2-tiered wage systems test today's labor relations

Oct 18, 2021
In the 1980s, some companies paid new workers less than current workers. Now, employers are trying that system during a labor shortage.
A striking worker pickets a John Deere facility in Davenport, Iowa. The current labor shortage is making it harder to pay new workers less than those already employed.
Scott Olson via Getty Images

What's been the spark behind all the recent strikes and attempts to unionize?

Oct 7, 2021
In addition to cereal maker Kellogg's, there have also been strikes and union efforts at Amazon and within Hollywood.
Boxes of Kellogg's cereals including Froot Loops, Cocoa Krispies and Raisin Bran are seen at a store in Arlington, Virginia. Kellogg's factory workers are on strike this week. They're demanding better working conditions, benefits and protesting the outsourcing of jobs. 
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Hollywood workers vote to authorize a strike to improve conditions on set

Oct 5, 2021
A strike by the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees could halt film and TV production across the country.
If the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees can't come to an agreement with studios and streaming services, it could shut down production nationwide.
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Is a new labor movement brewing?

AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler advocates a revitalized labor movement that expands high-quality jobs and reduces inequality.
"What we're seeing out there is a demand for change," says new AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, shown here speaking at the White House on Sept. 8.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

Unions are gaining momentum at restaurants. They've been here before.

Sep 28, 2021
Unions for food and drink workers go back to 1891. But they lost their seat at the table with the growth of restaurant chains and fast food.
Restaurant unions have a long history, and the stresses the pandemic has imposed on food workers could stir a resurgence in membership, some experts say.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

California labor contract promises raises for child care providers

Aug 3, 2021
The new contract means that more than 40,000 workers will see a bump in pay.
Sylvia Hernandez opened Blossom to Success Child Care in her Los Angeles home in 2007.
Mariana Dale

Supreme Court ruling for farmers against organized labor has broad implications

Jun 24, 2021
The justices have expanded property rights in a number of recent cases.
The Supreme Court case focused on a law that allowed union organizers to visit farm property 120 days per year.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Amazon warehouse workers reject union bid in Alabama

Apr 9, 2021
The union said it would file an objection with the NLRB charging the company with illegally interfering with the union vote.
The Amazon fulfillment warehouse at the center of a unionization drive on March 29 in Bessemer, Alabama.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

The PRO Act may protect workers even if it doesn't pass

Mar 10, 2021
The bill, which offers sweeping protections for organized labor, may not pass the Senate. But it may stimulate conversation and education.
A union rally in Chicago. Most Americans support union rights, a Gallup survey found.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The share of the workforce represented by unions increased last year

Jan 26, 2021
Union workers lost fewer jobs than their non-union counterparts because of negotiated furloughs and other protections.
Flight attendants, airline pilots and other aviation workers hold a protest organized by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union urging Congress to pass a COVID-19 relief package and extend the Paycheck Support Program to save aviation jobs during a rally outside the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 9, 2020.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images