Latest news with #laborunion
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Little Progress to Report From Shawn Fain's UAW
Two years ago United Auto Workers members elected Shawn Fain to lead their union out of a decade of corruption. Now the high hopes that swept Mr. Fain into the president's office are crashing down. In a report this week, the union's court-appointed federal monitor says Mr. Fain retaliated against a fellow elected official, Margaret Mock, the union's secretary-treasurer.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records
The union representing workers at a UC Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab's operations be released to the public. Workers in the lab's small biotechnology department had raised concerns late last year about short staffing and potentially bungled testing procedures as cases of avian flu spread through millions of birds in turkey farms and chicken and egg-laying facilities, as well as through the state's cattle herds. The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 said that it requested records in December 2024 in an attempt to understand whether the lab was able to properly service the state's agribusiness. But UC Davis has refused to release records, in violation of California's public records laws, the union alleged in a lawsuit recently filed in Alameda County Superior Court. Read more: With bird flu cases on the rise, staff at California lab say they are overworked and burned out UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit's specific allegations. "The university looks forward to filing our response in court. We are grateful for the outstanding work of the CAHFS lab staff, including UPTE-represented workers, during the 2024 surge in avian flu testing," Kisliuk said in an email. UC Davis has previously denied that workplace issues have left the lab ill-equipped to handle bird flu testing. Kisliuk had said the facility 'maintained the supervision, staffing and resources necessary to provide timely and vital health and safety information to those asking us to perform tests." According to copies of email correspondence cited in the lawsuit, UC Davis in January denied the union's request for records regarding short staffing or testing errors, calling the request "unduly burdensome." It also denied its request for information about farms and other businesses that had samples tested at the lab, citing an exemption to protect from an "invasion of personal privacy." Workers at the lab had previously told The Times that they observed lapses in quality assurance procedures, as well as other mistakes in the testing process. Amy Fletcher, a UC Davis employee and president of the union's Davis chapter, said the records would provide a necessary window into how staffing levels could be hurting farms and other businesses that rely on the lab for testing. Fletcher said workers have become afraid to speak about problems at the lab, having been warned by management that the some information related to testing is confidential. The Davis lab is the only entity in the state with the authority to confirm bird flu cases. The union, known as UPTE, represents about 20,000 researchers and other technical workers across the University of California system's 10 campuses. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Randi Weingarten Quits D.N.C. Post in Dispute With Chairman
Randi Weingarten, the longtime leader of one of the nation's most influential labor unions and a major voice in Democratic politics, has resigned from the Democratic National Committee. She pointed to disagreements with the party's new chairman, Ken Martin. Ms. Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, had supported Mr. Martin's rival in the chairmanship race early this year, Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Mr. Martin subsequently removed Ms. Weingarten from the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee, a powerful body that sets the calendar and process for the Democratic Party's presidential nominating process. In her resignation letter, dated earlier this month and obtained on Sunday evening, Ms. Weingarten wrote that she would decline Mr. Martin's offer to reappoint her to the broader national committee, on which she has served since 2002. She had been on the Rules and Bylaws committee since 2009. 'While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities,' Ms. Weingarten wrote in her resignation letter to Mr. Martin, which was dated June 5. Ms. Weingarten is an influential figure in the Democratic Party and the leader of a union that counts 1.8 million members. Mr. Martin has recently faced scrutiny and criticism from within the party. His leadership was openly challenged by David Hogg, a party vice chairman who announced he would fund primary challenges to sitting Democrats — an action long considered out of bounds for top party officials. Mr. Hogg announced last week he would not seek to retain his post after the party voted to redo the vice chair election, after it had been challenged on an unrelated technicality. Notably, Ms. Weingarten had endorsed Mr. Hogg's efforts, saying it was necessary to 'ruffle some feathers.' On Friday, during an appearance at the Center for American Progress in Washington, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, a longtime Martin ally, said he still had confidence in the party leader but regretted the public squabbling. 'I certainly wished we wouldn't have dirty laundry in public, but you know the personalities, things happen,' said Mr. Walz, who endorsed both Mr. Martin and Mr. Hogg in the party elections this year. 'I don't think Ken's focus has shifted one bit on this of expanding the party.' Mr. Martin and a party spokeswoman did not immediately respond to messages about Ms. Weingarten's resignation.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Union leader David Huerta fights back tears after release from federal detention in LA
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and United Service Workers West (USWW) California president, David Huerta, spoke to supporters and members of the media after being released from federal custody after his arrest last week and subsequently being arraigned on federal felony charges for impeding an officer
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
California union leader David Huerta is released from custody on $50K bond
Civil Rights legend Dolores Huerta, 95, speaks in favor of labor union David Huerta speaks at a protest, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes) LOS ANGELES — California union leader David Huerta has been released from federal custody on a US$50,000 bond. Huerta was arrested Friday while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles. He's the president of SEIU California, a powerful labor union. His arrest has become a rallying cry for union members nationwide and Democratic politicians who have called for his release. His release Monday came as marchers were moving through downtown after a rally by the SEIU. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. A California union leader has been charged with conspiring to impede an officer during a demonstration over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, authorities said Monday. David Huerta, 58, is being held in federal custody in downtown Los Angeles and is expected to attend a bond hearing later Monday, federal prosecutors said. Huerta is president of Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of janitors, security officers and other workers in the state. The SEIU held a large rally in downtown Los Angeles Monday in support of Huerta and to stand up for his right to observe and document law enforcement activity. Union leaders from across the state led the crowd in chants of 'Free Huerta now!' Demonstrations were also planned in at least a dozen cities, from Boston to Denver. The union has been a strong Democratic supporter, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and California's two Democratic senators wrote a letter to federal officials demanding answers regarding Huerta's arrest. California Sen. Adam Schiff was at the court ahead of Huerta's hearing. 'It is deeply troubling that a U.S. citizen, union leader, and upstanding member of the Los Angeles community continues to be detained by the federal government for exercising his rights to observe immigration enforcement,' the senators wrote. Protests broke out last week in response to reports of immigration raids in the nation's second-largest city. Tensions have since escalated with thousands of protesters taking to the streets after Trump took the extraordinary move of deploying the National Guard. Demonstrators blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowd. Huerta was arrested Friday when law enforcement officers were executing a federal search warrant at a Los Angeles business suspected of hiring illegal immigrants and falsifying employment papers, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in a court filing. A crowd of people including Huerta gathered outside the business yelling at the officers. Huerta sat down in front of a vehicular gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from going in or out, the agent wrote, adding it was clear 'he and the others had planned in advance of arrival to disrupt the operation.' A law enforcement officer approached Huerta and told him to leave, then put his hands on Huerta to move him out of the way of a vehicle, the agent wrote. Huerta pushed back and the officer pushed Huerta to the ground and arrested him, according to the filing. 'Let me be clear: I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted,' Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, said in a post on X. 'No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.' Messages left for Huerta's attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, have not been returned. The SEIU said in a statement that the union condemns the immigration raids and will continue to protect workers' rights. 'We demand David Huerta's immediate release and an end to these abusive workplace raids,' said April Verrett, SEIU's international president. Amy Taxin And Jason Dearen. Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California.
