From the Dispatch

Labor Peace Law in New York Part of Trend of Promoting Labor Rights on Government Projects

Nathan Newman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:01:00 -0800

On March 1st, a new law in New York goes into effect, strengthening the freedom of employees to form labor unions at hotels or convention centers run or funded by state authorities, a dramatic victory for hotel workers in the state. The law has specific language requiring that hotels or convention centers where state public authorities have a substantial proprietary interest include a "labor peace agreement" with hotel unions in the state in exchange for the unions agreeing not to strike for five years. The law follows a similar executive order by the Governor approved last year.

Worker Freedom Bill Passed in Oregon to Allow Workers to Avoid Mandatory Political or Religious Meetings in Workplace

Nathan Newman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:40:28 -0700

Too often workers are forced by employers to listen to religious, political, or anti-union propaganda that has nothing to do with their work responsibilities-- yet they are threatened with being fired if they don't attend such employer-mandated meetings. The Oregon legislature this past week joined New Jersey in giving employees the right to skip such employer propaganda meetings without fearing reprisals.

State Laws Allowing Majority Sign-up for Unions Show why Employee Free Choice Act is Fair Option for Workers

Nathan Newman — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:31:15 -0700

It seems relatively simple. The proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act would give employees the freedom to form a union when a majority of workers sign cards saying that they want one, avoiding the often months of employer harassment that have inevitably accompanied traditional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election processes.

Anti-Union Front Groups Promote Distorted "Save Our Secret Ballots" Initiative Campaigns

Nathan Newman — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:23:24 -0800

With a new administration in Washington, D.C. promising to enact federal labor law reform for the first time in generations, corporations are plowing money into the states in an attempt to undermine workers rights there. Calling itself the "Save Our Secret Ballot" (SOSB) coalition, this corporate effort is looking to amend the state constitutions of Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nevada and Utah to block workers from choosing majority sign-up rules to form unions -- a clear attempt to thwart implementation of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act which if enacted would give employees the choice of traditional elections run by the federal government or signing authorization cards by a majority of employees.

"Mediated Elections" Process for Farmworkers Moving Forward in California

Nathan Newman — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:30:00 -0700

Reacting to a spate of recent farmworker deaths, both houses of the California legislature have approved a new "mediated election" process for farmworker unions. AB 2386 will strengthen farmworkers abilities to form labor unions and address workplace conditions.

Six farmworkers have died this summer of suspected heat illness and 15 have died since 2003 despite requirements adopted in 2005 that employers provide minimum heat illness safeguards. AB 2386, sponsored by Speaker Emeritus Nunez, proposes a new process that allows farmworkers to quickly vote by mail with two choices on the ballot to directly vote for the union on the ballot or to vote for a more traditional union election later, with the whole process overseen by a mediator jointly chosen by the union and the employer.

Protecting Worker Freedom from Mandatory Meetings

PSN — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:21:00 -0800

Workers often face a no-win situation: they are forced into employer-sponsored meetings where they are harangued with the employer's political views or anti-union propaganda and, if they actually speak out with their own opinions, they get punished or even fired.

California Upholds Free Speech Access to Malls for Labor Boycotts

Nathan Newman — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:57:00 -0800

On December 24th, the California Supreme Court gave a major Christmas present for labor rights, affirming that under California law, union members in a mall could distribute handbills calling for a consumer boycott of one of the mall's tenants. The decision, Fashion Valley Mall v. NLRB, built on an earlier state high court decision in 1980 that deemed malls to be a "public forum" where the public had free speech rights. The recent decision extended that principle to active labor boycotts -- a critical tool for labor to get its message out to consumers.

How Exploited "Independent Contractor" Truckers Drive Pollution in Our Ports

Nathan Newman — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:07:44 -0700

It's well-known that deregulation of the trucking industry has led to worse working conditions in the industry and lower safety standards on the road. But new coalitions are focusing on the way conditions in the trucking industry contribute to pollution that chokes trucking hubs like our ports.

Labor Day: How States Can Protect Workers Rights

Nathan Newman — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:43:00 -0700

In honor of Labor Day, we thought we would highlight some of our past Dispatches which outline steps states can take to protect workers' rights and raise wage standards. With new Census data showing that the median income for working-age households is still $1,300 below 2001 when the last recession hit bottom, the need for states to act to improve working conditions is greater than ever.

Labor Union Majority Signup Approved in OR & NH -- And States Demand the US Senate Follows Suit

Nathan Newman — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:58:36 -0700

This week, the Oregon Senate voted to strengthen the freedom of state public employees to form unions, joining the Oregon House in approving a bill, HB 2891, to simplify the organizing proces by having the state government recognize a union for any set of workers where a majority of them have signed cards to ask for a union.