Martin Drake is a student at Harvard Law School.
Stop & Shop workers ended their strike after reaching an agreement with their employer Sunday night, WPRI reports. The strike has been ongoing since April 11, and was triggered by proposed changes to pay and healthcare benefits, Fox Business reports. Many Stop & Shop customers took their business elsewhere as a result of the strike, and the workers had support from several Democratic presidential contenders, as OnLabor previously reported.
Democratic candidates are making significant efforts to win union support in their bids for the presidency, particularly through criticism of corporate power, the Hill reports. The anti-corporate and pro-union messaging from Democratic candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg, reflects a sense that the Democratic party has drifted from its working-class reputation, thereby ceding legitimacy in formerly Democratic strongholds, like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Unions, for their part, are waiting longer to endorse candidates than in the 2016 presidential race.
In other electoral news, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Service Employees International Union of Illinois spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed effort to elect Toni Preckwinkle as the mayor of Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Despite the loss, both unions say they’re proud of successfully swinging the Chicago City Council to the left, and CTU has highlighted the fact that the Mayor-elect, Lori Lightfoot, supported many elements of the CTU’s platform on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, the International Network of Charter School’s political fund saw six supported candidates win in the runoffs, totaling 10 wins out of their 13 endorsed candidates.
The Department of Labor is investigating a prominent hedge fund, Alden Global Capital, over its handling of hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension funds, USA Today reports. Alden is the controlling shareholder of MNG Enterprises, the publisher responsible for over 100 local news outlets, including the Denver Post and the Boston Herald. As much as 90 percent of MNG newspapers’ pension assets were invested in hedge funds controlled by Alden, a potential violation of U.S. retirement laws. An MNG spokesman has asserted that Alden’s investment choices complied with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which safeguards private industry pension funds.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
April 24
NYC unions urge Mamdani to veto anti-protest “buffer zones” bill; 40,000 unionized Samsung workers rally for higher pay; and Labubu Dolls found to contain cotton made by forced labor.
April 23
Trump administration wins in 11th Circuit defending a Biden-era project labor agreement rule; NABTU convenes its annual legislative conference; Meta reported to cut over 10% of its workforce this year.
April 22
Congress introduces a labor rights notification bill; New York's ban on credit checks in hiring takes effect; Harvard's graduate student workers go on strike.
April 21
Trump's labor secretary resigns; NYC doormen avoid a strike; UNITE HERE files complaint over ICE concerns at FIFA World Cup
April 20
Immigrant truckers file federal lawsuit; NLRB rejects UFCW request to preserve victory; NTEU asks federal judge to review CFPB plan to slash staff.
April 19
Chicago Teachers’ Union reach May Day agreement; New York City doormen win tentative deal; MLBPA fires two more executives.