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Will Ebeler is a student at Harvard Law School.
In this weekend’s news and commentary, UAW plans to strike at a Kentucky Ford factory; Amazon claims that the NLRB is unconstitutional; and Starbucks shareholders push for disclosure of company’s spending on union-busting.
A local of the United Auto Workers is planning to strike at a Ford factory in Kentucky. Although the national UAW negotiated a master agreement last fall, individual local unions can bargain around local issues. The union represents roughly 9,000 workers at the factory and has been negotiating with Ford over health and safety issues at the plant. It plans to strike starting on Friday if the parties can’t reach a deal.
On Thursday, Amazon joined SpaceX and Trader Joe’s in arguing that the National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional. It made its argument in a brief to an administrative law judge in a case about the company’s alleged retaliation against workers at its unionized Staten Island warehouse. Its arguments track those already made by SpaceX and Trader Joe’s: that the Board’s structure infringes on the Article II executive power, that the Board’s proceedings violate both Articles I and III, and that the Board’s proceedings violate the company’s right to a trial by jury. As Ben noted on Friday, John will be covering these arguments in greater detail.
Finally, on Friday a shareholder at Starbucks wrote an open letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging that Starbucks has failed to disclose $240 million it spent union-busting. The shareholder is the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of North American unions. According to SOC, the information is necessary for “informed voting decisions” before the company’s annual shareholder meeting on March 13. SOC has nominated three candidates to Starbucks’s board of directors, including Wilma Liebman, a former member of the NLRB. According to SOC, the expenses include litigation, lost employee time, and liabilities associated with alleged labor law violations.
Daily News & Commentary
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June 30
Explaining the turnaround in Starbucks-union negotiations; overtime rule implementation against Texas enjoined; California reforms PAGA
June 28
Gig driver classification deal reached in Massachusetts; Amazon drivers in Illinois strike over ULP; CEO pay accelerates.
June 27
The economy and immigration expected to play a central role in the upcoming presidential debate and Washington gets involved in AI regulation of the entertainment industry.
June 26
California judge fines companies for child labor violations; IATSE reaches tentative deal with studios; Texas judge likely to block Biden Administration's overtime rule
June 25
Supreme Court grants petition to hear a case on the scope of ADA standing; Texas federal district court blocks DOL rule expanding wage requirements for construction contractors, and South Korean Hyundai workers authorize strike.
June 24
Workers across the country face extreme heat exposure with minimal government protections; Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 reaches a tentative agreement with Con Edison narrowly avoiding a strike; the Tenth Circuit grants a continuation of a freeze on a wage increase for some federal contractors