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☆ Los Angeles School Strike Ends Without New Contracts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sara Randazzo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOS ANGELES—Students are set to return to classrooms in the Los Angeles Unified School District on Friday after a three-day labor strike ended, but without contract agreements for 65,000 teachers and support staff in the nation’s second-largest school system. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stepped in this week to help broker a deal between the district and Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, both sides said. The union, which represents 30,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitors, teacher’s assistants and other support staff, hasn’t had a contract since 2020.

☆ Los Angeles schools to reopen after three-day workers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Jorge Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, March 23 (Reuters) - School will be back in session on Friday for 420,000 Los Angeles students after a three-day strike by education workers disrupted classes and social services in the second-largest school district in the United States. ... We look forward to seeing our students and employees back in classrooms," the school district said on Twitter on Thursday. "We're three days in and I'm willing to do some more (strike) days if we have to," said Tiffany Barba, a special education assistant and one of thousands who attended a closing rally on Thursday at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The union was demanding a 30% salary increase plus an additional $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, the Los Angeles Times reported. Reporting by Jorge Garcia in Los Angeles and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, Calif.; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

☆ Los Angeles education strike cancels school for 420,000 students
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Alan Devall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] Los Angeles school workers protest in front of LAUSD headquarters during the first day of a walkout over contract negotiations that closes the country’s second largest school system in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Aude GuerrucciLOS ANGELES, March 21 (Reuters) - Some 30,000 education workers backed by the teachers' union walked off the job for a three-day strike in Los Angeles on Tuesday, canceling school for nearly half a million students in the second-largest school district in the United States. Thousands of protesters gathered for a rally outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters, vowing to continue their pickets for another two days under the banner, "United for L.A. The service workers are backed by the 35,000 members of the teachers' union United Teachers Los Angeles, which refused to cross their picket line. Dozens of meal and safe-place sites were opened across the city on Tuesday, with school district employees and volunteers distributing more than 124,000 meals, the district said.

A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based court reversed a lower court ruling in 2021 that the ballot measure, known as Proposition 22, was unconstitutional. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and several gig drivers who challenged Prop 22 will likely appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court, the state's top court. Prop 22 was approved in November 2020 by nearly 60% of voters in California. It exempted app-based drivers from a 2019 state law known as AB5 that makes it difficult to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. "Across the state, drivers and couriers have said they are happy with Prop 22, which affords them new benefits while preserving the unique flexibility of app-based work," West said.

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SummarySummary Law firms Laid-off workers can't sign away labor rights, board saysDecision overrules Trump-era precedentFeb 22 - The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that laid-off workers cannot be required to sign agreements that contain confidentiality clauses and other provisions that could deter them from exercising their rights under federal labor law in exchange for receiving severance. The board in a 3-1 decision on Tuesday overturned a pair of Trump-era rulings that said severance agreements only violate federal labor law when employers engage in other unlawful conduct when asking workers to sign them. The NLRB's Democratic majority said those rulings were misguided and "granted employers carte blanche to offer employees severance agreements that include unlawful provisions." The board said it was illegal for the company to offer the workers severance agreements that included confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions because they could be discouraged from filing complaints with the NLRB or publicizing labor disputes. He said there was no evidence that the decisions tossed out by the majority had led the board to uphold illegal severance agreements.

☆ Tesla accused of firing union supporters days after organizing effort starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Tesla has fired more than 30 supporters of a nascent union at its Buffalo facility, just days after the organizing effort was announced, according to the union. The union, Tesla Workers United, has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company illegally fired its supporters. “I feel blind sided,” said Arian Berek, one of the fired employees quoted in the union’s statement. Starbucks Workers United’s first victory came in Buffalo, and it is particularly strong in Western New York. In the past, Tesla has been accused of illegally firing union supporters at its plant in California, its first to build cars.

☆ McDonald's Exec Slams California Lawmakers for Passing Fast-Food Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The FAST Recovery Act could raise minimum wage for California fast food workers to $22 an hour. This week, a top McDonald's exec slammed lawmakers for passing the law in an open letter. AB 257 creates a 10-member council of fast food workers, franchisees, franchisors, advocates for fast food employees, and representatives from the governor's office. The organization said higher wage mandates could raise costs for California fast-food restaurants by $3 billion. "As California fast-food workers defend this landmark law and assert their voice, SEIU is absolutely committed to standing with them in their fight."

