Jason Vazquez is a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2023. His writing on this blog reflects his personal views and should not be attributed to the Teamsters.
As the historic rerun election at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama unfolds, several employees opposing the organizing effort explained their misgivings to Buzzfeed, revealing anxiety that collective bargaining might undermine their pay and benefits. The interviews reflect the potency of the unlawful antiunion tactics Amazon has unleashed, which have rattled employees and left many “afraid of losing pay, afraid of losing benefits, or their job,” as one organizer lamented. Ballots were mailed to thousands of eligible employees last month. They will be counted in a couple weeks.
On Tuesday the Senate overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act, a bill passed by the House last month. The measure, endorsed by the major postal unions, aims to shore up the Postal Services’ finances. The agency has been operating at a loss for several years. Experts explain that the bill, the result of bipartisan compromise, is unlikely to significantly alleviate the problems plaguing the Service, as it fails to root causes of its financial difficulties. Even so, unions representing hundreds of thousands of letter carriers embraced the Act’s passage, describing it as “a monumental victory” for their members and “one of the most critical pieces of postal legislation in modern history.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 19
FDA reverses course on policy prohibiting off-duty union activity; FAA and NATCA reach deal to secure pay increase for air traffic controllers.
October 18
Federal judge again halts cancellation of the Bureau of Prisons’ CBA; tabletop gaming workers face roadblocks in union recognition.
October 16
Department of Labor reduces wage-and-hour enforcement at unionized workplaces; Fain's victory poses question of federal monitor's extension.
October 15
New reporting examines the rollback of child labor protections; California tries to block a strike; NLRB charges Wisconsin mental health provider with firing workers during union drive.
October 14
Eleventh Circuit overturns ERISA exhaustion rule; DHS finalizes removal of automatic renewal for work permits; AFGE challenges SSA over flexible scheduling policy.
October 13
Chicago hotel workers remain on strike; a coalition of Democratic states sues the Labor Department over canceled unemployment insurance grants; the Federal Labor Relations Authority establishes a new mediation framework for federal worker disputes.