New England Labor Reports
@newenglandlabor.bsky.social
Aggregating news and information on labor organizing and work in New England.
Maine saw a significant increase in its rate of union membership last year. In 2023, 9.2% of Maine workers were union members, which increased to 13.1% in 2024.
February 2, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Maine saw a significant increase in its rate of union membership last year. In 2023, 9.2% of Maine workers were union members, which increased to 13.1% in 2024.
The rate of union membership increased by 2% in Massachusetts, rising from 12.6% in 2023 to 14.6% in 2024.
February 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The rate of union membership increased by 2% in Massachusetts, rising from 12.6% in 2023 to 14.6% in 2024.
Vermont saw no change in its union membership rate between 2023 and 2024.
January 31, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Vermont saw no change in its union membership rate between 2023 and 2024.
Rhode Island saw an increase in the percentage workers who were union members in 2024. While 12.3% of the workforce belonged to a union in 2023, this increased to 14.5% in 2024.
January 30, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Rhode Island saw an increase in the percentage workers who were union members in 2024. While 12.3% of the workforce belonged to a union in 2023, this increased to 14.5% in 2024.
Today begins a series on union membership in New England. Starting with Connecticut, which saw a slight increase in union membership last year. In 2023, 15.9% of workers in Connecticut were members of unions, increasing to 16.5% of worker as members of unions in 2024.
January 29, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Today begins a series on union membership in New England. Starting with Connecticut, which saw a slight increase in union membership last year. In 2023, 15.9% of workers in Connecticut were members of unions, increasing to 16.5% of worker as members of unions in 2024.
According to @wtnh.bsky.social, the Connecticut state comptroller has proposed new legislation to further protect workers on state-funded projects against wage theft. www.courant.com/2025/01/28/c...
CT’s comptroller pitches plan to stop companies stealing wages from workers
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon announced legislation on Monday that would target companies that are under investigation for wage theft by empowering his office to cut off payments for state contrac…
www.courant.com
January 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
According to @wtnh.bsky.social, the Connecticut state comptroller has proposed new legislation to further protect workers on state-funded projects against wage theft. www.courant.com/2025/01/28/c...
According to the @newhampshirebulletin.com, legislators in New Hampshire are again proposing right-to-work legislation that unions argue could harm collective bargaining and worker representation. newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/01/23/r...
Right-to-work proposal reemerges in New Hampshire State House • New Hampshire Bulletin
Right-to-work – which refers to policies that prohibit collective bargaining agreements from requiring employees to join or contribute to a union – has been a perennial debate among New Hampshire lawm...
newhampshirebulletin.com
January 27, 2025 at 1:58 PM
According to the @newhampshirebulletin.com, legislators in New Hampshire are again proposing right-to-work legislation that unions argue could harm collective bargaining and worker representation. newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/01/23/r...
According to @nbcconnecticut.com, cafeteria workers in New Haven represented by Unite Here Local 217 protested last Wednesday for higher wages as part of the current contract negotiations. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/n...
New Haven public school cafeteria workers protest for new contract
New Haven public school cafeteria workers represented by the union, Unite Here Local 217, held a protest outside of the Board of Education building on Wednesday. The protest began around 2:30 p.m. and...
www.nbcconnecticut.com
January 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
According to @nbcconnecticut.com, cafeteria workers in New Haven represented by Unite Here Local 217 protested last Wednesday for higher wages as part of the current contract negotiations. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/n...
According to Vermont Business Magazine, legislators and healthcare workers are pushing to limit hospital executive pay in Vermont and push more spending toward clinical expenses. vermontbiz.com/news/2025/ja...
New effort to cap Vermont hospital executive pay | Vermont Business Magazine
vermontbiz.com
January 24, 2025 at 2:35 PM
According to Vermont Business Magazine, legislators and healthcare workers are pushing to limit hospital executive pay in Vermont and push more spending toward clinical expenses. vermontbiz.com/news/2025/ja...
According to @wgbh.org, unionized federal workers across New England, represented by unions such as the AFGE and TSA Officers Unions, will challenge the Trump Administration's new in-person work requirements if they violate current labor agreements.
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
Local federal workers say they'll push back against Trump’s decision to end telework
Trump has directed agency heads to mandate their employees work in the office full time.
www.wgbh.org
January 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
According to @wgbh.org, unionized federal workers across New England, represented by unions such as the AFGE and TSA Officers Unions, will challenge the Trump Administration's new in-person work requirements if they violate current labor agreements.
