In art news, labor relations at the Metropolitan Opera continue to deteriorate, according to the New York Times. On Wednesday, the Met informed its workers that they would be locked out if a contract wasn’t reached by the end of the next week. Contracts with 15 of the 16 unions at the Met expire on July 31. Management has been pushing for reduced pay and benefits, while representatives of the union argue that management has not negotiated in good faith. We’ve covered the Met’s labor disputes before, including here and here.
Detroit moved forward with its bankruptcy plan this week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reports that retirees who hold city pensions approved a cut to their benefits, contingent on funders making available $816 million to strengthen the pension accounts. According to the Detroit News, some other classes of creditors rejected the bankruptcy plan, and will need to resolve their dispute in court. Our explainer on Detroit’s bankruptcy plan is available here.
In California, the California Nurses Association is preparing for difficult contract negotiations with Kaiser Health, the largest hospital system in the state, according to NPR. The four-year contract expires soon, and the union expects the hospital system to request cuts in wages in benefits.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]