Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition vote in favor of strike authorization
Graduate students at Indiana University voted in approval of strike authorization this week. The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition represented over 1300 graduate employees, and out of the members who voted, over ninety percent of members voted in favor of strike action. The strike is set to occur starting on April 17 and will last for three days until April 19. Union members are seeking union recognition from the Indiana University administration. Graduate workers are also demanding a living wage, stating the current worker salaries are not enough to support graduate students. Indiana University administration has been facing various issues in recent weeks, with faculty members set to hold a no-confidence vote against the university’s President, Provost, and Vice Provost for faculty and student affairs. The no-confidence vote was brought forth by the Bloomington Faculty Council President, who stated that the vote would be held due to faculty disapproval of the university's actions regarding shared governance.
See "Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition vote in favor of strike authorization", Brian Rosenzweig, The Herald-Times, April 16, 2024
Oberweis Dairy will close plant in Illinois after filing for bankruptcy
Oberweis Dairy has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be permanently shutting down operations at a plant in North Aurora, Illinois. The company filed an Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, and the notice states that 127 workers will be laid off due to the closure of the plant. The company voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to having over $4 million in debt to the company’s major creditors. Oberweis Dairy has not yet made an announcement about its ice cream locations, and whether or not these shops will close. During the summer when demand is highest for Oberweis Dairy products, the workforce is around 1500. Around four hundred employees are seasonal workers who focus on serving the company’s ice cream products.
See "Oberweis Dairy will close plant in Illinois after filing for bankruptcy", Amy Yee, Chicago Sun Times, April 16, 2024
L.L. Bean will shorten call center available hours, resulting in layoffs
L.L.Bean, a major outdoor goods company, has announced layoffs as well as changes to the company’s call center hours. The company will be shortening the available hours of the call center, and the new hours will be from 8 am to 8 pm. This new schedule will reduce call center availability by four hours, as it was previously open from 7 am to 11 pm. The change will adjust worker shifts, and the company stated that fewer workers will be needed at the call center, so some employees will be cut. L.L Bean stated that over ninety percent of calls come in from 8 am to 8 pm. The company also said that the growing trend of online shopping reduces the number of employees needed in physical L.L. Bean locations. The layoffs are a response to long-term customer trends, and the company is making adjustments to be better positioned for future success.
See "L.L. Bean will shorten call center available hours, resulting in layoffs", Ahjané Forbes, USA Today, April 16, 2024
San Francisco public employees expected to receive major wage increase in upcoming union contract
San Francisco local government and various unions representing public employees are close to reaching a tentative agreement after weeks of negotiations. San Francisco city employees are represented by the Service Employees International Union, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Union, the Laborers Union, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and Transport Workers Union. A new contract will cover over twenty thousand unionized city employees. A new contract will likely raise wages for employees despite the city of San Francisco facing a major budget deficit. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Union stated that it expects a new contract will increase wages by thirteen percent spread out over the next three years. The current union contracts will expire in late June, and negotiations for new contracts will start at the beginning of 2024.
See "San Francisco public employees expected to receive major wage increase in upcoming union contract", Gabe Greschler, The San Francisco Standard, April 15, 2024
Louisville local government and police union reach tentative contract agreement
The local metro division of Louisville, Kentucky has reached a contract agreement with the city’s police officers. Police officers are represented by the River City Fraternal Order of Police Union, and the contract will last for three years. The contract will expire in late June of 2027, and the contract will set officer wages, employee benefits, and policies regarding officer discipline and officer complaints. The tentative agreement will need to be reviewed and approved by police officers and the metro council before being implemented. The local government is hoping that the pay increases in the contract will incentivize more qualified candidates to apply to join the police force, as there is currently a shortage of police officers. The Louisville police force is experiencing a shortage of over two hundred police officers.
