Alabama Senate bill would punish companies that voluntarily recognize unions
A bill filed in the Alabama Senate last week would prevent companies that voluntarily recognize an employee union or hold a non-secret ballot process to receive state economic incentives.
SB 231, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, says that employers who voluntarily grant a union; “voluntarily disclose an employee’s personal contact information to a labor organization, or third party acting on behalf of a labor organization, without the employee’s prior written consent, unless otherwise required by state or federal law;” or require subcontractors to participate in either activity will not be eligible for economic development incentives. Employers who did so would also have to pay back incentives already received.
Orr said Tuesday the bill was inspired by unionization efforts at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, outside of Tuscaloosa.
“We saw the situation in Tuscaloosa and I think it’s good policy to have the private vote matter to make sure that the employees whether they’re for or against a union that their ballot is cast in a private manner,” he said. “They can keep their votes to themselves and not be coerced or bullied one way or the other, for pro or con.”
weatheriscool wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 5:27 pm
Alabama Senate bill would punish companies that voluntarily recognize unions
A bill filed in the Alabama Senate last week would prevent companies that voluntarily recognize an employee union or hold a non-secret ballot process to receive state economic incentives.
SB 231, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, says that employers who voluntarily grant a union; “voluntarily disclose an employee’s personal contact information to a labor organization, or third party acting on behalf of a labor organization, without the employee’s prior written consent, unless otherwise required by state or federal law;” or require subcontractors to participate in either activity will not be eligible for economic development incentives. Employers who did so would also have to pay back incentives already received.
Orr said Tuesday the bill was inspired by unionization efforts at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, outside of Tuscaloosa.
“We saw the situation in Tuscaloosa and I think it’s good policy to have the private vote matter to make sure that the employees whether they’re for or against a union that their ballot is cast in a private manner,” he said. “They can keep their votes to themselves and not be coerced or bullied one way or the other, for pro or con.”
California’s New Fast Food $20 Minimum Wage by Kim Kelly
April 1 ,2024
Introduction:
(Fast Company) On April 1, 2024, California’s new $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers went into effect. The wage hike will impact workers at about 3,000 fast-food locations across the state, and comes as a result of years of lobbying, protests, and strikes by the Fight for $15 and a Union movement. Labor advocates have hailed the new law as an important step toward winning all workers a true living wage, while some business owners have complained that the new law will cost them too much and force them to lay off workers. Here’s everything you need to know.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES ASSEMBLY BILL 1228 DO?
This bill (which was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28, 2023) raises the hourly minimum-wage rate for many of the state’s fast-food workers, with some exceptions, to $20. It also established a Fast Food Council within the state’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), which is made up of fast-food workers, industry representatives, and government officials. The council is empowered to develop new health and safety rules and standards for the industry and will give workers the opportunity to make their own voices heard.
The law targets fast-food workers specifically because it is the direct result of labor actions in 2022, when thousands of fast-food workers at hundreds of locations across California went on strike to demand the passage of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, which would have raised the minimum wage and created a fast food council. After fast-food industry owners pushed for a ballot referendum and filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of the law, AB 1228 arose as a negotiated compromise between labor and capital.
In February, fast-food workers announced the formation of the California Fast Food Workers Union (CAFFWU), the first-ever statewide fast-food workers union. The new union will operate as part of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which also backs the Fight for $15 and a Union campaign, and work with the Fast Food Council to fight for racial and economic justice for California’s thousands of fast-food workers.
The city Office of Labor Standards announced today that it has settled with Chipotle over alleged labor-law violations at eight area restaurants. We confirmed with the city that the West Seattle location (opened nine years ago at 4730 California SW) is one of them. First, from the city announcement, here are the basics:
The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) investigated Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. for alleged violations of the Secure Scheduling and Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinances throughout Chipotle’s eight operations in Seattle.
Why the UAW Is Standing Up with Mexican Auto Workers by Brandon Mancilla
March 29, 2024
Introduction:
(Labor Notes) The United Auto Workers announced February 23 that it will provide material support to Mexican auto workers organizing in the independent union movement. As a member of the UAW Executive Board, I’m proud that our union understands how the futures of auto workers in the United States and Mexico are tied together.
Our Mexico solidarity project is about empowering our membership to win strong contracts and protecting our jobs in the United States—and it’s also about ensuring justice for workers across the border.
The auto industry is not nationally bound, and neither should the labor movement be. For every record contract there will come the threat of moving production to Mexico, where a partnership between the companies and the corrupt company unions keep wages low—a whipsaw that oppresses workers on both sides of the border.
The irony of free trade is that even with expanded production, Mexico still imports most of the vehicles sold to its own people. Meanwhile 75 percent of Mexican-made vehicles are shipped to the U.S., and they do not cost any less because they’re produced with cheaper labor.
LOW-WAGE ZONES
The North American Free Trade Agreement completely changed the makeup of the continent’s auto industry, integrating cross-border supply chains in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. That integration has facilitated growth and profitability for the bosses in the three countries, while hurting auto workers regardless of nationality.
UAW Wins Big at Volkswagen in Tennessee by Bob Bussell
April 20, 2024
Introduction:
(The Conversation) A decisive majority of the Volkswagen workers employed at a factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee cast their ballots in favor of joining the United Auto Workers union, the German automaker announced on April 19, 2024.
Persuading any Southern autoworkers to join a union had long been one of the U.S. labor movement’s most enduring challenges, despite persistent efforts by the UAW to organize this workforce.
To be sure, the UAW already has members employed by Ford and General Motors at facilities in Kentucky, Texas, Missouri and Mississippi.
However, the union had previously tried and largely failed to organize workers at foreign-owned companies, including Volkswagen and Nissan, in Southern states – where about 30% of all U.S. automotive jobs are located. It was the UAW’s third election at the same factory since 2014. The prior two ended in narrow losses.
The victory follows the UAW’s most successful strike in a generation against Detroit’s Big Three automakers, through which it won higher pay and better benefits for its members in 2023.
Biden adminstration finalizes rule to grant overtime for millions more salaried workers
Source: AP
Updated 5:47 PM EDT, April 23, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized a new rule set to make millions of more salaried workers eligible for overtime pay in the U.S.
The move marks the largest expansion in federal overtime eligibility seen in decades. Starting July 1, employers will be required pay overtime to salaried workers who make less than $43,888 a year in certain executive, administrative and professional roles, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That cap will then rise to $58,656 by the start of 2025.
“Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. That is unacceptable,” acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a prepared statement. She added that the administration was “following through on our promise to raise the bar.”
Tuesday’s news marks a significant jump from the current overtime eligibility threshold of $35,568, which was set under the Trump administration in 2019 — just three years after a more generous Obama-era effort was ultimately scuttled in court after facing pushback from some business leaders and Republican politicians.
