Labor

Corporations can prevent employees from filing class action suits in their arbitration agreements, a court of appeals ruled Tuesday, in a major blow to workers' ability to redress grievances and counter to a previous National Labor Relations Board decision.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled Tuesday that the city of Detroit is eligible for bankruptcy after a long court battle between city appointed 'emergency manager' Kevyn Orr and union and labor

Legislative leaders in Illinois are hoping to push a “rescue plan” that would help the state right its public pension system funding wrongs. Vehemently opposed by labor leaders who have labeled it “catastrophic,” the plan would cut cost-of-living increases for retirees, raise the retirement age for younger employees and set a cap on the pensions of public employees with the highest salaries. The plan would also place most pension plans outside the realm of collective bargaining.

An officer in the Rockaway Township has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court claiming she was unfairly retaliated against for pointing out that a new overtime policy went against collective bargaining agreements. The officer claims the retaliation is against the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act.

For Michigan unions, the one year anniversary of the implementation of “Right-to-Work” is fast approaching, yet for many shops the effects have been minimal. The new recruiting methods have allowed some unions to bring in younger workers, most of whom are happy to enter the union, to replace outgoing retirees.

Three U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to eliminate defined benefit plans for federal fire fighters and other government employees. Contrary to the bill’s name — the Public-Private Employee Retirement Parity Act — the legislation would clearly do nothing to create parity among public and private retirement systems, forcing federal fire fighters to rely solely on an expensive and unpredictable 401(K)-style system.

Union workers at Las Vegas Strip casinos owned by MGM Resorts International have overwhelmingly approved a contract that preserves health benefits and aims to bring back workers laid off when restaurants closed during the recession.

Joining the rising tide of communities fighting against vast income inequality in the U.S., activists and labor organizers in Washington, D.C. launched an initiative Tuesday to raise the minimum wage in the district to $12.50 per hour.

In an op-ed for USA Today, David Sirota gives credit to conservative activists, business groups, and politicians for their attempts to demonize public pensions. But this well-coordinated attempt to sway public opinion, he writes, should not result in pensions being “reformed.” For many state and local governments, wasteful spending and unnecessary giveaways to corporations are causing more financial uncertainty than pensions ever could.

A new video shows that McDonald's "McResource" Line doesn't just "help" its workers by telling them to apply for public assistance; it also has surprising advice for hungry, stressed or in-debt workers.