Senator Bernie Sanders will unveil later today a new tax plan as a part of his presidential campaign platform. The tax plan is set to increase taxes on corporations that pay their CEOs far more than their workers. Companies in which its highest-paid employee earns 50x that of its average worker will be taxed at a higher corporate tax rate. The tax penalty would start at 0.5 percentage points and increase gradually. This proposal is an attempt to incentivize companies to distribute its profits more equitably across the employee base. Critics of this plan argue that it would decrease the quality of management that companies are willing to hire. The plan does not yet address a potential loophole in which CEOs may be hired as contractors rather than employees.
The Oregon public university system and a union representing 4,500 of its employees reached a settlement Saturday morning. The settlement averted a strike that would have otherwise begun today and delayed the first day of classes. These university employees are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and hold positions ranging from academic to administrative positions. The contract settlement included a cost-of-living adjustment of 3%, stable health care costs and a 48-hour leave bank available during campus shut-downs due to inclement weather.
The Duquesne Light Company union workers in Pittsburgh are preparing to strike if a fair contract agreement is not met later today. The union is seeking favorable terms regarding wages, pensions, vacations and health care benefits. One specific demand is for the company to enlist the work of fewer contractors and more unions members. Negotiations are being advanced by a federal mediator.
Poultry workers and other food industry allies organize against ICE raids. Union workers with UFCW and solidarity organizations distribute flyers, publish toolkits and hold know-your-rights workshops in their communities to better educate workers. Such mobilization is in direct response to the growing number of ICE raids targeting the food industry and particularly, in response to the country’s largest workplace raid in which 680 chicken-processing workers were detained last month in Mississippi.
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January 28
Over 15,000 New York City nurses continue to strike with support from Mayor Mamdani; a judge grants a preliminary injunction that prevents DHS from ending family reunification parole programs for thousands of family members of U.S. citizens and green-card holders; and decisions in SDNY address whether employees may receive accommodations for telework due to potential exposure to COVID-19 when essential functions cannot be completed at home.
January 27
NYC's new delivery-app tipping law takes effect; 31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and healthcare workers go on strike; the NJ Appellate Division revives Atlantic City casino workers’ lawsuit challenging the state’s casino smoking exemption.
January 26
Unions mourn Alex Pretti, EEOC concentrates power, courts decide reach of EFAA.
January 25
Uber and Lyft face class actions against “women preference” matching, Virginia home healthcare workers push for a collective bargaining bill, and the NLRB launches a new intake protocol.
January 22
Hyundai’s labor union warns against the introduction of humanoid robots; Oregon and California trades unions take different paths to advocate for union jobs.
January 20
In today’s news and commentary, SEIU advocates for a wealth tax, the DOL gets a budget increase, and the NLRB struggles with its workforce. The SEIU United Healthcare Workers West is advancing a California ballot initiative to impose a one-time 5% tax on personal wealth above $1 billion, aiming to raise funds for the state’s […]