The Weekly Download

“Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay out $240,000 as part of a settlement for illegally closing its Augusta location to quash a fledgling union.”

“In a federal court case over Starbucks’ alleged anti-union retaliation, the coffee giant is deploying a maneuver that labor experts say could have a chilling effect on workers’ organizing efforts and potentially set a disastrous precedent — hijacking the proceedings to dig up information on employees and intensify retaliation as part of its battle to crush a labor uprising in its stores.”

“The cooks, servers, cashiers, bartenders, dishwashers and other unionized staff at 15 restaurants in the Philadelphia International Airport thought they had finally won a new contract last June, after four years of bargaining with their employer, OTG. The workers waited months to see those changes go into effect. Then, in December, their employer told union representatives that there had been no agreement.”

“Howard Schultz was the star witness, but the hearing revealed almost as much about the party in power as it did about the longtime Starbucks chief executive. When Mr. Schultz appeared Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, at a session titled “No Company Is Above the Law: The Need to End Illegal Union Busting at Starbucks,” he encountered a Democratic Party much changed since some of his earlier trips to Washington.”

“Starbucks violated federal labor law when it excluded unionized stores from a new policy that facilitated tipping via credit card, according to a new complaint filed by the NLRB on Monday. In May 2022, then-CEO Howard Schultz announced that the company would begin rolling out credit card tipping in the fall at all of its locations — save for the 200+ stores that were unionized or in the process of unionizing. The ability to collect tips from customers that paid with their credit cards had been a core demand of Starbucks Workers United, and Starbucks speciously argued that contract negotiations rendered it illegal for them to provide additional benefits. When the program rolled out in September, the union filed charges with the NLRB alleging that the exclusion constituted union-busting.”

“The Communications Workers of America (CWA) filed two Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) yesterday on behalf of Apple retail workers in Kansas City and Houston who have been fired and have faced intimidation on the job for exercising their right to organize.”

“Employers spend a lot of money trying to derail union organizing campaigns. EPI estimates employers spend $433 million per year on union-avoidance consultants. This work is well compensated—consultants report being paid $350-plus hourly rates or $2,500-plus daily rates for their work to defeat union organizing efforts. This estimate is just a drop in the bucket because there is not enough data to reveal the true scope of what employers spend”

“The Federal Reserve, famously, has a dual mandate: price stability and maximum employment. Typically, economists view those two goals as somewhat opposed: If the Fed raises interest rates to quell rising prices, then employment declines, and vice versa. Right now, though, despite the Fed carrying out rate hike after rate hike, unemployment is staying stubbornly low. So far, the labor market is refusing to loosen up. While that is not what the Fed wants — or expects — to happen, a new book looks at the bigger picture of what low unemployment really means for workers and challenges the need for that classic trade-off. Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs are the authors of “Moving the Needle: What Tight Labor Markets Do for the Poor.” They joined Marketplace’s Amy Scott to talk about the impact that low unemployment can have on the cohort of workers who are often excluded from the workforce.”

“Companies may not be able to buy the silence of laid-off workers anymore. What's happening: Overly broad non-disparagement clauses — which some companies require workers to sign in order to receive severance benefits — were recently ruled unlawful by the National Labor Relations Board. In a memo last week, the agency's general counsel made clear the ruling was retroactive, applicable to agreements signed before the board's decision in February.

Why it matters: The ruling and guidance could free workers to speak up about what happened inside their companies before they lost their jobs, and help each other navigate the layoff process, among other things.”

“Stepping up their pressure against Starbucks, a multinational company currently worth $113 billion, workers at 113 of its U.S. outlets went on strike March 22. In Seattle, the company was finally forced to the bargaining table in earnest with some workers, a major step forward, according to representatives of Starbucks Workers United (SBWU).”

