Entries by Paul Becker

School Workers Union Actions Spread

Labor union activity appears to be spreading among Kindergatden through 12th grade educators and school staff members across the country. Among the latest cities reporting strikes, strike preparations, and union pushbacks in school systems are: Sacramento (California), St. Louis (Missouri), Dickinson, (N. Dakota), Rochester (New York), Lawrence (Kansas) and Elk Grove (California). Who Gets the […]

NLRB Counsel Condemns Widespread Anti-Union Tactic

In a memo to the National Labor Relations Board, Its general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, urged the board to reverse its precedent that had upheld the widespread employer practice of forcing workers to attend anti-union meetings on company time. The general counsel is charged with enforcing federal labor law.  While these company-time  anti-union meetings are mandatory […]

IN LANDMARK WIN, AMAZON NY WORKERS VOTE UNION

In a huge win for union organizing, workers at Amazon’s Staten Island, NY warehouse voted by a large margin to be represented by the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the first victory for a union at the mammoth company. Hailing the workers victory, ALU President Christian Smalls said: “We want to thank Jeff Bezos (Amazon’s anti-union […]

TIMES TECH WORKERS WIN UNION RECOGNITION

After a year of running up against a stone wall, tech workers at the New York Times finally won their battle for union recognition. The 600 workers will join the 1300 workers in the editorial and business departments represented by the New York NewsGuild, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America. This will make […]

Confessions of a Union Buster

Union busting has been a widespread employer activity for many years and is today not the exception but the norm.  The Economic Policy Institute, in a study released three years ago, found that 41.5 percent of employers whose employees are organizing are charged with violating federal labor law. Another study found that 90 percent of […]

Hershey’s workers, facing brutal conditions, hold union vote

In the face of outrageous working conditions, Workers at Hershey’s chocolate plants, are in the process of holding a union election with ballots to be counted March 24. http://https://perfectunion.us/hershey-prison-workers-who-make-reeses-expose-brutal-factory-conditions/ The workers, who make chocolate bars, Reese Peanut Butter Cups and other candy products, in interviews have described being forced to work overtime, in some cases […]

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Amazon union head arrested on eve of election

With a vote on union representation at the Amazon’s JFK8 facility on Staten Island, New York, set for March 25-30, the company had the leader of the union arrested on charges including trespassing on company property. The union has responded by filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board claiming the […]

More Starbucks workers organize

In an update on the spreading movement of Starbucks workers to organize, nearly 350 more at 14 stores around the country have filed petitions for elections with the National Labor Relations Board. By one estimate, over 2,000 workers in 78 locations have filed for elections in the past two months. (For a fuller account of […]