See "Louisville local government and police union reach tentative contract agreement", Roberto Roldan, Louisville Public Media, April 15, 2024
Tesla to lay off thousands of workers due to increasing competition in EV industry
Tesla announced this week that the company would be conducting major layoffs in the coming months. The layoffs will reduce Tesla’s workforce by ten percent, as the company is cutting costs to be in a better position during unpredictable economic conditions. Tesla is facing increased competition in the electric vehicle market, and the company has been involved in various issues in recent months. Tesla’s stock value has decreased due to a growth in the number of foreign competitors in the industry, and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company is developing a robotaxi despite uncertainty in the company’s role in the industry. The layoffs are estimated to affect fourteen thousand workers in all divisions of the company. Tesla will provide affected workers with severance packages and benefits in this coming week.
See "Tesla to lay off thousands of workers due to increasing competition in EV industry", Aaron Gregg, Faiz Siddiqui, Trisha Thadani, The Washington Post, April 15, 2024
Major financial institutions will cut hundreds of employees in New Jersey
Various financial institutions have announced layoffs that will affect workers in New Jersey. JP Morgan Chase Bank, Citibank, Prudential Financial, TD Bank, and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation are cutting employees due to uncertain market conditions. Each corporation is laying off hundreds if not thousands of employees, and Citibank announced that twenty thousand positions around the United States would be cut. In the New Jersey area, Citibank will lay off the greatest number of employees out of the several financial institutions conducting layoffs. Citibank will cut 183 employees, Prudential Financial will cut 145 employees, and the layoffs at the other financial institutions will affect less than one hundred employees respectively. Corporations are reining in costs to allow them to be prepared for the future. Banks are predicting that earnings will be stable this year and will likely not expand, and this has led to cost reductions in various divisions.
See "Major financial institutions will cut hundreds of employees in New Jersey", Daniel Munoz, North Jersey, April 12, 2024
Ann Arbor school district announces teacher layoffs due to significant budget deficit
Several teachers in Ann Arbor, Michigan will be affected by upcoming layoffs after the school district announced significant cuts to staff at all schools in the area. The cuts are due to a significant budget deficit in the Ann Arbor School District. The school district is dealing with a $25 million budget deficit, and the changes will allow the district to be in compliance with state requirements set by the Michigan Board of Education. Parents and students have expressed strong opposition to the layoffs, and the school district has held and will continue to hold community town halls regarding the issue. Community members stated that cutting teachers negatively affects students and will hurt student outcomes. Community members have proposed that the school district cut programs or sell assets in order to reduce spending, rather than cut teachers and staff.
See "Ann Arbor school district announces teacher layoffs due to significant budget deficit", Terrell Bailey, CBS News, April 12, 2024
Chipotle will pay $2.9 million of missing wages to employees in Seattle area
The city of Seattle and Chipotle have recently reached a settlement regarding labor violations. Chipotle will pay over $2.9 million to over a thousand workers in the Seattle area. Workers at eight Chipotle restaurants will receive missing wages after Chipotle violated Seattle labor laws regarding sick pay and shift changes. Workers stated that they would receive retaliation for calling in sick, and they would also receive retaliation for not being able to come in for changed shifts with no advanced notice. Company management would also respond negatively to workers who requested to not be staffed on shifts that conflicted with their other jobs. Chipotle will also pay the city of Seattle $7300 in fines due to violations regarding wage theft. The restaurant chain will also be required to write and implement a Secure Scheduling Ordinance policy, and Chipotle stated it will be implementing various compliance initiatives and also use more advanced scheduling and time-keeping methods.
See "Chipotle will pay $2.9 million of missing wages to employees in Seattle area", Bethany Jean Clement, The Seattle Times, April 12, 2024
Various London Area train services affected this week due to strike action
Workers at various train companies in England participated in one-day strikes earlier this week. Striking workers are represented by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen union. Train drivers and other staff members participated in strike action due to issues regarding pay and working conditions. The union stated that train companies proposed wage increases, but these wage increases would result in worsened working conditions. The Aslef union and train companies have not had formal negotiations for several months, and the last time the parties negotiated was in April 2023. The various strikes led to major disruptions and cancellations to several train services in the London area. This included the Gatwick Express, Thameslink, c2c, and several other train services. London Underground services were not affected because strike action was called off after certain issues were resolved.
See "Various London Area train services affected this week due to strike action", BBC, April 11, 2024
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