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☆ U.S. union membership rate falls to all-time low despite organizing efforts, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermidWASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The United States' union membership rate, or percentage of wage and salary workers who belong to unions, edged down to an all-time low in 2022, data released by a government agency showed. The union membership rate fell from 10.3% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2022, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday. However, the number of wage and salary workers who are members of unions, at 14.3 million last year, increased by 273,000, or 1.9%, from 2021, the data showed. The total number of wage and salary workers grew by 5.3 million, or 3.9%, most of them non-union workers. The data released Thursday shows that while unionization efforts have come into the limelight, they have not translated into greater representation of the workforce.

☆ Salary Transparency Is Coming — so I Decided to Tell Everyone What I Make
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +37 min

But there's a glaring catch to my support for pay transparency: I haven't actually practiced it in my own life. To find out why, I decided to commemorate the dawning age of salary transparency by telling pretty much everyone in my life what I earn. Norway responded to pay transparency with yet another level of transparency, and that brought down the level of snooping.. Thanks to its nationwide experiment, Norway has been fertile ground for scholars trying to measure the consequences of extreme pay transparency. But I do believe that as more states implement pay-disclosure laws — and as Gen Z increasingly comes to dominate the workforce — salary transparency is going to become the new norm.

☆ Amazon Appeal to Union Victory in New York Rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A federal labor official has upheld the unionization of Amazon.com Inc. workers in Staten Island, N.Y., rejecting an appeal by the e-commerce giant, which tried to challenge last year’s vote to organize. Cornele Overstreet, a regional director with the National Labor Relations Board who has overseen the case, ruled on Wednesday that Amazon hadn’t provided sufficient evidence to overturn the election results, according to an NLRB spokeswoman.

☆ Amazon workers' union victory upheld by U.S. labor board director
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. labor board director has upheld Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) workers' landmark union victory at a warehouse in New York, according to a decision issued Wednesday, bringing the online retailer closer to having to bargain with staff on a contract. The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) celebrated the labor board director's decision. "This is a HUGE moment for the labor moment!" Workers in different facilities in New York state have rejected joining the union in two elections since, and Amazon filed objections to conduct during the original contest. The NLRB regional director overruled those objections on Wednesday, in line with an NLRB hearing officer's recommendations last year.

☆ Apple’s first US labor union reaches new milestone for tech industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Workers at Apple’s first unionized retail store began collectively bargaining with management on Wednesday, in a milestone moment not only for the iPhone company but for all of Big Tech. The worker group, based out of a mall near Baltimore, is organized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union. “Other Apple workers will be watching this,” she said. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe success of the Towson Apple store workers’ unionization bid came amid a broader wave of workplace organizing. David DiMaria, the lead organizer of the Towson Apple store union campaign with the IAMAW, said excitement was high among the Apple store workers ahead of Wednesday’s first meeting.

☆ Amazon union victory at Staten Island warehouse upheld by federal labor board
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon workers arrive with paperwork to unionize at the NLRB office in Brooklyn, New York, October 25, 2021. A federal labor agency on Wednesday certified an independent union's landmark victory at Amazon 's Staten Island warehouse and threw out a litany of objections filed by the e-retailer. In April, a majority of the roughly 8,300 workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse, known as JFK8, voted to join the Amazon Labor Union, becoming the company's first unionized facility in the U.S. Amazon sought to overturn the results of the election, alleging the National Labor Relations Board office that oversaw the election interfered in the union drive. "As we've said since the beginning, we don't believe this election process was fair, legitimate, or representative of the majority of what our team wants," Nantel said. Workers at a nearby facility on Staten Island rejected unionization in May, and the ALU lost an election at an Albany warehouse in October.

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.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday wrestled with a labor dispute that could narrow federal protections for unions by making it easier for employers to sue over strikes that result in damage to company property. The Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has leaned toward curbing the power of labor unions in rulings in recent years. 174, representing the company's truck drivers, in state court accusing the union of intentional property destruction during the strike. Glacier Northwest urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal preemption does not bar claims made under state law involving intentional destruction of an employer's property. While the U.S. Supreme Court has found that labor unions can be sued in state court for violent or threatening conduct, the union argued, this narrow exception should not be expanded to permit property damage claims brought under state law.

