'In 2023, it was a banner year for American workers who support the labor movement.

Persons: Biden, —, Heidi Shierholz, I've, Thomas Kochan Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, Local, Chrysler Corporate, Division, Hollywood, UPS, Teamsters, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Union, Economic Policy Institute, Gallup, AFL, CIO, MIT Sloan School of Management, Cornell, ILR, SAG, Writers Guild of America Locations: Ontario , California, American, Michigan, America

☆ For Labor Unions, 2023 Was the Year of the Strike—and Big Victories
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Kate Bronfenbrenner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

2023 was a remarkable year for the U.S. labor movement. The country experienced a surge in strikes unlike anything in recent memory. According to Cornell ILR’s Labor Action Tracker, as of Oct. 31, there were 354 strikes in 2023 involving roughly 492,000 workers—nearly eight times the number of workers involved in strikes for the same period in 2021 and nearly four times the number for the same period 2022.

Persons: — Organizations: Cornell ILR’s Labor

☆ What workers on strike need to know about collecting unemployment benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have recently tried to start providing striking workers jobless benefits, too. Here's what else workers on strike should know about unemployment benefits. Workers on strike in the Empire State can typically collect the benefits for as long as 26 weeks. Workers on strike in New Jersey may also qualify for unemployment benefits, and lawmakers recently shortened the waiting time for eligibility there, too, to 14 days, down from 30. Workers in the state can usually collect unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks.

Persons: Frederic J, Brown, Gavin Newsom, Michele Evermore, haven't, Evermore, Rob Sampson, Johnnie Kallas, Phil Murphy Organizations: Kaiser Permanente, AFP, Getty, The Century Foundation, United Auto Workers, Bloomberg, Republican, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Labor, New York, Workers, New York State Department of Labor, New, New Jersey Gov Locations: Los Angeles, , New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts , Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Wayne , Michigan, Connecticut, New York , New Jersey

☆ Why so many workers are striking in 2023: 'Strikes can often be contagious,' says expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Just as Hollywood's writers and studios reached a tentative deal to return to work after nearly 150 days, a new strike was brewing. More than 75,000 health-care workers walked off the job Wednesday at Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest non-profit health-care organization, driven in part by demands for higher pay in the midst of staffing shortages, which left employees burned out. At the same time, the United Auto Workers strike is ongoing, marking three weeks since the first-ever simultaneous walk out against the Detroit Three. In the last few months alone, striking or threatening to strike has led to a string of labor deals where UPS drivers, airline pilots and aerospace manufacturing employees have pushed for and won higher pay. "Strikes can often be contagious."

Persons: Johnnie Kallas, Kallas Organizations: Kaiser Permanente, United Auto Workers, Detroit, Finance, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Labor

☆ Trump claims to be pro-worker. His record says he’s anti-union
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Donald Trump arrives in Michigan Wednesday with a lot more support among blue collar union members than a lot of Republican presidential candidates before him. The Trump Supreme Court also issued a devasting ruling against public sector unions, which represent almost as many union members as found at private businesses. The state gained 1,800 auto jobs from February 2021, Biden’s first month in office, through February of this year. And Trump urged UAW members to stop paying their union dues. They’re predominantly anti-abortion,” said Brian Pannebecker, a staunch Trump supporter and president of Auto Workers for Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ He’s, ”, Cathy Creighton, Clinton, he’s, Biden, Neil Gorsuch, Trump, Mary Barra, Biden’s, Crooked Joe Biden, they’re, they’ve, You’re, Shawn Fain, Fain, ” Fain, “, “ It’s, Jason Miller, autoworkers, Wheaton, EVs, ” Wheaton, Todd Vachon, Brian Pannebecker, – CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, Daniel Strauss Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Labor Relations Board, Cornell University’s, Industrial and Labor Relations, Biden NLRB, Trump Supreme, Trump, GM, Lordstown Motors, North American Free Trade, Bureau of Labor Statistics, UAW, United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, Drake Enterprises, Labor, Crooked, Biden, Michigan, CNN, Trump Trump’s, ” Trump, Rutgers University, Auto Workers Locations: New York, Michigan, Buffalo , New York, Lordstown , Ohio, Youngstown, Mexico, Macomb County, Detroit, China, Buffalo . Wheaton

☆ Tim Scott suggests workers who strike should be fired. Here's what the law actually says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks to a crowd during a presidential campaign kickoff event at Charleston Southern University on May 22, 2023. "Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike," the Republican presidential contender said. "He said, 'You strike, you're fired.' Thousands of auto workers have gone on strike at plants across the country of late, demanding higher wages and better benefits. "There never had a been a president so hostile to union workers, and it could have gone bad," Dau-Schmidt said.

