Jon Weinberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
Walmart organizes its business on a global scale, and now its workers are following suit. According to Reuters, “OUR Walmart and the Wal-Mart Chinese Workers Association (WCWA) discussed strategy for recent strikes in China on a Skype call last month using a translator.” OUR Walmart consists of American Walmart employees. The two groups are “discussing joint strategies to address challenges that workers in both countries face, including work schedule changes.” International collaboration between labor movements is rare, but may continue as the groups “also agreed to support each other’s actions, have follow-up calls and link via social media.”
Verizon may have labor peace for the foreseeable future, but its chief competitor is facing difficulties in negotiating a new labor contract. Fortune reports that “a group of more than 40,000 unionized workers in AT&T’s wireless business rejected a proposed benefits contract, marking the first contentious labor negotiation at the telecom giant in several years.” Representatives of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) had previously negotiated the contract with AT&T. Negotiations will continue. AT&T has not faced a major strike since 2012.
Union organizing in the South can be extremely difficult, as a new video shows. Writing for The Huffington Post, Dave Jamieson describes a video showing how police officers in Georgia disrupted lawful attempted organizing of truckers by three Teamsters last month. One of the Teamsters said “the truck drivers were generally receptive to their message and cordial in their encounters with the organizers. But the citations by police, he said, would make drivers nervous about talking with union representatives in the future.” He also said “the encounter epitomized what it’s like to do union organizing in union-unfriendly pockets of the South.”
As predicted, Donald Trump’s selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate hasn’t sat well with worker advocates. The American Prospect discusses how the selection of Pence solidifies Trump as an anti-labor candidate.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 1
Trump nominates Keith Sonderling as Labor Secretary; OPM finalizes rule allowing suitability-based removal of federal employees for post-appointment conduct.
June 30
SCOTUS ends removal protections for agencies; staff at NYC cocktail bar vote to unionize.
June 29
In today’s News and Commentary, student-athletes file a class action suit challenging the NCAA’s new Age-Based Rule, a federal judge declines to issue a preliminary injunction against FEMA’s reduction in force but expedites proceedings, and Gavin Newsom opposes California’s proposed billionaire tax in favor of a federal approach. On Thursday, DeJuan Campbell, at basketball player […]
June 28
Philadelphia utility workers announce July 4 strike; national parks workers vote to unionize; Michigan considers “right to disconnect” bill.
June 26
Mamdani issues workplace heat protections order; Fifth Circuit denies enforcement of NLRB order against Starbucks; AFGE unlikely to secure injunction against FEMA layoffs.
June 25
NLRB orders Amazon to bargain with workers; federal judge blocks ICE agents from making arrests in courthouses.