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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

 

Yesterday, I noted a recent National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) decision in regard to union elections conducted by mail in voting and the potential impact it could have on the mail in voting occurring at the Amazon Alabama location.  A recent development on that union election in Alabama is worth leading things off this week.

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


As Union Vote Appears to Be Slipping, Contested Mail In Ballots Take Center Stage

The New York Post reported yesterday that with approximately half the mail in ballots at the Amazon Alabama location having been counted, there appears to be a commanding majority vote against unionization so far.  (From the reports, about 70% of the ballots counted so far have been against unionization.)  With that being said, there are about 500 ballots that have been challenged by Amazon and the union.  Note, there were 3,215 votes cast in the union election with these 500 ballots making up about 15% of the vote.  The NLRB has stated it would make a ruling on the challenged ballots if they would be needed to determine the election’s outcome.  Although, as noted above, with there reportedly being a majority of votes cast against unionization in the count at this point, the NLRB might not even need to make a ruling on the challenged ballots.  While the count is not over, for those hoping for unionization of this Amazon location, things are not looking favorable at this time.


As Pandemic Wears On, Behavioral Anhedonia Grows

For those keeping track at home, the SAT word this week is behavioral anhedonia...courtesy of this article from The New York Times.  Behavioral anhedonia means the loss of ability to take pleasure in activities, which has come about following over a year into the coronavirus pandemic.  As the article notes, a growing number of workers are reporting a feeling of being burned out and less productive, despite having more free time (due in part to lock downs and less time spent commuting.)  Behavioral anhedonia has resulted, with many workers finding less interest in their work and less satisfaction out of getting things accomplished.  One worker in particular noted a sense of dread when she now hears her inbox chime with a new message.  This article does not provide a definitive guide on how to effectively scale back this behavioral anhedonia.  However, it does offer some insight into what many workers are currently experiencing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.


California Employers: Remember Local Right of Recall Ordinances

With California slowly starting to reopen certain sectors of the state’s economy, more and more employers are being allowed to reopen (or open larger portions of their businesses) to customers.  As a result, while many workers were let go after the past year as employers sought to slash labor costs, there is going to be a growing need for more workers to be hired (or re-hired).  This article notes that while a statewide right of recall law was not approved, there are several local ordinances throughout the state that require employers to offer “qualified” workers a job as job openings become available.  While the list is not extensive, it is worth a quick review.

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