Fred Wang is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, TikTok has a work culture problem; Amazon fires managers after historic union victory; and unions rally ahead of the 2022 election season.
TikTok has a work culture problem, according to a recent exposé in the Wall Street Journal. Employees have complained of sleep deprivation driven by weekend workloads and hours of late mandatory meetings with overseas colleagues. Others have reported health problems such as weight fluctuation and severe emotional lows. Of course, long hours, stress, and demanding deadlines are problems in many workplaces. But several employees who have worked elsewhere in the tech industry claim that TikTok is different. A good deal of work at TikTok consists of adapting products developed in China for American audiences, which therefore requires long meetings with managers in Beijing. The company frequently assigns multiple teams to work on the same project, having them race to see which can finish it most quickly. It also has a policy against employees accessing internal organization charts, which has created internal communication problems. The result is a culture of stress and secrecy “to a degree uncommon in the industry.”
On Thursday, Amazon fired over half a dozen senior managers involved with its JFK8 warehouse — the same warehouse that had won a historic union last month — according to a recent report in the New York Times. The managers had been in charge of implementing the company’s response to the unionization efforts. Various commentators described the firings as Amazon sending a strong message to its other managers: “Lose a union election and we will fire your ass.”
Unions are doing their part this election season, a recent piece in the New Republic explains. Across the country, union leaders are rallying workers to vote in this year’s upcoming federal midterm, state, and local elections — in an effort not only to stave off anti-worker legislation, but also “to reserve some semblance of majority rule.” As Republican legislatures continue to gerrymander district maps, it has become increasingly difficult for average citizens to select their leaders. Robust political science literature has long documented the “big role” that unions can play as mobilizers in elections.
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November 19
A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel the collective bargaining rights of workers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media; Representative Jared Golden secures 218 signatures for a bill that would repeal a Trump administration executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights; and Dallas residents sue the City of Dallas in hopes of declaring hundreds of ordinances that ban bias against LGBTQ+ individuals void.
November 18
A federal judge pressed DOJ lawyers to define “illegal” DEI programs; Peco Foods prevails in ERISA challenge over 401(k) forfeitures; D.C. court restores collective bargaining rights for Voice of America workers; Rep. Jared Golden secures House vote on restoring federal workers' union rights.
November 17
Justices receive petition to resolve FLSA circuit split, vaccine religious discrimination plaintiffs lose ground, and NJ sues Amazon over misclassification.
November 16
Boeing workers in St. Louis end a 102-day strike, unionized Starbucks baristas launch a new strike, and Illinois seeks to expand protections for immigrant workers
November 14
DOT rule involving immigrant truck drivers temporarily stayed; Unions challenge Loyalty Question; Casino dealers lose request for TRO to continue picketing
November 13
Condé Nast accused of union busting; Supreme Court declines to hear Freedom Foundation’s suit challenging union membership cancellation policies; and AFT-120 proposes a “Safe Sleep Lots” program for families facing homelessness.