Iman Masmoudi is a student at Harvard Law School.
An overnight fire at an Amazon warehouse leads to the union’s first collective action: a sit-in in the break room followed by a “march on the boss.” A recent study published by Princeton researchers attributes plateauing income inequality in the U.S. to gains made by the lowest-wage workers and labor movements. And the NLRB rules against Activision Blizzard, finding that it withheld wage increases from workers because of union activity.
Reports are still emerging, but Christian Smalls, President of the Amazon labor union, tweeted overnight that a fire had broken at on a ship dock at the JFK8 Amazon warehouse in New York, during a night shift. Due to the smoke and fumes, 500 workers staged a walkout, sit-in in the break room, and a “march on the boss,” demanding to be sent home with pay. This marks the first instance of worker mobilization since the establishment of the Amazon union.
A recently published study by researchers at Princeton University analyzes trends in income inequality in the United States over the past decade. The study reveals that US wage inequality, whose rose for thirty straight years, has slowed and halted over the past decade. The researchers attribute this to increased inequality being offset by significant gains made by the lowest wage workers and speculate that increased labor organizing may have contributed to this shift.
The Washington Post reports that the NLRB ruled against Activision Blizzard for unfair labor practices after it withheld raises from quality testers who had participated in union activity. The win for the union comes amidst continued efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement. The union’s complaint alleged that Activision Blizzard laid off 12 quality assurance testers, reorganized the studio to remove the quality assurance department, withheld benefits, and solicited grievances. The NLRB is still investigating other allegations in the complaint. In May, workers won a union, a new foray for labor into the gaming industry, and it remains to be seen what kind of collective bargaining agreement can be reached with Activision Blizzard.
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September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.