organized labor

15 Stories

Teachers in This State's Largest City Hit the Picket Line

Educators in Portland, Oregon, are striking over salary, class sizes, lack of resources

(Newser) - Teachers in Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Wednesday for the first day of a strike that shuttered schools for some 45,000 students in Oregon's largest city. Concerns over large class sizes, salaries that haven't kept up with inflation, and a lack of resources prompted the...

On Tuesday, an 'Absolutely Unprecedented' Move by Biden

Looks like he'll be the first president ever to walk picket line when he joins UAW strike in Michigan

(Newser) - President Biden's decision to stand alongside United Auto Workers picketers Tuesday on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers underscores an allegiance to labor unions that appears to be unparalleled in presidential history, per the AP . Experts in presidential and US labor history say they can't...

A New Dawn on Labor: 'Working People Are Reclaiming' Power

EJ Dionne lays out why this Labor Day in particular is cause for worker celebration

(Newser) - So far this year, more than 230 strikes involving upward of 320,000 workers in the United States have unfolded, along with big victories for unions. This is no fluke, but instead signs of a reawakening for organized labor that has made unions "cool again," writes EJ Dionne...

Anti-Union Movement Is Bad News for America
Anti-Union Movement
Is Bad News for America
OPINION
Dec 12, 2012 12:24 PM CST

Anti-Union Movement Is Bad News for America

Harold Meyerson: This is politics, not economics

(Newser) - Michigan's new anti-union law isn't about economics or creating jobs, much as its GOP supporters would like everyone to believe, writes Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post . No, this is pure politics. How else to explain that police and firefighters, whose contracts cost local governments a pretty penny,...

Union: Twinkies Won't Die
 Union: Twinkies Won't Die 
Nov 19, 2012 7:12 AM CST

Union: Twinkies Won't Die

Hostess in bankruptcy court today

(Newser) - The union that Hostess blames for its collapse says Twinkies and other iconic snacks will live on. Hostess will present its plan to shut down plants and sell off its business to a bankruptcy judge today, but the chief of the the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers union...

Public Workers Have Lost the PR Battle



 Public Workers Have 
 Lost the PR Battle 
analysis
Jun 8, 2012 12:11 PM CDT

Public Workers Have Lost the PR Battle

Even Democrats are targeting public-sector perks

(Newser) - Public workers fighting to preserve their jobs, salaries, and benefits are running out of allies, the Washington Post finds. Democratic lawmakers searching for budget cuts have joined Republicans in targeting public sector perks. Several states are following Wisconsin's lead in attempting to curb collective bargaining for public workers and...

Stripper Strike Hits Famous Paris Cabaret

Crazy Horse dancers win 15% pay hike

(Newser) - The dancers are back and the tops are off again at Paris' famous Crazy Horse cabaret after a successful strike. The club—a favorite with generations of Parisians and tourists—was forced to cancel shows this week for the first time in its 61-year history after its 18 stripping performers...

Americans Really Like Public Unions

 Americans 
 Actually Like 
 Public Unions 
Poll Results
Feb 23, 2011 9:08 AM CST

Americans Actually Like Public Unions

In survey 61% favor collective bargaining

(Newser) - National Republicans might want to think twice before backing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's law cracking down on public unions. A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that a sizable majority of Americans—61%—would oppose a law limiting public unions' collective bargaining rights if it were introduced in their state.

Pot Growers Join Teamsters Union

It's unclear how unionizing will help though

(Newser) - Medical marijuana growers have officially joined the ranks of organized labor—as part of the Teamsters. Almost 40 growers jointed the labor union earlier this month, the AP reports. All of them work for Marjyn Investments, an Oakland business that contracts out pot growth for patients. Thanks to their newly-negotiated...

Composers Seek Pay Tune-Up With Teamsters

Hollywood composers, lyricists form alliance with Local 399

(Newser) - A group of composers for movies and TV seeking a better deal now have the Teamsters in their corner. The musicians, who complain that their pay is shriveling as studios expect them to absorb more costs, were one of the few groups of Hollywood workers not covered by union contracts....

Specter's Choice Saves Obama Labor Headache
Specter's Choice Saves Obama Labor Headache
ANALYSIS
Mar 25, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Specter's Choice Saves Obama Labor Headache

GOP senator's threat to kill bill means Dems won't have to pick sides

(Newser) - Republican Sen. Arlen Specter’s choice to oppose a bill to ease unionization will let President Obama and congressional Democrats avoid a tough choice between labor and business interests, Politico notes. Obama had promised to sign the Employee Free Choice Act, but would have infuriated businesses whose support he needs....

Specter's Shift May Doom Bill on Union Organizing

It's a major blow to EFCA hopes

(Newser) - Sen. Arlen Specter said today he won't support the Employee Free Choice Act, delivering a serious setback to the much-watched labor initiative, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would allow unions to organize more easily, using card signatures instead of secret ballots. The Republican's support of the measure was...

Ford-UAW Deal Shows Detroit the Way Forward
Ford-UAW Deal Shows Detroit the Way Forward
OPINION
Mar 10, 2009 1:39 AM CDT

Ford-UAW Deal Shows Detroit the Way Forward

Compromise reveals Detroit's 'dinosaurs' can adapt to survive

(Newser) - The deal hammered out between Ford and the UAW offers Detroit a rare glimpse of hope for the future, Jim Jelter writes in MarketWatch. The deal, ratified by workers yesterday, lets Ford pay half its health-care costs for workers in shares instead of cash, binding workers fortunes' closer to the...

I'll Fight for 'Hardworking Families': Solis

Union foes challenge Labor nominee, but confirmation expected

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s pick for labor secretary vowed today to “improve the opportunities for hardworking families,” CNN reports. “My vision for the Department of Labor is rooted in who I am,” said Rep. Hilda Solis, the daughter of two union members. The four-term congresswoman from Los...

Bailout First Skirmish in GOP, UAW Battle
 Bailout First Skirmish 
 in GOP, UAW Battle 
ANALYSIS
Dec 13, 2008 5:35 PM CST

Bailout First Skirmish in GOP, UAW Battle

(Newser) - The defeat of the Detroit bailout bill by Senate Republicans is seen by some in Washington as a preemptive strike against organized labor, the Los Angeles Times reports. The GOP framed their opposition partly as a message to the United Auto Workers, claiming high wages were the cause of Detroit’...

15 Stories