Janus v. AFSCME is a case currently before the Supreme Court that may have a significant impact on the power of unions. In my view, this case is an effort by powerful corporate interests to outlaw “fair share” for public employees, allowing some public employees to become “free riders,” not obligated to pay any dues.
Under current law, public employees are not required to join the union, but are required to pay their fair share for representation.
Keep readingThe California Supreme Court issued a crushing blow to the “gig economy” in a late-April ruling. In Dynamex Operations West v. Lee, the Court imposed a standard that will make it much harder for employers to escape state employment standards by calling their workers “independent contractors” when there is little to nothing “independent” about their work.
Dynamex is a nationwide package and document delivery company (for Home Depot and Office Depot among others),
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Jesse Gregory, a recently promoted service provider, was reaching a delivery stop along his route in December when he spotted white smoke wafting from a mobile park. Gregory observed the smoke worsening as it turned black. The UPSer pulled over his truck, threw on his hazard lights, and pulled in his mirror to further investigate the scene. He then started to hear a woman shouting in Spanish.
As he approached the park, Jesse realized that a motor home was on fire.
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Hundreds of skilled trades workers across the California State University system held protests on January 23, to call attention to the threats to students caused by years of neglect of campus facilities.
CSU has accumulated a $2+ billion backlog of neglected repairs and maintenance work, which continues to grow by $143 million a year.
“CSU raises tuition, but fails to invest in student safety and the safety of the workers who make the university run,” said Jason Rabinowitz,
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Reservations, front desk, concierge, and rooms control employees at the W San Francisco hotel have joined the more than 1,000 hospitality workers already represented by Teamsters 856 after a resounding yes vote in February.
For Priya Kumari, the choice to join Teamsters 856 was an easy one. After years of talking with members of Teamsters 665 and UNITE HERE Local 2 who work in other departments at the W, she realized what a difference a strong collective bargaining agreement could make.
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Less than a year after a 400 workers in Sonoma’s solid waste and recycling industry voted to become union members, Local 665 scored another win with an 80% Yes vote in an NLRB election to represent workers at most of North Bay transfer stations and the county landfill.
“These workers were employees of the County of Sonoma until they were out-sourced about five years ago” says Local 665 Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gleason. “They are very aware of the benefits that were taken away when Republic Services,
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For 16 years, Yolanda Jimenez has spent her summer months working in the canning area of Pacific Coast Producers in Woodland. She recently became a supervisor, overseeing the work of 15-20 other workers. “I’ve been there for a long time. Each July, when I go back, it’s like being with your family. Everybody knows you and greets you.”
Yolanda just became a trustee for Local 601 and is excited to learn more about how the union functions. “Most of the people, we don’t know what the union does for us. But I’ve learned that the union is us…and if we can get more involved we can get more help.”
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Trina Johnson has worked for UPS at the Bayside hub in Richmond for 18 years, and she loves her work and her union. “I’m a gal in brown. I deliver packages for young kids all the way up to the elderly. They love to see me coming because I’m the one bringing gifts,” she says with pride. Dealing with different people each day is one of the most interesting aspects of Trina’s job. “I like to put a smile on people’s faces and they put a smile on mine.
Keep readingSource: Trucks.com
A California Supreme Court ruling threatens to upend the use of independent-contractor drivers by motor carriers in the state, creating turmoil for the trucking industry.
In Dynamex Operations West Inc. vs. Superior Court, the court adopted a narrower standard for determining if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor in California wage-and-hour disputes.
Most workers should be considered employees based on the intent of decades of California policy,
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