Persons: Sen, Tim Scott, Tim Scott of, Ronald Reagan, Scott, Kenneth Dau, Schmidt, Reagan Organizations: Charleston Southern University, Republican, Cornell ILR Labor, Finance, United Auto Workers, Indiana University Bloomington Locations: Fort Dodge , Iowa, Tim Scott of South Carolina

☆ UAW strikes could make 2023 the biggest year for labor activity in nearly four decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Employees who withhold their labor can face a number of consequences, including losing their job and health insurance, experts said. And employees "can never be sure their strike will be found to be an unfair labor practice strike," he cautioned. Pay and health insurance is 'a real problem'Workers who go on strike generally lose their wages, Dau-Schmidt said. Kenneth Dau-Schmidt law professor at Indiana University BloomingtonEconomic strikers typically also get their other workplace benefits, including health insurance, nixed. But, he said, "sometimes employers won't kick employees off of the health insurance right away because it escalates the conflict and almost ensures an unhappy ending."

Persons: Johnnie Kallas, Kallas, Sharon, Block, Kenneth Dau, Schmidt, Dau Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Labor, United Auto Workers, Employees, Harvard Law School, Center for Labor, CNBC, National Labor Relations, Indiana University Bloomington, Railway Labor Act, Workers, Railway Labor, U.S, UPS, Strikers, Indiana University Bloomington Economic

☆ The 40-hour workweek started with autoworkers—now they're trying to make 32 hours the new norm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

United Auto Workers (UAW) members on a picket line outside the Stellantis NV Toledo Assembly Complex in Toldeo, Ohio, US, on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Thousands of United Auto Workers members are striking against three major Detroit automakers — Ford, GM and Stellantis — at plants across the U.S. Autoworkers at Ford Motor Company were among the first to adopt a five-day, 40-hour workweek in 1926 at a time when people regularly topped 100 hours per week. By 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act cut the workweek to 44 hours, then down to 40 hours two years later. "I think it will move the public toward thinking the four-day workweek is the appropriate workweek," Creighton says.

Persons: —, Stellantis, Shawn Fain, That's, Cathy Creighton, they'd, Jonathan Cutler, Creighton Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, Stellantis NV, Detroit, — Ford, GM, Labor, Cornell University's Industrial, Labor Relations Buffalo Co, National Labor Relations Board, Ford Motor Company, Fair Labor, Wesleyan University, NPR, Cathy Creighton Cornell University ILR Locations: Stellantis NV Toledo, Toldeo , Ohio, U.S

Biden's Labor Day prediction that the union would not strike against Detroit's automakers ahead of a Sept. 14 contract deadline was soundly rejected by UAW President Shawn Fain. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden's comments about the UAW over Labor Day was him being "an optimistic person." The White House has tried to play a role in several recent large-scale union contract negotiations involving rail workers and West Coast port workers. Trump won Michigan in 2016, helping propel him to the White House; Biden beat him by 154,000 votes in Michigan in 2020. Around half a million more threatened strikes in the first half of 2023, estimates from national labor unions show.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Biden's, Shawn Fain, Fain, Karine Jean, Pierre, Kate Bronfenbrenner, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Joshua Roberts, Harley Shaiken, Shaiken, Nandita Bose, David Shepardson, Joseph White, Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington Organizations: UAW, Biden's Labor, Detroit's, House Press, Labor, General Motors, Ford, carmakers, Anderson Economic, Cornell University's School of Industry & Labor Relations, White House, Wednesday, Workers, Republican, Michigan, State Labor, Metal Workers, Local, REUTERS, University of California, Bureau of Labor Statistics, EV, White, Energy Department, Teamsters, UPS, House, Thomson Locations: Detroit, America, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Coast, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S, Berkeley, Michigan , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois, Belvidere , Illinois, Washington

