Unions eye Wisconsin’s liberal victory on state Supreme Court

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RIGHT-TO-WORK OPPONENTS STAKE OUT NEW BATTLEGROUND: Abortion rights might have been the policy deemed the biggest maybe-winner after last week’s state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. But the state’s now-liberal leaning court — and the authority on redistricting that comes with it — could also soon cause right-to-work backers to break a sweat.

“We want Wisconsin to be the next Michigan,” said Ryan Neibauer, political director at IBEW Local 494. The union’s PAC backed Justice-elect Janet Protasiewicz in the race.

To refresh: Michigan last month became the first state in decades to repeal a right-to-work law, laws that allow union-represented workers to opt against paying union dues as a condition of employment.

The union victory came after an independent redistricting commission helped make it possible for Democrats to win unified control of the state’s legislature. Now, some union representatives say they’re looking for another W in Wisconsin.

“To overturn the right-to-work law, the primary issue here is, elect someone who is going to take a fresh look at the gerrymandered maps,” said Richard Kolodziejski, a spokesperson for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. The union funds the Wisconsin Carpenters PAC, which backed Protasiewicz.

From across the issue: “Their political investments are paying off handsomely,” National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix said of unions’ support for Protasiewicz in the race, which POLITICO previously reported attracted more spending than every state Supreme Court election in 2018 combined. (Protasiewicz was backed by state Democrats, while her opponent was backed by state Republicans.)

Mix expressed some concern that wins for unions could come directly from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But “ideally, it’s the maps,” Neibauer said.

Other labor laws simmering: Wisconsin public employees have had their ability to collectively bargain limited under the former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10, and the state in the last decade repealed its prevailing wage law.

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Around the Agencies

NLRB CASELOAD STILL UP: Workers’ requests to establish unions are up again, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday. But the increase seems on pace to be much smaller than the huge spike seen last year, Olivia reports.

Union representation petitions increased to 1,200 from 1,174 during the six-month period ending March 31, compared with the same period the year prior, according to a press release. While modest in itself, that suggests last year’s spike of more than 50 percent wasn’t a one-year blip.

Also climbing: Charges of unfair labor practices, by 16 percent to 9,592, the press release said. Last year, there was a 19 percent increase in allegations filed.

Unions

L.A.-BOR SHORTAGE: The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were shuttered Friday after too few dockworkers showed up starting Thursday evening, our Alex Daugherty reported, amid long-standing labor talks that have spurred concerns of work stoppages.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, representing West Coast ports, have been in a labor dispute since July.

Friday’s impacts were relatively mild, according to an expert in ocean freight, but a protracted shutdown would lead to supply chain issues nationwide, Alex reported.

More union news: “Apple Store Workers Say The Company Is Stalling On Its First Union Contract,” from HuffPost.

On the Hill

SPENDING AGAINST SU: The “Stand Against Su” coalition against the nomination of Julie Su as Labor Secretary has placed newspaper ads in Arizona, Maine, Montana and West Virginia, the group announced Friday.

The Arizona and Montana ads suggest Su will turn those states “into California,” referencing her time as California’s labor secretary as her opponents have repeatedly in recent weeks. She heads into an anticipated Senate confirmation hearing April 20, POLITICO previously reported, according to two people familiar.

The group, which says it has spent “in the low six figures” opposing Su, has also bought billboards and “targeted digital content,” a press release said.

The Labor Department did not immediately respond to a weekend request for comment.

NBC News previously reported resistance to Su’s nomination may come from moderate senators, including Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who collectively represent three of the four states targeted.

More on Su: “What a landmark sweatshop case tells us about Julie Su’s approach to labor,” from The 19th.

In the Workplace

TECH ETHICS: Recent high-profile tech layoffs affected teams intended to protect safety and fight misinformation, contrasting with some of the content moderation efforts of the Trump years, CNN reports.

“The wave of cuts has raised questions among some inside and outside the industry about Silicon Valley’s commitment to providing extensive guardrails and user protections at a time when content moderation and misinformation remain challenging problems to solve,” CNN summarized.

Employees in such roles have been recently cut at Twitter and Twitch, while Facebook parent Meta has also suggested it may soon cut staff “working in non-technical roles,” the outlet reported.

More workplace news: “In hard times, Corporate America looks out for its CEOs,” from CNN.

IN THE STATES

LEAVE POLICY MAKES ITS MARK: Even without nationally mandated paid leave, more people are taking advantage of more generous state and employer policies for workers’ parental leave, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“In the 12 months through February, a monthly 406,000 workers were absent on average due to paid or unpaid parental leave, up 13.5% from 2021,” the WSJ reported on Labor Department data. The number of parents out on leave in January — 478,000 — was the most since 1994, when records began, the outlet reported.

More state news: “America Is Back in the Factory Business,” from The Wall Street Journal.

What We're Reading

— “$388 in Sushi. Just a $20 Tip: The Brutal Math of Uber Eats and DoorDash,” from The New York Times.

— “These Tech Workers Say They Were Hired to Do Nothing,” from The Wall Street Journal.

— “What Happened When Uber’s CEO Started Driving for Uber,” from The Wall Street Journal.

— “The latest on hybrid work: Who is WFH and who isn’t,” from CNN.

— “Black unemployment rate hits record low 5 percent,” from The Washington Post.

— “Safety Net Barriers Add to Child Poverty in Immigrant Families,” from The New York Times.

THAT’S ALL FOR SHIFT!