Portside

Freight rail corporations, which appeared triumphant at the end of 2022 after successfully using the blackmail threat that a rail strike would cripple the U.S. economy, then faced blowback from the negative consequences of their political victories.

Veteran union leader Claude Cummings Jr., 71, won a runoff late on July 10 for the presidency of the Communications Workers, becoming the influential and progressive union’s first-ever African American in its top job and its first-ever Southerner.

A split over the stewardship of the union’s high-profile president, Christian Smalls, has led a rival faction to file a lawsuit seeking an election.

Waffle House workers launched a three-day strike in South Carolina in response to low pay, harsh working conditions and staff shortages. They are supported by the Union of Southern Service Workers.

Child labor was common in urban, industrial America for most of the country’s history. It’s now making a disturbing comeback: lawmakers across the US are undertaking concerted efforts to weaken or repeal statutes that prohibit employing children.

“We’re riding a wave of graduate worker unionization,” Johnston said. “We hope to be the next part of the wave that pushes more grad workers to do this for themselves.”

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which is now in effect, requires employers provide accommodations to pregnant workers for everything from pregnancy through the postpartum period, including time off to recover.

Misclassification of workers may sound like a clerical error. But in the construction industry, it can lead to wage theft, intimidation, and delayed treatment for workplace injuries.

The Teamsters Union said on Wednesday United Parcel Service "walked away" from negotiations over a new contract.

The strike is part of a wave of recent labor actions in the nation’s second-largest metropolis, where high costs of living have made it difficult for many workers — from housekeepers to Hollywood writers — to stay afloat.