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☆ Federal labor board has been much more pro-worker under Biden. Employers want courts to end that
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The companies are asking federal courts, often with conservative, pro-business judges, to stop the agency from standing behind the more activist unions now making their lives more difficult. “The NLRB has long used the federal courts … to obtain injunctions … before the merits of an unfair labor practice case are fully evaluated,” said a statement from Starbucks. The employer doesn’t have to pay any interest, penalty or fine, to the fired workers, their union or the agency. While this is the first such case to reach the Supreme Court, other cases are emerging in which some high profile employers are challenging the agency’s right to exist. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected by the end of June.

Persons: Biden, …, ”, “, Jennifer Abruzzo, Cathy Creighton, Clinton, Elon Musk’s, Joe’s, Cornell’s Creighton, she’s, “ They’re, “ I’m Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, Memphis, Cornell University’s, Industrial and Labor Relations, SpaceX, nonunion Locations: New York, Memphis, Buffalo , New York

☆ The Mad Perfumer of Parma
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Molly Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Parmesan” is, by the way, the correct (Anglicized) way to refer to a person from the city of Parma, which is in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, just below the knee of the boot. Parmesan is also, of course, the name of the province’s most famous edible contribution to humanity. Other contributions include Parma ham, the film director Bernardo Bertolucci, the conductor Arturo Toscanini and Pietro Barilla of Barilla pasta (the dark blue box at your local supermarket, not to be confused with the medium-blue box of De Cecco, which is from Abruzzo). Parma is a city of inventive door knockers and narrow streets that become belligerently slippery after one instant of rain, and racks upon racks of men’s underwear in innovatively bizarre cuts and fabrics. In the city center, it is easier to buy a bottle of scent, high-end or low, than it is to buy a carton of milk.

Persons: “, Bernardo Bertolucci, Arturo Toscanini, Pietro Barilla Locations: Parma, Emilia, Romagna, Italy, Abruzzo, Grasse

☆ Amazon Argues Labor Board Is Unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Noam Scheiber | More About Noam Scheiber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The company’s lawyers repeatedly denied in their filing that Amazon had broken the law. Then, under a section titled “Other Defenses,” they argued that “the structure of the N.L.R.B. The claims it made in the filing echo arguments that lawyers for SpaceX made in a federal lawsuit last month, after the labor board issued a complaint accusing the company of illegally firing eight employees for criticizing Mr. Musk. SpaceX sued in Texas, but a federal judge there on Thursday granted the board’s motion to transfer the case to California, where the company’s headquarters are located. was settled nearly 90 years ago by the Supreme Court.”

Persons: Jennifer A ., “, ” Wilma Liebman, Barack Obama, ” Organizations: Amazon, United, Constitution, SpaceX, Supreme Locations: ”, Texas, California, Jennifer A . Abruzzo

☆ Suzanne Shepherd, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Sopranos’ actor, dead at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Suzanne Shepherd, veteran actress known for playing the mother of Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano on “The Sopranos,” has died. A representative for Shepherd told CNN in a statement on Sunday that the actress had died at her home in New York City on Friday. A cause of death has not yet been determined, but Shepherd had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to her representative. The film was nominated for six Oscars, with Pesci taking home a statue for his performance in a supporting role. She appeared in 20 episodes of the mob drama as the mother of Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) between 2000 and 2007.

Persons: Suzanne Shepherd, Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano, ”, Shepherd, ” “, Aunt Tweedy, Julia Roberts, Vincent D’onofrio, Uncle Buck ”, Karen Hill, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Pesci, Mary DeAngelis, ” , Carmela Soprano, Edie Falco, Ray Abruzzo, Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Piven, Maimie McCoy, Kate Shepherd, Miles McManus, Isabelle Shepherd Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, HBO, Warner Bros, “ Locations: New York City, “

☆ ‘My money goes a lot further here’: This woman moved to Italy because the US was too expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And I thought, ‘Well, why not?’”In April 2021, Barto traveled to Italy to begin searching for a home. While Italian residents don’t pay property taxes on their main residence, non-resident property owners are required to pay a local property tax. Barbara Barto“You don’t really have to get out and drive. I don’t miss that at all.”Although she hasn’t been able to visit home since moving to Italy, Barto is planning to return to the US for the festive holidays. Language barrierWhile she’s picked up some Italian, Barto still finds the language difficult, and mainly relies on Google Translate when it comes to communicating with Italians.