☆ Two months after mass Twitter layoffs, affected employees still waiting for severance offers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Two months after Elon Musk laid off half of Twitter’s workforce, some employees affected say they have yet to receive any formal severance offer or separation agreement. As of early Thursday, however, the former employee said they had yet to receive any documents related to a severance agreement or offer. The company was recently sued by a commercial landlord and a private flight company alleging Twitter has failed to pay bills. At the time of the layoffs, Musk promised that “everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance,” a time period that appears to include the 60-days advanced notice Twitter was obligated to provide. She has also filed three claims against Twitter with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of former employees.

☆ Microsoft recognized its first labor union in the US after staff at $7.5 billion video game firm ZeniMax Studios voted to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft recognized its first US labor union, the Communications Workers of America said, Tuesday. Around 300 workers at Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Studios voted to unionize in December. Microsoft agreed to voluntarily recognize the union if workers voted to unionize in December, per Reuters. Union workers can petition to the National Labor Relations Board to force their employer to recognize their union, but the process is long and arduous. Microsoft and ZeniMax Studios did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Jan 3 (Reuters) - A group of about 300 videogame testers at Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) subsidiary Zenimax Studios have voted to unionize, the Communication Workers of America union (CWA) said on Tuesday, marking a first for the tech giant in the United States. The CWA said Zenimax employees at four locations in Maryland and Texas voted overwhelmingly to join the union, but did not provide a tally. Microsoft in a statement provided by a spokesperson said it would follow through on an earlier promise to voluntary recognize the union if the workers voted to join. CWA President Christopher Shelton in a statement said Microsoft has set itself apart from other tech companies that have discouraged union campaigns. Game testers at Activision units Blizzard Albany and Raven Software voted in 2022 to join unions amid claims by the CWA that the company has threatened and retaliated against union supporters.

☆ Activision's Boston studio workers announce unionization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - A majority of workers at videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc's (ATVI.O) recently acquired studio Proletariat said on Tuesday that they are forming a union with the Communications Workers of America. The move would make the Boston-based studio, the third Activision Blizzard studio to seek unionization. The 57 workers in the Proletariat unit – that include animators, designers, engineers, producers and quality assurance workers – said they have filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. Earlier in July, Activision said that it had Proletariat to expand the development pipeline of its online role-playing game "World of Warcraft". Workers who test games at Activision's unit Blizzard Albany have voted to form a union months after the company began negotiating with employees at its Wisconsin unit, the first in the company to unionize.

REUTERS/Andrew KellyWASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A $1.7 trillion government funding bill approved by the U.S. Senate Thursday will bolster U.S. regulators and make it easier for states to bring antitrust lawsuits. The National Labor Relations Board is receiving a $25 million increase to $299 million after not receiving a funding lift in more than a decade. The International Trade Administration, which investigates foreign trade practices, is getting a $55 million increase to $625 million. The spending bill includes a measure that strengthens state attorneys general by allowing them to choose the venue where they bring antitrust lawsuits. The funding bill includes a new provision to ensure millions of working mothers have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk.

The proposal would require that workers be considered employees, entitled to more benefits and legal protections than contractors, when they are "economically dependent" on a company. Most federal and state labor laws only apply to a company's employees, who can cost employers up to 30% more than independent contractors, studies suggest. Federal law requires agencies to adequately explain their decision to withdraw and replace existing rules. The rule would treat companies as so-called "joint employers" under federal labor law when they have indirect control over working conditions such as scheduling, hiring and firing, and supervision. The 2020 rule barred NLRB staff from putting off elections while related cases alleging illegal labor practices are being litigated.

☆ She says she was fired in retaliation. Hearst Magazines says she was insubordinate. Here's how Delish's hit YouTube show 'Budget Eats' came crashing down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Steven Perlberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Produced by the Hearst-owned food brand Delish, "Budget Eats" was the kind of digital success story that traditional magazine giants crave. As Xie worked her day job developing recipes, "Budget Eats" was morphing from a pandemic experiment to a bonafide hit. A career recipe developer at work, the "Budget Eats" Xie doesn't even measure out ingredients. "It felt like she was afraid that putting 'Budget Eats' from her kitchen onto this cable network might dilute the honesty," Lennon-Simon said. As for "Budget Eats," Delish recently posted what is presumably the last episode.

