
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 24
In today’s news and commentary, the DOL proposes new wage and hour rules, Ford warns of EV battery manufacturing trouble, and California reaches an agreement to delay an in-person work mandate for state employees. The Trump Administration’s Department of Labor has advanced a series of proposals to update federal wage and hour rules. First, the […]
June 23
Supreme Court interprets ADA; Department of Labor effectively kills Biden-era regulation; NYC announces new wages for rideshare drivers.
June 22
California lawmakers challenge Garmon preemption in the absence of an NLRB quorum and Utah organizers successfully secure a ballot referendum to overturn HB 267.
June 20
Three state bills challenge Garmon preemption; Wisconsin passes a bill establishing portable benefits for gig workers; and a sharp increase in workplace ICE raids contribute to a nationwide labor shortage.
June 19
Report finds retaliatory action by UAW President; Senators question Trump's EEOC pick; California considers new bill to address federal labor law failures.
June 18
Companies dispute NLRB regional directors' authority to make rulings while the Board lacks a quorum; the Department of Justice loses 4,500 employees to the Trump Administration's buyout offers; and a judge dismisses Columbia faculty's lawsuit over the institution's funding cuts.