Automotive News, February 22, 2014, Saturday

Automotive News 

February 22, 2014, Saturday

Automotive News (full article)

4 key VW decisions shaped UAW vote's course

In the lead-up to the election, UAW supporters thought they had 70 to 80 percent of workers on their side, says Justin King, 30, who fixes electronic glitches in cars at the plant and was a key UAW organizer. And yet, when the votes were counted, the UAW ended up losing 53 to 47 percent, with nearly 90 percent turnout.

"That's the absolutely mind-boggling, jaw-dropping thing about that election," says Jefferson Cowie, a labor historian at Cornell University. "It's a chilling signal to the entire labor movement."

In These Times, February 21, 2014, Friday

In These Times 

February 21, 2014, Friday

In These Times (full article)

Former teamster official pushed anti-UAW on social media

After the United Auto Workers’ union election loss at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., last Friday, many in organized labor have pointed to outside interference as key to the union’s 43-vote shortfall. Of the various groups that tried to persuade workers to reject unionization, one stood out because it was run by a former union organizer: a group called Be Your Own Best Advocate (BYOBA).

It is not uncommon for those opposing formal unions to propose alternative forms of worker representation that lack the binding power of contracts and third-party arbitration. “There may be workers who believe they may be getting something else, but they will be getting a company-dominated organization whose role has been to keep the union out,” says Cornell University Industrial and Labor Relations Professor Kate Bronfenbrenner. “That was the role that company unions played in the ‘20s.”

Mail Tribune, February 19, 2014, Wednesday

Mail Tribune 

February 19, 2014, Wednesday

Mail Tribune (full article)

Previous strikes have left scar tissue

Since 1973, Oregon has seen more than 20 strikes, some of them intensely acrimonious, leaving scars and long-term distrust.

"The longer-term resentments can be broad or very specific," said Lee Adler, of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he teaches about public sector collective bargaining. "Resentment and antagonistic feelings often show up in social relationships and often characterize post-strike situations. They can go on for years down the road."

Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2014, Wednesday

Wall Street Journal 

February 19, 2014, Wednesday

Wall Street Journal (full article)

WWE promotes Tandy O'Donoghue

Tandy O'Donoghue holds a J.D. from Tulane University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

WWE today announced that Tandy O'Donoghue has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Strategy & Analytics, effective March 15. In this newly created role, she will be responsible for overseeing corporate strategy, corporate and business development and data analytics for WWE. O'Donoghue will report to WWE's Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George A. Barrios.

CNN Money, February 19, 2014, Wednesday

CNN Money 

February 19, 2014, Wednesday

CNN Money (full article)

As college professors lose earning power, unions gain appeal

On Tuesday, faculty members at the University of Illinois at Chicago went on strike for the first time ever as part of a two-day walkout aimed at securing a union contract and increased wages.
The growing number of faculty with union representation reflects "the change in the professional positions at universities," says Risa Lieberwitz, professor of labor and employment law at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Universities have become "more corporate in the way they structure themselves," she says, which has resulted in fewer permanent tenure-track positions and more inexpensive, flexible non-tenure-track instructors.

New York Times, February 18, 2014, Tuesday

New York Times 

February 18, 2014, Tuesday 

New York Times (full article)

Demographics of the South should help unions

Kate Bronfenbrenner is the director of labor education research at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University.

There seems to be a consensus forming that the South is hostile territory for unions and that organizing in the South, particularly in manufacturing, is a fruitless endeavor. Such a conclusion would not only be a grievous error, but it might also derail the future of the labor movement and progressive politics.

Fox Business, February 18, 2014, Friday

Fox Business

February 18, 2014, Friday

Fox Business (full article)

Five industries where women-owned businesses survive longer

A Cornell University study found that despite previous studies arguing the opposite, female ownership is the key to surviving over the long haul for many businesses.

"We find that female-owned businesses consistently out-survive male-owned businesses in many industries and areas," said Michele Williams, one of the study's authors and an assistant professor of organizational behavior in Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations School.

Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2014, Monday

Los Angeles Times 

February 17, 2014, Monday

Los Angeles Times (full article)

Union leaders not giving up on the South

Union leaders were still reeling three days after their devastating defeat at a Tennessee Volkswagen plant, but the leader of the AFL-CIO said labor would keep trying to organize workers in the South — even if it's an uphill battle.

It may be extremely difficult to make progress in the South anytime soon, said Richard W. Hurd, a labor professor at Cornell University. Union support falls along racial lines there, he said, and white Southern males largely mistrust unions. The majority of the workers in the Chattanooga plant are white.

