Lolita De Palma is a student at Harvard Law School.
The United Auto Workers strike against General Motors continued this weekend (please see our previous coverage). Senator Elizabeth Warren joined the picket line on Sunday at an assembly plant in Detroit. Also on Sunday, former Vice President Joe Biden spoke to striking General Motors workers at a Fairfax plant. Senator Bernie Sanders plans to visit the Detroit plant this Wednesday. Workers are pushing General Motors to improve wages, add more jobs at their facilities, and pay a greater share of employee health costs.
On Friday, the NLRB proposed a new rule that would classify students at private universities as students, instead of employees, even if they receive a salary from the university. If the new rule is passed, private universities would no longer be required to recognize student unions. The NLRB stated that “the basis for this proposed rule is the Board’s preliminary position, subject to revision in light of public comment that the relationship these students have with their school is predominately educational rather than economic.” The New York Times spoke to graduate-student organizers about the effect the new rule will have on union organizing on their campuses. While some union leaders are concerned that the new rule would interfere with ongoing bargaining negotiations, others were committed to continued advocacy whether or not official recognition is likely. A 60-day public comment period must pass before the Board can take a final vote on the proposed rule.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 is calling for a boycott of 57 Fred Meyer stores in Oregon. The union has accused the grocery chain of using one-on-one meetings with its employees to intimidate workers. Fred Meyer has also posted flyers asking for replacement workers in anticipation of a strike. The union has cancelled its contracts with Fred Meyer and filed a complaint with the NLRB. Kelley McAllister, Communications Director for UFCW Local 555, said, “We’ve been asking all along for dollars because our members need to eat, and they need to be able to live and cost of living has just gone up so significantly and wages just haven’t kept pace.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.
September 11
California rideshare deal advances; Boeing reaches tentative agreement with union; FTC scrutinizes healthcare noncompetes.
September 10
A federal judge denies a motion by the Trump Administration to dismiss a lawsuit led by the American Federation of Government Employees against President Trump for his mass layoffs of federal workers; the Supreme Court grants a stay on a federal district court order that originally barred ICE agents from questioning and detaining individuals based on their presence at a particular location, the type of work they do, their race or ethnicity, and their accent while speaking English or Spanish; and a hospital seeks to limit OSHA's ability to cite employers for failing to halt workplace violence without a specific regulation in place.