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Iman Masmoudi is a student at Harvard Law School.
An overnight fire at an Amazon warehouse leads to the union’s first collective action: a sit-in in the break room followed by a “march on the boss.” A recent study published by Princeton researchers attributes plateauing income inequality in the U.S. to gains made by the lowest-wage workers and labor movements. And the NLRB rules against Activision Blizzard, finding that it withheld wage increases from workers because of union activity.
Reports are still emerging, but Christian Smalls, President of the Amazon labor union, tweeted overnight that a fire had broken at on a ship dock at the JFK8 Amazon warehouse in New York, during a night shift. Due to the smoke and fumes, 500 workers staged a walkout, sit-in in the break room, and a “march on the boss,” demanding to be sent home with pay. This marks the first instance of worker mobilization since the establishment of the Amazon union.
A recently published study by researchers at Princeton University analyzes trends in income inequality in the United States over the past decade. The study reveals that US wage inequality, whose rose for thirty straight years, has slowed and halted over the past decade. The researchers attribute this to increased inequality being offset by significant gains made by the lowest wage workers and speculate that increased labor organizing may have contributed to this shift.
The Washington Post reports that the NLRB ruled against Activision Blizzard for unfair labor practices after it withheld raises from quality testers who had participated in union activity. The win for the union comes amidst continued efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement. The union’s complaint alleged that Activision Blizzard laid off 12 quality assurance testers, reorganized the studio to remove the quality assurance department, withheld benefits, and solicited grievances. The NLRB is still investigating other allegations in the complaint. In May, workers won a union, a new foray for labor into the gaming industry, and it remains to be seen what kind of collective bargaining agreement can be reached with Activision Blizzard.
Daily News & Commentary
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February 21
In today’s News & Commentary, Trump spending cuts continue to threaten federal workers, and Google AI workers allege violations of labor rights. Trump’s massive federal spending cuts have put millions of workers, both inside and outside the federal government, in jeopardy. Yesterday, thousands of workers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs research office were […]
February 20
President Trump's labor secretary pick retreats from some of her pro-labor stances during Senate confirmation hearing and Lynn Rhinehart discusses implications of NLRB and other agency removals.
February 19
In today’s news and commentary, Lori Chavez-Deremer’s confirmation hearing, striking King Soopers workers return to the bargaining table, and UAW members at Rolls-Royce authorize a strike. Lori Chavez-Deremer, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, faces a Senate confirmation hearing today. Chavez-Deremer may face more No votes from Republicans than other Trump cabinet members. Rand […]
February 18
In today’s news and commentary, an air traffic union examines the impact of federal aviation worker firings, Southwest Airlines lays off 15% of its corporate workforce, and the NLRB’s General Counsel withdraws Biden-era memos Following the Trump Administration’s dismissal of hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), a […]
February 17
President Trump breaks campaign promise to support workers and Utah’s governor signs a law banning public sector collective bargaining
February 16
Unions fight unlawful federal workforce purges; Amazon union push suffers setback in North Carolina.