Stories that feature our work amongst our communities in New York, the US, and the world, and invitations to join the change we're making to the world of work.
Collective Representation and Worker Voice
CNN: Can Wall Street and labor unions learn to get along?
"Since the 1980s, management's perspective was that unions are the devil," said Harry Katz, professor of collective bargaining and director of the Scheinman Institute.
Vox: Congrats! You formed a union. Now comes the hard part.
“I think it’s going to lead to more [organizing] but I don’t think it’s yet an indication of a massive turnaround,” says Harry Katz, professor in the ILR School.
As labor unrest continues to surge, the ILR Labor Action Tracker founded in 2021 continues to provide nationwide information on strikes and other worker actions.
Congrats! You formed a union. Now comes the hard part.
Vox
The lengthy and difficult process of negotiating a contract that benefits workers has only just begun and, according to Professor Harry Katz, its conclusion is far from certain.
Book Launch: The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the Twenty-First Century
Join us on May 2nd at 11 AM EST for an in-person and virtual book launch of The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the Twenty-First Century, written by Erica Smiley and Sarita Gupta that will be livestreamed.
The Moment for a Movement: Starbucks and the Slow Drip of Starting a Union
Learn the ins and outs of how to unionize a workplace and what legal methods Starbucks has used to delay the votes. In-person event, free and open to the public.
AP: Disney in balancing act as some workers walk out in protest
In response to Disney’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, workers are threatening a full-day walkout. Patricia Campos-Medina says, “people felt surprised that they [Disney] wanted to stay quiet on this issue,” because Disney has long been influential in Florida politics and social issues.
Disney finds itself in balancing act with walkout threat
AP News
In response to Disney’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, workers are threatening a walkout. Patricia Campos-Medina says, “people felt surprised that they wanted to stay quiet on this issue,” because Disney has been influential in Florida politics and has been more open on social issues.
“‘Talking to the Girls’ invites engagement with a tragedy and its lasting legacy,” said Kheel Center Director Wesley Chenault, who will moderate the discussion.
The Labor and Employment Relations Association will honor Professor Sarosh Kuruvilla June 3 for extraordinary contributions to the industrial relations field.
American workers went on strike for a combined 3.2 million days in 2021 in response to health and safety concerns, pay, racial injustices, sexual harassment and other issues, according to the Cornell ILR Labor Action Tracker.
Many have turned to Nellie Brown, director of Workplace Health and Safety Programs at the ILR School, for guidance on how to keep their offices safe from COVID-19.
“Achieving Greater Worker Voice, Equity, and Mobility: A Multi-Industry Study of Organizing Efforts and Their Outcomes,” will be led by Labor Education Research Director Kate Bronfenbrenner and MIT Professor Thomas A. Kochan.
Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Worker Institute, says, “Rather than create excitement within the more progressive part of the electorate — its young, Black, and brown and immigrant voters — it’s easier to focus on white, middle-class voters who always vote
Teamsters set to elect successor to Hoffa's son. Here's why it matters to you
CNN
According to ILR Dean Alexander Colvin, the current tight labor market, with more job openings than job seekers, is one factor leading rank-and-file union members to take a more militant position.
Cathy Creighton, director of Buffalo Co-Lab, says unions can actually help a company because workers who are better paid are more stable and less likely to leave.
New York Times: In a ‘Workers Economy,’ Who Really Holds the Cards?
This article reference the ILR School’s Labor Action Tracker, which provides a comprehensive database of strike and labor protest activity across the United States in order to better inform and support labor movement activists, policymakers, and scholars.
Wall Street Journal: Deere’s Labor Dispute Resurrects Talk of Inflation Adjustments
Striking Deere & Co. employees this week are expected to vote on a contract with more protections against rising inflation that resurfaced as an issue in negotiations for the first time in years.
Biden on the sidelines of 'Striketober,' with economy in the balance
NBC News
President Biden supports the workers’ right to strike, but White House officials say he doesn’t plan to get involved in ongoing labor disputes. Associate Professor Ariel Avgar suggests this is because work stoppages come at an economic cost to employers, and therefore, the economy.
How long could Mercy Hospital strike last? Progress so far has been elusive
The Buffalo News
Director of the Buffalo Co-Lab, Cathy Creighton, says the wage and staffing discussions at Mercy Hospital are closely related, as some of the lower-skill jobs pay as little as $13 an hour, making it easy for those workers to switch fields and chase higher wages.
The Latino Coalition of New Jersey has honored Worker Institute Executive Director Patricia Campos-Medina for her work on behalf of laborers, undocumented immigrants and domestic workers.
NYC Food Delivery Workers Face a ‘Harrowing World’
Cornell Chronicle
New York City’s app-based delivery workers regularly face nonpayment or underpayment, unsanitary or unsafe working conditions and the risk of violence, according to a new ILR School report.
Unions split on vaccine mandates, complicating Biden push
AP News
The labor movement is torn over vaccine requirements, but according to Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director for the Worker Institute, mandatory vaccination is such an obviously important public health policy that she expects unions to ultimately accept it.