☆ Chipotle, Starbucks and top chains spend millions to stop landmark state worker law
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The council could raise the fast-food industry minimum wage as high as $22 an hour, versus a $15.50 minimum for the rest of the state. California’s fast-food industry has more than 550,000 workers. Less than 4% of restaurant workers nationwide are unionized. This makes it nearly impossible to organize workers at fast-food and retail chains with thousands of stores. If restaurant worker compensation increased by 60%, limited-service restaurant prices would jump by up to 22%, the study also found.

☆ Medical Residents Unionize Over Pay, Working Conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Dominique Mosbergen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Physicians-in-training at top teaching hospitals across the country are joining unions, demanding higher pay and better working conditions. The Committee of Interns and Residents, the largest group representing doctors in residency and fellowship programs, said it added chapters at five teaching hospitals last year and two in 2021, up from a prepandemic pace of roughly one a year. CIR, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, said it represents about 15% of the nation’s 140,000 residents and fellows.

“Mission Hospital used to be where everyone would go if they wanted good care,” Jaquins said, reflecting on her previous experiences with the health care system. Sue Fischer is a longtime HCA employee who’s concerned about patient care in her facility. “We were a great system as Mission Health and we’re an even better system as HCA Mission Health,” she said. “Delays in care is the biggest patient care issue I see because of staffing,” Hernandez said. According to the CMS ranking system, Mission Hospital currently holds an above-average overall quality rating — four stars out of a possible five.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday hears a dispute between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and a concrete company in Washington state that labor advocates say could weaken workers’ rights if the ruling goes against the union. The legal question is whether the company, Glacier Northwest Inc., can sue the union for damages in state court over an August 2017 strike action in which it says that concrete was lost when drivers walked off the job. Business interests that are often in conflict with organized labor have in the past been heavily critical of the labor board. The Supreme Court's conservative majority has ruled against unions in several high-profile cases in recent years. As a result of the strike, concrete hardened in the trucks and had to be broken up before it could be removed, the company says.

☆ Some restaurant workers could see big wage growth in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The restaurant industry was already struggling with a labor crunch before the pandemic turned the problem into a full-blown crisis . More than half of U.S. states will hike their minimum wage this year , but some restaurant workers could see even bigger gains in 2023. If California's government has its way, average hourly pay for restaurant workers could soar in 2023. And it's unlikely that restaurant workers will see any wage gains on the federal level this year. President Joe Biden has expressed support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and the elimination of the tipped wage, which allows employers to pay workers as little as $2.13 an hour.

☆ Democracy Dies in California
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The early 20th-century era of progressive government gave birth to California’s referendum process. Fast forward 111 years, and California’s progressive leaders are vitiating the right of voters to overturn state laws. On Thursday the group Save Local Restaurants sued in state court to block the state from implementing a destructive new law on Jan. 1. The law creates a state council to dictate wages, working conditions and benefits, among other things, for fast-food workers who aren’t unionized. The law is intended to coerce fast-food franchises to surrender to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

While travel demand is roaring back, many hotels, airlines, cruise operators and airports are still racing to hire and train workers. That means the level of customer service will likely take a hit, industry experts say. One potential bright spot can be found at sea: During the summer, several cruise lines had to cancel voyages due to staffing shortages, but major disruptions have been largely resolved. “It’s highly unlikely your holiday cruise will be canceled due to lack of staffing,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, a Tripadvisor-run travel site. “This year, I moved my annual holiday travel to earlier in December,” said Abby Rhinehart, an educational researcher in Tucson, Arizona.

☆ A janitor laid off at Twitter's headquarters said one of Elon Musk's team members told him he'd be replaced by robots
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A janitor told BBC that a member of Elon Musk's team said his job would eventually be replaced by robots. Four former Twitter cleaners told the publication they were laid off without severance on Monday. Four former Twitter janitors told the publication they were laid off without severance on Monday. Multiple workers told the publication that they are concerned about how they will be able to pay bills in the coming weeks, particularly with the holidays coming up. "Overnight we don't have anything," Adrianna Villarreal, a cleaner who had worked at Twitter since 2018, told BBC.

Airport workers across the country are rallying and walking off the job Thursday to draw attention to their current working conditions and legislation that could improve them. Workers at 15 U.S. airports, including ones in Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Phoenix, plan to participate in on-site rallies. Formal strikes — which could disrupt operations — are planned at Boston's Logan International Airport, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and the Newark Liberty International Airport. The rallies are in support of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, introduced in June by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. It would set a minimum wage of $15 for airport service workers, as well as ensure the workers have paid time off, holidays, adequate health care and other benefits.

