Dec 2012 – In spite 12,000 protesting unionized workers protesting at the Republican-led state House of Representatives, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R), without public input, successfully executed his effort to enact anti-union “Right To Work” Legislation in the state of Michigan to make Michigan the 24th U.S. state to prohibit unions from requiring employees to join and contribute dues. In a rapid turn of events, Michigan moved from being a bastion of union influence to joining states, mostly in the South, that have weakened local protections for unions. As a result of his underhanded tactics, Rick Snyder’s popularity has dropped from 38% to 28% according to the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. (Reference – The Huffington Post  |  By Ariel Edwards-Levy)

For the purpose of protesting Walmart’s unfair labor practices and retaliation against workers, on the biggest shopping day of the year, workers and community members participated in over 1,000 actions across the country as part of a rolling series of walkouts by Walmart store associates. The Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) called for the historic strike after numerous unfair labor practices (ULPs) the company committed against workers, and in protest of Walmart’s ongoing attempts to silence employees for speaking out for better jobs. This strike followed successful direct actions by warehouse workers and seafood workers along the company’s vast supply chain. A global day of action followed on December 14.

Loaded down with one billion dollars in debt, while in the midst of contract negotiations with the BCTGM Union, Hostess (Makers of Twinkies, Wonder Bread and Ding Dongs) abruptly closed it’s doors and filed bankruptcy causing hundreds of employees to lose their jobs as their CEO converted bonus payments to salary which resulted in a raise from $750,000 to $2.55 Million and other exec salaries were increased from 35% to 80% according to unsecured creditors of the company.  According to an earlier report by the Associated Press, sticking points during contract negotiations included Hostess proposed an 8% cut in workers’ wages and 27-32% decreases in overall benefits, greatly reducing contributions to employee pension plans, altering work rules, and outsourcing some of its deliveries, among other issues. (Sources include The Huffington Post)

In a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were items from Walmart were manufactured, 117 workers were killed when a flash fire ignited inside the factory working where conditions were so poor that workers could not get out of the building because doors and gates were locked contributing to one of the most abusive and tragic violations of worker’s rights in recent history. To date, the fire is still being investigated and 3 managers have arrested for locking gates which prevented some worker’s from exiting the building.

September/October 2012 – In a bitter labor dispute between The Chicago Teachers union and Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel, Chicago Teachers went on strike protesting new proposed contract terms that included increasing the length of the school day, Teacher evaluations being tied to performance and wages. Seven days of work were lost in the highly publicized walkout that sparked a national debate over education reform. The strike ended with the teachers union, representing the nation’s third-largest district, and the city agreeing to terms on a 3 year contract.