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☆ A laid-off Twitter employee filed an NLRB complaint alleging he was fired for helping fellow staff 'protect themselves'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A software engineer laid off by Twitter said in an NLRB filing that he was illegally targeted. Emmanuel Cornet claimed he was laid off for trying to help Twitter staff preserve work documents. Just hours before being fired, he had shared a browser extension that made downloading emails quicker. Cornet then published this extension on the Chrome Web Store and shared it on a Slack channel for Twitter staff on November 1, per the complaint. But later that day, Twitter both fired Cornet and removed the link to his extension from the Slack channel, per the complaint.

☆ Vice President Harris is wrapping up her midterm campaign push by meeting with union leaders a day before the elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with union leaders on Monday in California. Along the way, according to a White House official, she is prioritizing meeting with local labor leaders. In May, Harris — along with co-chair Marty Walsh, Biden's Secretary of Labor — welcomed union organizers from the likes of Starbucks and Amazon to the White House. The Biden administration has made clear its intentions to embrace organized labor. Harris "has been focused on reaching women, young people, and communities of color," a White House official said.

NEW YORK, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc (HD.N) retail workers voted against forming a union at a location in Pennsylvania, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said late on Saturday. More U.S. companies including Starbucks Corp and Amazon.com and grocer Trader Joe's Inc have seen some workers petition to form unions. Home Depot did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for a comment regarding the outcome of the voting. Home Depot Workers United sought to unionize to address concerns regarding wages, staffing and training, said Vincent Quiles, interim president of Home Depot Workers United and a receiving associate at Home Depot. The independent union in mid-October filed an unfair labor practices charge against the retailer for engaging in unlawful surveillance and interrogating workers at the Philadelphia location, according to Home Depot Workers United.

☆ Worker complaints alleging anti-union shutdowns rise as organizing surges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

The company, G&D Integrated, had closed the factory, saying it had suddenly lost its decade-old contract with a Japanese company, workers said. Starbucks closed multiple stores this year following union activity. Trader Joe’s, for example, abruptly closed a wine shop in the center of New York City where workers had been organizing. Demonstrators protest outside a closed Starbucks in Seattle on July 16. More than 40 percent of the stores had union campaigns, according to data from Starbucks Workers United, the union that has been organizing the workers.

☆ The federal government wants to stop your boss from spying on you
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Companies are using surveillance technologies to keep tabs on remote workers. Under current law, some level of employee surveillance is generally allowed. Some experts have called this "productivity paranoia" a sentiment that's led some companies to expand the use of various surveillance technologies. These are among the reasons Abruzzo's memo called on the NLRB to review companies' surveillance technologies and assess whether they restrict workers' rights. While the emergence of remote work has brought this surveillance into the spotlight in recent years, the legal landscape remains murky.

☆ Gen Z's not lazy — they're just refusing to put up with the toxic work culture that Boomers created
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Kim Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"And I personally think that all of us in Gen Z, when we experienced that with our parents, we were like, 'Fuck that. And now, Gen Z is turning to organizing as a way to stand up to corporate bosses. But she and her Gen Z peers are not ready to accept that mode of thinking. Put simply, young workers want something better than their parents had and aren't afraid to seek it out. Because if there is one quality that Gen Z has in spades, it is audacity — and no mass movement has ever succeeded without it.

☆ These baristas are leading a nationwide campaign to unionize Starbucks. It came at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Since then workers at 243 other stores spread over 38 states have voted to join Starbucks Workers United — that’s more than five stores a week. Still, most of the fired workers nationwide remain off the job, including Tambellini. “The pizza place next door [to the Starbucks store I worked at] offered me a job almost immediately,” said Tambellini. Starbucks employees and supporters react as votes are read during a union-election watch party in Buffalo, New York. The Starbucks workers are really demonstrating that it’s possible to unionize in an industry where it was thought of as impossible to organize, due to high turnover and a large percentage of young people,” he said.

☆ UAW seeks election to represent GM battery joint venture workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstOct 31 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers on Monday said it was seeking an election to represent workers at a General Motors (GM.N)/LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell manufacturing joint venture in Ohio after the companies refused to recognize the union. In August, the Warren, Ohio Ultium plant began production, the first of least four planned U.S. battery factories by the joint venture. In May, President Joe Biden, in a trip to South Korea, expressed support for workers seeking to unionize joint venture battery plants. "For every joint venture that manufactures electric vehicle batteries would be made stronger by collective bargaining relationships with American unions," Biden said. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant expected to cost about $2.5 billion.

