Future of Work - The Boston Globe

A graduate student leaves the Boston University student union building in 2020.

Boston University graduate workers vote to strike starting Monday

The union of nearly 3,000 graduate students is calling for improved health care coverage and better pay.

Salem Hospital physicians vote overwhelmingly to unionize
They are part of a growing number of doctors organizing amid concerns that the health care industry is becoming increasingly more corporate.

Thousands of Boston University graduate student workers vote to strike over pay, benefits
The student workers, who have been in contract negotiations with BU since 2023, earn between $27,000 to about $40,000 per year, far from a living wage in Boston, the union said.

As higher-education unions grow, library employees at Smith College form one

Employees sent a letter to the Northhampton university Friday, asking it to voluntarily recognize the Smith College Libraries Workers Union.

These two Boston employers just tightened their return-to-office mandates
Fidelity Investments and Deutsche Bank AG are among the ranks of companies changing when and how frequently workers need to report to the office.

Date night strike: Thousands of US, UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Many gig workers are pushing to unionize, saying that would give them the ability to bargain over compensation, safety measures, and other benefits.

Date night strike: Thousands of US, UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the US and the UK went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for fair compensation and other changes to their working conditions.

Gig worker ballot fight is heading to court — again
A coalition of drivers and labor leaders will file a lawsuit Thursday aiming to block five versions of a state ballot initiative that would classify app-based workers as independent contractors.

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Latest Headlines in Future of Work

Last month, when a new contractor started operating Meta's dining facility at its Cambridge office, it announced it was throwing out cafeteria workers' existing union contract and planned to negotiate a new one from scratch.

At Meta’s Cambridge office, cafeteria workers fight to maintain union rights

Last month, when a new contractor started operating the tech giant’s dining facility, it announced it was throwing out the existing union contract and planned to negotiate a new one from scratch. 1:30 p.m.

Members of the Culinary Workers Union rallied along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Las Vegas.

Union membership rate hits record low in 2023, though unions picked up workers

The decrease in the union membership rate happened because the labor market added a whopping 2.7 million jobs in 2023, with nonunion positions growing at a faster pace than union ones. 4:53 p.m.

Nearly 100 of 145 physicians at Salem Hospital, which is part of Mass General Brigham, have signed cards in support of joining Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Salem Hospital doctors are organizing a union

The physicians citied budget cuts, overflowing hospital beds, and decisions being made without their input. 1:30 p.m.

It’s been three months since baristas at a Starbucks in Beverly narrowly voted to unionize, hoping for better wages, working conditions, and benefits. Now only four of the 14 employees who cast votes remain at the cafe, said barista Rob Stevens.

Starbucks union fight is grinding down the company — and workers at local cafes

A half-dozen local baristas say they are plodding forward with their unionization fight, despite it dragging on without a contract in the 15 Massachusetts union stores. 4:37 p.m.

Visitors bought goods at the gift shop of the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont.

The union comes to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in Vermont

The workers at the Waterbury factory — which is often open to the public for tours and includes a "graveyard" for decommissioned flavors — is the second group of employees of the ice cream brand to organize. 2:55 p.m.

A pedestrian in June passed the papered-over front of the Starbucks on Somerville Avenue where employees voting on unionization wanted to keep their voting process private.

Starbucks cafes in Newton, Somerville unionize

After a stalled effort to organize last summer, baristas at cafes near Porter Square and Newton Corner finally announced their union. 1:55 p.m.

The effort to unionize at Emerson comes after RAs at Boston University, Tufts University, Mount Holyoke College, and Wesleyan University have also organized.

Resident assistants at Emerson College launch a union

The undergraduate students hope organizing will help solidify the disciplinary policy for RAs, encourage more transparency from the college, and create a pay stipend. 9:31 a.m.

A WeWork office in San Mateo, Calif. Shares of WeWork plunged more than 46 percent in Wednesday trading after news reports that the New York-based company is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

WeWork may enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as next week

Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a company to keep operating while it works out a plan to repay its debts. 5:54 p.m.