| | | | |  | | By Nick Niedzwiadek | Presented by Walmart | With help from Olivia Olander
| | PUSHING IN THE CHIPS: Roughly 35,000 Las Vegas hotel and casino employees are preparing to go on strike as soon as Thursday, the latest test of workers’ power that holds ramifications for both the U.S. economy and politics in Washington. The Culinary Workers Union has been gearing up since its contracts at MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn resorts expired mid-September. A citywide strike would be the union’s first since 1984, a work stoppage that lasted for more than two months and led to 900 workers’ arrest. “Workers deserve a record contract, and they're willing to fight to get that,” Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge, who is helping to lead negotiations, told reporters last week. The union of some 60,000 hospitality workers is very politically active and an integral part of the so-called “Reid machine,” the turnout operation that is an enduring part of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s legacy and helped Democrats win a number of squeakers in the battleground state. That helps give it considerable clout in the state and beyond. Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by the union’s headquarters Oct. 12, the same day that some members were picketing outside Caesars properties. The Biden administration has stayed busy keeping close tabs on the array of high-profile labor standoffs of late — including the recent autoworkers’ strike that appears to be concluding. The effects of a strike could be felt quickly; Formula 1 is scheduled to hold a marquee event in town starting Nov. 16. And the Super Bowl will be in Las Vegas this February. Pappageorge said that the union has amassed a “significant strike fund” that will pay workers’ $300 apiece the first week, and $400 thereafter. The union is pushing for sizable pay increases, additional job assurances to address shortcomings exposed by the pandemic, and a return to daily room cleanings. Less frequent cleanings make union members’ jobs more difficult and leads to less work to go around. Pappageorge said that the companies have made some movement on this issue but the sides are still “not seeing eye to eye on daily room cleaning.” GOOD MORNING. It’s Monday, Nov. 6. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. It’s been 237 days since the Senate received Julie Su’s nomination. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@politico.com and oolander@politico.com. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @NickNiedz and @oliviaolanderr.
| | A message from Walmart: Walmart is investing in communities, supporting American jobs and buying products from local businesses. The retailer announced it is investing an additional $350 billion in products made, grown, or assembled in the U.S. This investment is supporting the creation of 750,000 new American jobs based on estimates by Boston Consulting Group. Learn how Walmart is strengthening their commitment to local communities. | | | | | HAPPENING THIS WEEK: A pair of closely watched battles are on the National Labor Relations Board docket in the coming days. On Monday, the NLRB is scheduled to hold a ballot count in a representation election for Accenture workers. Earlier this year, the NLRB labeled Google a joint employer with Accenture of the content creation operations team, a designation Google has contested. The company was also deemed a joint employer alongside IT company Cognizant of YouTube Music workers, who overwhelmingly voted to unionize in April. The next day Administrative Law Judge Eleanor Laws will kick off a potentially lengthy series of hearings in a case involving college athletes’ labor rights. In May, the NLRB regional director in Los Angeles issued a complaint — subsequently amended in September — against the University of Southern California, the beleaguered Pac-12 conference, and National Collegiate Athletic Association alleging that the three groups are joint employers of USC football and basketball players and violating the National Labor Relations Act by misclassifying student-athletes and imposing overbroad handbook rules on their conduct and social media activity. The hearing is expected to stretch into 2024, but the case is one that could ultimately lead to a pathway for unionization in college sports. | | | | GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
| | NOT SO GOOD: Some restive Republicans are keen on taking out one of their own — Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) — our Olivia Beavers reports. Good, the chair of the House Education and the Workforce HELP Subcommittee, has rankled some in the GOP by publicly backing Florida Gov. Ron Desantis over former President Donald Trump and moving to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. Now John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL turned Virginia state delegate, is gearing up to potentially challenge Good, two Republicans with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO. One nugget: Some of Good’s detractors have taken to calling him the (not particularly creative) nickname “Bob Bad.”
