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What I’ve Been Reading This Week: Labor Law Edition


When I read through some articles, I often take for granted that readers of the blog will understand the nuances of the developments I come across and highlight here each week.  In particular, labor unions have had a bit of a resurgence this year, thanks in part to workers at Starbucks, REI, and Amazon.  With that being said, I think some readers might appreciate a primer on labor unions/unionization.  I want to lead things off this week with just that to provide a bit of a 30,000 foot overview of the topic.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


The ABC’s of Forming a Union

With so many labor law development over the past few months, I think it is important to take a step back and make sure readers are familiar with the concept of unionization/how a union is formed.  I refer readers to this article from KUT in Austin for a thorough breakdown of unions, how a union is formed, and what happens after workers vote to unionize. 


Grand Rapids Area Starbucks Location Becomes Next Unionized Store

Stop me if you have heard this before:  Starbucks workers have voted to unionize.  Sound familiar?  In retrospect, if I instead had said “Starbucks workers have not voted to unionize”, that would be more of a surprise.  In recent days, workers at a Starbucks location in Grand Rapids voted 15 - 3 in favor of unionizing.  This is another resounding defeat for the company as it continues to search for a way to curb the growing unionization by workers across the country.  Following the announced results, Starbucks indicated that it would respect the results and were committed to following NLRB protocol.


University of Texas Student Workers Encouraged to Unionize

A few days ago, a regular reader of the blog sent me an article from The Daily Texan in which an op-ed was published which urged student workers at the University of Texas to consider unionizing.  The op-ed gives a nod to the successful unionization by workers at Starbucks and Amazon in an effort to show student workers that successfully forming a union (even at less than labor friendly employers) is possible. Going one step further, the op-ed provides a litany of options for student workers to consider pursuing to further unions across the country, even if the student worker does not want to immediately join a union themselves.  For those looking for a “cheerleader” to spur union activity on a college campus, this op-ed would be considered a good starting point.

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