(The below article originally appeared in Planet Labor, 15 November 2016, nº9923–www.planetlabor.com) United States: services union SEIU ordered to pay a company for damage to its reputation as a result of its unionization campaign In September, a civil court jury ordered the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to pay $7.8 million to the Professional Janitorial Service…
OSHA has come under fire for an email mistakenly sent to an International Franchise Association member. The email, which instructs OSHA inspectors to focus more on items helpful to Union organization than the safety of employees, has raised questions about OSHA’s Union ties. When asked for additional information under the Freedom of Information Act, OSHA provided a document that was…
In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that home-care workers have a First Amendment right not to pay fees to a union they don’t wish to join. Since then, the Freedom Foundation in Washington State has sought to notify affected employees of their rights. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has refused to provide the Freedom…
A Texas court awarded a temporary injunction against the Obama administration’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces final rule, also known as “blacklisting”, on October 25. The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), its Southeast Chapter and the National Association of Security Companies (NASCO) filed a legal challenge October 7. The rule, which requires government contractors to report alleged violations that firms…
Robert Smith III, a former agent for the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 970, pleaded guilty to mail fraud after stealing more than $1 million from the union. The crime carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing will take place February 17, 2017. Read more about it here.
A recent union sympathetic article by reporter Chris Serres of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has raised red flags. The MNPCA is planning to file a formal complaint with the Star Tribune against the reporter, citing conflict of interest and bias. Read more about it here.
In a video conference at the Laborers’ International Union of North America this week, Hilary Clinton declared states’ Right to Work Laws wrong for workers and wrong for America. Right to work laws give employees the right to work without being forced to join a union and currently, 26 states have these laws, including two Midwest…
21 States have sued the Labor Department to block its new overtime rule. The 30-page lawsuit, filed in a Texas court, asserts that the rule will allocate funds to paying overtime and salaries, rather than allowing States to determine their best policies and priorities. The lawsuit also contends that the 10th Amendment prevents the White House from decreeing…
A Houston jury today ordered the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to pay Professional Janitorial Services (PJS) Houston $5.3 million in damages for making false claims about the company’s business practices and treatment of PJS employees. The successful lawsuit is part of a plan to project PJS employees from forced unionization. Read more about it here.
Leaving is too Much Labor by Diana Furchcott-Roth It’s no easier for state employees to get rid of a union. A group of personal care assistants in Minnesota is trying to leave the Service Employees International Union-Healthcare Minnesota. Personal care assistants, who get Medicaid funds to look after disabled and sick people, are paid by…
