News & Commentary March 2, 2023

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/march-2-2023/

By Michelle Berger

Michelle Berger is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s News and Commentary: Julie Su nominated to replace Marty Walsh, Starbucks faces consequences for illegal acts, public pension funds eye a private equity firm’s treatment of workers, and two bills would impact workers’ rights.

Deputy Secretary Julie Su is President Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor. As Greg reported in February, Secretary Walsh plans to depart later this month. Su served as a labor regulator in California before joining the Biden administration. She is the daughter of immigrants and will be Biden’s first Asian American Cabinet Secretary if confirmed by the Senate. In remarks at the White House on Wednesday, Su expressed solidarity with workers nationwide: “So to all workers who are toiling in the shadows, to workers who are organizing for power and respect in the workplace, know that we see you, we stand with you, and we will fight for you.”

The NLRB ruled against Starbucks on Wednesday, when the Administrative Law Judge presiding over a major proceeding related to Starbucks’ conduct released his decision in the case. Starbucks committed “egregious and widespread” violations of the NLRA across 21 stores in Buffalo, the ALJ found, evincing “a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights.” Among other remedies, the decision grants the union a Gissel bargaining order for one store, orders Starbucks to both reinstate seven wrongfully terminated workers and reopen a store it closed in retaliation for union activity, and requires Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to record and distribute a reading of a 13-page notice of Starbucks violations. Also on Wednesday Senator Bernie Sanders called a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee vote to subpoena Shultz to testify.

FULL story at link above.