Catherwood LibraryILR School

2018's most important labor issues ranged from Supreme Court decisions that struck a blow against public section unions, to the increasing sexual harassment awareness brought about by the #metoo movement playing a bigger part in the labor movement, to growing labor unrest against deportation policies, poorly funded schools and prisons, and corporate behemoths such as Amazon. The Supreme Court ruled in the Janus v. AFSCME decision that fees couldn't be collected from non-members in public sector unions, dealing a blow towards public union finances. However, unions have continued to seek and grow membership by utilizing protective measures and engaging in proactive union recruitment. The nation's largest prison strike, which lasted 19 days across 15 states, brought to light the poor wages inmates earn while working dangerous jobs as well as their lack of voting rights. The increasing plight of families and children separated by the Trump administration's deportation policies was brought to light by Microsoft employees who protested against work contracts with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, while flight attendants protested against having to work flights that carried children being deported and separated from their families. Sexual harassment awareness, kept to the forefront by the #metoo movement, became a strong component of labor unrest against poor working conditions, as seen in strikes and protests against McDonald's and Google. While Amazon has successfully fended off unionization attempts so far, increasing protests and criticism against the retail giant indicate this may change in the future; in contrast, UPS workers suffered a setback when their Teamsters union sided with management in ratifying a UPS contract that they had voted down. Poor funding and budget setbacks at many of the nation's schools - a long standing problem - has resulted in a wave of teacher strikes across the country, including the nation's first charter school strike, with more to come in the year ahead. Lastly, the labor movement has found new grounds for protest by being active against the oil and gas industries in order to combat climate change and fight for new job opportunities. Teachers in Baton Rouge threatened to strike to protest a tax break for Exxon, while Oklahoma teachers successfully gained a tax hike on oil production that would fund educational budgets.