The American Crystal Sugar Company Lockout Hits Hard

Stalled labor talks between American Crystal Sugar Company and its factory workers are taking a toll in Hillsboro, North Dakota, a town of 1,600 between Fargo and Grand Forks where the sugar beet factory is the largest employer.

Listen to the report from Minneapolis National Public Radio (MPR) here.

Connecticut Nurses Union Airing Ad Before Contract Talks

The Backus Federation of Nurses at the William R. Backus Hospital in Norwich has begun airing an advertisement on television in an effort to speed up contract talks. A three-day negotiating session was scheduled to begin with Backus Hospital on yesterday. 

Watch the ad here.

Union Workers Reject American Crystal Sugar Contract

Locked out union workers at American Crystal Sugar Company overwhelmingly rejected a second contract offer on yesterday. Union officials said 90 percent of the workers who voted turned down the latest contract offer from American Crystal, which they said did not address their concerns about job security and rising health insurance costs.

Listen to the report from Minnesota National Public Radio here.

UAW and Chrysler Reach Agreement

UAW leaders talked about the agreement made with Chrysler.

 

Watch the press conference here.

US Ecomonic Problems Are Backdrop Behind 'Occupy Wall Street' Protest

CBS News did a report on what the causes are that are spear-heading the Occupy Wall Street protests that have spread through the nation.

Watch the report here.

Ohio Anti-Union Group Creates Fake Endorsement In Television Ad

Ohio voters will go to the polls and decide the fate of the new anti-Union labor law (SB5) that would limit collective bargaining rights for state employees. The bill was recently passed by the GOP led state legislature and signed into law by newly elected Republican Governor John Kaschich. The new law sparked fury in the general public, however. A pro-Union organization recently spear-headed a petition to recall the new law (SB5). They collected over 900,000 valid signatures to recall this new law at the ballot box. They only need slightly more than 200,000 to put the law on the ballot for a vote.

A group called Building A Better Ohio, who supports the new anti-Union law, recently created a television advertisement about the new Union law. Unfortunately, they spliced the words of a pro-Union grandmother who was featured in a pro-Union advertisement explaining how her granddaughter was saved by Ohio firefighters and how this demonstrates why Ohioans need to protect firefighters' rights.

Here are the clips of both television advertisements.

This is the ad for protecting the collective bargaining rights of state employees in Ohio.

Here is the ad showing fake endorsement for SB5 by Building A Better Ohio.

Union and School District To Argue Before South Dakota Supreme Court

The South Dakota Supreme Court will hear an appeal involving the Sioux Falls School District. Non-teaching employees claim the district violated labor agreements for the 2008-2009 school year when the District provided a 2.5 percent raise rather than a three percent increase.

Here is a feed if you want to hear the argument live being made before the South Dakota Supreme Court. The appeal is scheduled to start at 11:00 CST.

Should Day Care Workers Be Unionized?

The state of Minnesota is debating this very issue right now. While Governor Dayton has stated that he does not believe that day care workers should be unionized, he does at least believe a vote should be taken on the issue.

Listen to a report on this story from Minnesota National Public Radio here.

Health Care Is Sticking Point Between Youngstown State University And It's Two Unions

A meeting was held between the sides on Monday. A spokesperson for the faculty Unions says the key issue is health care; what the premium will cost in the future and how lower-paid staff will afford it.

Watch a report on the story here from WFMJ.

UAW Rally Over Seniority

The United Auto Workers (UAW) are upset because they say Chrysler may not recognize union seniority status if an employee moves from one plant to another. They demonstrated in downtown Detroit on Sunday.

Watch the report from WJBK.

UAW Members Rally Over Seniority Concerns: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Constitutents Confront Representative Over Outsourcing and Trade

Republican Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (NY) has had a challenging month. Just a couple of weeks ago, she called the police on seniors trying to tell her not to cut Social Security and Medicare at her district office. Now she’s facing heat from constituents blasting her at a town hall meeting for her insistence on cutting taxes and allowing companies to ship jobs overseas.

Watch a video clip of town hall meeting here.