Holt McKeithan is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, national media explores Tim Walz’s connection with labor, American Apple store workers get their first contract, and tenant organizers launch a national federation.
Minnesota governor Tim Walz is the first union member to appear on a presidential ticket since Ronald Reagan. Steven Greenhouse for Slate explains why the former public school teacher is a good choice for workers. During Walz’s term as governor, Minnesota passed a broad slate of progressive reforms that included expanding parental leave, banning noncompete clauses and prohibiting captive audience meetings. Labor played a role in helping him get the spot on the bottom of the Democratic presidential ticket. The presidents of the American Federation of Teachers and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees both released public statements supporting Walz.
On Tuesday, unionized workers at a Towson, Maryland, Apple store ratified the company’s first labor contract in the United States. The 85 workers, who are affiliated with the Machinists, won an average raise of 10% over the next three years. The contract includes guaranteed severance pay and an increase in benefits to match those Apple withheld from unionized stores to discourage organization in 2022. The contract comes two years after the store first became unionized. Following Towson’s lead, Apple workers in Oklahoma City voted to unionize in 2022. However, campaigns at other stores have failed.
Tenant organizers around the country formed the Tenant Union Federation on Tuesday. TUF, which calls itself a “union of unions”, was formed by five founding unions in Louisville, Kansas City, Montana, Connecticut, and Chicago. Those unions have seen success in their respective cities, including banning new short-term rentals in Bozeman, Montana, negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with a large Connecticut landlord, and winning an anti-displacement ordinance in Chicago. The federation aims to build tenant organizations around the country by training and supporting new groups. It will consider dues-based membership models.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
June 3
Federal judge blocks Trump's attack on TSA collective bargaining rights; NLRB argues that Grindr's Return-to-Office policy was union busting; International Trade Union Confederation report highlights global decline in workers' rights.
June 2
Proposed budgets for DOL and NLRB show cuts on the horizon; Oregon law requiring LPAs in cannabis dispensaries struck down.
June 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Ninth Circuit upholds a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration, a federal judge vacates parts of the EEOC’s pregnancy accommodation rules, and video game workers reach a tentative agreement with Microsoft. In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration […]
May 30
Trump's tariffs temporarily reinstated after brief nationwide injunction; Louisiana Bill targets payroll deduction of union dues; Colorado Supreme Court to consider a self-defense exception to at-will employment
May 29
AFGE argues termination of collective bargaining agreement violates the union’s First Amendment rights; agricultural workers challenge card check laws; and the California Court of Appeal reaffirms San Francisco city workers’ right to strike.
May 28
A proposal to make the NLRB purely adjudicatory; a work stoppage among court-appointed lawyers in Massachusetts; portable benefits laws gain ground