Apple becomes the latest national retailer to succumb to the union wave

Workers at the Towson, Maryland, Apple Store made history by becoming the first such store to vote to unionize. It wasn't close, with 65 "yes" votes and 33 "no" votes (12 eligible employees failed to cast a vote). Apple joins Starbucks, Amazon, and REI as major national retailers bit by the union bug, with petitions pending a myriad more Starbucks outposts, other Amazon facilities and Apple Stores, and other retailers such Trader Joe's and Target. In other words, the union wave is becoming a tsunami.

If you're wondering what's fueling this historic drive to organize, the Department of Labor thinks it has some answers.

The DOL believes it all comes down to employees demanding a voice.

The 8th nominee for the “Worst Employer of 2022” is … Vince McMahon

Over the years (for now former) WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has been accused of some awful treatment of employees. For starters, wrestling's first ever female referee accused him of rape after she refused to perform fellatio on him. And then there was 1994's criminal trial in which the United States accused McMahon of supplying illegal steroids to wrestlers. (For the record, McMahon was exonerated of both allegations.) These allegations don't include others of mistreatment of wrestlers, such as allegedly allowing for the unsafe working conditions that led to the in-ring death of Owen Hart, or not providing wrestlers health insurance because they are classified as independent contractors and not as employees.

But it's the allegations against Mr. McMahon that The Wall Street Journal brought to light last week that has earned him his nomination as the Worst Employer of 2022.

WIRTW #630: the “just like heaven” edition

I love sharing clips of my daughter playing music. It's made for such a cool catalogue of her growth as an artist over the years. So, here's a snippet of her cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven from her show a couple of weekends ago. 

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Norah has quite the busy summer of music with gigs all over Northeast Ohio (and maybe even a gig or two outside of Ohio). Stay tuned for more clips as the summer progresses.

Here's what I read this past week that I think you should be reading, too.

The 7th nominee for the “Worst Employer of 2022” is … the murder enabler

"It is with a deep sadness and a heavy heart I share one of our students, Riley Whitelaw, passed away over the weekend. Currently, we are unable to share additional information."

That was the introduction from a letter Air Academy HS Principal Dan Olson sent to students last week.

As you can imagine, the "additional information" is heartbreaking.

Riley Whitelaw, age 16, worked at a local Walgreens. According to KKTV 11 News, last year she told store managers that a coworker, Joshua Johnson (age 28), was making advances towards her that made her uncomfortable. On June 11 a manager discovered Ms. Whitelaw dead on the floor of the breakroom with neck injuries and covered in blood. Johnson is currently in custody on first-degree murder charges.

Making threats vs. stating facts during union organizing

"Just know that if you unionize, when you are negotiating your benefits, you could gain, you could lose, or you could stay the same."

This is what Neha Cremin, a transgender and pro-union Starbucks worker, claims her manager told her. She alleges in her unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board that the statement was an anti-union threat. How? 

1/ The company's health insurance covers gender reassignment surgery (include travel expenses) and other gender-affirming procedures such as hair transplants or breast reduction.

2/ Cremin's manager knew that she had previously used those benefits. 

3/ Therefore, mentioning the possibility of losing benefits during collective bargaining was a threat to take away trans health benefits after a union victory.

The manager's statement was not unlawful under the National Labor Relations Act, no matter how Cremin interpreted it or is attempting to spin it in her unfair labor practice charge.

Ohio decides arming teachers is the solution to mass shootings in schools; Ohio is very wrong

Yesterday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a new law that will lower the training hours school personnel to be armed from about 700 hours to a mere 24 hours — four for scenario-based training plus 20 for first-aid training, school-shooting history eduction, and reunification education.

This law is the worst possible idea to solve our gun violence and school shooting epidemic. Here are six reasons why.

LGBTQ+ rights vs. religious liberty

"It's an abomination to God. Rainbow is not meant to be displayed as a sign for sexual gender."

That's what Daniel Snyder wrote on the electronic bulletin board of his employer, Arconic. According to the Des Moines Register and Snyder's recently filed lawsuit, it's also what got him fired.