Excerpts: Judge Rejects Firefighter Union’s Attempt To Block Health Department’s Vaccine Mandate A Superior Court judge has rejected an attempt by a firefighters union to block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The battle between the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Rhode Island State Association of Firefighters played out in Kent County Court on Tuesday. It stems from the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate set to begin October 1 for all licensed healthcare providers, including EMTs and volunteer firefighters. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, firefighters who are unvaccinated by Friday’s deadline will not be able to act as EMTs, but they can still do respond to fires and non-medical emergencies…. The post Judge Rejects Firefighter Union’s Attempt To Block Health Department’s Vaccine Mandate appeared first on Labor Relations Information System. Read on » Virginia Beach Police Officers Forced To Use Personal Leave After On-duty COVID-19 Exposures Virginia Beach, Virginia (WAVY) – Virginia Beach Police Charity Association says the city needs to do more to protect its officers from COVID-19. “I’m just at a loss for words,” said union President Brain Luciano. It’s unlike Luciano to not have the words. The outspoken leader of the city’s largest police union is always fighting for officers’ rights. “COVID has become the number one killer of police officers,” he added. The Officer Down Memorial Page and National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund report COVID-19 is the leading cause of death for officers nationwide this year. Luciano says more and more officers are… The post Virginia Beach Police Officers Forced To Use Personal Leave After On-duty COVID-19 Exposures appeared first on Labor Relations Information System. Read on » Los Angeles Police Dept. Has 2,600 Employees Seeking Exemptions For Vax The Los Angeles Police Department has some hard choices coming up. More than 2,600 employees with the LAPD are seeking religious exemptions for their mandated vaccinations. An L.A. city ordinance required non-exempt employees to receive their first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer two-dose vaccine no later than Sept. 7, and their second dose no later than Oct. 5. Employees who chose to receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would have to be inoculated by Oct. 5.William Briggs, president of The Los Angeles Police Commission, told The Los Angeles Times that it is “extremely dubious” that so many have genuine reasons for requesting an exemption. “I… The post Los Angeles Police Dept. Has 2,600 Employees Seeking Exemptions For Vax appeared first on Labor Relations Information System. Read on »

Amazon tripled its profits during the pandemic while its workers experienced sickness and stress. Workers at the company are fighting back by launching a unionization drive that could reshape Canada’s labor movement.

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Workers in the television and film industry are voting Sunday whether to authorize a strike that could shut down productions nationwide.

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Darwin’s said it will voluntarily accept collective bargaining by its employees if a majority favor union representation.

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Seafarers, truck drivers and airline workers have endured quarantines, travel restrictions and complex Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements to keep stretched supply chains moving during the pandemic.

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Retailer Fred Meyer and grocer QFC may have violated federal labor law, according to the agency.

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Amazon settled with Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham, former employees who accused the company of violating labor laws by firing them last April.

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There is going to be a fierce battle to organize these workers by the UAW and I would be surprised if the Ford Motor Company is being secretive of its support for the UAW because they fear any backlash by area politicians which I am sure lobbied hard for the plants construction in their states.

Ford announced its commitment to its line of electric vehicles in an $11 billion partnership-with South Korean battery maker SK Innovation. Ford’s portion of the agreement, $7 billion which is slightly less than a quarter of the total $30 billion it has pledged to spend in transitioning its fleet to electric by 2025

It’s unclear to me how how much more investment SK innovation has committed to invest and who will be the majority partner which might also be a factor in Fords lack of a commitment to the UAW. .

The venture with is called BlueOvalSK. One thing is clear is that SK innovation is bringing the technology to the table, SK Innovation has grown its LiBS business significantly which is a key component in lithium-ion batteries and emerged as the world’s 2nd largest wet separator producer. The company also has a strong presence in the global market with its LiBS plants in Jeungpyeong of Chungbuk in Korea and Changzhou,China.

Ford said It will agree to “card check” sign-up efforts, which let unions recruit workers to sign cards saying they want to be represented. Once 51% of workers sign on, the plant becomes union immediately. If the UAW is successful in organizing these new plants it will change union density throughout the south.

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