According to the New York Times, 34,000 participants in the Teamsters union will have their pension benefits cut by nearly 30%. The participants voted to cut benefits in order to help the “cash-strapped plan.” Although more members voted no than voted yes, to defeat the proposal required a majority of the eligible voters not the votes cast. The Teamsters union is now the third so-called multiemployer pension plan to cut benefits.
An article in the Nation states that Canada is pressuring the Trump administration to raise labor standards as part of any NAFTA renegotiation. Particularly, Canada is focused on ensuring the U.S. protects unionization and collective bargaining. Canada has even urged the Trump administration to ban right-to-work laws. The Canadian government is being pressured by Canadian unions who fear that the U.S.’s lax labor standards take away Canadian jobs.
The Detroit News reports that Amazon will create 1000 new jobs in Shelby Township near Detroit. The new facility will be 1 million square feet and completes Amazon’s expansion into Michigan. This final facility will bring the total Amazon workforce in Michigan to 3,500.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.