☆ This is an incredible moment for unions and working people, says says SEIU president
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThis is an incredible moment for unions and working people, says says SEIU presidentMary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to weigh in on the recent strikes from airport service workers, journalists at The New York Times, and more.

☆ Janitors who clean Twitter's HQ are on strike after failed negotiations mean they face losing their jobs, union says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Janitors cleaning Twitter's HQ went on strike over unfair labor practice, SEIU Local 87 says. Twitter ended the contract with the firm employing the janitors, per the California Labor Federation (CLF). The janitors face losing their jobs on Friday when the contract with the janitorial company is set to end. The union shared a picture of people who appeared to be demonstrating outside Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco. It wasn't clear which janitorial company Twitter has picked as its new contractor.

☆ Workers at 15 major US airports are gearing up to picket and rally on December 8
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Airport service workers are planning a day of action on December 8 to demand better conditions. Airport service workers are gearing up for a day of action, rallying, picketing, and marching to demand better conditions on the job. Airport service workers, such as janitors, security guards, and baggage handlers, will call on Congress to pass the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act. "Airport service workers all across this country help make our airports run. Now, airport service workers are the latest essential group to ask for more.

☆ Nevada is 1 of 5 states with over 10% Asian Americans. Both parties courted vote, but Dems won out.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

In the highly competitive swing state of Nevada, both parties aggressively courted Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ahead of last week's midterm elections, but Democrats managed to clinch the group's vote. Koo said both parties made significant efforts to appeal to Asian Americans, particularly in comparison to elections past. “The main industry there is service and hospitality, and there’s a lot of Asian Americans that are employed by that industry,” Wong said. Democratic candidates in Nevada, who are often more moderate than those on the coasts, may naturally align more with the Asian American community. “We’re starting to see with younger Asian American voters, climate is a huge conversation that everyone is having.

☆ Biden to meet with Ford CEO, UAW Friday on economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The White House meeting, which will be in-person and virtual, will also include the presidents of the Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers union, the official said. Attendees will discuss the economy and meeting participants' perspectives on the economy "and ideas they have to continue bringing inflation down," the official said. The White House has often cited a shortage of semiconductor chips as a key factor in higher prices for cars and trucks and overall inflation. Also attending is White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. In May, Biden, in a trip to South Korea, expressed support for workers seeking to unionize joint venture battery plants.

CNN Business —President Joe Biden will sit down Friday with business executives and labor leaders to highlight recent progress in combating inflation and steadying the economy, a White House official told CNN. “Thanks to the President’s economic plan, the U.S. economy has created 10 million jobs—including 700,000 manufacturing jobs—since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration,” a White House official said. “We are seeing initial signs that inflation is coming down: the October Consumer Price Index showed moderation in inflation, as did the October Producer Price Index released this week. Biden’s sit-down with the business and labor executives comes two days after he returned from a week-long trip to several global conferences. The Consumer Price Index slowed to a 7.7% annual gain last month, a slower pace than the 8% that economists had been expecting.

☆ Starbucks union to strike at more than 100 locations on Red Cup Day, one of the chain’s busiest days of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Workers at more than 100 unionized Starbucks locations plan to strike on Thursday, one of the chain’s biggest sales days of the year. The giveaway on the coffee chain’s Red Cup Day has become a must-have for collectors, and this year’s event marks its 25th anniversary. It’s the largest collective action Starbucks Workers United has taken so far in its organizing push over the past year. Over the past 12 months, roughly 260 company-owned Starbucks locations have voted to unionize under Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union. But Starbucks Workers United contend the company hasn’t been bargaining in good faith.

☆ Starbucks union to strike at more than 100 locations on Red Cup Day, one of the chain's busiest days of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It's the largest collective action Starbucks Workers United has taken so far in its organizing push over the past year. On Thursday, organizers at 113 striking locations are planning to protest and distribute a version of the red cup featuring the Grinch's hand holding an ornament with the logo of the Starbucks union. Workers at more than 100 unionized Starbucks locations plan to strike on Thursday, one of the chain's biggest sales days of the year. Over the past 12 months, roughly 260 company-owned Starbucks locations have voted to unionize under Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union. But Starbucks Workers United contend the company hasn't been bargaining in good faith.

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