In today’s News and Commentary, YouTube subcontractors strike a Return-to-Office policy; Teamsters prepare for upcoming contract negotiations with UPS; Woburn, MA teachers union agrees to reimburse city $225,000 for costs incurred during 5-day strike.
In what appears to be the first strike in Google history, YouTube subcontractors walked out on Friday to protest the company’s Return-to-Office policy. Cognizant, an Alphabet (Google’s parent company) contracting partner and the YouTube subcontractors direct employer, informed workers of the RTO policy in November. Workers are expected to return to the Austin, Texas office on February 6. A majority of Cognizant employees joined the company remotely and almost a quarter are not Texas-based. The workers are demanding a policy that is “fair” and “flexible.”
As the end of their 5-year contract approaches, UPS workers are preparing for national and local contract negotiations. The Teamsters union, representing 340,000 UPS workers, will begin national contract negotiations in April. For the first time, the Teamsters President and Secretary-Treasurer will take part in the negotiations. The union is particularly invested in improving working conditions after spikes in shipping volumes and several heatwaves shed light on the current untenable shift structure.
On Sunday, the Woburn Teachers’ Association reached an agreement with the city, ending their 5-day strike. The union secured salary increases for both teachers and paraprofessionals, but hesitated to conclude the agreement due to the city’s demand for reimbursement of costs incurred during the strike. The four-year contract will increase teachers’ salaries by nearly 14%, while paraprofessionals can expect an almost 40% increase in pay. The city estimated the cost of the strike at $250,000 for police details, school lunches, and a cancelled professional development day, among other things. The Woburn Teachers’ Association conceded after 5 hours of negotiations – it will pay $225,000 in reimbursement over the four years of the contract, with an additional $20,000 to be donated to local charities. The 550 union members, along with 4,300 students, will return to school on Monday.
Daily News & Commentary
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November 24
Labor leaders criticize tariffs; White House cancels jobs report; and student organizers launch chaperone program for noncitizens.
November 23
Workers at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority vote to authorize a strike; Washington State legislators consider a bill empowering public employees to bargain over workplace AI implementation; and University of California workers engage in a two-day strike.
November 21
The “Big Three” record labels make a deal with an AI music streaming startup; 30 stores join the now week-old Starbucks Workers United strike; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration draws scrutiny over a recent worker death.
November 20
Law professors file brief in Slaughter; New York appeals court hears arguments about blog post firing; Senate committee delays consideration of NLRB nominee.
November 19
A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel the collective bargaining rights of workers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media; Representative Jared Golden secures 218 signatures for a bill that would repeal a Trump administration executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights; and Dallas residents sue the City of Dallas in hopes of declaring hundreds of ordinances that ban bias against LGBTQ+ individuals void.
November 18
A federal judge pressed DOJ lawyers to define “illegal” DEI programs; Peco Foods prevails in ERISA challenge over 401(k) forfeitures; D.C. court restores collective bargaining rights for Voice of America workers; Rep. Jared Golden secures House vote on restoring federal workers' union rights.