Articles by Julia Love and Josh Eidelson

US Labor Board Files Complaint Against Mozilla for Refusing to Hire Apple Activist

When Cher Scarlett began speaking up about labor issues at Apple Inc., she knew she was at risk of losing her software engineering job, but was confident she could find another. Yet two years after her departure from the iPhone …

Uber-Backed Group to Reboot Gig-Worker Ballot Initiative in Massachusetts

A coalition of gig economy giants plan to reboot a failed ballot initiative in Massachusetts in a renewed push to cement their workers’ status as independent contractors. The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work, a group bankrolled by Uber Technologies Inc., …

Opera Workers’ Ruling Offers Path for Uber, Lyft Drivers to Unionize

A US labor board ruling on Tuesday laid the groundwork for drivers from Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. and other gig workers to formally unionize – a still difficult but potentially transformative task. In a ruling concerning workers at …

South Carolina Safety Inspections Discriminate Against Black Workers, Union Says

South Carolina’s workplace safety agency “engages in egregious discrimination,” by failing to inspect industries with high percentages of Black workers, a union alleged in a federal complaint. The South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration has neglected fields with more …

Starbucks Illegally Terminated Union Leader, U.S. Officials Say

US labor board prosecutors have concluded that Starbucks Corp. illegally forced out a New York barista who has been a key architect of the union campaign that swept through hundreds of its cafes this year. The union leader, Jaz Brisack, …

Twitter Sued for Mass Layoffs by Musk Without Enough Notice

Twitter Inc. was sued over Elon Musk’s plan to eliminate about 3,700 jobs at the social-media platform, which workers say the company is doing without enough notice in violation of federal and California law. A class-action lawsuit was filed Thursday …

Comment to Pro-Union Starbucks’ Worker Was Threat, U.S. Labor Board Alleges

Starbucks Corp. interim Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz made comments during an April meeting with employees that US labor officials view as an illegal anti-union threat, according to a complaint Friday. In that meeting, an employee asked Schultz about retaliation …

U.S. Labor Board Accuses Starbucks in Buffalo of Retaliatory Firings

Starbucks Corp. violated federal law by firing, threatening, and carrying out surveillance on union activists in New York, U.S. labor board prosecutors alleged in a complaint. The agency’s Buffalo regional director said in a filing Friday that the company illegally …

Union Sues to Overturn Trump-Era Rule that Narrowed Definition of ‘Joint Employer’

The union behind the “Fight for $15” movement is suing to overturn a Trump-era rule that makes it harder to hold companies like McDonald’s Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. accountable for violations of franchised or sub-contracted workers’ rights. In a lawsuit …

Lawmakers Look to Spruce Up Gig Work Rather Than Replace It

Last week in Washington, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House passed a sweeping labor law overhaul that would make it much easier for gig workers to prove they’re actually employees with full-fledged union rights, rather than contractors as their bosses claim. Two …