It’s Friday, and we have five labor-related stories that you might not have heard yet:
🏛️ A quorum at last, really?
Two Trump NLRB nominees finally have a scheduled hearing on Oct. 1 with the Senate HELP Committee. As a result, it’s possible that lonely NLRB member David Prouty, a Democrat, could receive some company, and perhaps the Board can start processing their case backlog with a quorum established. Maybe they’ll even overturn Biden-era precedent in favor of employer-friendly alternatives? Hang tight there.
Theoretically, James Murphy shouldn’t be a difficult confirmation since he served as chief counsel to ex-Chair Marvin Kaplan. Then again, no one can say whether wildcard Sen. Josh Hawley will take as confrontational of a stance with these two nominees, including Scott Mayer, as he did with General Counsel nominee Crystal Carey, who remains in limbo.
As for Mayer, he’s currently Boeing Co’s chief labor counsel and agreed to refrain from Boeing-related matters for the near future if confirmed.
🌐🩺 H-1B Visa Fallout and Slight Clarity:
President Trump’s recent executive order (EO) establishing a $100,000 H-1B visa fee on certain specialty hires sent shockwaves through the tech sector. Google has remained publicly silent on the issue, although the Alphabet Workers Union held a press conference to ask the tech giant to push back on the EO and “stand with immigrant workers.”
The EO will not apply to those workers already holding an H-1B visa or for renewals, and the White House has suggested that physicians might be among the high-skilled professions that will be exempt. Previously, industry groups expressed concern while noting that international medical grads are crucial amid a primary-care shortage, especially in rural areas.
🚘 🛑The UAW’s Foot Dragging Continues:
At Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant, the German automaker recently presented a “last, best offer” during first-contract talks with the UAW. The offer would raise wages by 20% over four years, thereby bringing the plant’s top hourly wage up to $39 by 2029, with a $4,000 signing bonus. The company also tucked in an introductory cost-of-living allowance.
Following this offer, Volkswagen walked away from talks, leaving it up to the union on whether this offer will go to a vote. The clock is ticking after the UAW’s election win in April 2024, and of course, Shawn Fain is salivating to organize more of the South. Meanwhile, workers are learning that unions’ delaying tactics and unrealistic hold-out demands mean that meaningful first-contract results are a whole other ballgame.
💰📦 Two Major Employers’ Across-The-Board Boosts:
Both Bank of America and Amazon announced that their hourly base wages will go up to $25 and $23, respectively. The online retailer also included a healthcare benefit boost that involves $5 copays for workers.
Notably, these results cannot be claimed as union “wins” at all.
Currently, no BoA branches are unionized, even though Communication Workers of America would love to do so through their so-called “Committee for Better Banks” initiative. Likewise, the Amazon Labor Union only managed a lone warehouse victory before affiliating with the Teamsters, who haven’t fared any better at capturing warehouses.
🎬 IATSE’s Aggressive Animation Drive:
Through Animation Guild and Editor’s Guild locals, IATSE union drives against studios have become voluminous. Union petitions against Netflix Animation and NBCUniversal’s “Ted” surfaced, and independent studio SpindleHorse offered voluntary recognition to another group of 106 artists.
However, IATSE did suffer a blow from an administrative law judge (ALJ) who dismissed several ULP filings by the union, which was demanding recognition in a production that became embroiled in the 2022 strikes. The details are complicated, but the ALJ found that the union was claiming to represent workers in more job classifications than it actually represented. A union telling lies? You don’t say.
