Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union have just sent a referendum to members: shall we all work remotely starting Monday, January 25? That’s the date when many were assigned to return to schools. If the district retaliates, delegates will reconvene to take a strike vote. The plan was voted up by a large majority in …
Chicago Teachers Are Voting on Whether to Defy Monday’s Reopening Order Read More »
President Joe Biden has long branded himself as a union guy, Joe from Scranton who represented the worker. The reality of his policies—especially as a senator from credit card company mecca Delaware—and his personnel decisions has been more mixed. But the early signs from his presidential administration have many labor advocates and progressive economists excited. First …
As the Democrats take control of the White House and both houses of Congress amid overlapping national crises, labor leaders say it is now more critical than ever that Washington deliver significant material gains for the working class. Democrats partly owe their recent electoral victories in places like Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia to the extensive get-out-the-vote efforts of unions …
The Labor Movement Has a Game Plan for the Biden Era Read More »
In December the leadership of the United Auto Workers reached a settlement with the Justice Department that opens the door to election of top union officers by referendum vote of the membership. That might well end more than 70 years of one-party control and help democratize a union once known for animated internal debate and competitive leadership …
Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. The Sacramento Central Labor Council delivered groceries to more than 200 union families in need …
The labor movement’s pundits and prognosticators ring in the New Year like commentators anywhere. They make pronouncements about what “will” happen and what “should” happen to revitalize the shrinking U.S. trade union movement. At 6.2 percent density in the private sector, U.S. unions aren’t even treading water; we are drowning. That makes it more imperative …
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is a major nonprofit that boasts of its more than 40 years of ?“tireless pursuit of justice for animals.” When it comes to the pursuit of justice for working humans, however, its own employees say that it is badly failing the test. In mid-December, ALDF’s employees told the organization’s management that they intended to unionize with the Nonprofit Professional …
The Animal Legal Defense Fund Is Busting Its Union With a Smile Read More »
For months, Penny Burroughs kept a close eye on working conditions at PCI Pharma Services and worried about her colleagues contracting COVID-19. Burroughs and other representatives of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 286 collaborated with the pharmaceutical packaging company on intensive safety plans—including on-site medical care and a shuttle service—to protect workers. And because these cooperative, …
How Workers and Management at One Company Teamed Up to Fight the Pandemic Read More »
Transit workers have been hit hard by the pandemic. Last year at least 100 from the Amalgamated Transit Union and 131 from the Transport Workers lost their lives to Covid-19. Before Covid, transit unions in the Bay Area—six ATU locals, and one local each of TWU and the Teamsters—often faced their individual struggles in isolation. …
Bay Area Transit Unions Join Forces to Win Safety Protections and Beat Back Layoffs Read More »
In this special episode, we talk with three representatives of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades — Jim Williams (General Vice President), Kellie Morgan (Political Director & Community Organizer, District Council 77), and Salvador Herrera (Director of Organizing, District Council 88) — about labor’s fight to pass the PRO Act. We break down what the PRO Act …
With Democrats in Full Control, It’s Time to Pass the PRO Act Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