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
According to CBS News, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is pushing legislation that will set a minimum salary of $70,000 a year for teachers across the state, and $55,000 for support staff. The union is also seeking to legalize strikes for teachers. www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
Teachers would be paid a minimum salary of $70,000 in Massachusetts if bill becomes law
There's a new push to establish a minimum salary for public school teachers and other educators in Massachusetts.
www.cbsnews.com
January 22, 2025 at 1:01 AM
According to CBS News, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is pushing legislation that will set a minimum salary of $70,000 a year for teachers across the state, and $55,000 for support staff. The union is also seeking to legalize strikes for teachers. www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
According to @rhodeislandcurrent.com, residents in RI at Care New England hospitals have voted to unionize with CIR-SEIU. This follows more than six hundred residents who voted to unionize at Brown University's Rhode Island Hospital earlier this month. rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/resid...
Residents vote to unionize at Care New England hospitals • Rhode Island Current
Union membership for approximately 230 resident and fellow physicians employed by Rhode Island’s second-biggest hospital network was affirmed Wednesday by the National Labor Relations Board, union lea...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
January 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
According to @rhodeislandcurrent.com, residents in RI at Care New England hospitals have voted to unionize with CIR-SEIU. This follows more than six hundred residents who voted to unionize at Brown University's Rhode Island Hospital earlier this month. rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/resid...
According to @nbcboston.com, the Boston Teachers Union has began informational pickets outside schools across the district yesterday. As part of ongoing contract negotiations, teachers in Boston are demanding better staffing levels and pay for paras. www.nbcboston.com/news/local/b...
Boston teachers hold informational pickets; school day not interrupted
Boston Public School teachers were out on informational picket lines at schools across the district Thursday morning, taking action after nearly a year of contract negotiations. The picketing happened...
www.nbcboston.com
January 17, 2025 at 2:27 PM
According to @nbcboston.com, the Boston Teachers Union has began informational pickets outside schools across the district yesterday. As part of ongoing contract negotiations, teachers in Boston are demanding better staffing levels and pay for paras. www.nbcboston.com/news/local/b...
According to @wfsb.com , legislators in Connecticut are considering a number of bill to improve working conditions and labor rights across the state including guaranteeing unemployment insurance for striking workers and improving the conditions of warehouse work. www.wfsb.com/2025/01/15/l...
Lawmakers proposing legislation to help Connecticut workers
Today, lawmakers are proposing legislation to help Connecticut workers.
www.wfsb.com
January 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
According to @wfsb.com , legislators in Connecticut are considering a number of bill to improve working conditions and labor rights across the state including guaranteeing unemployment insurance for striking workers and improving the conditions of warehouse work. www.wfsb.com/2025/01/15/l...
@afscme.bsky.social details organizing and bargaining at Howard Center in Vermont
This is how it’s done: AFSCME Council 93 members at the Howard Center in Vermont have refused to back down against their anti-union employer.
For Vermont mental health workers, grit and guts turn the tide against anti-union employer
AFSCME Council 93 members who work at the Howard Center in Vermont have shown determination against a staunchly anti-union employer.
www.afscme.org
January 14, 2025 at 12:27 PM
@afscme.bsky.social details organizing and bargaining at Howard Center in Vermont
According to WBZ news, 300 workers will be laid off when Nordstrom closes stores in Braintree and Peabody, Massachusetts. www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
Nordstrom layoffs at 2 stores closing in Massachusetts to impact 300 workers
The upcoming closures of Nordstrom department stores at two Massachusetts malls will result in 300 workers losing their jobs.
www.cbsnews.com
January 13, 2025 at 9:03 PM
According to WBZ news, 300 workers will be laid off when Nordstrom closes stores in Braintree and Peabody, Massachusetts. www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
According to ESPN, Dartmouth basketball players in Hanover, New Hampshire have withdrawn their union petition, anticipating the Republican takeover of the National Labor Relations Board.
www.espn.com/mens-college...
www.espn.com/mens-college...
Dartmouth hoops players end attempt to unionize
The Dartmouth men's basketball team dropped its attempt to become the first college sports team to unionize.
www.espn.com
January 11, 2025 at 4:01 PM
According to ESPN, Dartmouth basketball players in Hanover, New Hampshire have withdrawn their union petition, anticipating the Republican takeover of the National Labor Relations Board.
www.espn.com/mens-college...
www.espn.com/mens-college...
According to WBUR, Boston Public Schools has proposed the closing of a number of schools across the district. The Boston Teachers Unions responded that this continues "a pattern of disruption for students and families" in a statement on Monday. www.wbur.org/news/2025/01...
Boston Public Schools to propose closures of several schools
The district announced plans to shutter the K-6 Dever Elementary in Dorchester as well as Excel High School in South Boston. Additional school closures are expected before 2030 as part of the district...
www.wbur.org
January 8, 2025 at 3:23 PM
According to WBUR, Boston Public Schools has proposed the closing of a number of schools across the district. The Boston Teachers Unions responded that this continues "a pattern of disruption for students and families" in a statement on Monday. www.wbur.org/news/2025/01...
