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Protesters march in Seattle during the "Fight Starbucks' Union Busting" rally and march on April 23, 2022.

Starbucks workers drive nationwide surge in union organizing

May 01, 2022
Starbucks workers have driven a surge in union election petitions filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Unionizing has also picked up at colleges, non-profits and pot dispensaries.
NPR
Business
Starbucks shift supervisor Gailyn Berg and barista Tim Swicord outside of their store in Springfield, Virginia.

Starbucks workers win streak of union elections, with no sign of slowing

Apr 14, 2022
Once seen as among the most generous of employers, Starbucks is now grappling with disillusionment among its workers. Since December, 20 stores have unionized with more filing for elections every day.
NPR
Business
Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Schultz, seen at a shareholder meeting in 2018, returned to Starbucks as interim CEO on Monday.

Starbucks' longtime CEO is back again. This time, things are different

Apr 04, 2022
Howard Schultz rejoins Starbucks as interim CEO as the company faces multiple challenges, including an unprecedented wave of unionization at stores across the country.
NPR
Business

Starbucks union push spreads to 54 stores in 19 states

Jan 31, 2022
Starbucks workers at 15 additional stores are petitioning for a a union election, pushing to organize cafes across the country. In Buffalo, the first store to unionize is negotiating a contract.
NPR
Coronavirus Updates
Pro-union pins sit on a table during a watch party for a Starbucks' employees union election on Dec. 9 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Unionized Starbucks workers walk out in Buffalo, citing safety worries over COVID

Jan 05, 2022
Employees of a Starbucks store in upstate New York who voted to unionize last month walked off the job, saying they lacked the staff and resources to work safely amid surging COVID-19 cases.
NPR
Business
A banner encouraging workers to vote in labor balloting is shown at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., on March 30. The company has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its workers to organize freely and without retal

Amazon unionization efforts get a boost under a settlement with U.S. labor board

Dec 23, 2021
Under pressure to improve worker rights, Amazon has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its employees to freely organize — and without retaliation.
NPR
Business
Starbucks workers at three stores around Buffalo, N.Y., have voted on whether to join a union.

Starbucks workers form their 1st union in the U.S. in a big win for labor

Dec 09, 2021
Baristas and other workers from three stores voted whether to unionize. Starbucks fought the plan. Now, workers at four additional U.S. locations are also pursuing union votes.
NPR
Business
Workers from a Kellogg cereal plant picket along the main rail lines leading into the facility on Oct. 6 in Omaha, Neb. Workers have gone on strike after a breakdown in contract talks with company management.

A two-tier wage system roiled the auto industry. Workers today say no way

Oct 16, 2021
Nurses at Kaiser Permanente and cereal workers at Kellogg are among those protesting their companies' proposals for a two-tier wage system under which new hires would earn less for the same work.
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.

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