People
Sharon Block
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Court grapples with how to handle company’s lawsuit against union that went on strike
January 13, 2023
An article by Sharon Block: Tuesday’s argument in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters provided little new insight into how the Supreme Court may…
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Grace Norris was hopeful when she logged into her first virtual bargaining session with Starbucks on the morning of October 24. A few months after…
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The federal agency that oversees labor union activity will have its budget bumped up in the coming year as part of the omnibus spending bill…
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Twitter faces serious legal threat from ex-employees, experts say
November 28, 2022
Elon Musk, who admitted to overpaying for Twitter, cut workers at the social media platform almost immediately. In response, some of the axed employees want…
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New Supreme Court Case Could Weaken Unions’ Ability To Strike
October 5, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that union supporters fear could end up diminishing the power of workers to go on…
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Reclaiming the Deep State
October 4, 2022
The government agencies of the New Deal revolution were created to check the cruelties of unregulated capitalism. They were born progressive. Their leaders were deeply…
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Why does work feel so dysfunctional right now? A psychologist, labor expert and CEO weigh in
September 26, 2022
Dysfunction in the Covid-era workforce has reached a fever pitch. If you’ve talked to anyone about work in the last month, you’ve probably discussed quiet…
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When overtime isn’t optional
September 22, 2022
The Polk County Professional Firefighters union is in the throes of its final weeks of bargaining before its current contract expires at the end of…
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‘It just shouldn’t be this hard’
September 20, 2022
This is an encouraging moment for labor law — and a potentially scary one as well, according to Harvard Law School Professor of Practice Sharon Block.
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U.S. railroad worker fight for pay, benefits could be model for other deals
September 19, 2022
Union railworkers in the United States scored a potential key victory in their fight for improved pay and working conditions on Thursday in what could…
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A super-sized labor experiment
September 15, 2022
NPR – Historically, building a union in the United States has been a grassroots process. For example, while workers at one Chipotle may succeed in…
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US Freight Railroads to Cut Services as Union Talks Fail, Report Says
September 12, 2022
Bloomberg – US freight railroads will reduce their services starting Monday after two of the country’s largest rail unions failed to agree on a new…
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California legislature passes bill that could transform worker bargaining. Here’s how.
September 1, 2022
U.S. labor unions enjoy their highest level of approval in almost 60 years, as high-profile worker victories at Amazon and Starbucks have galvanized public support.
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Labor union approval at highest rate since 1965: Poll
August 31, 2022
Across the country, labor unions have celebrated recent victories at companies like Starbucks and John Deere. However, union membership rates have dropped to a historic…
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Recent union efforts in Mass. part of growing national trend
August 31, 2022
A slew of unionizing efforts at companies across Massachusetts reflects a national labor trend and a shift in attitudes about unions. Last month, workers voted…
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Labor movement adds union members store by store
August 29, 2022
Workers at a Chipotle outlet in Lansing, Michigan, and an REI in Berkeley, California, voted to unionize this week. They’re the latest of hundreds of…
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The fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda could soon rest with the administrator of a tiny office deep within the White House. But first, Biden…
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State of the Union?
July 15, 2022
"My hope is that workers bank power for when things aren’t as good and build unions to protect themselves," says Sharon Block.
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Summer 2022 beach reads
June 26, 2022
Harvard Law faculty and staff share their reading lists for beachside, poolside, or inside with the AC.
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The Independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU) scored a surprise victory last month when it successfully unionized the first Amazon warehouse in the U.S. on Staten Island, New York. Now, the grassroots organization is trying to prove that it can notch more victories against the retail megalith. The voting results at a second Staten Island facility today, though, proves that winning maybe an uphill battle. ... Regardless of today’s loss, the unprecedented nature of the first victory will likely keep the movement energized. “[Workers] were told that Amazon was too big, that the company's pushback would be too fierce, that an independent union can't mount a big enough campaign,” Sharon Block, executive director of the labor and worklife program at Harvard University’s law school, told Fortune. “But now, no one can say that anymore.”
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The recent deluge of union elections at Starbucks Corp. stores is pushing the federal labor board to its limit, reflecting a broader influx in labor action as the pandemic winds down. Flat funding and a restless labor force have created a near perfect storm for the National Labor Relations Board, charged with overseeing every private-sector union election. Election petitions have already swelled by 57% in the first half of the 2021 fiscal year as unfair labor practice charges rose by 14%. At the same time, ballooning inflation and long-term staff declines have made the agency less equipped to fulfill its statutory mission of overseeing union elections, current and former officials say. “The board certainly has been in a funding crisis for awhile,” said Sharon Block, who served on it during the Obama administration and more recently as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under President Joe Biden.