Subject: Labor Relations INK Links November 18, 2021

Labor Relations Institute
November 18, 2021

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the full edition of INK will not go out next week but will be sent December 2.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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Healthcare Woes

One of the more head-turning stories of “Striketober” hails from the saga of Kaiser Permanente. As one of the biggest healthcare employers in the U.S., Kaiser’s staffing shortages hold far-reaching implications, not only to the conglomerate’s bottom line but also toward a potentially crippled hospital system. Also, Kaiser’s particular situation involves a vicious cycle: Workers shortages lead to threats for strikes, which lead to more worker shortages, leading to more rumbling about strikes, and so on. All the while, overextended medical workers continue to claim deteriorating working conditions and inadequate pay. 

All signs pointed toward 32,000 more Kaiser workers (including pharmacists, nurses, and physicians assistants) planning to strike across the U.S. on November 15. In a surprise development, Kaiser narrowly averted this strike over the weekend while hammering out a tentative multi-year deal with the Alliance of Health Care Unions. This prompted optimism in several states, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Georgia, but that sigh of relief might be premature for this reason: a gathering of 50,000 different Kaiser medical workers in Northern Carolina now plan to walk off the job on Nov. 18 as part of a sympathy strike to support Local 39 stationary engineers (whose current strike recently passed the two month mark).

In other words, the Kaiser Permanente labor issues aren’t over yet (and this week, two of their Northern California hospitals diverted ambulances as various strikes continue), which sums up the ongoing situation throughout the healthcare industry.

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Union Bailout Update

General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo releases memo on ensuring rights and remedies for immigrant workers https://lri.link/3nlDXG8

NLRB's 'salt mine' tweet decision under fire in Third Circuit https://lri.link/3oAZRUY

U.S. Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission align to end retaliation, promote workers’ rights https://lri.link/3HsSdF1      

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The NLRB affirms its commitment to treating many collegiate athletes as employees https://lri.link/3wQkxvW

First NLRB charge filed alleging student-athletes are employees  https://lri.link/3wYYgwc

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Covid-19

Union bargaining duties for shot-or-test rule outlined by NLRB  https://lri.link/30yvwyu

NLRB general counsel advises employers may have duty to bargain over COVID-19 OSHA rule https://lri.link/3chK0VO

Biden vaccine mandate: Labor unions sue to cover smaller businesses https://lri.link/30uhnlj

NLRB says employers covered by OSHA ETS have options  https://lri.link/3owduVu

OSHA vaccine rule blocked permanently by Fifth Circuit, but judicial review will continue https://lri.link/3HnxJ0p

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Organizing

Amazon workers in New York withdraw petition to unionize https://lri.link/3nflLO9

Work for Amazon? Get ready to hear from the Teamsters https://lri.link/3DmteRg

Starbucks asks National Labor Relations Board to delay union vote at three Western New York locations https://lri.link/3oB3ESn

Starbucks workers at three more Buffalo-area stores file for union elections https://lri.link/3oqRjA4

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Union Corruption

Independent monitor says UAW has 'fallen short' in reform efforts  https://lri.link/30sxDnB      UAW President Curry under investigation for possible ethical misconduct https://lri.link/3oBbpaO

UAW still a long way from ridding corruption from its ranks https://lri.link/30B5daX

What John Dougherty’s guilty verdict may mean for his powerful local and his future in the labor movement https://lri.link/3HrmBQ1

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Manufacturing

UAW Members approve new deal with John Deere https://lri.link/3kO8JWt 

'It's a big mess': UAW members split on Deere's latest offer https://lri.link/3oBfzzl

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Tech/Media Unions

Hearst's magazine workers protest mandatory return-to-office in NLRB charge https://lri.link/3DoLFF0

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Healthcare  

Kaiser Permanente, unions reach labor deal to avert strike https://lri.link/3kGM0vg

While Kaiser Permanente averts some planned strikes in Sonoma County, other scheduled pickets still threatened https://lri.link/3cfZPMq

A slap in the face’: nurses’ strike signals Kaiser’s end as union haven https://lri.link/3DpaKzr
About Labor Relations INK
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