Uber and Lyft drivers recently held a rally outside the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) office in Long Island City, Queens. More than 14,000 rideshare drivers have petitioned in favor of unionization. The drivers are frustrated about shrinking pay, increasingly strict driver policies, and soaring commissions charges. Their attempts…

  A new academic paper from a trio of professors in the state of Alabama has concluded that unionization pays big dividends for professors at regional public universities.  In total, full-time instructors at regional public universities earn an average of $21,000 more — a 25 percent boost — in pay and benefits when they belong…

  In California, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez will reintroduce AB 1727, known as the “1099 Self-Organizing Act,” to create a hybrid workforce in the “on-demand” or “gig” economy. It would grant new rights to workers classified as independent contractors and toe the line of employment created by companies like Uber…

  When the city of Seattle passed first-of-its kind legislation to allow Uber and Lyft drivers to organize, a lengthy court battle was predicted.  Now, that shoe has dropped with the Chamber of Commerce (CoC) filing a lawsuit against the city over the ordinance. They argue that it violates federal antitrust laws: “Seattle and thousands…

  Workers at a Taylor Farms plant in Tracy, California were exposed to a toxic mixture of acetic acid and chlorine which led to the hospitalization of 20 workers.  The incident is the latest in a string of grievances for the workers at the salad processing plant, who have been seeking to unionize like their [&hellip…;

  A new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule allowing workers to sign election authorization cards online went into effect September 1st, just in time for the International Association of Machinists’ (IAM) broadening of its campaign at the Boeing Dreamliner plant in North Charleston, South Carolina. The new rule allows workers to…

  A unionization effort by the 189 attorneys that work for Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is taking shape.  The American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania has invited the lawyers to a May 27th meeting at which they can discuss “workplace issues.”  If successful, the effort would create a collective bargaining unit for the…

  The campaign to unionize drivers at FedEx Freight and Conway forged ahead this week with another victorious vote, this time in North Carolina. 222 FedEx drivers at the Charlotte Terminal voted to join the Teamsters Local 71.  The successful election marked the third victory for the Teamsters union, which has also recently organized workers…

  In Minnesota, union organizers are making inroads at charter schools as teachers increasingly feel they need power in numbers to affect positive change at the privatized schools.   In January, teachers at the Twin Cities German Immersion School organized after minor clashes with higher-ups.  And in July the teachers and staff of the…

  A group of 30 technicians at Amazon’s Fulfillment Center in Middletown, Delaware have successfully petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election. The petition was filed with assistance from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) and the election will take place on January 15th in…

  An issue brief from the Center for Economic and Policy Research has revealed the tremendous advantage unionized women have over their non-union counterparts in terms of wages and retirement security.  The paper, “Women Workers and Unions,” studied women without a college degree and found those who joined a union frequently closed the…