Anita Alem is a student at Harvard Law School.
A third Amazon warehouse received approval from the NLRB to conduct union elections on Wednesday. The Verge reported that LDJ5, a Staten Island warehouse, joined JFK8 and the Bessemer, Alabama warehouse, in the ongoing efforts to unionize Amazon workers. Labor journalist Lauren K. Gurley tweeted a screenshot of a text that Amazon sent its LDJ5 employees confirming that the Amazon Labor Union has “met the criteria to continue processing the ALU’s petition to have an election at LDJ5.” Amazon’s message contained reflected typical anti-union rhetoric, warning workers: “you could end up with the same, more, or less than you have now – while paying the ALU for representation.”
The Wall Street Journal, covering a Wells Fargo report, found that the shortage of daycare workers has impacted 460,000 families, disproportionately hindering women from participating in the workforce. The concern was echoed by Tuesday’s State of the Union address, in which President Biden encouraged Congress to decrease the costs associated with child care.
In international news, workers at an autoparts assembly plant operated by a U.S.-based company voted overwhelmingly in favor of representation by an independent union. The triumph marks the second time in as many months that an independent union won out against Mexico’s “old guard” unions after a similar vote at a GM plant.
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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.
December 5
Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros., Gen Z men are the most pro-union generation in history, and lawmakers introduce the “No Robot Bosses Act.”
December 4
Unionized journalists win arbitration concerning AI, Starbucks challenges two NLRB rulings in the Fifth Circuit, and Philadelphia transit workers resume contract negotiations.
December 3
The Trump administration seeks to appeal a federal judge’s order that protects the CBAs of employees within the federal workforce; the U.S. Department of Labor launches an initiative to investigate violations of the H-1B visa program; and a union files a petition to form a bargaining unit for employees at the Met.
December 2
Fourth Circuit rejects broad reading of NLRA’s managerial exception; OPM cancels reduced tuition program for federal employees; Starbucks will pay $39 million for violating New York City’s Fair Workweek law; Mamdani and Sanders join striking baristas outside a Brooklyn Starbucks.