MUST LISTEN
AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler on the future of America's labor movement
WBUR
By John Ringer and Meghna Chakrabarti
April 7, 2022
Liz Shuler is the first woman ever elected president of the AFL-CIO. She took over a time when the world of work has been turned upside down. Today, On Point: A conversation with AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler.
NLRB
NLRB Lawyer Seeks to Toss Out Company Meetings on Unions
U.S. News & World Report
By Associated Press
April 7, 2022
The top lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board will ask the board to rule that mandatory meetings held by some companies to persuade their workers to reject unions is a violation of federal labor law. NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said in a memo to the agency’s field offices Thursday that she believes these meetings, sometimes referred to as “captive audience meetings,” are at odds with the National Labor Relations Act. She argues the law allows workers to refrain from listening to employer speech about collective bargaining. The meetings are routinely held by companies such as Amazon and Starbucks during union drives. The labor board has allowed corporations to hold such meetings in the past but Abruzzo, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, is seeking to overturn that precedent.
AMAZON
Amazon illegally interfered in Alabama warehouse vote, union alleges
CNBC
By Annie Palmer
April 7, 2022
Amazon illegally interfered in a recent union election at an Alabama warehouse, according to a statement on Thursday from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union the union, which organized the campaign. The RWDSU on Thursday filed objections to the National Labor Relations Board, claiming Amazon “created an atmosphere of confusion, coercion and/or fear of reprisals and thus interfered with the employees’ freedom of choice” to join or reject a union.
JOINING TOGETHER
Parcast Union Reaches Tentative Deal on First Contract With Management, Spotify
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
April 7, 2022
Seemingly averting a threatened strike, a union at Parcast has reached a tentative agreement with Spotify and Parcast management on a first contract covering the podcast studio’s content writers, fact-checkers, producers, researchers and other workers. The Parcast Union — which is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America, East — announced the deal on Wednesday night, their final day of bargaining with the music streaming giant and the Spotify-owned podcast studio, and are not yet disclosing terms of the tentative agreement. “After months of regular meetings, late-night emails, private calls, & full unit efforts, we’re proud to announce we have a deal,” the union tweeted on Wednesday night. “We couldn’t have done it without the consistent support of our colleagues. It’s been a worthwhile journey, and we thank all who helped us fight.” Spotify declined to comment.
WTTW, striking workers agree on a contract
Chicago Sun-Times
By David Roeder
April 7, 2022
Public television station WTTW-Channel 11 and members of the electricians union have agreed on a new contract that ends a three-week strike. The 23 striking employees overwhelmingly ratified the deal in an online vote Thursday and will return to work Friday, said Brett Lyons, business representative for Local 1220 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Lyons said the new contract expires in July 2025.