DarkGamer

The National Labor Relations Board released its most important ruling in many decades. In a party-line decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC, the Board ruled that when a majority of a company’s employees file union affiliation cards, the employer can either voluntarily recognize their union or, if not, ask the Board to run a union recognition election. If, in the run-up to or during that election, the employer commits an unfair labor practice, such as illegally firing pro-union workers (which has become routine in nearly every such election over the past 40 years, as the penalties have been negligible), the Board will order the employer to recognize the union and enter forthwith into bargaining.

The Cemex decision was preceded by another, one day earlier, in which the Board, also along party lines, set out rules for representation elections which required them to be held promptly after the Board had been asked to conduct them, curtailing employers’ ability to delay them, often indefinitely.

Taken together, this one-two punch effectively makes union organizing possible again, after decades in which unpunished employer illegality was the most decisive factor in reducing the nation’s rate of private-sector unionization from roughly 35 percent to the bare 6 percent at which it stands today.

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The negotiations involving Qatari, Israeli and U.S. officials had continued in the Qatari capital, Doha, even after the fighting resumed and Israeli military officials had indicated a readiness to implement another pause if mediators could persuade Hamas to release more hostages.

But later Saturday, Israel announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recalled the Israeli negotiators, saying the talks on further hostage releases had reached an “impasse.”

A statement from Netanyahu’s office blamed Hamas for the failure, saying the militant group had failed to implement an agreement to release all the women and children it kidnapped.

Israel’s Cabinet has approved a cease-fire deal with the Hamas militant group that would bring a temporary halt to a devastating war now in its seventh week. The Israeli government said that under the deal, Hamas is to free at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip over a four-day period.

Dan takes us on deep dives of fascinating moments in history, weaving a narrative tapestry from many historical sources and making the past more alive and accessible while exploring extreme human situations. If you're a history nerd and enjoy storytelling, this is the podcast for you. It is by far my favorite podcast and I always look forward to the next one, although due to the quality it can sometimes take a while.