The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has committed to making a huge investment in swaying the 2018 elections, particularly in the Midwest and the Rust Belt. By funneling tens of million of dollars into those candidates they feel are labor-friendly, they hope to galvanize their agendas on minimum wage, unions, and healthcare. One of SEIU’s biggest initiatives in recent years has been the “Fight for 15” campaign, which aims to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour.

This newest election effort comes after some union leaders conceded that the majority of their members voted for President Trump in the November election.

SEIU intends to formally unveil the initiative on Labor Day 2017. Read more about it here.

Ben Johnson, former union president and current right to work supporter with Progressive Labor Solutions, has written an op-ed piece for the Washington Times that details why he opposes agency fees. He has made some excellent points on why right to work laws help everyone involved, including the unions. Some of those points are detailed below, but additional ones and Mr. Johnson’s full article may be found here.

• Although unions are “membership” organizations, forced fees permit them to believe they no longer have to work to recruit non-members;
• Because unions no longer need to work for their fees, they have evolved to think they know what’s best for workers, rather than the workers knowing what’s best for themselves. They have become out of touch with workers’ needs;
• This belief that they know what’s best creates an environment where they do not have to reflect morally on their actions, creating an “ends justify the means” mentality;
• The system is subject to “self-deception,” where the union forgets employees sometimes join because they are already paying dues, rather than because they want to, which creates an illusion membership numbers mean something to the greater good.

Although the causes of declining union memberships are more complex than a sole source, by removing agency fees, unions will be forced to change in order to gain memberships. Then, hopefully, they will learn to serve the workers instead of believing the workers are there to serve them.

Marvin E. Kaplan, who received Senate confirmation August 2, was officially sworn in to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) today (August 10). He serves a 3-year term through August 27, 2020.

Previous to this appointment, Mr. Kaplan served as Chief Counsel to the Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission,  as counsel for the House Committee on Oversight Government Reform, and as policy counsel for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards and with the law firm McDowell, Rice, Smith & Buchanan.  Mr. Kaplan holds a J.D. from Washington University in St Louis, and a B.S. from Cornell University.

Mr. Kaplan chose James R. Murphy to serve as his assistant chief. Read more about Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Murphy here.

Canton, Mississippi Nissan employees have rejected the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union’s bid to represent them, with a 2,244 to 1,307 vote.

“Now that the election is complete, Nissan will focus on bringing all employees back together as one team, building great vehicles and writing our next chapter in Mississippi,” Nissan Corporate Communications Manager Parul Bajaj said.

UAW has filed charges against Nissan Canton, accusing them of breaking federal labor laws. UAW’s seven allegations included denying the union equal access to the voter list, creating a system that rated employees according to their level of union support, and improper surveillance of union employee related activity.

Nissan denied the allegations with the statement “The UAW is again launching baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against Nissan Canton in a desperate, last-minute attempt to undermine the integrity of the secret ballot voting process.”

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will review the charges. If they find in UAW’s favor, they could order a new election; however, this decision could take months or even years.

Read more about the vote and UAW accusations here and here.

In an attempt to extort jobs out of the Top Chef show, four Teamsters union members threatened violence and shouted slurs at production crew and cast members while the show filmed in Boston in 2014.

Although defense lawyers for the men, John Fidler, Daniel Redmond, Robert Cafarelli and Michael Ross, claimed they acted within their rights for union activity, US Attorney Laura Kaplan told jurors in federal court that their behavior qualified as extortion. “This was all for wages for services not needed, not wanted and that others were already hired to perform,” she said in her opening statement.

Kaplan also told jurors one of the men stuck his arm into a van carrying Top Chef host, Padma Lakshmi, and said, “I’ll smash your pretty little face.”

The four men have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and attempted extortion. “That is not extortion,” said Kevin Barron, Ross’s lawyer. “That is labor organization activity.”

Read more about the ongoing court case here.

Senate Labor Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander released the following statement today on his vote to confirm Marvin Kaplan to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB):

“This position has been vacant for 23 months, since President Obama declined to nominate a Republican to this then-minority seat. After years of playing the role of advocate, the NLRB should be restored to the role of neutral umpire. I’m hopeful that Mr. Kaplan will help restore some balance to the labor board to ensure stable labor relations and free flow of commerce.”

The Labor Committee held a hearing on Kaplan July 13 and reported favorably on his nomination July 19.

Senator Alexander also wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Examiner today, encouraging the Senate to confirm Mr. Kaplan. His article can be found here.