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Emergency Decree Cuts Wages for Detroit School Workers »

August 2, 2011 | Jane Slaughter

The emergency manager of the troubled Detroit school district is using his near-dictatorial powers to cancel contracts, imposing a 10 percent wage cut on 10,000 employees and upping their health care costs.

Furniture Workers Win Ikea Union Drive, With Help from Abroad »

August 1, 2011 | Jenny Brown

Union organizing won back the weekend for Tawanda Tarpley and her co-workers at an Ikea furniture plant, and showed the promise of linking unions across borders to pressure European owners.

Sotheby’s Locks Out Union Art Handlers, Again »

August 1, 2011 | Mark Brenner

Sotheby’s auction house closed its doors Saturday to its 43 unionized art handlers, members of Teamsters Local 814. The lockout is its second in a decade, but this time, the union (now led by a reform slate) is ready.

CWA's T-Mobile Win Sets Stage for AT&T Merger Fight »

July 29, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

CWA's first-ever union victory at T-Mobile last week set a winning tone for future battles. CWA and consumer advocates meanwhile are fighting over whether the company's merger with AT&T is good for workers and consumers.

Reform: The Trojan Horse Wheeling into Schools »

July 28, 2011 | Mike Dunn

The attempts to crush teacher unions legislatively in Wisconsin, Indiana, and elsewhere have so far had only limited success. The enemies of teacher unions have been much more effective at weakening unions discreetly, through “education reform.”

New York’s $600 Million Fraud Shows Privatization Doesn’t Pay »

July 27, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

How did New York City plan to prevent time theft by city workers? By hiring contractors who would, it turns out, steal $600 million. One of their crimes, prosecutors allege, was to file bogus timesheets.

Republicans Shut Down Aviation Agency over Union Election Rules »

July 26, 2011 | Jenny Brown

Republican House members were able to perfectly blend their hatred of unions and hatred of corporate taxes Friday when they refused to extend authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving the agency powerless to collect fees from airlines.

Why Connecticut Workers Said ‘No Concessions’ »

July 25, 2011 | Mark Brenner

When Connecticut state employees voted down concessions in June, they touched off a firestorm. Lawmakers painted the vote as selfish union members holding tight to outsized benefits. The truth, of course, is more complicated.

Open Season on Old People »

July 25, 2011 | Adrian Montgomery

Outside the McNamara Federal Building in Detroit, a group of angry people stood together to let Senator Carl Levin know he better not vote for the real death panels: cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

After Budget Standoff, Wealthy Minnesotans Escape Higher Taxes »

July 22, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

Minnesota lawmakers reached a deal this week that would restart state services after a 20-day shutdown—but only after the Democratic governor gave up his demand for higher taxes on the richest 1 percent.


Cross-Union Committee Unites Stewards »

July 22, 2011 | Bill Franks, Ron Blascoe, Barbara Smith

A seemingly minor issue sparked a mass grievance by workers at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development more than 10 years ago, in one state building in downtown Madison. The issue was resolved in months, but the cross-union stewards committee that formed out of that fight proved to...

Changing Labor’s Fortunes Will Take More than Fiddling with NLRB Rules »

July 22, 2011 | Dave Cohen

Union organizers are welcoming rule changes proposed by the Labor Department and the National Labor Relations Board. But after spending 40 years in the labor movement, I know these changes will not substantially improve the chances of workers trying to organize through the NLRB process.


Airport Screeners Built Union the Old-Fashioned Way »

July 22, 2011 | Jenny Brown

For nine years the Government Employees union campaigned for airport screeners’ loyalty by representing them on the job, unsure whether it would ever be able to offer them official representation. AFGE’s strategy—walk like a union, talk like a union—paid off June 21.

Hotel Workers Turn Up Heat on Stubborn Hyatt »

July 22, 2011 | Jenny Brown

The summer heat wave got even hotter on the picket line in front of the Chicago Park Hyatt yesterday when hotel managers turned winter heat lamps on their striking workers. They were striking for the day as part of a wave of pickets and civil disobedience hitting Hyatt hotels in nine cities....

Longshore Workers Thresh Grain Shipper, Block Train »

July 21, 2011 | Evan Rohar

Longshore workers by the hundreds blocked a mile-long train July 14 to prevent an anti-union company from moving grain through the port of Longview, Washington. Earlier, members used a pickup truck to tear down a fence and then occupied the grain terminal, blocking employees from working. About...

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