Persons: Barbara Barto, ” Barto, wouldn’t, she’d, hadn’t, Barto, Kirk Fisher, I’ve, I’m, ”, “, Barbara Barto “, she’s, it’s “, ” She’s, didn’t, can’t, hasn’t, Barbara, ’ ” Barto, you’ve, who’ve Organizations: CNN, & Garden Television, CNN Travel, Elective, Google, Italian National Healthcare System Locations: Fort Worth , Texas, Palombaro, Abruzzo, Italy, United States, “, Texas, Rome, Venice, “ Texas, ‘

☆ Top Sicilian mafia boss buried but the criminal enterprise lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Rome CNN —Sicilian mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro, widely thought to be the last godfather of his kind, was buried Wednesday in a private funeral in Castelvetrano, Sicily. A police handout photo shows Matteo Messina Denaro after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy, on January 16, 2023. “With the death of Matteo Messina Denaro, a life full of violence, plots and mysteries ends,” Grasso told CNN. Messina Denaro, even with his rap sheet of murders, was highly critical of the Catholic church over the clerical sex abuse scandal. Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested at a private health clinic in Palermo after 30 years on the run.

Persons: Rome, Matteo Messina Denaro, Nicola Consales, Messina Denaro, Antonella Bonomo, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Paolo Borsellino, Giovanni Falcone, Messina Denaro –, –, Giovanni Motisi, “, ” Toto Riina –, He’s, Stefano Fidanzati, Pietro Grasso, Giuseppe Auteri, ” Grasso, Salvatore “ Toto ” Riina, Messina, Italy’s, ”, Don Ciccio Messina Organizations: Rome CNN, Reuters, CNN, Cosa Nostra, Catholic, Police Locations: Castelvetrano, Sicily, Palermo, Italy, Cosa, Messina, Campobello, Abruzzo, Calabria

☆ Can college sports teams unionize? We're about to find out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The case for unionizing college sports teams is a precarious one, as athletes face significant barriers under federal labor law. The NCAA, along with the colleges that house sports teams, consider players amateurs and, therefore, not employees of their college. There is an NLRB case that an administrative law judge will hear this November that could open the floodgates for college teams to unionize. If the judge rules in favor of the National College Players Association, it would give both public and private college athletes the right to unionize under the NLRA, LeRoy said. Have other college sports teams tried to unionize before?

Persons: Cade Haskins, Romeo Myrthil, Michael LeRoy, LeRoy, —, Jennifer Abruzzo, Haskins, Myrthil, shouldn't, Northwestern, Irwin Kishner, Herrick Feinstein, Kishner, we'll Organizations: Dartmouth, Service, NCAA, Ivy League, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, University of Illinois, National Labor Relations, unionizing, National College Players, University of Southern, USC, National College Players Association, Ivy League Agreement, Northwestern, Sports Law Locations: Wall, Silicon, Urbana, Champaign, University of Southern California, Abruzzo, unionize, New York

[1/2] Grape leaves damaged by fungus favoured by a combination of drought followed by torrential spring rain are pictured in San Paolo di Civitate, Italy July 18, 2023. That means Italy is set to lose its position as the world's top wine producer to France, which had ceded the crown nine years ago. "Early in May we realised there would be no harvest, we cultivate organically and experienced the (fungus) attack sooner," he told Reuters. Italian output is forecast to fall to below 44 million hectolitres this year, according to the wine lobbies and ISMEA, from 50 million last year. Thanks to heavy rains and humidity, the fungus was able to attack the vines during these vulnerable periods, he added.

