POLITICS
MAGA House Republicans attack workers again
People’s World
By Press Associates
April 2, 2024
The Republican House majority on the Education and the Workforce Committee—ideologues for whom “Labor” in its title was a dirty word so they removed it–attacked workers again. This time, they approved House Joint Resolution 116, the equivalent of a law if a president signs it, would abolish the Biden Administration Labor Department’s new rule that makes it much tougher for shady businesses to misclassify their workers as “independent contractors.” The committee OK’d it on a party-line vote on March 21, just before lawmakers skipped town for another of their many two-week recesses. In its place: A Trump-era rule which gives those bosses a much freer hand, and lets them deprive workers of the right to organize, while cutting “labor costs” for the crooks in half, one estimate says. HJRes 116 would enshrine the anti-worker Trump rule forever. Trump’s “rule unfairly tipped the scales toward businesses rather than the workers DOL is supposed to protect,” the unions and their allies retorted in a joint letter to House and Senate legislative leaders, anticipating floor fights on this Republican brainstorm. Signers included the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, the Communications Workers, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, both big teachers’ unions, and the Economic Policy Institute and its Florida affiliate. The Teamsters, North America’s Building Trades, Jobs With Justice, the Service Employees, Pride at Work, Workers Circle, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and National Employment Law Project also backed the Biden “independent contractors” rule and opposed the Trump scheme.
The American Prospect
By Robert Kuttner
April 2, 2024
In 2014, after several years of work led by the Labor Department, the Obama administration issued a major rule to help government to keep track of chronic violators of a range of laws designed to protect workers. The laws included the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires certain public-works contractors to pay prevailing wages; the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); the Fair Labor Standards Act covering wages, hours, and accurate classification of workers; the Wagner Act guaranteeing workers the right to organize or join a union; and several more. The idea was to make sure that repeat offenders did not keep getting government contracts, and thereby to encourage corporations to obey laws that protect workers. The rule, called Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces, also facilitated the creation of a government-wide database, so that different agencies with different recordkeeping systems could access the same information on contractors. But today, that long-overdue government-wide enforcement system is a shambles. When Trump took office in 2017, he repealed the rule. Even before he acted, contractors found a federal district court judge in Texas to issue an injunction against it.
TRADE
East bank redevelopment project update: Master developer, labor union strike deal
The Tennessean
April 2, 2024
This memorandum of understanding between Fallon and Laborers' International Union of North America Local 386, also known as LiUNA, strengthens worker pay and security protections, said Ethan Link, vice president of LiUNA Local 386. The Madison-based union represents construction workers and Vanderbilt University service workers. Workforce development apprenticeship programs are key to the union's efforts to keep job sites active with limited labor supply.
TRANSPORTATION
US to require two-person crews for most train operations
WTVB
By David Shepardson
April 2, 2024
The Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration said Tuesday it will require major railroads to have at least two crew members for most trips. The final rule creates a special approval process for railroads seeking to initiate new one-person train crew operations and requires trains carrying some hazardous waste to have two-person crew. Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, praised the Biden administration rule saying it “acknowledges that crew size is fundamentally a safety issue at its core. Rail workers experience the risks of the job daily, and have made it clear that two-person crews are inherently necessary to ensure the safe operation of our rail systems.”
ORGANIZING
Workers at Oakland’s Creative Growth Form a Union
KQED
By Sarah Hotchkiss
April 2, 2024
Only four months in, 2024 is turning into a banner year for organizing in the Bay Area arts world. Just weeks after OMCA Workers United received voluntary recognition of their union from the Oakland Museum of California, staff at the Oakland arts center Creative Growth are asking for the same. OMCA Voluntarily Recognizes Union of OMCA Workers United
All Your Favorite Arts Organizations Are Turning 50 This Year
Creative Growth United, also affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 57, would cover an estimated 34 workers, including art facilitators and instructors, program coordinators, gallery staff and other direct-service providers. The union would represent around 85% of Creative Growth employees.
Arlington Transit workers vote to join transit union
ARLnow
By ARLnow.com
April 2, 2024
Arlington Transit workers have overwhelmingly voted to join the same union as their Metro counterparts. ATU Local 689 announced this morning that 99% of workers — including bus drivers, technicians and cleaners — voted to join the union last month. ATU Local 689 is pleased to welcome Arlington Regional Transit (ART) workers to their ranks after 99% of workers voted in favor of being represented by the Union in a vote held Friday, March 22nd. ART workers who participated in the election included: bus operators, mechanics, LMNT/Fuel Island attendants, technicians in charge, and cleaners. The workers are employed by Transdev, who is currently contracted to operate the system for the county.
