People
Sharon Block
-
Why are there so many strikes in the US?
July 25, 2023
STORY: It’s a summer of strikes in the United States. From UPS workers on the verge… to Hollywood writers and actors like Susan Sarandon… “…if…
-
America Is Barreling Toward a Summer of Strikes
July 20, 2023
More than 650,000 American workers are threatening to go on strike this summer — or have already done so — in an avalanche of union…
-
Harvard Law labor expert Sharon Block on the Hollywood writers strike, AI, and what comes next
July 11, 2023
Labor expert Sharon Block says the Writers Guild of America’s weekslong strike could heat up in the fall when production companies run out of stockpiled scripts
-
The union clash over Pride décor at Starbucks Corp. cafes poses a broader test on free speech in the workplace, with the coffee giant accusing…
-
The Supreme Court, in the midst of a run of decisions that have stress-tested the core principles of US democracy, has rarely been so aggressive…
-
Starbucks Corp. has agreed to give back pay to baristas unlawfully denied shifts at a University of Washington cafe, in a settlement that signals the…
-
Starbucks Corp. has been found to have violated federal labor law hundreds of times in administrative rulings, a stark showing that the world’s largest coffee…
-
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that federal labor law did not protect a union from liability for damage that arose during a strike, and…
-
Ron DeSantis is coming for teachers’ unions. It’s just the latest attack against the labor movement
May 17, 2023
For any member of a union, dues are often automatically deducted from their paychecks. But for teachers and government employees who are union members in…
-
Film and TV studios could replace striking writers with artificial intelligence bots, and there’s not much labor unions could do to stop it without language…
-
An op-ed by Sharon Block: If you breathe air, drink water, get paid overtime, or purchase energy-efficient appliances, your life has been touched by an…
-
A Revolution in Cost-Benefit Rules
April 12, 2023
Our April issue includes a package of articles on the duplicity of economic modeling that misinforms policy debates and decisions. Seemingly neutral models often conceal…
-
Union-busting, to borrow from H. Rap Brown, is as American as cherry pie. Employers get charged with violating federal labor law in no fewer than…
-
On Friday, Michigan repealed an 11-year-old law that weakened unions’ power in the workplace. Known as a “right-to-work” law, this type of legislation has been…
-
Why fast-food workers, ride-hail drivers, and nail technicians are fighting for this new form of labor organizing
March 13, 2023
Lenny Peña, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, has been driving for Uber since 2017. At the beginning, he says he was able to make nearly $3,000 every…
-
Young workers are among the most vulnerable, and a recent surge in child labor law violations may prompt employers to evaluate their own practices and…
-
Retail, Service Sectors Notch Labor Wins as Union Density Falls
February 8, 2023
Labor organizing efforts achieved big gains in the retail and service sectors in 2022, suggesting high-profile campaigns at Starbucks Corp. and Apple Inc. stores have…
-
Job surge leads into State of the Union
February 6, 2023
President Joe Biden is gearing up to give the annual State of the Union address. … But some proponents are hoping for glimpses on what the administration’s…
-
Shaping law to build a more just economy
January 31, 2023
At an event last week to celebrate the launch of the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, Sen. Elizabeth Warren outlined what she said are the many opportunities and challenges now facing the labor movement.
-
The State of Unions
January 26, 2023
What do we do when we have the public on our side, when we have workers in motion, when we see people playing by the…
-
How to Work with Your Unionizing Employees
January 25, 2023
An article by Sharon Block: Much of corporate America has failed to connect the dots on two of the biggest economic stories of the last…