Persons: San Paolo di Civitate, Romolo, DI CIVITATE, Paolo Niro, di Civitate, Plasmopara, Andrea Luvisi, Niro, Fazil Dusunceli, Dusunceli, Gavin Jones, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, DI, Reuters, University of Salento, United Nations Food, Agriculture Organisation, FAO, Thomson Locations: San Paolo, Italy, France, Americas, Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia, San, Rome

☆ Amarena: Outrage as mother of biscuit-stealing bear cub shot dead in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —The cold-blooded killing of a mother bear known as Amarena has angered animal rights groups and local politicians in Italy. The brown bear was shot by a local resident of San Benedetto dei Marsi just outside the national park of Abruzzo in central Italy, the park confirmed on Friday. “The park veterinarian intervened on the spot with the emergency team, who however could only ascertain the death of the bear given the seriousness of the wound,” the park said on its Facebook page. Amerana was a Marsican brown bear, an endangered species in Italy where fewer than 60 of the bears are still alive. In April, a 17-year-old bear that killed a 26-year-old jogger was sentenced to death in the northern region of Trento.

Persons: Rome, Amarena, dei Marsi, Juan Carrito, Amerana, “, Maurizio Maria Cerrato, Gilberto Pichetto, jogger Organizations: Rome CNN, CNN, Sky24, Park Authority, Ispra Locations: Italy, San, Abruzzo, Avezzano, Cufa, Trento

☆ Outrage in Italy as mother bear is shot dead, leaving cubs to fend for themselves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-Mother bear 'Amarena' walks in a street with her two cubs in San Sabastiano Dei Marsi, Italy, August 26, 2023, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Gemma Di Pietro via Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreROME, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The death of a mother bear shot near a national park in central Italy, leaving two cubs to fend for themselves, has drawn condemnation from animal rights groups and politicians. It was not clear why the bear was shot, but hunting bears is against the law in Italy. The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise is home to around 50 brown bears, a species found in central Italy. The uproar over the shooting of the bear follows an argument over an incident in April when a bear killed a 26-year-old runner in northern Italy.

Persons: Amarena, dei Marsi, Gemma Di Pietro, Lav, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Luciano Sammarone, Angelo Bonelli, Claudia Cristoferi, Alvise Armellini, Nick Macfie Organizations: Sabastiano Dei, Facebook, Police, Environment, La Repubblica, Green Party, Thomson Locations: Sabastiano, Italy, San, ROME, Abruzzo, Lazio, Molise

☆ Decoding the Complicated Color Wheel of Wines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Eric Asimov | More About Eric Asimov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Dark RedsNot a particularly helpful designation as color in red wines can mean little. The assumption is that the darker the color the denser and more tannic the wine, but it’s not true. One exception with color: Young reds will be brighter while well-aged wines will seem duller and paler around the edges. It’s both the oldest method and newly fashionable, and produces somewhat simple wines that can be fresh and delicious. Last is the tank method, used for inexpensive sparkling wines produced in quantity, like Prosecco.

Organizations: Reds Locations: Provence, Champagne

☆ It's getting easier for workers to unionize. One simple chart shows the new steps.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bosses will sometimes use the period before a union election to dissuade workers from unionizing. But if those tactics are illegal and compromise an election, workers will now automatically get their union. Firms have utilized the period between workers announcing their intent to unionize and when a formal union election takes place to dissuade workers from voting in favor of unionizing. But now, should any of those tactics end up being illegal and compromising an election, workers will get their union anyway. "This isn't a fringe ruling, this is a big ruling," Groshen said.

Persons: Erica Groshen, Jennifer Abruzzo, Groshen Organizations: NLRB, Service, National Labor Relations Board, Workers, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations Locations: unionizing, Wall, Silicon

☆ Wildfires rage across the Mediterranean destroying land and claiming lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Hamdi Alkhshali Martin Goillandeau Isa Soares Sugam Pokharel Elinda Labropoulou Chris Liakos Hande Atay Alam Laura Paddison | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 8,000 firefighters have been deployed to control the blazes as residents living near forested areas were evacuated, according to EPTV. Nasri Elyas/APThe Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced at least 34 deaths in multiple forest fires across the country. A 98-year-old man died as flames reached his home in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, according to ANSA. Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Turkey, forest wildfires ignited Monday night in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to Antalya Municipality’s statement.