Huffington Post, February 17, 2014, Monday

Huffington Post 

February 17, 2014, Monday 

Huffington Post (full article)

Finding a common purpose in education

Simon Boehme is a senior ILR student at Cornell University

Since public education was first introduced to the United States, it has been mired in conflict. Over the years, this conflict transformed into unions against school administrations, the public against teachers, and Democrats against Republicans. This conflict needs to be resolved if we are going to improve student outcomes. Michelle Rhee said in 2008, "I think if there is one thing I have learned over the last 15 months, it's that cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building are way overrated."

USA Today, February 15, 2014, Saturday

USA Today

February 15, 2014, Saturday

USA Today (full article)

Analysis: UAW faced tough sell with happy VW workers

In addition to Corker and other politicians, other political groups with ties to anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist purchased billboards in Chattanooga that linked the UAW to support for President Barack Obama and to the downfall of Detroit.

"I think the close vote does give the opportunity for the UAW to challenge the election," said Arthur Wheaton, a professor of law at Cornell University.

However, Wheaton said an election challenge would be easier if it could be shown that Corker was speaking on behalf of Volkswagen.

The Wall Street Journal, February 15, 2014, Saturday

The Wall Street Journal 

February 15, 2014, Saturday

The Wall Street Journal (full article)

Corker's Campaign Behind Union Rejection

Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) says his campaign against unionizing workers at a Volkswagen plant was an attempt to prevent his home state from being hurt by a powerful union. Unions say it was an unwanted interference.

Either way, it paid off. The senator's unusually personal campaign helped lead workers to reject the United Auto Workers union by a vote of 712 to 626, which was announced late Friday.

"It is the story of the challenge of organizing in the South, where you have a deeply rooted antiunion culture that is difficult for workers to overcome," said Lance Compa, a Cornell University labor relations professor who spent several years organizing workers in Virginia and North Carolina.

Automotive News, February 13, 2014, Thursday

Automotive News 

February 13, 2014, Thursday

Automotive News (full article)

Union foes tie VW vote to Detroit's woes

Opponents including a Tennessee U.S. senator are warning employees that voting for the UAW at Volkswagen AG's assembly plant in Chattanooga would bring the kind of economic malaise that crippled Detroit.

Future state aid would might vanish if workers join the UAW, State Senate Speaker Pro Tem Bo Watson said at a news conference this week.

Letting the UAW into the plant is "un-American," he said.

"These are militant, anti-unionists," Lowell Turner, director of The Worker Institute at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said in an interview.

Black Enterprise, February 10, 2014, Monday

Black Enterprise 

February 10, 2014, Monday

Black Enterprise (full article)

Aging demographics continue to fuel growth

Companies providing pharmaceuticals, industry-related technology and healthcare services are all expected to show growth along with the industry as a whole. But are there still opportunities in this space?

To find out, BE spoke with Ruben J. King-Shaw Jr., Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Mansa Capital, a Boston-based private equity firm. He is responsible for finding investment opportunities within the US healthcare economy.

Al Jazeera America, February 12, 2014, Wednesday

Al Jazeera America

February 12, 2014, Wednesday

Al Jazeera America (full article)

Auto workers union seeks to gain influence in South through Volkswagen

Lowell Turner, director of the Worker Institute at Cornell University, told Al Jazeera that having union representation and a works council at the plant is "part of VW’s culture."

German law gives labor representatives half the seats on Volkswagen's supervisory board, where some members have raised concerns about the Chattanooga plant being alone among the company's large factories without formal labor representation.

"Volkswagen has 62 firms around the world. All of them except Chattanooga and the two plants in China have union representation and a works council," Turner said.

USA Today, February 10, 2014, Monday

USA Today

February 10, 2014, Monday

USA Today (full article)

VW union vote could halt state incentives

"U.S. labor law requires VW to have a union in order for the works councils to be legal. If Volkswagen workers vote for the union it is expected to have a ripple effect on other auto manufacturers in the southern United States and their suppliers," according to Art Wheaton, automotive industry expert and senior extension associate at Cornell University.

Wall Street Journal, February 5, 2014, Wednesday

Wall Street Journal

February 5, 2014, Wednesday

Wall Street Journal (full article)

Plateau of Percentage of Women in Workforce Baffles Economists

Francine Blau, a Cornell University economist who has been studying the phenomenon, called it "a long-term plateauing." She said available data suggests it cuts across all demographic groups.

Salon, February 5, 2014, Wednesday

Salon

February 5, 2014, Wednesday

Salon (full article)

Union rule despised by right-wingers now roaring back to life

Organized labor hoped that by reducing the period of time between petitioning for an election and holding one, the rule change would at least marginally reduce the amount of legal or illegal pressure workers could be subjected to. According to research by Cornell scholar Kate Bronfenbrenner, in the lead-up to at least two-thirds of NLRB elections, employers forced workers to attend one-one-one, mandatory anti-union meetings with management at least once a week.

