SEIU Local 888 has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Division of Labor Relations against the city of Boston for not seeking the union’s input nor bargaining over the city’s COVID-19 reopening plan. The city has already faced criticism for being inflexible in regards to child care needs when it recalled workers. The union claims it asked to bargain the next day over the city’s unilateral demand that workers return to their in-person locations on either June 22 or July 6. The union also claims that Mayor Janey asserted that the city had no duty to bargain over the decision to recall the workers.

Colorado has become the first state to pass an organized-labor-backed electrification policy. The legislation, backed by the Colorado BlueGreen Alliance, will facilitate Coloradans upgrading their electric appliances and making their homes more “climate-friendly.” The alliance included over 20 labor unions and environmental organizations. Union advocates for the bill praised the bill’s workforce standards, climate-friendly technologies, and opportunity to create new union jobs for an important infrastructure project.

A California judge has permitted a suit against Uber Eats over worker misclassification, minimum wage violations, and overtime violations to proceed, despite Proposition 22’s passing. Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton denied Uber’s motion to dismiss, holding that Uber so far failed to show that Proposition 22 abated the lawsuit. Judge Hamilton also declined to rule on whether drivers who signed arbitration agreements should be stricken from the potential class, arguing that the record was insufficient to evaluate that claim. Judge Hamilton also ruled against the drivers’ unfair competition claim without leave to amend.

Caitlin Harrington of Wired has profiled current efforts of Amazon workers to better their working conditions amidst the backdrop of the Prime Day. She discusses how Prime Day has become notorious for Amazon’s mandatory extra time policies requiring 10 hour shifts with only two 30-minute breaks. She then retrospects on the Bessemer union drive and current attempts to challenge the results, the efforts of the Amazon Labor Union in Staten Island, and rumors of the Teamsters planning a big push against Amazon. Harrington outlines ways that Amazon Labor Union workers have begun to be creative with their organizing efforts, such as appropriating internal Amazon communication systems and writing messages expected to be answered by managers on warehouse boards. Harrington also discusses the RWDSU and Teamsters statements’ criticizing Amazon’s Prime Day work policies and injury rate, though she highlights Amazon’s still-growing customer base spurred on by the pandemic.