Persons: Nasri Elyas, Billel, Nello Musumeci, ”, Alberto Lo Bianco, Fabrizio Villa, Maria Feggou, ” Feggou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Giannakouris, Angelos Tzortzinis, Muhittin Bocek, “, ” Bocek Organizations: CNN, EPTV, Reuters, Algerian Ministry of, Interior, ANSA, Civil, Twitter, Residents, Hellenic Red Cross, Greek Air Force, Getty, Anadolu Locations: Italy, Greece, Algeria, North, Bourbatache, Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Capaci, Catania, Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Crete, Vati, AFP, Turkey, Antalya, Antalya’s Kemer, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatian

☆ Opinion | Inside Starbucks’ Dirty War Against Organized Labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Megan K. Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Life was moving faster for Ms. Cruz Borrazas through the spring. She was taking on more union responsibility, using unscheduled hours to advise Starbucks workers who were organizing in other places. At that point, Ms. Cruz Borrazas’ health broke down. Starbucks can’t be blamed for Ms. Cruz Borrazas’ health crisis. Plenty of Starbucks workers are organizing under tremendous pressure without winding up in the hospital.

Persons: “, ”, Cruz Borrazas, Sherrod Brown, Jennifer Abruzzo, ’, she’d, Torregoza, Ms Organizations: Workers ’ Rights, Georgetown Law School, Starbucks Locations: Plenty

☆ Michelin starred hotels around the world, from Italy to Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

Courtesy CoteArgentinian maestro Mauro Colagreco was the first ever non-French chef to earn three Michelin stars in France, at Mirazur on the famed French Riviera. Gastronomic restaurant Plénitude by chef Arnaud Donckele marked an extraordinary debut by being awarded the pinnacle of three Michelin stars just six months after opening. Since 2021, they have held three Michelin stars for their cuisine, which celebrates peerless produce from their sustainable farm just seven miles away. Lung King Heen, Four Seasons Hong KongLung King Heen was the first Chinese restaurant to hold three Michelin stars. Capella Hotels & ResortsFinally to Vietnam, where Michelin published its first ever guide in June 2023.

Persons: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, it’s, Heiko Nieder, carne ”, Ben Benoliel, Alex Nietosvuori, Ally Thompson, Hjem, morel, Cigliutti Enrico Crippa, Piazza, Crippa, Ferran Adrià, Mauro Colagreco, Côte, Raymond Blanc, Paul Wilkinson Chef Raymond Blanc, Lady Gaga, Queen Elizabeth II, ”, ” Blanc, Luke Selby, Plénitude, Cheval Blanc, France Plénitude, Sylvie Becquet, Blanc Paris, chef Arnaud Donckele, Chopin, Maxime Frédéric –, Aled Williams, Gareth Ward, Il Ristorante Niko Romito, Ristorante Niko Romito, Niko Romito, Romito, Giacomo Amicucci, Kyle, Katina, Michel Bras, Le Saint, Martin, Château Saint, France Le Saint, Chef Jean, Luc Lefrançois, Saint, –, sommelier Vincent Arhuro, King Heen, Hong Kong Lung King Heen, Heen, who’s, Chan Yan Tak, Rome Cavalieri, Pergola, Heinz Beck, Hatta, Ushikubo, Raby Hunt, Raby Hunt's Michelin, James Close, Maria, Chef Maria, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, Germany Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, Lorenz, Young, Reto, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, John D, Waku, Ghin, Tetsuya Wakuda, There’s, Tetsuya, they’re, kinome, It’s, Denmark There's, Jean Marchal, Maria Coppy, Jakob de Neergaard, iberico, Sven Wassmer, “, Lumnezia, Douglas, Koki, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Bill Bensley, Chris Dwyer Organizations: CNN, Michelin, Duomo, Capella, Rosewood, of, Notre Dame, Resorts, Dubai Michelin, Resort Dubai, Reale, peerless, ”, Le Saint, Hong, Hong Kong Lung, Seasons Hong, Rockefeller, Sands, Royal Suite, Royal, Swiss, Koki, Capella Hotels, Capella Hanoi Locations: Bangkok, Piedmont, Hanoi, Tokyo, Zurich, Switzerland, Northumberland, Hadrian's, Swedish, England, Wall, Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy, Japan, Spanish, Capella Bangkok, Thailand, France, Mirazur, Thai, Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Chaat, Oxfordshire, ”, Cheval Blanc Paris, of Light, City of, Powys, Wales, Bulgari, Dubai, UAE, Italy’s Abruzzo, SingleThread, California, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Toya, Le, Provence, French, Vence, Marseille, Seasons Hong Kong, Yunnan, Peking, La, Rome, Eternal, County Durham, Darlington, romaine, Berlin, Germany, Brandenburg, Young Swiss, Europe, Marina, Sands, Singapore, Australia, Shizuoka, Hokkaido, d’Angleterre, Copenhagen, Denmark, Marchal, Hibana, Capella Hanoi, Vietnam

