News & Commentary

April 20, 2022

Jason Vazquez

Jason Vazquez is a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2023. His writing on this blog reflects his personal views and should not be attributed to the IBT.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is considering whether to insert a provision in its contracts precluding consulting firms dealing with the Democratic Party from helping employers thwart labor organizing efforts. The news surfaces a few weeks after media outlets exposed that Global Strategy Group (GSG), a major Democratic consulting firm, had been hired by Amazon to orchestrate the e-commerce giant’s expensive, though unsuccessful, antiunion campaign against the Amazon Labor Union on Staten Island. The contemplated provision, which some labor leaders have applauded, would obligate consulting firms contracting with the Democratic Party to certify that they won’t help any client “persuade employees or workers to not form or join a union” or assist any client “in a labor dispute” or in lobbying for legislation “opposed by the labor movement.” For its part, GSG has offered a belated apology for its unionbusting activities, and insists that it has unilaterally adopted the DNC’s proposals in its own contracts.

In New York City, efforts to organize tech behemoth Apple, the largest company in the world, appear to be accelerating, as employees at the firm’s flagship store in Grand Central Terminal, as well as three other locations, have initiated unionization drives. The road ahead remains arduous, for organizers reportedly remain in the process of collecting authorization cards and have yet to file an election petition with the Board. On the other side of the Hudson, the NLRB revealed Monday that employees at an Amazon facility in New Jersey, DNK5, petitioned for a union election. For reasons unascertainable at this time, however, it was withdrawn yesterday.

On Tuesday, a tentative agreement was revealed between the union representing thousand of residential building doormen in the Big Apple and the major real estate firms which employ them. The contract, if ratified, would forestall a looming strike that would have begun later this week. It grants the tens of thousands of doormen, who in effect serve as security and personal assistants to the wealthy inhabitants of luxurious residential complexes in the city, large wage increases and cash bonuses.

Finally, Nintendo employees recently filed a charge with the Board accusing the firm of unlawfully interfering with their right to organize, the latest signal that labor activism in the gaming industry continues to generate momentum. The unfair labor practice charge includes allegations of threats, surveillance, retaliation, and discharge.

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