☆ Twitter hit by legal complaints from 100 former employees following Musk’s layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The allegations were included as part of the former employees’ demands for arbitration against the company, according to a statement on Tuesday by attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan. Liss-Riordan is the same attorney who has brought four proposed class action lawsuits against Twitter by former employees affected by Elon Musk’s takeover. The arbitration demands are meant to help workers who can’t participate in that litigation because of contracts they signed with the company. She added that her firm has heard from hundreds of former Twitter employees and has filed only the “first wave” of arbitration demands. Liss-Riordan has also filed three complaints against Twitter with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of employees affected by the layoffs.

☆ Two Tesla employees say they were illegally fired for complaining about Elon Musk's tweets and strict return-to-office policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two Tesla workers claim they were illegally fired for criticizing Elon Musk and company policy. The workers claim they were cut loose for discussing their working conditions, including "Tesla's failure to enforce its non-harassment policy and its implementation of its post-COVID return to office policy," according to the filings. One letter called for changes to the company's strict return-to-office policy announced in May, which required all Tesla employees to work from a company office for at least 40 hours per week. The other was told that organizing employee discussions amounted to an "attack" on Tesla, according to a filing. In June, a group of SpaceX employees filed a similar complaint saying they were fired after writing an open letter calling out Musk's behavior.

☆ Starbucks workers at 100 stores are planning three-day strike starting on Friday amid union push
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. Tambellini said workers are protesting understaffed stores, poor management and what she calls Starbucks’ “scorched earth method of union busting,” including closing stores that have unionized. Workers United noted that Starbucks recently closed the first store to unionize in Seattle, the company’s hometown.

☆ 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.

☆ Amazon warehouse workers in UK vote to go on strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Amazon warehouse workers at a facility in the United Kingdom plan to go on strike, their union confirmed to CNN on Friday, in a move that’s being billed as a first for the company’s workers in the country. The GMB union, which represents workers in a range of industries in the UK, said that hundreds of Amazon workers at a warehouse in Coventry overwhelmingly voted for the strike, which is expected to take place in the new year. “On top of this, we’re pleased to have announced that full-time, part-time and seasonal frontline employees will receive an additional one-time special payment of up to £500 as an extra thank you.”The move from Amazon workers in the UK also comes as Amazon workers in the United States continue to organize and push for collective bargaining rights. Amazon workers at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York, made history earlier this year when they voted to form the first-ever labor union at one of the company’s US facilities. Despite the landmark victory for the worker group, known as the Amazon Labor Union, the company has yet to formally recognize the union or come to the bargaining table.

☆ 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.

Forming smaller bargaining units can be an important organizing strategy for unions when they lack support from a majority of employees. But business groups say that smaller units fracture workplaces and complicate collective bargaining. The 2017 decision had placed the burden on unions to show that groups of workers were "sufficiently distinct" from other employees. The U.S. president appoints NLRB members but the board is an independent agency and the White House does not control its decisions. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter refusing to cover work expenses of some former employees, citing newly enacted policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After being laid off, fired or resigning, some former Twitter employees now fear they will never be reimbursed by Elon Musk for once-covered work expenses. In recent weeks, a number of former Twitter employees have received boilerplate rejection emails for expenses, three people familiar with the company told Insider. Former employees with rejected expenses are being told by email the expenses fall outside of a new policy enacted about three weeks ago by Twitter HR under Musk, as Insider reported. Other former employees are having trouble being reimbursed for expenses related to costs of fertility treatments and adoption. Twitter did not mention Carrot or fertility benefits explicitly in the November email regarding the new expense policy.

☆ A topless bar unlawfully fired strippers after they complained about unsafe working conditions, labor board finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Star Garden bar strippers were unlawfully fired, the National Labor Relations Board said . They dancers said they worked in unsafe conditions including rat infestations and rusty nails. The group of strippers were blocked from working at the Star Garden in February and have since been staging regular demonstrations outside the venue. They claimed that Star Garden committed 30 breaches of OSHA regulations that "protect workers' rights to safe and healthy workplaces." The women submitted a petition in March calling for the Star Garden to treat them with "basic dignity and humanity."

☆ Ohio workers vote to unionize GM, LG battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners. The UAW petitioned in October to represent about 900 workers at the Ohio plant after a majority of employees signed cards authorizing the union to represent them. Production began in August at the Ohio plant, the first of at least four planned Ultium U.S. battery factories. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant. Last week, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra expressed support for unionizing the Ohio plant.

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