The Wisconsin State Legislature began consideration Tuesday of a right-to-work bill, which would permit workers in the state who choose not to join a union, but who nevertheless benefit from union-negotiated contracts, to avoid paying fair-share fees. The Washington Post reports that Republican leaders planned to fast-track the bill, with the goal of finalizing it before large-scale protests—like those seen in the state in 2011 when Republicans curbed the power of public employee unions—are able to materialize. The New York Times reports that while protests at the Capitol “evoked memories of sustained protests in 2011 . . . this year’s crowds were smaller, and the bill’s passage seemed likely.” The passed out of committee by a vote of 3 to 1, paving the way for its consideration by the full Senate.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, newly elected Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday indicated that he would soon announce plans for a “broad-based tax increase,” as well as an increase in the state’s minimum wage. Citing Walmart’s recent decision to raise its workers’ wages to $10 per hour by 2016, Wolf said that “I think an increase to $10.10 makes sense.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Facebook’s bus drivers, who shuttle employees between the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters and San Francisco, voted unanimously to approve their first union contract. The drivers voted in November to join the Teamsters, “amid complaints that they are underpaid, overworked and unfairly compensated for time on the job.” The new contract includes an increase in average pay for the drivers from $18 per hour to $24.50 per hour, as well as addressing complaints about working conditions.
In international news, the Associated Press reports that Brazilian labor unions are suing McDonald’s and its local franchisee, alleging 30 years of labor violations. The suit “seeks to prevent McDonald’s from opening new stores until it complies with legislation and asks that it be slapped with penalties of up to 30 percent of its revenue in Brazil.”
Daily News & Commentary
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December 11
In today’s News and Commentary, Biden’s NLRB pick heads to Senate vote, DOL settles a farmworker lawsuit, and a federal judge blocks Albertsons-Kroger merger. Democrats have moved to expedite re-confirmation proceedings for NLRB Chair Lauren McFerran, which would grant her another five years on the Board. If the Democrats succeed in finding 50 Senate votes […]
December 10
In today’s News and Commentary, advocacy groups lay out demands for Lori Chavez-DeRemer at DOL, a German union leader calls for ending the country’s debt brake, Teamsters give Amazon a deadline to agree to bargaining dates, and graduates of coding bootcamps face a labor market reshaped by the rise of AI. Worker advocacy groups have […]
December 9
Teamsters file charges against Costco; a sanitation contractor is fined child labor law violations, and workers give VW an ultimatum ahead of the latest negotiation attempts
December 8
Massachusetts rideshare drivers prepare to unionize; Starbucks and Nestlé supply chains use child labor, report says.
December 6
In today’s news and commentary, DOL attempts to abolish subminimum wage for workers with disabilities, AFGE reaches remote work agreement with SSA, and George Washington University resident doctors vote to strike. This week, the Department of Labor proposed a rule to abolish the Fair Labor Standards Act’s Section 14(c) program, which allows employers to pay […]
December 4
South Korea’s largest labor union began a general strike calling for the President’s removal, a Wisconsin judge reinstated bargaining rights for the state’s public sector workers, and the NLRB issued another ruling against Starbucks for anti-union practices.