Members of the United Auto Workers union hold a rally and practice picket near a Stellantis plant in Detroit, Aug. 23, 2023. Gallup reports 71% of Americans approved of labor unions in 2022 — the highest since 1965. United Airlines struck a preliminary agreement with its pilots union last month for up to 40% raises over four years. Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said frequent reassignments can wear pilots down, just as they would passengers. "They need that predictability," he said, adding that the company has made some progress in talks with the pilots' union in recent weeks.

Persons: Michael Wayland, Robert Bruno, Mario Tama, Daniel, Chris, Wells, Shawn Fain, CNBC It's, Melissa Atkins, hadn't, Johnnie Kallas, Cornell's, Casey Murray, UIUC's Bruno, it's Organizations: United Auto Workers, CNBC, UPS, Workers, Boeing, Spirit, Guild of America, Labor, University of Illinois, Striking, Paramount Studios, Getty, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Screen, – American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Writers Guild of America, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gallup, General Motors, Ford Motor, UAW, Deere, CNH, Detroit, Teamsters Union, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Netflix, Warner Bros ., WGA, SAG, Hollywood, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, U.S, Teamsters Locations: Detroit, Amazon, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, Los Angeles, Hollywood

☆ Hot strike summer has 'real potential to last,' Ivy League expert says: 'There's a contagion effect'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tens of thousands of workers, from Hollywood writers and actors to hotel workers to UPS drivers, have taken part in the "summer of strikes." "When you see another union succeed, you're more inclined to push yourself for a better deal," he adds. "There's a contagion effect in seeing the [strike] strategy working, and you're more likely to use it yourself." "Good wages, benefits and job protections that you see in unionized jobs are going to attract workers. "Hollywood is a good example," he adds, "where people in technical trades that support productions have a lot of protections and benefits.

Persons: Alex Colvin, Colvin Organizations: Hollywood, Cornell ILR School Labor, Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Union, UPS, Bloomberg, Teamsters Union, CNBC, Starbucks, Companies Locations: New York

☆ These 2 states offer unemployment benefits to workers on strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, speaks during a Vigil and Thirst Strike for Workers' Rights on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2023. Workers who go on strike generally don't qualify for unemployment benefits. But two states — New York and New Jersey — are the exception to that rule, and other states could soon join them. Critics of the aid say it puts employers at a disadvantage during negotiations and encourages workers to go on strike. Here's what to know about access to unemployment benefits for striking workers.

Persons: Greg Casar, —, Michele Evermore Organizations: Workers, Rights, U.S, Capitol, Cornell ILR School Labor, Finance, Bank of America, The Century Foundation Locations: Texas, — New York, New Jersey, U.S

☆ In return to office messaging, there's now more stick, less carrot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

This marks a shift from the incentive culture that many companies have been using to lure workers back to the office post-pandemic. But workforce demographics vary widely when it comes to the benefits, and the desire, to return to the office. Employees who work from the office at least three times a week report feeling more connected to their colleagues, a company spokesman said. This could mean, for instance, spelling out to the sales team that Mondays and Wednesdays are in-office days because that's when the bulk of customer interactions happen, and making clear to engineering that Thursdays are in-office days because that's when code reviews happen. This comes as the company will start mandating employees be in the office four days a week, up from three days, after Labor Day.

Persons: Bradford, Bell, William J, Conaty, there's, slowdowns, Morgan Chase, Davis Polk, Sallie Krawcheck, Lynne C, Vincent, Jenny von Podewils, Podewils, Rubab Jafry O'Connor, Neil Barr Organizations: Resources, Center, Cornell University's ILR, Google, Skadden, Wardwell, LaSalle Network, Citi, Bank of America, CNBC, Companies, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, Employees, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Labor Locations: Slate

☆ Blue-collar workers could save the US from recession as the tech industry withers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After a pandemic-era tech jobs boom — and now bust — more and more Americans are returning to blue-collar work for better pay and more security. As AI stands poised to potentially remake white-collar work, blue-collar work may emerge even more resilient. The Biden administration has been devoted to turning that around, pouring billions into projects devoted to bringing manufacturing jobs back stateside. And another key to the puzzle is treating blue-collar work with respect, like any other work — including high-paying tech jobs. Are you thinking of taking the plunge into blue-collar work, or have you already?

