Robert Combs

Legal Analyst for @BloombergLaw covering labor & employment. Former librarian, carnival barker, game show champion. Tweets are my own. RTs are not endorsements.

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Unions called 236 strikes in 2024, according to Bloomberg Law data. That's down from 2023, but we're still riding a bigger wave of worker walkouts than we've seen in almost two decades. See for yourself!

https://t.co/yNGnU5lxv6

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Union contract negotiators got off to a blazing start this year. Q1’s avg. first-year pay raise of 7.3% was the highest since Bloomberg Law started tracking in 1988. But it might just be more zigzagging. Here are the details.
https://t.co/pzXntSCzVV

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

How big was the UAW's win at Volkswagen? The last time an #NLRB election organized more factory workers was 2008, @BLaw data shows.
My analysis lists the Top 12 wins for manufacturing #unions since 1988.
https://t.co/2vinmwe4du

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Unions have begun striking much earlier in the labor-management relationship.
More than 1/3 of strikes in '22 and '23 occurred before a first contract was in place, @BLaw data show.
My analysis has the details.

https://t.co/YZ8OtfCiud

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Unions have now organized 10,000 #Starbucks baristas & supervisors in just over 2 years.
My analysis of @BLaw data has the details—and shows how you can replicate my research yourself.

https://t.co/248h4eMgyY

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Union contracts gave workers an average 1st-yr raise of 6.6% in 2023 (7.3% if you count lump-sum payments).
These are the highest since @BLaw began tracking in 1988.
My latest article provides the details.

https://t.co/koia7k2vtE

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

In 2023:
100K US workers joined unions via NLRB elections
530K workers were involved in union-initiated strikes
These and other @bloomberglaw data findings show a trend toward a larger, more contentious labor force.

https://t.co/siLtGS6fRk

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

In my quest to gauge the impact of lengthy bargaining delays on the size of pay raises for #union workers, I analyzed the last 10 UAW-Big 3 contracts. Here’s what I found.

https://t.co/ZmrlJoEnNF

[Bloomberg Law @BLaw]

Analysis: Eighty-five percent of in-house attorneys reported that they outsource at least some of their work, according to Bloomberg Law survey data.

Many in-house legal departments are turning to AI for an extra hand. https://t.co/OMXcSrfKLa

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

#Unions are leading historically huge numbers of workers to the picket lines in 2023.
At least 467K workers idled, up 2x from 2022, 4x from 2021, and 8x from 2020.
Avg. strike size in '23: 1,791 workers. See more:
https://t.co/ACtIUOxs01

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

The 36% pay raise demanded by the #UAW is big.
Here's a list of 23 recent #union contracts with raises that are even bigger.

https://t.co/RGRzOHEuKs

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

I looked at the last 10 #UAW Big 3 contracts, and there's never been a wage increase higher than 3%/yr.
The union wants 9% in the new CBA; the Big 3 want 5%.
No matter what % they end up with, it'll be a game-changer.
https://t.co/mBPwNw9LE8

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Union-negotiated pay raises reached 7% in Q1 labor contracts. That's a first. That's 8 quarterly increases in a row. Also a first.
My latest analysis of @BLaw labor data is here:
https://t.co/6fkDKUQAVG

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Venue-shopping patent plaintiffs were expected to leave Waco & take their lawsuits elsewhere after W.D. Tex. randomized its judge assignments.
But a new @BLaw stats report shows that it didn't happen. Learn more here:
https://t.co/Zb1tWqJBIv

[Preston Brewer @PrestonBrewer16]

New piece out on the SEC's amended Marketing Rule regulating investment adviser use of third-party ratings in their advertising. #investments #Advertising #Marketing
https://t.co/erzDfl6w3J

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Union contracts are giving workers their biggest average raise in 30+ years.
Why? Because a LOT has happened since most of these contracts were last renewed ... and union negotiators were paying attention.
My @BLaw analysis is here:
https://t.co/2aCVjYuuhr

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Unions had a huge turnaround in #NLRB elections in 2022.
Most union wins since 2005.
Organized 2x more workers as 2021.
But I found 1 stat that stayed constant, and it suggests a #union boom is just beginning.
My @BLaw analysis:
https://t.co/Se6VCn00LP

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

What union membership dropoff? When *I* look at the new @BLS_gov
report, I see the biggest boost to #union worker totals in 14 years.

What do you see?

https://t.co/bJpakZXzFE

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Unions called 314 strikes in 2022, up 91% from last year.
The last time #strikes topped 300 was in 2005.
See the details, plus 2 other charts from @BLaw labor data, that put #union power in perspective.

https://t.co/Usd3m7JMo9

[Robert Combs @robertcombsdc]

Law firms have better access to legal tech than ever. So why is the number of lawyers claiming unfamiliarity with tech actually growing, not falling?

My @BLaw colleagues @DillardR_DC and Rob Brown look at the survey data.

[Robert Dillard @DillardR_DC]

Although modern lawyers have greater access to legal technology than their predecessors, unfamiliarity with available legal tech among law firm lawyers appears to be growing.
https://t.co/i2htjLcxR1