Labor

Contract lecturers at the University of New Hampshire have a new collective bargaining agreement.

The school announced Thursday that it had ratified a deal with the lecturers union in late March.

The negotiations date to well before the coronavirus pandemic forced UNH to close its dorms and move to remote instruction.

The new agreement runs through June of 2022. It covers new policies for leaves of absence, performance reviews and promotions, according to a UNH statement.

Many businesses in New Hampshire’s seasonal tourism industry fill job openings with international workers on a J-1 visa, also known as a work and travel visa.

But, as the ski season winds down, many of those international workers find themselves in a kind of limbo because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Manchester has passed a major hurdle in getting a new contract for its teachers. On Thursday, the school district announced that after 621 days without a contract, the city and the Manchester Education Association have reached a tentative agreement on a contract for teachers.

The Manchester Education Association is the largest of the district's six unions, with approximately 1,200 members.

Students and Democratic lawmakers are urging the Community College System of New Hampshire to reconsider its decision to lay off ten faculty and staff at NHTI, the community college in Concord.

NHTI has seen a decline in enrollment over the last several years, including an eight percent dip this semester. But the overall Community College System (CCSNH) is getting 20 percent more state funds over the next biennium, compared to the last state budget.

For Democrats looking to court grassroots progressive supporters in New Hampshire, few speaking slots are as coveted as the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast.

Gas and electricity provider Unitil is facing a federal lawsuit over its overtime policies. 

The U.S. Department of Labor alleges that Unitil, which serves customers in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire,  failed to pay overtime rates to at least 50 different employees, including electrical dispatchers and gas controllers. 

New Hampshire ranks 3rd in employment as of April 2019, with an unemployment rate at 2.4%.

It may seem like an ideal situation, but sectors of the local economy are struggling, and many Granite Staters are underemployed or unemployed. 

As employers complain about a labor shortage and a tight job market, they may be overlooking a large group of potential workers that face certain barriers or stigmas – among them, people with criminal records or who are in recovery, recent immigrants, older workers, or people with disabilities.

The Exchange is spending four days discussing the workforce challenges in the state, starting Monday, May 20th. Read on for information about each show, and to find links to each program. 

On a 210-145 vote, Democrats passed a bill on Thursday in the N.H. House that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour.

Democrats began their push this session to raise New Hampshire’s minimum wage during hearings at the Statehouse on Tuesday.

Lawmakers are considering three different bills that would each take a different approach to increasing the state’s rate, which currently stands at $7.25 an hour.

Backers of Right to Work legislation in New Hampshire are praising Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Janus v. AFSCME. In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that public sector unions cannot charge non-members for the costs of collective bargaining.

Many seasonal businesses in New Hampshire take advantage of temporary worker visas to fill open jobs. But as the summer tourism season approaches, employers say they're still understaffed.

Russ Hart owns Hart’s Turkey Farm restaurant in Meredith. He's requested 18 temporary H-2B visas for the busy season but so far only has eight.

The Westinghouse Electric Company has locked out 172 union employees at its Newington plant following a breakdown in contract negotiations.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers were notified of the lockout Sunday night after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new employment contract.

New Hampshire’s unemployment rate went up slightly to 2.8% in March, up from 2.7% in February. New data from the state’s Employment Security office shows modest job losses in education, retail and finance, while construction and manufacturing were basically flat.

A New Hampshire House Committee is recommending against passage of Right-to- Work legislation, which would prohibit unions from forcing non-union members to pay fees to cover the cost of collective bargaining.

Members of the House Labor Committee voted 14-7, with many Republicans joining Democrats in opposition to the often partisan issue.

The bill next heads to the full House, which will take up the measure next week.

Hundreds of opponents filled Representatives Hall in Concord Wednesday, many wearing red t-shirts, to voice their concerns to lawmakers.

Parents, doctors and child advocacy groups are urging New Hampshire lawmakers to support paid family and medical leave and help reduce the costs of child care.

Supporters of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy lobbied representatives Thursday on two bills. One would establish a family and medical leave insurance fund allowing for up to 12 weeks of paid leave. The other would add $15 million to the state budget to help families pay for child care.

New Hampshire lawmakers are again debating Right-to-Work laws, with bills currently moving through both the House and Senate. With Republican majorities in both chambers, and a newly-elected governor who favors Right-to-Work, the policy stands its best chance of passing in more than a decade.

But Right-to-Work isn’t exactly a kitchen-table kind of issue. If you aren’t in a union, or a large business owner, you may not know much about its history, what Right-to-Work does, or why it matters.

A public hearing on Right-to-Work legislation drew hundreds of people to the statehouse, with public comments lasting more than four hours.

  The U.S. Department of Labor is looking to gather wage data for New Hampshire’s building and construction industries.