☆ Layoffs are still historically low, so why does it feel like everyone's losing their job?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The layoffs and discharges rate in January was 1.1%, which remains historically low. While BLS data may show a low US layoff rate overall, tech layoff announcements are important, given Pollak said that tech and finance are "synonymous with Americans' aspirations generally." "Those markets are very exposed to tech layoffs, and tech plays a disproportionate role in the economy," Terrazas added. Pollak told Insider that the layoffs at tech companies are "relatively small" and that "many companies also are not pursuing layoffs across the board." Despite the layoff rate being very low, job seekers may still be concerned about these headlines.

☆ Over 100,000 workers walked out in 2022, showing that Americans' demands for better conditions aren't going away
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 120,000 workers walked out of the job in 2022 — roughly 40,000 more than in 2021. Per new Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the number of major work stoppages that began in 2022 was higher than in 2021. Other data suggests that work stoppages of all sizes soared in 2022. All told, even BLS's official accounting of major stoppages shows an increased appetite for walking out. However, it still pales in comparison to previous highs; in 1952, the year with the highest recorded number of major stoppages, there were 470 walkouts.

☆ Union membership dropped yet again in 2022 to the lowest rate on record, showing that workers still face an uphill battle in organizing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The union membership rate fell in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union membership has been mostly declining for decades, even though union workers tend to make more money. At the same time, the union membership rate, which tracks the percentage of workers in a union, fell to 10.1% — the lowest rate on record, per BLS. The union membership rate of 10.1% in 2022 was just half the 20.1% in 1983, the first year BLS compiled comparable data. Even so, the union membership rate for retail workers is just 4.3%, down from 4.4% in 2021.

☆ TikTokers are smashing the stigma of getting laid off as a recession looms and more people fear for their jobs: 'Posting it on TikTok was the best thing I could have done'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"I had suspicions a layoff would happen, but the CMO seemed very positive about building a marketing team at the company, so I didn't let my thoughts wander for long," Baird told Insider. "Getting laid off so many times has made me hesitant about taking another full-time job in the near future," she told Insider. "Posting it on TikTok was the best thing I could have done, it got me real support emotionally," she told Insider. And as businesses reiterated just how much they need workers, those workers expectations' changed, too. Nhon N., a 24-year-old recruiter who documented life after her layoff, told Insider that she's still a "struggling workaholic" who puts "too much heart" into her work.

☆ Being in a union means you could make $1.3 million more over your lifetime
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The authors found that being in a union means a $1.3 million bump to lifetime earnings. "We find that a person who spent the entirety of their career in a labor union were predicted to earn about a million dollars more over the course of their career compared to somebody who was never in a labor union," VanHeuvelen told Insider. The result was the $1.3 million premium for workers who spent their whole careers in unions, even though those workers were more likely to retire earlier. Workers who are never in a union were projected to earn around $2.1 million their whole careers, while those who were in unions for their whole careers were estimated to make $3.4 million. The number of union representation petitions filed in fiscal year 2022 increased by 53%, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

☆ Jobs report: The US job market remains robust, but is showing signs of cooling
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN Business —The fever hasn’t broken yet for America’s employment market, but the temperature is coming down. That, coupled with job openings showing some sharp declines, points to a labor market slowdown — an outcome the Federal Reserve is seeking as it battles decades-high inflation. “The job market is slowing gracefully, moderating jobs and wage growth smoothly as the Federal Reserve searches for signs of cooling inflation,” Daniel Zhao, senior economist for Glassdoor, said in a statement. What could, however, move the needle will be the findings from the inflation data due next week, he said. Job openings outpace job seekers on a 1.7 to 1 ratio, the BLS’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for August showed.

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