Nurses at UnityPoint in Des Moines (IA) will be represented by the Teamsters. They won an NLRB-conducted election after approaching the Teamsters over concerns about long patient wait times, under-staffing, an over capacity at the hospital.
Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have their first union contract, represented by the United Auto Workers. After authorizing a strike, they were able to secure wage increases of 20 percent over four years, as well as cost of living adjustments, health care, strong job security language, and signing and annual bonuses. The plant is the first in the south to unionize since the 1940s and the first foreign-owned one to ever unionize.
According to the Bureau to Labor Statistics, workers covered by union contracts and union members each rose by half a million workers last year. 16.5 million workers are now covered by union contracts and 14.7 million workers are now union members.
The Florida legislature has made proposals that would discourage union representation. The bills, SB1236 and HB1387, would disqualify businesses from government funding if they grant voluntary union recognition or sign neutrality agreements during union organizing campaigns. Funds that could potentially be withheld include grants, rebates, and tax credits. In the past two years, those funds totaled $12 to 16 million.