AMAZON
Labor board calls for revote at Amazon warehouse in Alabama in major victory for union
The Washington Post
By Jay Greene
November 29, 2021
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., are going to get a second shot at unionizing, after a National Labor Relations Board official called for a revote after finding that the e-commerce giant improperly interfered in the first election. The RWDSU, which is working to unionize the staff in Bessemer, applauded the decision. “Today’s decision confirms what we were saying all along — that Amazon’s intimidation and interference prevented workers from having a fair say in whether they wanted a union in their workplace — and as the Regional Director has indicated, that is both unacceptable and illegal,” union president Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement. “Amazon workers deserve to have a voice at work, which can only come from a union.”
Alabama Amazon warehouse to get new union vote
AL.com
By William Thornton
November 29, 2021
The National Labor Relations Board has ordered a new union election at Amazon’s Bessemer fulfillment center. The NLRB’s Region 10 Director, Lisa Henderson, today formally issued a 20-page decision giving workers at the warehouse a second opportunity to decide whether employees want to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU). RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, said Amazon workers “deserve to have a voice at work, which can only come from a union.” “Today’s decision confirms what we were saying all along – that Amazon’s intimidation and interference prevented workers from having a fair say in whether they wanted a union in their workplace – and as the Regional Director has indicated, that is both unacceptable and illegal,” Appelbaum said.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure bill means tens of thousands of high-paying NV jobs, Lee says
Nevada Current
By Michael Lyle
November 24, 2021
Supporters of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act believe an estimated 140,000 new jobs could be generated in Nevada over the next decade. At an AFL-CIO town hall Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Susie Lee told union members the bill won’t just create employment but also implement penalties and incentives on projects to ensure fair and prevailing wages are offered. The state could see 140,000 new jobs with new funding to repair and modernize the state’s infrastructure, said Susie Martinez, the executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO.
JOINING TOGETHER
Kellogg talks to resume Tuesday as union strike nears 8 weeks
Michigan Advance
By Laina G. Stebbins
November 29, 2021
Negotiations between union workers and cereal giant Kellogg are set to restart this week, as workers at the company’s four cereal plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Tennessee near two months of striking for better wages, better hours and the end of a two-tier pay scale. The Kellogg strike encompasses about 1,400 union workers at four cereal plants around the country, including 325 workers in Battle Creek. The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) employees began striking at midnight on Oct. 5 as their master contract with the company expired. Last week, the Michigan AFL-CIO released a statement highlighting the pay disparity between Kellogg CEO Steve Cahillane and a median worker at his company before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Phoenix Sky Harbor airport concessions workers begin second week of indefinite strike
AZ Central
By Caroleina Hassett
November 29, 2021
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport concessions workers began the second week of their indefinite strike Monday. HMSHost concessionaires have been on strike since Nov. 22 and have extended their permit with the Phoenix Aviation Department to strike through Dec. 29. HMSHost workers' union Unite Here Local 11 continued to picket, chant and hold a drum line at Sky Harbor at terminals 3 and 4, affecting travelers there. Workers plan to march and chant at the Ticketing/Departures level and hand out "Strike Alert" leaflets at all pre-security gates.
NLRB
Michigan Nurses Association files unfair labor practice charge against Sparrow Hospital
Michigan Advance
By Anna Gustafson
November 29, 2021
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) filed an unfair labor practice charge against Sparrow Hospital with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week, alleging that the Lansing-based health care facility has repeatedly violated federal labor law and employed union busting tactics as the hospital and its caregivers’ union negotiate a new contract. According to the MNA, Sparrow executives “have taken an aggressively anti-union approach” as they undergo contract negotiations with the Professional Employee Council of Sparrow Hospital (PECSH) union. PECSH members — who include nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and therapists, among others — have been working without a contract since Oct. 30. The caregivers recently voted to authorize a strike should union leadership determine it’s necessary. PECSH is a local subset of the MNA.