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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September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.