WorldatWork's workspan magazine, February 2014

WorldatWork's workspan magazine

February 2014

An monthly column in workspan® applying scholarly research to the "real world" by ICS Director Kevin Hallock.

Pay Mix and Insurance Changes

Measuring one slice of the compensation pie

New York Times, January 31, 2014, Friday

New York Times

January 31, 2014, Friday

New York Times (full article)

Report Opens Way to Approval for Keystone Pipeline

Supporters of the pipeline say it will create jobs, though the number may be limited. A study by the Cornell Global Labor Institute concluded that the pipeline would create about 3,900 construction jobs over two years.

Bustle, January 30, 2014, Thursday

Bustle

January 30, 2014, Thursday

Bustle (full article)

Was Obama's State of the Union Right? Do Women Earn 77 Cents on a Man's Dollar?

In a 2007 study, economists Francine Blau and Lawrence Kahn attempted to control for these differences and found a number for women and men doing equal work for equal amounts of time. What they found was that education and experience level contributed little to gender pay gaps — women tend to be as educated as men and, increasingly, as experienced.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 29, 2014, Wednesday

The Chronicle of Higher Education

January 29, 2014, Wednesday

The Chronicle of Higher Education (full article)

College Football Players Seek to Form a Labor Union

But some labor-relations experts said that players would have difficulty making that case.

"I would be very, very surprised if they won," said Ronald G. Ehrenberg, a professor of industrial and labor relations and economics at Cornell University. "If they do win, it would potentially lead to an explosion of changes in higher education."

International Business Times, January 27, 2014, Monday

International Business Times

January 27, 2014, Monday

International Business Times (full article)

Stress is overlooked in Health and Safety Occupations

Nellie J. Brown is Director of Cornell University's Workplace Health and Safety Program. She said, "Stress is an emotional strain which can exist short term and long term. Demands on specific quality goals, production output, and incentive programs can often lead to under-reporting of stress. Workers should address the emotional strain earlier rather than later. Waiting can often be more detrimental and lead to more severe problems for both the employee and the company."

New York Times, January 26, 2014, Sunday

New York Times

January 26, 2014, Sunday

New York Times (full article)

Herbert L. Haber, 89, Dies; Labor Negotiator in a Strike-Torn Era

The atmosphere of unrest had been set months before Mr. Haber arrived, when 33,000 members of the Transit Workers Union began a 12-day strike to greet Mr. Lindsay’s inauguration as mayor on Jan. 1, 1966.

Mr. Haber, appointed that July, entered a fray that was bigger than anything he or Mayor Lindsay could fully control, said David P. Lipsky, the Estabrook Professor of Dispute Resolution at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Reuters, January 16, 2014, Thursday

Reuters

January 16, 2014, Thursday

Reuters (full article)

Wal-Mart case seen a key test in struggle over labor rights

"A victory for the board and the union could have symbolic importance for unionizing drives across the country," said Michael Gold, a professor of labor law at Cornell University.

"Just the opposite is true - if Wal-Mart wins the case, they are really going to trumpet it. They are going to tell their workers, with good cause, 'we did not break the law. The government persecuted us for nothing,'" he said.

Los Angeles Times, January 15, 2014, Wednesday

Los Angeles Times

January 15, 2014, Wednesday

Los Angeles Times (full article)

U.S. accuses Wal-Mart of labor violations

"The NLRB is being a little more assertive at protecting the collective rights of workers in non-union settings, something they haven't traditionally done in their history," said Richard W. Hurd, a labor studies professor at Cornell University. "They're trying to carve out a little more territory in a measured, reasonable way — not as a politically motivated stunt."

The Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2014, Saturday

The Wall Street Journal

January 11, 2014, Saturday

The Wall Street Journal (full article)

Right Job, Wrong Question

Even indirect questions can be problematic if the implicit question is inappropriate, says Risa Lieberwitz, professor of labor and employment law at Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School in Ithaca, N.Y. "What you got is somebody saying that 'I'm not supposed to ask for this information but I'm going to do it anyways. It's unethical since it's the same question, basically."

The Nation, January 10, 2014, Friday

The Nation

January 10, 2014, Friday

The Nation (full article)

How the Rise of Women in Labor Could Save the Movement

Women have only recently made headway into real positions of power in organized labor, after making slow progress over the movement’s history. “The male leadership have been very pleased to accept the assistance and support of women union activists and leaders,” said Ileen Devault, a professor of labor history at Cornell, “but they haven’t been so eager to give them actual power in the union movement.”

Labor Press, January 8, 2014, Wednesday

Labor Press

January 8, 2014, Wednesday

Labor Press (full article)

Labor Goes Into Contract Talks No Longer 'Demonized'

"That's an important difference," said Gene Carroll, co-director of the NYS AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute. "That sets a whole different tone - both in terms of what goes on at the bargaining table, and how people feel about their work."