☆ Employees took advantage of the Great Resignation. Now employers are about to take revenge.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Jake Rosenfeld | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The 2008 financial crisis spared no one — income gains halted for nearly everybody as the economy plunged into the worst recession in almost a century. A tight labor market is good for workersThe main culprit behind these gains in worker power has been the tight labor market. A tight labor market also means companies have to offer higher wages to attract new employees or get people to switch jobs. And the iconic coffee maker isn't the only big-name corporation to raise pay in the face of rising worker unrest. So without a contract to lock in economic gains, workers may have won a series of battles, but they risk losing the long-term war.

☆ Starbucks Union Expansion Slows a Year Into Labor Drive
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A drive to unionize new Starbucks Corp. cafes is slowing as the coffee chain doles out more pay and expanded benefits to nonunionized cafes. Twelve Starbucks stores petitioned for representation by the Starbucks Workers United union in September, down from a peak of 71 in March, National Labor Relations Board records show. The eight petitions filed in August marked the smallest number since December, when the first Starbucks cafe voting to unionize led to a wave of other locations seeking elections.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy violated labor laws with union remarks, federal agency alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy violated federal labor laws when he remarked in recent interviews that employees could be negatively affected by unions, a federal labor agency said. He echoed those comments in the Bloomberg interview, saying workers would be "better off without a union." The complaint also requests that Amazon mail and email workers a notice informing them of their labor rights. Last week, Amazon workers at a fulfillment center near Albany rejected unionization. WATCH: Watch CNBC's full interview with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on his first annual letter to shareholders

☆ Amazon workers in California withdraw petition for union vote after defeat in New York
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Workers at a California Amazon facility withdrew their petition late last week to unionize with the ALU, just days after the labor group failed to win enough votes to unionize an Amazon facility in upstate New York. The move to withdraw comes roughly two weeks after the petition was submitted, per the NLRB’s docket of the case. In an email to CNN Business, ALU President Chris Smalls played down the significance of the withdrawn petition. Since the watershed union win at JFK8, the ALU hasn’t seen success with organizing efforts at other Amazon facilities. Moreover, Amazon has refused to recognize or meet with the union at JFK8 — and continues to challenge the union’s election win.

☆ Amazon has changed how warehouses work in America. Some unions are using it as a chance to organize.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon has said warehouse workers can take breaks for activities like using the bathroom, talking to coworkers and managers, and grabbing snacks. A worker on an Amazon warehouse floor can be tasked with packing hundreds of boxes an hour. A worker on an Amazon warehouse floor can be tasked with packing hundreds of boxes an hour. But the Amazon Labor Union, a new union led by current and former Amazon workers, said its Staten Island victory had energized other workers. "There's one Amazon facility that's being built right behind the Victorville facility as we speak," he said.

☆ Why Amazon employees near Albany were divided about joining a union
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Brendan Mcdermid | ReutersFor the past few months, an Amazon warehouse near Albany has hosted the latest labor battle between the retail giant and its workers. Employees at the warehouse near Albany voted overwhelmingly against joining a union, delivering a blow to the Amazon Labor Union, the group behind the Staten Island victory. Following the vote, an Amazon spokesperson said "Amazon as we think that this is the best arrangement for both our employees and customers. Michael Verrastro said he also feels a union is necessary to keep Amazon from unfairly disciplining its workers. "They're a fresh union, and they're trying to tackle something as big as Amazon," Caldwell said.

☆ Amazon workers in Albany, New York, vote against unionization
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Employees at an Amazon warehouse near Albany overwhelmingly rejected a unionization effort on Tuesday, delivering a blow to an upstart labor union seeking to organize workers at the retail giant. Officials said 949 workers at the ALB1 warehouse were eligible to vote on whether they should become part of the Amazon Labor Union. ALU’s victory at JFK8 was a watershed moment for the labor movement, establishing the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the U.S. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Southern California last week filed a union petition with the hopes of joining the ALU. Amazon workers at facilities in California, Illinois and Georgia recently held walkouts, in time for Amazon’s fall Prime Day discount event, to urge the company to respond to employee concerns around working conditions.

☆ Amazon Workers in Upstate New York Await Results on Union Vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon.com workers in upstate New York could become the next group of company employees to unionize, with results from a union election at an Amazon facility near Albany expected Tuesday. The National Labor Relations Board is set to count ballots that will determine whether workers have chosen to join the Amazon Labor Union, which earlier this year won a landmark union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y. The vote is a big test for organizers who have been eager to maintain momentum following the success in Staten Island.

☆ Amazon Workers Vote Against Unionizing in Upstate New York
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon workers and supporters at an Amazon Labor Union rally in Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y., earlier this month. Amazon.com workers in upstate New York voted against unionizing, a setback for labor activists trying to expand their unionization push at the tech giant. The National Labor Relations Board said about 66% of employees who cast valid ballots at a company facility near Albany rejected the Amazon Labor Union, which earlier this year won a landmark union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y.

