In today’s news and commentary, workers at the Obama Foundation begin an organizing campaign, Major League Baseball submits its latest bargaining proposal to the players’ union, and nurses at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital postpone striking. 

On Wednesday, employees at the Obama Foundation and Presidential Center announced they are attempting to form a union. The union, named Obama Workers United, is collaborating with AFSCME Council 31 and seek to represent not just employees at the new Presidential Center in Chicago, but also at the Obama Foundation’s Washington, D.C. offices and those working remotely across the country. In an open letter announcing the campaign, organizers cited heavy workloads, inadequate benefits, insufficient support from management, and high turnover as challenges facing workers that they hope to address at the bargaining table. Organizers also invoked former President Obama’s “Open Letter to America’s Hardworking Men and Women,” in which he stated: “[I]f I were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my family, I’d join a union.” Workers are currently collecting organizing cards, with a decision coming on whether to ask the Obama Foundation to voluntarily recognize the union or instead petition the NLRB for an election. The Obama Foundation has not said whether it will voluntarily recognize the union, instead writing that it is “deeply committed to the fundamental right of workers to organize and make their voices heard.” 

On Thursday, Major League Baseball (MLB), as part of negotiations with the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement, proposed shortening the regular season to 154 games and altering the division series in the playoffs to a best-of-seven format. Under the proposal, Monday would become a standard off day, except for potentially one or two nationally televised games and league holidays. Teams that play Monday would then have an off day on Thursday. Though the proposal did not come along with salary reductions, it is contingent on the players accepting a salary cap, which has become a sticking point in the negotiations. MLB previously proposed both a salary cap and salary floor, with players receiving 50% of revenues. The MLBPA is strongly opposed to instituting a cap, writing that such a system “guts player rights and compensation.” According to a November 2025 survey, a strong majority of fans support a salary cap and floor, with concerns mounting over competitive balance and a lack of small market spending. The current agreement between MLB and the MLBPA expires December 1, after which point the owners are widely expected to begin a lockout that could threaten the start of next season.

Over the weekend, the Brigham & Women’s Hospital nurses union postponed plans for its open-ended strike that was set to begin this week. As Maya reported, over 4,000 nurses were scheduled to walk off the job indefinitely on Wednesday over inadequate wage increases and high health insurance costs. However, on Saturday night, Mass General Brigham presented its “best and final offer,” with the union now putting its strike on hold so members can vote on the proposed agreement. A vote among membership has not yet been scheduled.