| | WORTH A SHOT: The Teamsters is offering presidential candidates an audience to make their pitch to union members. “We’re looking forward to Republicans, Democrats and Independents from all different backgrounds sitting down to actually listen and talk about the issues that matter to workers,” President Sean O’Brien said in a release. “Our members want a straight answer to the question, “As President, what are you going to do for working people?” Many national labor unions have endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection, though the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers are among the handful that have yet to endorse a candidate. It is unclear, however, how much interest the Teamsters’ invitation will garner from Republican candidates, several of whom have expressed low opinions of unions. More union news: “The UAW’s Next Challenge: Getting Workers to Vote Yes,” from The Wall Street Journal. Even more: “SAG-AFTRA Evaluating Studios’ ‘Last, Best and Final Offer’” from The Hollywood Reporter.
| | | | A message from Walmart:   | | | | | GOP AGs AGAINST LGBTQ GUIDANCE: A coalition of 20 Republican state attorneys general says the EEOC must “make appropriate changes” to its proposed guidance on LGBTQ workplace harassment, or face possible legal action. A letter led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last week said the EEOC’s recent proposed guidance is too broad in suggesting the prohibition of “sex-based harassment” extends to scenarios such as misgendering people or barring workers from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows in a statement in September said the guidance “will provide clarity on new developments in the law and build on the Commission’s previous work.”
| | | | JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | MUDDLED MESSAGING: Democrats' efforts to reclaim the term “Bidenomics” and use it to sell the president’s economic vision to voters has yet to break through, NBC News reports. “Tethering the Biden name to a cluster of economic policies that may take years to fully kick in was a gamble from the start, Democratic strategists say. It personalizes economic conditions that are not necessarily under a president’s control.” Biden himself was initially cool on the term, according to NBC and other reports, though he has incorporated it in speeches as he talks up the economy and federal infrastructure investments. As for the economy: Employers added 150,000 jobs in October, according to Labor Department data released Friday. The unemployment rate was at 3.9 percent, up 0.1 percent over the month prior. Those numbers signal a cooling job market, though one that is still growing, The Associated Press reports. More on war fallout: “Top law firms signal they won’t recruit from college campuses that tolerate antisemitism,” from CNN.
| | EXHAUSTING H-2B: The Department of Homeland Security expects to max out the number of available H-2B temporary non-farmworker visas in fiscal 2024, making some 65,000 additional visas available, the department announced Friday. The additional visas are on top of the 66,000 available visas mandated by Congress, DHS said. The supplemental visas will include 20,000 country-specific visas to people from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras, the department said, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to clamp down on unlawful border crossings; the rest will be for workers who had H-2B status in the last three fiscal years. It’s the second year in a row the department intends to issue all available visas, Bloomberg Law reports. More immigration news: “Immigrant workers in New York City are getting their own bill of rights,” from Gothamist.
| | | — “The Emerging Working-Class Republican Majority,” from POLITICO Magazine. — “A newspaper giant tried to diversify its staff. White workers sued.,” from The Washington Post. — “Greenville was quiet. Then a hometown kid became YouTube's biggest star,” from The Washington Post. — “Universal basic income is working — even in red states,” from Business Insider. — “Chipotle’s Labor Costs Are Rising. Customers Will See It in Pricing,” from The Wall Street Journal. THAT’S YOUR SHIFT!
| | A message from Walmart: Walmart's is strengthening their commitment to American jobs and communities. Proud Source Water became a Walmart supplier in 2021. Today, their team has grown 50% and they're the largest employer in Mackay, ID. When local suppliers work with Walmart, their business can grow. By the numbers:
●The retailer is committing an additional $350 billion to U.S. manufacturing.
●Two-thirds of Walmart's product spend is on products made, grown or assembled in the U.S.
●This investment is supporting the creation of 750,000 American jobs, based on estimates by Boston Consulting Group.
By working with Walmart, local businesses like Proud Source Water are able to grow more, hire more, and help their communities thrive.
Explore the impact of Walmart's commitment to U.S. manufacturing. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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