According to data from the BLS, unemployment rates of different metro areas in Massachusetts vary. Barnstable saw the largest increase in unemployment rate with 4.2% in November of 2024, up from 3.6% in October, and Worcester saw the biggest drop from 3.6% to 3.0%.
January 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
According to data from the BLS, unemployment rates of different metro areas in Massachusetts vary. Barnstable saw the largest increase in unemployment rate with 4.2% in November of 2024, up from 3.6% in October, and Worcester saw the biggest drop from 3.6% to 3.0%.
According to the Rhode Island Current, Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick will pay $1.9 million, after settling with the U.S. DOL, to 853 workers who worked more than 40 hours a week and were not given pay for working through breaks during the pandemic. rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/u-s-d...
U.S. Department of Labor settles with Care New England over labor violations • Rhode Island Current
Rhode Island’s second-largest hospital will pay $1.9 million in back wages and damages to 853 health care workers under a settlement announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
January 6, 2025 at 3:41 PM
According to the Rhode Island Current, Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick will pay $1.9 million, after settling with the U.S. DOL, to 853 workers who worked more than 40 hours a week and were not given pay for working through breaks during the pandemic. rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/u-s-d...
According to News Center Maine (NBC), a new paid family and medical leave act begins in Maine, where in May of 2026, eligible workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave. This law will be paid for by a small payroll tax that starts this year. www.newscentermaine.com/article/news...
What does the new paid family and medical leave program mean for Mainers?
There are a lot of questions about what that means for Mainers. Lawmakers, business owners, and other stakeholders detailed the program Tuesday.
www.newscentermaine.com
January 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
According to News Center Maine (NBC), a new paid family and medical leave act begins in Maine, where in May of 2026, eligible workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave. This law will be paid for by a small payroll tax that starts this year. www.newscentermaine.com/article/news...
According to the Bangor Daily News, almost 12,000 workers in 2024 enrolled in the new Maine retirement program called the Maine Retirement Investment Trust (MERIT), a state-sponsored Roth IRA savings plan for workers without access to retirement plans.
www.bangordailynews.com/2024/12/30/b...
www.bangordailynews.com/2024/12/30/b...
Nearly 12K Mainers enrolled in new state-sponsored retirement plan
Early projections predicted about 8,000 Mainers would enroll in the program.
www.bangordailynews.com
January 1, 2025 at 6:02 PM
According to the Bangor Daily News, almost 12,000 workers in 2024 enrolled in the new Maine retirement program called the Maine Retirement Investment Trust (MERIT), a state-sponsored Roth IRA savings plan for workers without access to retirement plans.
www.bangordailynews.com/2024/12/30/b...
www.bangordailynews.com/2024/12/30/b...
According to the Boston Globe, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester claim that understaffing and contract violations have led to various concerning incidents including two patient deaths. www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/30/b...
‘Probably the worst night of my life’: Saint Vincent Hospital nurses allege two patient deaths are related to understaffing - The Boston Globe
The assertions come nearly three years after nurses at the Worcester hospital settled a strike with the hospital’s for-profit owner, Tenet Healthcare, a battle waged in part over staffing levels.
www.bostonglobe.com
December 31, 2024 at 8:12 PM
According to the Boston Globe, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester claim that understaffing and contract violations have led to various concerning incidents including two patient deaths. www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/30/b...
According to NBC Connecticut, the closing of two nursing home facilities in Bristol, CT, could lead to layoffs for 400 workers. Athena filed WARN notices for the Sheridan Woods and Countryside Manor facilities a week ago. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/n...
Nursing home closures in Bristol could result in over 400 layoffs
As Athena Health Care Systems looks to close two nursing homes in Bristol, over 400 employees could be subject to layoffs. WARN notices were filed with the Connecticut Department of Labor on Monday, i...
www.nbcconnecticut.com
December 30, 2024 at 3:05 PM
According to NBC Connecticut, the closing of two nursing home facilities in Bristol, CT, could lead to layoffs for 400 workers. Athena filed WARN notices for the Sheridan Woods and Countryside Manor facilities a week ago. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/n...
According to NBC Connecticut, stores in Woodbridge and West Hartford joined last week's Starbucks strike, demanding that the company bargain fairly and advocating for higher wages. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/s...
Starbucks union workers demand livable wages, additional staffing amid strike
Starbucks union workers led a massive strike across the country including at least three store locations in Connecticut. The Unfair Labor Practices (ULP) strike happened on Christmas Eve and impacted ...
www.nbcconnecticut.com
December 29, 2024 at 4:38 PM
According to NBC Connecticut, stores in Woodbridge and West Hartford joined last week's Starbucks strike, demanding that the company bargain fairly and advocating for higher wages. www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/s...