Solitude ski patrol makes union vote official
The Salt Lake Tribune
By Julie Jag
April 2, 2024
Solitude Mountain Resort’s ski patrol officially voted to unionize Sunday. The effort to become the second unionized ski patrol in Utah earned the approval of 70% of the patrol’s 37 members, according to an Instagram post on the Solitude Ski Patrollers Association account. They are also the first patrollers to organize at a ski area owned by Alterra Mountain Resorts. Solitude’s patrollers submitted a petition for unionization to the National Labor Relations Board in February and asked the Big Cottonwood Canyon resort to voluntarily recognize it as a union. The resort refused to take that step, triggering a vote by the patrollers.
Mercedes workers in Alabama to file for union vote as soon as this week, sources say
Reuters
By Nora Eckert
April 2, 2024
Factory workers at Mercedes Benz's (MBGn.DE), opens new tab assembly plant in Alabama are moving forward with efforts to join the United Auto Workers union, and they plan to file a petition as soon as this week with U.S. regulators, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Employees at the SUV plant in Vance, Alabama, plan to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a formal election to join the UAW, said the sources, who asked not to be identified as the timing is still fluid. The date of an actual vote is not yet certain.
Dodgers Stadium Tour Guides, Busier Than Ever in Shohei Ohtani Era, Vote to Unionize
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
April 2, 2024
As the Dodgers’ first year with Shohei Ohtani brings a new wave of fans to Vin Scully Ave., tour guides at the nearly 62-year-old stadium have voted to unionize. During a National Labor Relations Board election on Tuesday afternoon, 18 tour guides voted “yes” to unionize and 12 voted against. As a result, pending NLRB certification of the election results, a group of nearly 40 tour guides, tour leads and one plant data collector (a.k.a. the guide of the stadium’s “garden tour”) will join IATSE B-192, a growing Local that represents fellow tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood and ushers at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Since the Dodgers Stadium group went public with their unionization drive, more tour guides have been hired and will ultimately be included in the union, according IATSE B-192.
JOINING TOGETHER
American Federation of Musicians Ratifies New Deal With Studios
Deadline
By Katie Campione
April 2, 2024
The American Federation of Musicians officially has a new deal with the studios. The union’s members have ratified the Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture Agreements contract, which was unanimously recommended by the bargaining committee in February, the AFM announced Tuesday. “This agreement is a monumental victory for musicians who have long been under-compensated for their work in the digital age,” AFM International President and Chief Negotiator Tino Gagliardi said in a statement. “It wouldn’t have been possible without our members’ unwavering strength and unity, along with the tireless organizing efforts that led up to this historic contract. Their dedication was instrumental in achieving a favorable agreement after just 12 days of negotiations.”
Musicians Vote to Ratify New Contract With Studios, Including Streaming Residuals
The Hollywood Reporter
By Caitlin Huston
April 2, 2024
Members of the American Federation of Musicians voted to ratify the union’s agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The agreement, which covers basic theatrical motion picture and basic television motion picture contracts, gives musicians streaming residuals for the first time, as well as protections against artificial intelligence, according to AFM. In addition to streaming residuals, musicians working on “the most successful streaming shows” will receive a performance bonus and will receive healthcare contributions on work made for streaming. The AI protections include compensation for musicians when their work is used with AI tools.
IN THE STATES
New bill would prohibit companies from voluntarily recognizing unions
The Cullman Times
By Patrick Camp
April 2, 2024
Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) is looking to stop the flow of state incentives to any company that voluntary recognizes the union organization efforts of its employees. President of the North Alabama Labor Council Jacob Morrison said that to understand the effects SB231 could have, you would first need to understand how local unions are formed. Morrison said once 30% of a companies workers have signed a union authorization card they are able to call for a secret-ballot election either for or against unionization. As soon as that number crosses the 50% threshold, the election can be bypassed if the employer chooses to voluntarily recognize the majority decision.
INTERNATIONAL
IBEW Local 303’s “Wiring the Future” program gets a boost from province
Electrical Business
By Anthony Capkun
April 2, 2024
Through Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, the provincial government is providing $672,700 to IBEW Local 303 (Niagara Region) to deliver its Job Readiness Program for local apprentices and jobseekers. “IBEW Local 303 proudly announces the second round of government funding for our skilled trades training program ‘Wiring the Future’,” said Mark Cherney, business manager. “Thanks to the continued government support, we’re empowering a new generation with the skills needed for industry success.”