Daily News and Commentary – April 11

The Boston Globe reports that two Boston police unions have ratified labor deals that will cost taxpayers an estimated $34 million over a six-year period, some of which covers retroactive years. The unions represent superior detectives and superior officers. The contracts will now go to the City Council for approval and then to the mayor for his signature. Both parties seem pleased with the deal, noting that a potentially lengthy and contentious arbitration process would have cost taxpayers even more.

Reuters reports that, this Thursday and Friday, the NLRB is hearing input from unions, workers, and businesses on the board’s proposal to modernize its rules for union elections, including allowing electronic signatures and expediting pre-election hearings. Employers claim that this will allow union organizers to hold “ambush elections”. Unions and worker advocates call the employer response hyperbolic.

The Associated Press reports that work has resumed at the World Cup stadium in Itaquerao, Brazil after labor officials allowed workers to return to a part of the construction site that had been closed due to safety concerns following a worker’s death.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Teamsters in Louisville, Kentucky have overwhelmingly rejected a contract supplement with UPS for the second time. The labor negotiations have been ongoing for several months.

The New York Times reports that labor unions and corporate representatives in France have agreed on an “obligation to disconnect from remote communications tools” that would apply to several hundred thousand employees of consulting, computing and polling firms. The agreement, signed this month but not yet approved by the Labor Ministry, would require employers to verify that the 11 hours of daily “rest” time to which all workers are legally entitled is spent uninterrupted.