According to the Washington Examiner, workers at a Nissan plant in Mississippi will vote today on whether or not they should join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Nearly 4,000 workers will be voting, and the election will be concluded by Friday. While unions have struggled in the South due to right-to-work laws, a victory here for UAW would help make crucial inroads. However, even if the UAW is unsuccessful, some have argued that all is not lost, as the UAW could be playing the long game with the hope of winning future union elections.
According to the Texas Monitor, teachers unions are fighting to prevent the Texas Legislature from passing a bill to prohibit teachers and several other state and local employees from deducting union dues directly from their paychecks. Teachers unions in Texas have collected over $100 million in dues over the past decade through payroll deductions. Proponents of banning payroll deductions for union dues argue that the government should have no role in collecting union dues.
According to CNBC, Amazon is looking to hire up to 50,000 people at its shipping centers in preparation for holiday shopping. At a recent job fair, nearly 20,000 people applied for these jobs most of which are in packing, sorting, and shipping, and Amazon hired many of them on-the-spot. Importantly, however, as Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, notes more people in retail will lose their jobs than are hired in distribution centers.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.
December 15
Advocating a private right of action for the NLRA, 11th Circuit criticizes McDonnell Douglas, Congress considers amending WARN Act.
December 12
OH vetoes bill weakening child labor protections; UT repeals public-sector bargaining ban; SCOTUS takes up case on post-arbitration award jurisdiction
December 11
House forces a vote on the “Protect America’s Workforce Act;” arguments on Trump’s executive order nullifying collective bargaining rights; and Penn State file a petition to form a union.
December 8
Private payrolls fall; NYC Council overrides mayoral veto on pay data; workers sue Starbucks.
December 7
Philadelphia transit workers indicate that a strike is imminent; a federal judge temporarily blocks State Department layoffs; and Virginia lawmakers consider legislation to repeal the state’s “right to work” law.