In today\u2019s news and commentary, Amazon Labor Union intervenes in NYS PERB lawsuit; the British Columbia General Employees\u2019 Union engages in shareholder activism; and Meta lays off hundreds of risk auditing workers.<\/p>\n
As Gurtaran previously reported<\/a>, last month Amazon.com Services sued to block enforcement of Senate Bill 8034A, which authorizes the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (NYS PERB) to assert jurisdiction over private sector labor disputes when the National Labor Relations Board is unable to assert jurisdiction (e.g. due to a lack of quorum). Shortly after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill into law, Amazon Labor Union No. 1, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (ALU-IBT Local 1) filed an unfair labor practice charge against Amazon with NYS PERB. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Eric R. Komitee of the Eastern District of New York granted<\/a> ALU-IBT Local 1\u2019s motion to intervene in the suit between Amazon.com and NYS PERB. The Union argued that<\/a> \u201cthe outcome of this action will directly impact ALU-IBT Local 1\u2019s ability to vindicate the rights of the employees it represents under New York law\u201d and that \u201cthe Union\u2019s experience will significantly contribute to full consideration of the factual and legal issues here at issue.\u201d<\/p>\n As a long-term investor in Thomson Reuters, the British Columbia General Employees\u2019 Union (BCGEU)\u2014a Canadian union representing more than 95,000 members in both public and private sectors\u2014has called on<\/a> the company to reassess the ties its artificial intelligence (AI) product has with the Trump Administration. Specifically, the Union has criticized how the company\u2019s Consolidated Lead Evaluation and Reporting (CLEAR) investigative software<\/a> has facilitated the surveillance and tracking of migrants and asylum seekers by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Before a Thomson Reuters general meeting this past June, BCGEU submitted a shareholder proposal<\/a> asking the company \u201cto strengthen its AI governance framework by aligning it with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.\u201d This effort is just one example of how unions are leveraging<\/a> the trillions of dollars held by collectively bargained pension plans to engage in shareholder activism for social good. <\/p>\n