Circling back to state legislative unions

Presented by Reduce The Backlog

With help from Nick Niedzwiadek.

QUICK FIX

CHECKING IN ON STAFF UNIONS: State legislature staff unions efforts in some blue states are hitting hurdles.

Spurred by the passage of an Illinois constitutional amendment supporting workers’ right to organize last year, staffers in the office of Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch last week went public with their organizing. Like some other legislature staffs that have organized, they’re citing low pay, overtime issues and a culture of unsustainable work conditions.

But their request for voluntary recognition was rebuffed by the speaker’s office last week after what union organizers described as months of private talks, adding them to a list of staff organizations that have faced speed bumps.

“Speaker Welch promised that it was a new day in Springfield. Unfortunately, it has been more of the same for his legislative employees,” the Illinois Legislative Staff Association said in a statement.

The speaker’s office and his chief counsel did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Members of the organizing committee said they’re not planning any more moves before the state budget is passed likely later this month.

In New York, “there haven’t been too many updates” since the Assembly went public with its union effort in January, said Astrid Aune, a state Senate aide active with New York State Legislature Workers United.

Organizers want a strong majority before formally asking for recognition, and a long-running, exhausting budget cycle sapped workers’ energy, Aune said. She expects card-collecting to pick up in the summer months, she said.

And Massachusetts organizers, whose hopes of being voluntarily recognized were dashed by lawmakers last year, have turned their attention to state legislation that would enumerate their right to organize. (In California’s legislature, advocates are pushing for the fifth time since 2018 for a bill to consider allowing staff to organize.)

“I am hopeful that the same legislators who put forward pro-labor legislation will also support their own legislative staff and their efforts,” said Morgan Simko, an organizing committee member in the Massachusetts State House Employee Union and a senior staffer in the state Senate.

A spokesperson for Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka (D), who last summer said she didn’t “see a path forward” for the union at the time, did not return a request for comment Friday. Senate officials said in the summer there was nothing in state law allowing staffers to unionize.

Aune said of lawmakers resistant to the union in labor-friendly New York state: “If I were in my seat because of the support of organized labor, I would maybe do a little soul searching.”

Still, she added: “I can’t wait to see what statehouse comes next.”

GOOD MORNING. It’s Monday, May 8. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips, and exclusives to [email protected] and [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @nickniedz and @oliviaolanderr.

On the Hill

AFT REBUFFS GOP’S CALLS FOR PHONE RECORDS: The American Federation of Teachers is resisting requests they’re calling “unreasonable” from House GOP members, who last week asked for AFT President Randi Weingarten’s phone records as part of a Covid-19 investigation, our Bianca Quilantan reports.

House Coronavirus Pandemic Select Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup on Thursday asked Weingarten for phone records and texts with the CDC, President Joe Biden’s transition team and the Executive Office of the President, Bianca reported.

He’s homing in on testimony in which Weingarten said she had a direct line to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

The “investigation has morphed into a fishing expedition that vastly exceeds your authority,” AFT Counsel Michael Bromwich wrote Friday. “We will simply not accede to these unreasonable requests.”

GOP lawmakers have taken issue with what they see as undue influence from teachers’ unions in Covid-related school reopenings.

More hill news: “Migrant Child Labor Debate in Congress Becomes Mired in Immigration Fight,” from The New York Times.

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IN THE STATES

POWER SAWS AFTER CLASS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is set to sign into law rollbacks on child labor protections, after lawmakers passed legislation last week allowing teenagers to work longer hours and in previously banned jobs.

The legislation allows teenagers to work in jobs previously banned for their age groups with parent permission, including allowing 16-year-olds to operate power saws or work in demolition, if it’s “part of a work-based learning program,” the Des Moines Register reports.

It also will allow 16-year-olds to serve alcohol.

Reynolds described the bill in a statement Thursday as expanding “work-based learning opportunities for young Iowans seeking to gain experience in the workforce.”

The legislation, which underwent amendments including lessening liability shields for employers, has drawn condemnation from labor groups.

More state news: “Amazon-Inspired Warehouse Quota Limits Enacted in Washington,” from Bloomberg Law.

Around the Agencies

HELP WANTED: President Joe Biden hasn’t been able to find the right fit to lead a new office to lead the next phase of Covid-19 response, our Adam Cancryn reports.

The slow hiring process has alarmed public health experts and Biden aides, who were hoping for a smooth handoff from the current Covid team this month, Adam reports.

The search “has been hindered by concerns over whether it will have the influence within the administration and the financial resources needed to fulfill its broad mission — especially as Covid plummets down the list of political priorities.”

More agency news: “Senators Call on USPS to Delay Controversial Pay Cut for Rural Carriers Determined By Mystery Algorithm,” from Motherboard.

In the Workplace

LINE GOES UP: The April jobs report released Friday pointed to sustained — and unexpected — resilience in the labor market, despite Fed efforts to fight inflation, The Associated Press reports on Labor Department stats.

Employers added 253,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate fell to a 54-year low of 3.4 percent.

“[T]he government noted that while hiring was solid in April, it was much weaker in February and March than it had previously estimated,” AP wrote. The outlet added: “April’s hiring gain compares with 165,000 in March and 248,000 in February and is still at a level considered vigorous by historical standards.”

Related: “Black US Unemployment Hits Record Low But Participation Falls,” from Bloomberg.

More workplace news: “Activision, Riot Games settlements will pay more than 1,500 women,” from Axios.

Immigration

A ‘PEOPLE SHORTAGE’: The United States is running low on workers, and the solution to the “Great People Shortage” isn’t more babies but more immigrants, Insider reports in an analysis.

“The labor imbalance is already here, and the economy needs more workers now. That’s why a growing number of demographers, economists, and business executives support letting more immigrants into the US as a more immediate way to fill in the gaps.”

Possible policy compromises? Temporary worker visas with more safeguards; more visas for both family and employment; and lifting the cap on skill-based green cards, the outlet suggests.

More immigration news: “Mass Turnover and Retirements Could Soon Plague the Overtaxed DHS Workforce, IG Warns,” from Government Executive.

What We're Reading

— “The UAW has a problem with GM’s new joint venture that the union wants addressed now,” from the Detroit Free Press.

— “Tech Workers Aren’t as Rich as They Used to Be,” from The Wall Street Journal.

— “Slack’s New CEO Brings Generative AI to the Workplace Conversation,” from The Wall Street Journal.

— “He wrote a book on a rare subject. Then a ChatGPT replica appeared on Amazon.,” from The Washington Post.

— “How on-demand delivery services hobbled an American city,” from CNN.

— “Teamsters Ask Labor Board to Halt Firing of Amazon Delivery Firm,” from Bloomberg Law.

— “Roll Over, Jimmy Hoffa: Lindsay Dougherty Is the Next Teamster Icon,” from Los Angeles Magazine.

THAT’S ALL FOR SHIFT!