☆ The Many Twists, Quotes and Scandals of Silvio Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Alan Yuhas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I am the Jesus Christ of politics,” he said in 2006. “I am a patient victim, I bear everything, I sacrifice myself for everyone.”A sex scandal and public exhaustionBut Mr. Berlusconi’s bombastic personality, the accusations of corruption and his chaotic tenure grated on a public tired of debt and inequality. And he continued to outrage. Visiting earthquake survivors in the Abruzzo region in 2009, he said, “They should look at it as a weekend of camping.” The next year, the Vatican’s official newspaper condemned him for telling a “deplorable” joke about Jews and the Holocaust. That same year, he told people at a motorcycle show that it is “better to be fond of beautiful girls than gay.”

Persons: Benito Mussolini “, “ Mussolini, ”, “, “ I’ve, Christ Organizations: European Union, Finns Locations: Italy, Finnish, Finland, Parma, Abruzzo

☆ Silvio Berlusconi’s memorable quotes and quips
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are some of his memorable quotes and quips:DEC 2022: Berlusconi tells players of his Monza soccer team he would bring "a bus of whores into the locker room" if they managed to beat a top Serie A rival. FEB 2006: "I am the Jesus Christ of politics," Italian media quoted Berlusconi as telling supporters. Mussolini sent people on holiday in (internal) exile," Berlusconi tells Britain's Spectator magazine, replying "yes" when asked if he thought the World War Two dictator was "benign". You'd be perfect," Berlusconi told German lawmaker Martin Schulz, who was heckling him during his debut at the European Parliament. OCT 2001: Berlusconi causes outcry in the Muslim world when he says the West "should be conscious of the superiority of our civilisation."

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, de Silvio Berlusconi, Remo Casilli, Barack Obama, Christ, Tarja Halonen, Mussolini, Mr Schulz, You'd, Martin Schulz, Josep Pique, Conor Humphries Organizations: Monza, Serie, Food Safety Authority, Britain's Spectator, Rome, Thomson Locations: whores, West, Ukraine, Milan, Abruzzo, Rome, Italie, United States, Finnish, Italy, Spain

☆ Noncompete clauses 'chill' worker rights and are usually illegal, NLRB lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Noncompete clauses likely violate federal labor law, NLRB's general counsel wrote Tuesday. Criticism from across the aisleWorker advocates have long maintained that noncompete clauses are an unjust infringement on liberty that reduces employees' earning potential. But noncompete clauses have also attracted critics on the right. The criticism from both sides of the political spectrum comes as noncompete clauses have expanded from high-salary workers in fields such as technology and finance to lower-wage professions, such as fast food. That proposed rule, which will be subject to a legal challenge if and when it is finalized, came after the White House encouraged the commission to tackle noncompete clauses, framing them as a barrier to healthy competition and wage growth.