“As the WGA begins its second week of bargaining for a new contract with the AMPTP today, the guild is prepared for a strike, if it comes to that, though that’s by no means a foregone conclusion. The WGA’s current film and TV contract expires May 1. The WGA West’s most recent annual report shows that as of last March 31, it had amassed a strike fund of nearly $20 million, all of which has been set aside to provide loans or grants to members “adversely affected by a strike.” That’s more than double the $9.2 million it had set aside in a strike fund in advance of the 100-day strike of 2007-08, when more than $3 million in strike loans was distributed to members during and after the walkout.”

"In a letter sent by ATU International President John Costa and President/Business Agent of Local 265-San Jose, CA, John Courtney, to the VTA Board of Directors among others, the ATU outlines numerous reasons the independent investigative report was a transparent effort by the agency to avoid any accountability or culpability for the tragic shooting that took the lives of ten VTA workers.”

“The Los Angeles school strike that kept about a half-million students out of classrooms for three days this past week has ended, but that happened even before the union announced a tentative labor contract late Friday. Still, the union’s success is another sign of why short-term strikes like it are surging nationwide.”

“United Airlines has reached tentative agreements with a union representing nearly 30,000 ground workers, the labor group said Wednesday. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the two-year tentative agreements cover “industry-best” wage rates, as well as job protection and certain guards against outsourcing roles. The specific terms of the contracts were not disclosed.”

“The tenor of the relationship between the league and its players’ union seems a far cry from the contentious moments that have dotted their history: the players’ very first attempts to unionize in the 1950s; tense years in the 1990s; and antagonistic battle in 2011 that led to the league’s most recent lockout. Recently, the N.B.A.’s labor landscape has been peaceful, but the strength of that collegiality is being tested by pressure points during a negotiation that has addressed issues like the age limit for players entering the league, a possible in-season tournament and the league’s luxury tax system.”

“Where there is exploitation and oppression, however, there is always resistance. In Vermont, dairy workers organizing with Migrant Justice are engaged in a campaign to compel the grocery store chain Hannaford to join their compact, Milk with Dignity, which would guarantee fair wages, better benefits, and improved working and living conditions on dairy farms throughout the northeast.”

“The rebellion inside Medieval Times’ Southern California castle has spread to another wing. The castle’s sound and lighting technicians informed the company Tuesday that they intend to unionize, filing a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The castle’s show cast formed a union of their own last year and have been on strike since February.”

“Most cannabis dispensaries are cash-only businesses, constantly at risk of being robbed. Indoor growing facilities use harsh lighting, and plants get sprayed with pesticides. Those conditions can create daily hazards for cannabis workers, which is why labor organizers are trying to unionize them as legalization spreads and the marijuana workforce grows.”

“Workers involved in organizing the approximately 150 staff members at the store said in interviews they are seeking a union primarily to address what they see as Trader Joe’s disregard for their physical safety and financial security in the high-priced San Francisco Bay Area. The Oakland store is the first Trader Joe’s location in California to join a national push that began in May.”

“Full-time faculty in non-tenured track positions at New York University are demanding that the university administration recognize their union. In February, a group organizing a union called Contract Faculty United-UAW presented the university administration with a petition signed by a majority of contract faculty urging the university to agree to a “fair and neutral process” for voluntarily recognizing their union. These workers say they lack the job security - and many of the benefits - afforded to faculty members in tenured positions.”

“As part of the five-year deal, MLB agreed during the contract not to reduce minor league affiliates from the current 120. The sides reached the agreement two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws.”

“If you’re one of the people who’s been following the Warrior Met Coal strike over the past 23 months, it’s almost certain that you’ve heard the name Haeden Wright. The 35-year-old mother of two is a teacher, an activist, an elected official, a coal miner’s daughter and a boss’s worst nightmare. She’s a vocal presence on social media, has given countless interviews, and has participated in panels and other public events in an effort to direct attention to the strike.”

“Reform challenger Shawn Fain has won the presidency of the United Auto Workers, the federal monitor announced today. Fain will be sworn in just in time to chair the UAW's bargaining convention, which begins Monday.”