Tag: workers
Starbucks union drive spreads to Mass, Ariz,
‘Next!’ “We want the company to succeed,” organizers of the Mesa unionization effort said, “and we want our work lives to be the best they can be.” by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Friday, December 17, 2021…
Are unemployed workers striking?
by Wade Rathke May 12, 2021 A small group of state governors have announced that their states may abandon the supplemental unemployment program way before its September expiration. The number of Republican governors making the announcement…
House Passage of Historic Union Rights Bill Intensifies Pressure on Dem Senators to ‘Stop Hiding Behind’ Filibuster
“Once again, the key obstacle in the way of passing this legislation is the Jim Crow filibuster.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Wednesday, March 10, 2021 With the support of just five Republicans, the House…
A huge, huge deal’: Biden issues public statement of support for unionizing Alabama Amazon workers
“We haven’t had this aggressive and positive of a statement from a president of the United States on behalf of workers in decades.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Monday, March 1, 2021 Declaring that all…
Republican resistance, state by state
by Wade Rathke February 26, 2021 Little Rock After four years of Twitter torture, I understand how people seem to be following every little cough and sneeze in Washington these days, crossing their fingers for…
John Thune’s childhood $6 wage—$24 adjusted for inflation—sure helps make the case for at least $15
“The worst thing is that these people aren’t dumb. They know about inflation… They just don’t think people who make their food and clean their bathrooms deserve the same things they got.” by Kenny Stancil, staff…
Google and majority unionism
by Wade Rathke January 4, 2021 New Orleans A well-orchestrated rollout welcomed workers back from the holidays with the news that around 225 people of the 260,000 employees of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, have…
Effects of CA Prop 22 begin as Albertsons stores move to replace unionized drivers with gig workers
“Albertsons was happy to reap public goodwill during the pandemic. But once Prop 22 gave the company the option of replacing workers with lower-paid contractors, they jumped at the opportunity.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Tuesday,…
Most profitable US companies fired workers, enriched shareholders during pandemic
“This is a global crisis but the big companies are not treating it as one—they haven’t skipped a beat.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Thursday, December 17, 2020 While the Covid-19 pandemic and corresponding economic crisis…
Hiring for all
by Wade Rathke December 4, 2020 Little Rock This is interesting. Rather than raise wages, some companies – and labor economists – believe that the other way to increase income would be to expand the…
The stolen childhood of teenage factory workers
Immigrant teenagers who work overnight shifts in suburban factories dream of a better life for children they don’t yet have. So did the author’s father. by Melissa Sanchez I didn’t expect this story to become so…
Essential workers and pay equity
by Wade Rathke Monday, November 16, 2020 New Orleans In a moment of youthful recklessness more than fifty years ago, I allowed myself to get into one of those dangerous political conversations with the father…
Longtime Union members Pocan and Norcross announce Labor Caucus to advocate for workers in Congress
“President-elect Joe Biden’s new administration gives the Democratic Party the opportunity to reprioritize working families at the center of our legislative agenda.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Friday, November 13 Amid a flurry of new campaigns…
Gig workers urge no vote on Prop 22 in California to stop ‘corporate power grab’
“No company should be able to buy its way out of treating workers fairly,” said one progressive think tank about the state’s ballot initiative that will have national implications. by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Friday, October…
Trump’s millionaire economic adviser celebrates ‘gales of creative destruction’ as millions lose their jobs and go hungry
“Wonder how the 14% of households with kids who reported that they didn’t get enough food to eat in the last seven days feel about the ‘gales of creative destruction.’” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Friday,…
Disney fires 28,000 workers during stock buyback spree
“It appears that—prior to, and during the pandemic—Disney took good care of its top executives and shareholders—and now is hanging its front-line workers out to dry.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Wednesday, October 14 Sen. Elizabeth…
Dept. of Labor takes paid leave away from low wage healthcare workers
by Wade Rathke New Orleans This is complicated, so hang with me, but here is what you need to know. Nursing home workers and other frontline healthcare providers like home health aides, and community home workers…
Foreign Masks, Fear and a Fake Certification: Staff at CSL Plasma Say Conditions at Donation Centers Aren’t Safe
Trump’s FDA authorized emergency use of plasma therapy for COVID-19, despite a lack of proof that it saves lives. Staff at CSL Plasma, an industry leader, raised alarms about faulty masks as donors flooded in, but…
Firing workers for off-the-job protests
by Wade Rathke September 17, 2020 New Orleans A small notice in an email caught my eye. A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) attorney in a newly released guidance letter wanted to make sure that…
How pro-Trump millionaires robbed small businesses of coronavirus aid
Thanks to a specially carved loophole, one multi-millionaire claimed 339 times more than the average small business received. by Jim Hightower May 20, 2020 Monty Bennett was just another faceless right-wing millionaire on the long list…
Getting OSHA on the job
by Wade Rathke Pearl River If there were ever a time that workers needed to feel safe on the job, it’s got to be now in the middle of a pandemic. Even with the lifting…
The robots are coming and jobs are disappearing
Pearl River We all wonder what the world of life and work is going to look like at the end of this 2020 Great Depression under the helm of the modern-day Herbert Hoover. Just as an…
Home work
Little Rock There is talk everywhere about “re-opening.” When? How? The “new” normal is a question on everyone’s mind. I find it interesting and curious how much you hear about people working from home. The…