Persons: NLRB's, —, Joe Biden, Jennifer Abruzzo, Biden, Najah Farley, John Lettieri, Insider's Juliana Kaplan Organizations: Workers, Service, Companies, National Labor Relations Board, National Labor Relations Act, Worker, National Employment Law, American Enterprise Institute, Federal Trade Commission, House Locations: Abruzzo, California , Massachusetts, Illinois

☆ Misclassifying employees as gig workers creates 'a race to the bottom' for businesses, Biden's top labor and antitrust regulators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Businesses have an incentive to misclassify workers as contractors to undermine their competitors, according to the DOJ Antitrust Division. It's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those called "gig workers" — freelancers, contractors, on-call workers, and temp agency workers, who for decades have increasingly replaced full-time employees as independent contractors. Not so for gig workers. In 2018, 20% of workers were contract workers, and 65% of part-time workers and over half of contract workers went without benefits, according to NPR. "Our goals are the same," Abruzzo said, as NLRB and DOJ Antitrust want to end "misclassification and employment structures that cause vertical constraints on competition."

☆ House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - The House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging officials of the labor body failed to conduct fair and impartial union elections at Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O). She has requested a regional NLRB official to provide documents to see if the federal labor board mishandled Starbucks Union elections. The NLRB was investigating a substantial number of additional allegations against Starbucks and working with the Congress, the spokesperson added. Starbucks did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment, while Starbucks Workers United declined to comment. Employees at more than 280 of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021 seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protection against unfair dismissal.

March 22 (Reuters) - A recent U.S. labor board ruling limiting what employers can include in severance agreements is a reminder that companies must be careful not to ask workers to sign away their rights, the agency's top prosecutor said on Wednesday. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo in a memo to agency staff said the February decision prohibits agreements that restrict workers' ability to file lawsuits or communicate with the board, unions and the media. The decision also applies retroactively, Abruzzo said, meaning agreements offered to workers before the NLRB decided last month's case could still be deemed illegal. In the new ruling, the board found a Michigan hospital operator broke the law by offering workers severance agreements that included confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions, because they could discourage workers from filing complaints with the NLRB or publicizing labor disputes. Companies routinely ask laid-off workers to sign agreements in exchange for severance pay that limit their ability to file employment-related lawsuits and bar them from disparaging their former employers.

☆ 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.

☆ Mafia boss Messina Denaro held in top security Italian prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view shows the prison where Italy's most wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro is detained, in L'Aquila, Italy, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Gabriele PileriL'AQUILA, Italy, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro was being held on Wednesday in a high-security jail in central Italy, subject to special restrictions applied to the country's most dangerous prisoners. "I've no criminal record," Messina Denaro, who was caught on Monday after 30 years on the run, told prison guards when he was admitted to the Costarelle prison close to the city of L'Aquila, Italian media reported. Police on Tuesday found the apartment where they believe Messina Denaro had been living for the past few months under the assumed name of Andrea Bonafede. Prosecutors say Messina Denaro was one of the leading figures in Cosa Nostra but preferred to remain in his own region and was not the "boss of bosses" like the late Salvatore "Toto" Riina.

☆ U.S. labor board region sides with USC athletes seeking 'employee' designation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) director of the agency's Region 31 office issued a finding of merit in an unfair labor practice charge brought by the student athletes against USC, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 athletic conference. The parties to the case were informed of the decision on Thursday, according to NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado. read moreA separate case filed by college athletes in Indianapolis against the NCAA and others has been held in abeyance pending the outcome of the USC case. The judge's ruling could then be appealed to the full NLRB, which would render a decision as to whether USC, NCAA and Pac-12 are employers under labor law, and could order its own remedies. The National College Players Association, which brought the charges on behalf of 113 USC athletes, also could not be reached for comment.

☆ NLRB opens door for union for college athletes with finding on unfair labor practice complaint
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Are college athletes employees? This could open the door to previously unsuccessful efforts to form the first union of college athletes. The complaint had been filed by the National College Players Association (NCPA), an advocacy group. It filed an unfair labor practice complaint on behalf of the athletes. The matter of whether college athletes are professionals, and thus employees, has been hotly debated for decades.

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