All 339 articles by Mike Elk

• 14 May 13

• Working

  Senator Calls Out White House for Logjam in Workplace Safety Rulemaking

  As workplace safety and health advocates figure out how to fix workplace safety regulations in the wake of... MORE »

• 13 May 13

• Working

  Gov’t Will Pick Up Tab For West, Texas Damage; Amazon, Bikeshare in Hot Seat for Wage Theft

  It appears that the government will be picking up the tab for the damage done by the West... MORE »

• 09 May 13

• Working

  In Wake of West, Texas Explosion, Safety Advocates Recommend Harsher Fines

  “My happiness was taken away in a matter of seconds,” says Adrianna Martinez of the death... MORE »

• 25 Apr 13

• Working

  Obama’s West, Texas Memorial Speech: No Mention of Workplace Safety

  Today, President Obama spoke at a memorial service at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for the 15 people who... MORE »

• 25 Apr 13

• Working

  Texas Explosion: Gov’t Shared Info for Anti-Terrorism, But Not Workplace Safety

  The twin tragedies of last week—the Boston Marathon bombing and the West Texas Chemical and Fertilizer... MORE »

• 23 Apr 13

• Working

  How Soon Will West, Texas Be Forgotten?

  On Friday, as cable news networks sought desperately to fill airtime while waiting for the latest news in... MORE »

• 13 Apr 13

• Working

  Maine Gov. May Have Interfered With Unemployment Benefits; Issa Subpoenas DoL Nominee’s Emails

  Maine Governor Paul LePage was under fire this week after allegations emerged that he may have illegally pressured... MORE »

• 12 Apr 13

• Working

  Senators and Unions Call for Obama to Intervene in Patriot Coal Bankruptcy

  Charleston, WV–“I have been in the union for 40 years and I have never been as... MORE »

• 09 Apr 13

• Working

  Cablevision CEO’s Threats Prompt NLRB Complaint

  Last June, Cablevision workers in the Bronx voted against joining the Communications Workers of America by a landslide,... MORE »

• 30 Mar 13

• Working

  KFC Allegedly Fires Woman for Being Homeless; AFL-CIO Revamped; Cheating Scandal in Atlanta

  A KFC franchise has reportedly fired a Mississippi woman after learning she was homeless. From the Clarion Ledger: ... MORE »

• 25 Mar 13

• Features

  Camo-Clad Miners Follow Example of Moses

  The United Mine Workers of America feel certain God is on their side in the fight against Peabody Energy. MORE »

• 24 Mar 13

• Working

  Public Employees Made To Bring Own Toilet Paper; Labor Sec Discusses Hangovers; Lansing Fist Fight

  It appears one Missouri town has taken the war on public employees to a new extreme. From... MORE »

• 20 Mar 13

• Working

  Paid Sick Days Bill Has Unexpected Opponent: Comcast

  Last week, the Philadelphia City Council passed a bill that would require nearly all employers in Philadelphia to... MORE »

• 20 Mar 13

• Working

  Witness the GOP’s Vanishing SKILLS Act

  In a major push to rebrand the GOP as in touch with the need for jobs, House Republicans... MORE »

• 18 Mar 13

• Working

  Chris Hayes Replaces Ed Schultz; Perez Is Obama’s Labor Pick; House Nixes $10.10 Minimum Wage

  Many in organized labor lamented the announcement last week that union champion Ed Schultz—who in 2011 transplanted... MORE »

• 11 Mar 13

• Working

  Top Democrats Differ On Ending Subminimum Wage For Workers With Disabilities

  In his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Barack Obama called for increasing the minimum... MORE »

• 11 Mar 13

• Features

  Labor and Allies, Surprised By Obama’s $9 Minimum Wage Proposal, Scramble to Coordinate

  The president wants $9, Congressional Democrats want $10.10--but everyone's optimistic. MORE »

• 01 Mar 13

• Working

  N.Y. City Council Considers Yanking Cablevision’s License

  Earlier this month, Cablevision fired 22 union members who gathered outside a manager’s office in Brooklyn demanding... MORE »

• 27 Feb 13

• Working

  Union Leader Forbids Beer in Battle with Scab Company

  United Steelworkers Staff Representative Dennis Brubaker has a golden rule when running a picket line. “I never... MORE »

• 26 Feb 13

• Working

  Red, White and Blue-Washing: GE Backs Off Boast of 13,000 New Jobs

  WASHINGTON, DC--General Electric (GE) has often faced criticism from organized labor for pioneering the outsourcing of American jobs.... MORE »

• 25 Feb 13

• Working

  CA Country Club Workers Win Contract; Gov’t Safety Delay Killed 6; Did SCOTUS Prompt Union-Busting?

  After a nearly three-year struggle that included an unlawful lockout, Castlewood Country Club has comes to an agreement... MORE »

• 16 Feb 13

• Working

  Ft. Hood Hero Sues Army for Benefits; Trumka Calls Out White House; NYC Stadium Creates Bad Jobs

  The police officer who helped halt the Fort Hood shootings in 2009 told ABC News this week that she... MORE »

• 09 Feb 13

• Working

  An Apology for the Biggest Mistake of My Career as a Labor Reporter

  Recently, there has been a resurgence in vinyl records among my generation because of what some say is... MORE »

• 08 Feb 13

• Working

  Cop Sues for Overtime for Email Checking; Sweatshop Activists Target Selena Gomez; Wage Theft at JFK

  A Chicago police offer is suing the city for overtime pay after being forced to answer emails outside... MORE »

• 02 Feb 13

• Working

  Unions Anxious About Obamacare; Coal Company Sues Whistleblower; Boeing Strike Looms

  With more provisions of Obamacare sent to kick in this year, some unions are growing concerned about a... MORE »

• 01 Feb 13

• Working

  22 Cablevision Union Members Fired During Confrontation with Management (Updated)

  Around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, four dozen unionized Cablevision workers gathered outside of an executive’s... MORE »

• 27 Jan 13

• Features

  Sports Authority

  Where sports and politics collide. MORE »

• 25 Jan 13

• Working

  Court Declares Obama’s NLRB Appointments Unconstitutional; Strip Club Safety; No More ‘Big Labor’?

  Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that President Barack Obama&rsquo... MORE »

• 23 Jan 13

• Working

  Time to Retire ‘Scabby the Rat’, Says Top AFL-CIO Official

  Go to any labor rally and you are likely to see a towering symbol of union pride: a 16... MORE »

• 22 Jan 13

• Working

  Will Immigration Reform Address H-2 Guestworker Recruiter Violations?

  With President Obama vowing to push immigration reform, guest worker advocates want to ensure that the H-2 visa... MORE »

• 12 Jan 13

• Working

  No Comp Time for Newtown Police to Cope with PTSD; ‘Wellness Cops’ at Work; NLRB Beefs Up Back Pay

  AFSCME is upset that police officers in Newtown are being denied workers’ compensation for time off... MORE »

• 05 Jan 13

• Working

  Bullets Poison Firing Range Workers; First Signs of PTSD in Newtown; UAW Conspired with Ford

  Guns not only pose a risk from the violence they inflict, but the lead content in their bullets... MORE »

• 31 Dec 12

• Working

  In the Coal Fields, A Novel Way to Get Rid Of Pensions Is Born

  This is part two of a three-part series, "Dying in the Coal Mines," which looks at how... MORE »

• 20 Dec 12

• Working

  A Grief-Stricken Randi Weingarten Engages Hesitant Unions on Gun Control in Wake of Sandy Hook

  “The teachers and the principals were absolutely heroic. So were the others, who were in lockdown, and... MORE »

• 19 Dec 12

• Working

  50 Years Later, Lessons of Deadly Robena Mine Explosion Still Unlearned

  This is part one of a three-part series, "Dying in the Coal Mines," which looks at how... MORE »

• 14 Dec 12

• Working

  Teachers Unions Respond to CT Shooting; Egypt Cracks Down on Unions; Federal Judges Sue Over Pay

  A school shooting in Newtown, Conn. today at Sandy Hook Elementary School stunned the nation and left 27 dead.... MORE »

• 07 Dec 12

• Working

  Right-to-Work Law Advances in Michigan; Unpaid Labor at NFL Games; Another Mining Accident

  Michigan appears poised to be the 24th state in the Nation to pass so-called “right-to-work" legislation, which... MORE »

• 30 Nov 12

• Features

  9/11 Mistakes Repeated in Sandy Clean-up, Say Worker Health Advocates

  OSHA has lowered safety enforcement for those doing Hurricane Sandy recovery work, despite hazards such as asbestos. MORE »

• 16 Nov 12

• Working

  In Leaked Docs, Honeywell Cites Obama Ties As Key to Anti-Union Strategy

  In These Times has exclusively obtained a leaked internal Honeywell document outlining an anti-union strategy that includes... MORE »

• 08 Nov 12

• Working

  Could Democrats Save Sensata?

  On Monday, the Bain Capital-owned Sensata factory in Freeport, Ill. laid off 20 of its remaining 50 workers as... MORE »

• 05 Nov 12

• Working

  False New Jersey Utility Union Story; Lonmin Witnesses Tortured; Trumka: Romney Against Coal

  Every week, Working In These Times rounds up some of the most improtant labor stories from the week... MORE »

• 01 Nov 12

• Working

  Laid-Off Georgia Pacific Workers Told to Vote For GOP Rep Who Wouldn’t Fight Plant Closure

  At the beginning of October, Glenn Jackson got an unusual packet in the mail from Georgia Pacific, the... MORE »

• 26 Oct 12

• Working

  More Political Intimidation at Work; NYT Byline Strike Looms; Half of Unemployment Dollars Unclaimed

  Every week, Working In These Times rounds up the labor news we missed from the week before. Email... MORE »

• 22 Oct 12

• Working

  Jerry Tucker Dies; Even More Workplace Political Intimidation; Collusion in Pro Sports Lockouts?

  Every week, In These Times rounds up the labor news of the week that we missed. Email stories... MORE »

• 21 Oct 12

• Working

  Concessionary 4-Year Verizon Deal Sealed, Despite Dissent in the Ranks

  On Friday, the two largest unions at Verizon agreed upon a four-year contract, ending a 15-month standoff. Many... MORE »

• 18 Oct 12

• Working

  AFL-CIO Responds to Romney Call

  Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, has issued the following response to our report that Mitt... MORE »

• 17 Oct 12

• Working

  In Conference Call, Romney Urged Businesses To Tell Their Employees How to Vote

  In a June 6, 2012 conference call posted on the anti-union National Federation of Independent Business’s website, Republican... MORE »

• 14 Oct 12

• Features

  Koch Sends Pro-Romney Mailing to 45,000 Employees While Stifling Workplace Political Speech (Update)

  The billionaire Koch brothers have found a new way to influence the 2012 election: preaching to employees. MORE »

• 09 Oct 12

• Working

  Farm Workers’ Advocates Charge Hypocrisy in Obama’s Dedication of Monument to Cesar Chavez

  President Obama appeared yesterday at the Nuestra Reina de La Paz in Keene, Calif., to dedicate the Chavez... MORE »

• 08 Oct 12

• Working

  NYT Staffers Walk Out; Coal Workers Coerced Into Donating to Romney; South African Union Leader Shot

  Every week, In These Times rounds up some of the biggest labor stories that we missed in the... MORE »