☆ Amazon Workers Reject Union in Vote at Upstate New York Warehouse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon.com workers in upstate New York voted against unionizing, a setback for labor activists trying to expand their unionization push at the tech company. The National Labor Relations Board said about 66% of employees who cast valid ballots at a company facility near Albany rejected the Amazon Labor Union, which earlier this year won a landmark union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y.

☆ Amazon workers in Albany vote against unionization, labor leader calls it 'sham election'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Employees at an Amazon warehouse near Albany overwhelmingly rejected a unionization effort on Tuesday, delivering a blow to an upstart labor union seeking to organize workers at the retail giant. Officials said 949 workers at the ALB1 warehouse were eligible to vote on whether they should become part of the Amazon Labor Union. ALU's victory at JFK8 was a watershed moment for the labor movement, establishing the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the U.S. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Southern California last week filed a union petition with the hopes of joining the ALU. Amazon workers at facilities in California, Illinois and Georgia recently held walkouts, in time for Amazon's fall Prime Day discount event, to urge the company to respond to employee concerns around working conditions.

☆ Amazon workers vote against forming union in upstate New York
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Amazon workers in upstate New York have voted against forming a union, dealing another blow to a grassroots labor group attempting to organize several of the tech giant’s US warehouses. Workers at the facility, called ALB1, were seeking to organize with the Amazon Labor Union, the same grassroots worker group that successfully formed the first-ever union at a US Amazon facility in Staten Island, New York, earlier this year. The Albany vote was the ALU’s third attempt to unionize an Amazon warehouse, after it fell short of securing a union win at a smaller Amazon facility also located in Staten Island. It also comes as Amazon has still not formally recognized the union in Staten Island or come to the bargaining table. But ahead of the Albany vote last week, Smalls appeared to play down the ramifications of the outcome, suggesting the organizing activity itself is a victory.

☆ A group of unionized Starbucks workers who were accused of assaulting and kidnapping a store manager are suing the company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A store manager reported staff to police after they asked for a pay raise, the lawsuit says. A video posted on TikTok by Starbucks Workers United, purporting to show the incident, shows the store manager pushing past an employee. As well as being suspended, the workers were also banned from all Starbucks stores in the US. Despite the police's statement, neither Starbucks nor the store manager have retracted their statement, according to the lawsuit. More than 235 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize, according to Starbucks Workers United, following the first company-owned US store in Buffalo, New York in December.

☆ Apple workers vote to unionize second U.S. store
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Doyinsola Oladipo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Apple Inc retail workers voted to form a union at an Oklahoma location, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Friday, making it the tech giant's second U.S. store to organize. Employees at the Apple Penn Square store in Oklahoma City voted 56 to 32 in support of joining the Communications Workers of America Union (CWA), securing the needed majority, according to a tally by the NLRB. Apple workers near Baltimore, Maryland, voted in June to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The CWA in May withdrew an election petition on behalf of Apple workers in Atlanta, Georgia, claiming that Apple had repeatedly violated federal labor law and the rising number of COVID infections among store employees made a fair election impossible, according to the CWA. Some current and former Apple workers last year began criticizing the company's working conditions online, using the hashtag #AppleToo.

☆ Inside the cold war between Amazon and unions, which are wielding drones and secret agents to expose the company's labor practices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Unions infiltrated Amazon construction sites in Oregon and Washington seeking regulatory violations. On a frosty morning in February 2021, Tom Tanner walked into an under-construction Amazon warehouse in eastern Washington seeking work. Campaigns to organize Amazon warehouse workers have grabbed national headlines. Amazon workers at the LDJ5 Amazon Sort Center join a rally in support of the union on April 24 in Staten Island, New York. Wendell Jeffson in a boom lift at the Amazon warehouse in Shelby, Michigan, when he was 17.

☆ Apple workers in Oklahoma vote for company's second U.S. union store
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A shopper looks at a wall fully occupied with iPhone case covers at the American multinational technology company Apple store in Hong Kong. Employees at an Apple store in Oklahoma City voted on Friday to join a union, marking the second unionized Apple store in the U.S. The vote is a defeat for Apple, which has opposed unionization efforts around the country. It's a win for Communications Workers of America, which now represents the workers at an Apple store after separate unionization efforts at stores in Georgia and New York City stalled. Apple's first unionized U.S. store, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Maryland, is preparing to begin formal negotiations with Apple.

☆ Apple store workers in Oklahoma to vote on labor union
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Apple workers in Oklahoma City are set to vote this week on whether to form the second-ever labor union at one of the tech giant’s US stores. The Apple store workers in Oklahoma are seeking to gain representation with the Communication Workers of America union. Just under 100 employees at the Apple store in the Penn Square Mall are eligible to vote in this union election. Earlier this year, Apple store workers at a mall in Towson, Maryland, made history when they voted to become the first unionized Apple store in the United States. Patrick Hart, another worker at the Oklahoma City Apple store, echoed that sentiment.

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