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NPR
Economy
Liz Shuler will serve as president of AFL-CIO till June 2022 after being elected by the federation's executive council. She replaces longtime labor leader Richard Trumka who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

Liz Shuler Becomes The 1st Woman To Lead The AFL-CIO

Aug 21, 2021
Shuler will serve as president of the AFL-CIO until June 2022. The union's No. 2 official replaces longtime labor leader Richard Trumka, who died earlier this month.
NPR
The Coronavirus Crisis
Alice Gomez and Maria Ramos work at Dr. Bronner's soap factory in Vista, Calif. The company is doing weekly coronavirus testing but still wants all its workers vaccinated.

Employers Want You To Get Vaccinated. This One Is Offering A $1,000 Bonus

Aug 17, 2021
With the delta variant spreading, more companies are mandating that employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but some are still hoping bonuses will do the trick.
NPR
National
Where there are labor disputes, Scabby the Rat — in this case deployed by a local union in Chicago — will be there to call attention to workers' rights.

How A Beloved Giant Rat Won Free Speech Rights

Aug 06, 2021
The 12-foot-tall inflatable called "Scabby" has been used for decades as a symbol in union disputes. Last year, the National Labor Relations Board signaled it could outlaw its use in some situations.
NPR
Business
Signs reading "vote" hang outside the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., in March as workers wrapped up their seven-week mail-in election on whether to unionize.

Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama May Get To Vote Again On Union

Aug 02, 2021
A federal labor official found that Amazon's anti-union tactics may have tainted last spring's voting process sufficiently to scrap its results. Workers had rejected unionization more than 2-to-1.
NPR
Business
The Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million workers nationwide, introduced a resolution making organizing Amazon workers across the country a top priority.

The Teamsters Want To Unionize Amazon Workers. Here's What That Means

Jun 22, 2021
At a convention of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters this week, the union announced plans to create a special division focused on organizing Amazon workers across the country.
NPR
Business
Some 5,800 workers at Amazon's facility in Bessemer, Ala., held a historic vote on whether to form the company's first warehouse union.

It's A No: Amazon Warehouse Workers Vote Against Unionizing In Historic Election

Apr 09, 2021
Amazon avoided the prospect of a first unionized warehouse in America, where it's now the second-largest private employer. The vote in Alabama had prompted new interest in unions across the country.
NPR
Business
Vote tally is underway in a historic union election at Amazon's warehouse in Alabama.

Amazon Union Election: 'No' Votes Outnumber 'Yes' Votes At End Of 1st Day Of Counting

Apr 08, 2021
Hand counting will continue on Friday. So far, more than two-thirds of the tallied votes are against unionizing.
NPR
Business
A banner encourages workers to vote in a union election at Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala.

Why Is The Amazon Union Vote Count Taking So Long?

Apr 08, 2021
It's a really large mail-in election. (Yes, this one, too.) The tally of yes and no votes has finally begun.
NPR
Business
Vote tally begins in a union election at Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., pictured here on Feb. 6.

Historic Amazon Union Vote Count Begins This Week For Alabama Warehouse

Mar 29, 2021
The results will determine whether Amazon gets its first U.S. warehouse union. It's been dubbed one of the most consequential union elections in recent history.
NPR
Business
Workers at an Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island in New York City and across the U.S. have not been unionized. That could change in Alabama.

Amazon Warehouse Workers To Decide Whether To Form Company's 1st U.S. Union

Jan 15, 2021
Although the company has unionized workers in Europe, it has held off organizing efforts here. About 6,000 workers at an Amazon facility in Alabama can cast a mail-in ballot starting Feb. 8.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Nurses at Albany Medical Center picketed on Dec.1, asking for more personal protective equipment. They say they're having to reuse N95 masks up to 20 times.

For Health Care Workers, The Pandemic Is Fueling Renewed Interest In Unions

Jan 11, 2021
Many front-line health workers who have faced a perpetual lack of PPE and inconsistent safety measures believe the government and their employers have failed to protect them from COVID-19.
NPR
Business
A worker pulls a pallet jack with plastic crates at an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville, N.J. The company is facing its biggest labor battle yet with a unionization vote expected at a facility in Alabama.

Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Plan Vote On 1st U.S. Union

Dec 18, 2020
A labor board hearing is hashing out how and when a vote might take place to form potentially the first U.S. union at one of America's largest employers.
NPR
Business
Some workers at Amazon warehouses such as this one in the Staten Island borough of New York City have been trying to organize, facing stiff opposition from the company. Amazon workers in Alabama have now petitioned to form a union.

Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Petition To Unionize

Nov 25, 2020
Warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., notify federal labor authorities of plans to hold a unionization vote, teeing up a major labor battle at the retail giant known for its opposition to unionizing.
NPR
The Coronavirus Crisis
Tekiah Elzey is using Coworker.org to petition for hazard pay to be restored at the New Seasons Market where she works in Portland, Ore.

Power Of The Petition: Nonprofit Helps Front-Line Workers Fight For Their Rights

Oct 14, 2020
Eight out of every nine American workers don't have a union to represent them in workplace disputes. A nonprofit website is helping push for better wages and working conditions amid the pandemic.
NPR
Coronavirus Live Updates
American Airlines ticket agent Henry Gemdron, left, works with a customer at Miami International Airport on Sept. 30. Travel industry groups warn of huge job losses if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on coronavirus relief soon.

Airlines, Travel Groups Warn Of More Job Cuts As COVID Aid Talks Stall

Oct 07, 2020
With tens of thousands already out of work, travel industry groups warn another 1.3 million jobs could be lost if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on coronavirus relief soon.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Las Vegas Unions Rally For County To Pass Return-To-Work Law

Aug 19, 2020

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Labor unions in Las Vegas want area lawmakers to require employers to return furloughed casino, tourism, hospitality, airport, entertainment and hospital employees to their jobs when the coronavirus pandemic ebbs and business resumes.

KNPR
Newscast headlines

Labor Unions Ask For 'Right To Return' Ordinance

Aug 18, 2020

A coalition of labor unions is launching a campaign to win the “Right to Return” for workers in the hospitality, convention and trade shows, airport, entertainment, and hospital industries in Clark County.

NPR
The Coronavirus Crisis
The increase in cases comes after companies such as Kroger ended extra "hero pay" for their workers.

Grocery Workers Union Estimates 3,257 Members Infected With Coronavirus

May 22, 2020
Union President Marc Perrone said the number of those members infected or known to have been exposed to the virus has increased by 200% in five weeks.
NPR
The Coronavirus Crisis
Garrett Ward sprays disinfectant behind a plexiglass panel at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Overland Park, Kan., on March 26. Stores have begun installing the shields in checkout aisles to protect clerks and help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Grocery Workers Keep America Fed, While Fearing For Their Own Safety

Apr 02, 2020
Many low-wage workers with essential jobs — like grocery store cashiers and stockers — can't stay home to protect themselves and their families. The protections they receive vary widely.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

'Medicare For All' Is Driving A Wedge Through Labor Movement

Feb 20, 2020
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' trademark policy proposal is dividing the labor movement.
 
Sanders is pushing single-payer health care dubbed "Medical for All" to replace private insurance.
NPR
Economy
Over the last four decades, incomes in the United States have grown much less equal. Inequality is less pronounced in Western Europe.

Why America's 1-Percenters Are Richer Than Europe's

Dec 05, 2019
The share of total income of the top 1% of earners in the U.S. more than doubled over four decades. But in Europe, the gains were less dramatic. What accounts for the difference across the Atlantic?
NPR
Business
Jeep vehicles are parked outside the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit on Feb. 26, 2019.

UAW Reaches Tentative Labor Agreement with Fiat Chrysler

Nov 30, 2019
The tentative agreement makes Fiat Chrysler the last of the big three Detroit automakers to arrive at a deal with the United Auto Workers this year.
NPR
Economy
United Auto Workers members picket Wednesday at a General Motors plant in Flint, Mich. Last year, more U.S. workers went on strike than at any time since 1986.

'It's Time To Get Something Back': Union Workers' Voices Are Getting Louder

Oct 23, 2019
Unions and their supporters around the country are assessing whether the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors is a sign of renewed labor power.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Nevada Highway Patrol Group Seeks To Unionize State Officers

Oct 19, 2019

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Highway Patrol Association has filed for recognition as the collective bargaining union for state police officers.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Democrats To Appeal To Union Voters At Presidential Forum

Aug 02, 2019

The primary season is in full swing.

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