That Union Thing
The National Labor Board has instituted new penalties for companies that illegally fire or demote workers for union activity.
Previously, workers would only be reinstated and paid lost wages. Now, employers can be held responsible for financial harm suffered by workers, including legal fees, health care and child care costs, and lost investment income.
Delta has offered pilots a 34 percent pay raise over three years. Pilots have been working without a contract for nearly three years. If agreed to, pilots would receive a one-time payment of 22 percent of their 2020-22 earnings, an immediate 18 percent raise, and raises of 5 percent in one year, four percent in two years, and another four percent in three years.
1,100 employees of the New York Times staged a one-day strike, a first in decades. Workers have been working without a contract since March 2021 and accuse the paper of failing to bargain in good faith to reach a fair contract. Workers are represented by The Newsguild.
According to a survey by the AFL-CIO, 65 percent of professionals now support unions. Health care worker union support rose from 56 percent to 71 percent in the past six years, and support for unions by tech workers rose from 33 percent in 2005 to 62 percent today.
Activision Blizzard QA testers in Albany, New York have voted to be represented by the Communication Workers of America. They are now the second Activision division with union representation, following QA testers at Raven Software. Workers were fighting for dignity and respect and against burn out culture, crunch, and wage discrepancies.
QA workers at ZeniMax Studios are hoping to be represented by the Communication Workers of America. The employees work on The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle. Microsoft, which owns the studio, has agreed to voluntarily recognize the union once a majority show support.
Actors Equity has reached agreement on a new three-year contract with the Broadway League. Wages will rise five percent in the first year and four percent in each of the final two years. Actors and stage managers will also receive better sick time benefits, an additional personal day off, and fewer weekly rehearsal hours after a show opens.
