The Weekly Download

“A new report released today by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the National Employment Law Project (NELP) provides a first-of-its-kind look at the effects of outsourcing in the wireless telecom industry. The report titled, “Broken Network: Workers Expose Harms of Wireless Telecom Carriers’ Outsourcing to ‘Authorized Retailers,’” includes a survey of over 200 workers from nearly 45 states at “authorized retailers” for the industry’s three dominant carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.”

“Deterring unions in the workplace has become a veritable cottage industry — though perhaps that phrase is inappropriately diminutive for a sector which brings in hundreds of millions annually.” 

“Employers regularly employ illegal tactics to suppress unions. An analysis of the latest government data on unfair labor practice charges and union elections shows that employers were charged with violating federal labor law in nearly 40% of elections—everything from firing to retaliation to changing work terms.”

“Employers can exacerbate the uncertainty job seekers face by using broad nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements (NDAs) to prohibit current and former employees from speaking about their negative experiences at work. These policies can keep job seekers in the dark about important aspects of working at a potential new employer.”

“President Biden gave his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night. Here is how advocates for working families across the country responded.”

“He didn’t say it in quite this way, but the dominant theme of President Biden’s State of the Union Address might have been cribbed from an old labor anthem: which side are you on? President Biden’s speech was designed, in part, to let working people know he’s on their side. Others in the House chamber (and beyond)? Not so much.”

“Watch Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris, Northeastern University Professor Alicia Modestino, AFL-CIO Economist Bill Spriggs and W.E. Upjohn Institute Senior Researcher Aaron Sojourner have an in-depth worker-focused conversation on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation Report.”

"Unionized reporters and editors at NBC News staged a daylong walkout on Thursday in protest of recent layoffs and the network’s handling of ongoing contract bargaining."

“More than 120 artists have signed an open letter to SXSW from the Union Of Musicians And Allied Workers (UMAW) demanding higher pay. Artists who signed include Guy Picciotto, Y La Bamba, Anjimile, Wednesday, Vijay Iyer, Eve 6, Cadence Weapon, Zola Jesus, Heba Kadry, Speedy Ortiz, and more. The letter marks the launch of a campaign called Fair Pay At SXSW.”

“After REI employees in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio walked off the job Friday morning, the recreational equipment retailer agreed to schedule a union election vote next month and stopped pushing to exclude certain workers. Following successful union drives at two other REI stores, employees in Beachwood last month filed for a union election with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking representation with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU).”

“A group of YouTube Music contract workers in Austin, Texas will go on strike on Friday afternoon protesting a return-to-office policy that “threatens the livelihoods of workers” who don’t live nearby, according to a press release. CWA says this is the first time any Google-affiliated workers have planned to strike, although workers have undertaken work stoppages in support of Black Lives Matter and over the company's sexual harassment scandals before.”

“Last week, outside the L.A. Live Marriott, more than 1,000 members of UNITE HERE Local 11 gathered for a demonstration. Inside, executives mingled at the American Lodging Investment Summit, which is billed as the largest hotel investment conference in the world. The union members’ goal: to make the investors understand they’re part of the problem in L.A. — and should be part of the solution.” 

“The two workers, who comprise 50% of the employees at their store, say the collective action was necessary after enduring months of hazardous working conditions. Together with the support of the newly formed Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), both employees have filed safety complaints with the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a wage theft complaint with the state’s Office of Wages and Child Labor, and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.” 

“Reporter Zaydee Sanchez traveled through California’s San Joaquin and Salinas valleys and spoke to four people with different journeys to activism. Together, their stories illustrate the complexities of organizing in communities faced with challenges like language differences, immigration status and systemic racism — and explain what keeps them motivated.” 

“For me the highlight of working at Amazon is being part of Inland Empire Amazon Workers United—spending time with my co-workers and making our workplace better and safer. When it’s you vs. Amazon, you know who has the power. But when we work together, there’s nothing better to protect you.”

“After fearing the National Labor Relations Board under President Donald Trump would roll back graduate students' power to unionize, campus organizers are energized under President Joe Biden.”

“Fewer than 100 employees out of the thousands who work at Nissan’s auto assembly plant in Tennessee can hold a vote on whether to form a small union, the federal labor board has decided. The ruling Thursday by the National Labor Relations Board overturns a June 2021 decision by one of its regional officials that has long blocked the vote.”

“After several months of negotiations, Disney World workers in Orlando, Florida, overwhelmingly rejected the Walt Disney Co.'s "best offer" of a $1 pay raise this year for thousands of workers fighting to survive in a region of the United States that's experiencing a cost-of-living crisis.”

“There’s an important puzzle here: How can support for unions be at its highest level ever and union membership be at the lowest level ever recorded in the U.S.? How can we continue to witness heroic worker efforts to form unions in industries once thought unorganizable, when actual unionization rates continue to plummet?”

“Upon release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual report on union membership and earnings, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has launched a Union Wage Calculator to help workers evaluate the material benefit of having a voice on the job.” 

“Are you tired of feeling powerless in the face of workplace injustices? Have you ever wondered how technology could help amplify your voice and bring about real change in the workplace? While some may fear ChatGPT as a threat to job security, we see it as a powerful tool for workers, especially for helping them to bring change in the workplace.” 

“Cooperative initiatives in cities across the world are strengthening worker pay, local economies and democracy.” 

“In recent years, a surge in worker organizing across the country has coincided with unions achieving levels of popular support not reached in decades. A growing number of businesses are now recognizing that their workers want unions and are opting out of fighting workers in intense union election campaigns.”