Labor Pains: Because Being in a Union can be Painful

Category Archive: Workers Center

  • Labor Group Infighting Over Dumpling’s Allegedly Duplicitous Nature

    Posted on Feb 02, 2021 by LaborPains.org Team

    Time and time again, we are reminded that few things are certain except death, taxes…and civil wars within labor movements. This latest scuffle occurred within the ranks of the Gig Workers Collective (GWC). The relatively young organization is committed to targeting and organizing shoppers on grocery delivery platforms such as Shipt and Instacart. GWC members […]

  • Prop 22 Opponents Have a Bad Case of Sour Grapes

    Posted on Nov 06, 2020 by LaborPains.org Team

    This week, Proposition 22 — a California ballot measure that allows certain gig workers to be exempt from the state’s AB 5 law — passed with 58 percent of the vote. Now, app-based drivers for gig companies including Uber and Lyft are able to retain their independent contractor status, instead of being reclassified as employees […]

  • "Grassroots" Gig Workers Collective Exposed As UFCW Front

    Posted on Oct 22, 2020 by LaborPains.org Team

    Update: After this post went live, the Gig Workers Collective posted a response on its Facebook page. The post describes an even closer collaboration with the UFCW than we documented below. The Collective acknowledged that the union “directly [paid] Facebook for our newly launched ads” and has been “granted…access to our facebook (sic) page.” The Collective […]

  • UFCW Locals Keep Bylaws Out of Members' Hands

    Posted on Sep 09, 2020 by LaborPains.org Team

    Among the more memorable examples of unions’ anti-transparency antics is the UFCW’s 2002 lawsuit to keep its constitution hidden from the public. Labor Notes reported in 2002: In February, the UFCW International had joined with UFCW Canada and Local 777 (now re-organized as Local 247) in an earlier lawsuit charging a UFCW shipping clerk with […]

  • SPECIAL REPORT: CA Labor Groups Flack Unrepresentative Gig Survey They Helped Write

    Posted on Jul 09, 2020 by LaborPains.org Team

    Labor unions are accustomed to campaigning for workers’ rights. This fall in California, the script is flipped: They’re opposing a ballot measure that cements the status of gig workers (think DoorDashers or Uber Drivers) as independent contractors. Labor’s problem is that gig workers don’t want what it’s selling; by a 4-to-1 margin, they want to […]

  • Seattle’s Union-Backed Ordinance Would Hurt, Not Help Gig Workers

    Posted on Jun 01, 2020 by Admin

    Next week, Seattle’s City Council is expected to vote on an ordinance to create a premium pay requirement for gig workers. This potential law is supposed to provide relief for workers during the current health crisis, but a close look at the bill — and the organization backing it — indicates it could have just […]

  • Labor-Backed Attorneys Target Uber and Lyft in Lawsuit

    Posted on May 06, 2020 by LaborPains.org Team

    This week, the state of California filed a lawsuit against ride-share companies Uber and Lyft. The lawsuit claims these gig companies are misclassifying workers as independent contractors under the state’s AB5 law. The suit was filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra; city attorneys from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego joined in. Since unions can’t […]