Crafting grievances, one font at a time:
Someone thought the picket line needed a style upgrade. Making Signs That Matter is a real, $10, 28-page paperback dedicated entirely to helping union activists make “better” protest signs. Apparently, scrawling “On Strike” in marker on cardboard wasn’t cutting it anymore.
The guide covers messaging strategy, color theory, font readability, and media optics, which means that somewhere out there, a union organizer is A/B testing their grievances. Employers might find comfort in knowing at least some strike energy is being redirected into Hobby Lobby supply runs.
At least it’s shorter than most CBAs. And probably easier to read.
Machinists trying to take another bite of the Apple:
Apple’s recent announcement of store closures continues to reverberate. To recap, the tech giant is closing three stores, one of which happens to be the first unionized Apple store, in Towson, Maryland. In the process, Apple cited the “departure of several retailers and declining conditions” at the Towson mall, but the Machinists union groused over how its members were not offered guaranteed transfers.
Apple then cited the Towson store’s union contract, which the company says prevents it from extending the same transfer opportunities received by workers at the other two closing stores (in California and Connecticut).
This week, the Machinists filed a ULP alleging retaliation and discrimination against the Towson workers, accusations against which the company “strongly disagrees” while maintaining that the IAM “agreed that, in the event of a mall or store closure, employees would be transferred or rehired if Apple opened a new store within 50 miles of Towson’s current location.”
At this time, Apple has no plans to open a new store within that 50-mile range, and the company added, “We will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed upon with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB.”
The NLRB made a call on cannabis processing workers:
We’ve been keeping tabs on the complex web of cannabis labor relations, for which 50 states have 50 different sets of regulations. Also at issue: the NLRA’s applicability remains a grey area due to some employees being classified as agricultural workers, who aren’t covered by the NLRA.
Now, the NLRB has issued a decision in a case that we predicted could transform the industry’s labor relations. In BeLeaf Medical LLC, the Board considered whether the company’s post-harvest workers–who liken themselves to tobacco workers who ferment leaves–could bypass the “agricultural workers” label and unionize with UFCW.
This week, the Board denied the Missouri-based company’s request for review on a regional director’s finding that BeLeaf’s processing workers aren’t agricultural workers. In doing so, the Board declared, “The activities of the Post-Harvest employees generally are not performed by ordinary farm employees, and the activities in question have only an attenuated relationship to farming in the traditional sense.” That’s not all.
Concurring Board member Scott Mayer recommended heavy fact-finding and a “case-by-case approach” for similar cases given this industry’s ”emerging or rapidly evolving … operational processes,” which “may give rise to novel considerations.” In other words, the BeLeaf decision likely will not have a blanket effect, which doesn’t exactly provide clarity for employers. Yet this means that the Board isn’t wild about the idea of an organizing free-for-all for every role within the cannabis industry.
The DOL’s all-in on AI:
Newly minted acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling is wasting no time announcing the department’s AI in Registered Apprenticeship Innovation Portal, which is billed as “a one-stop resource for organizations looking to build artificial intelligence literacy” and develop mentoring opportunities accordingly. The portal aims to provide guidance and training modules for AI Skill Building by Industry, including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Companies can also upgrade their existing apprenticeship programs by adding AI integration.
Additionally, the Department of Labor announced the debut of National Apprenticeship Week, which will annually be celebrated Apr. 27-May 2.
CWA is attempting to hold more (trading) cards:
The Communication Workers of America’s extension into video game organizing took a related turn last year when they unionized TCGPlayer workers from the eBay trading card marketplace. This week, developers of the Magic: The Gathering Arena digital game, based upon the trading card game, filed a representation petition against their employer, Wizards of the Coast, while seeking to join CWA. The workers want AI protections and are pushing back against the company’s RTO policy.
Meanwhile, the CWA has been staying busy. They’ve expanded beyond their core communications-sector membership to organize tech workers. They’ve also targeted ski resort workers and carried out multiple strikes on entire mountains while giving the Teamsters a run for their dues.
Somewhere, Sean O’Brien is watching CWA poach another industry and adding it to his list of grievances. And he probably didn’t need a $10 pamphlet to figure out how to make noise.
