Vaughn Cockayne

Vaughn Cockayne is a Universal Desk Editor and Digital Writer for The Washington Times. He is an Ohio native and holds a bachelor's degree in Multi-Platform Journalism from Bowling Green State University. Vaughn previously worked as a freelance writer, covering data security and privacy issues before joining The Washington Times. He can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Vaughn Cockayne

The Dollar General store is pictured, Aug. 3, 2017, in Luther, Okla. Dollar General violated federal labor law and “clearly intended to interfere” with worker rights in efforts to quell unionization at a Connecticut store, a National Labor Relations Board judge said Monday, July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Dollar General on the hook for $17 million in workplace-safety fines

Dollar General, one of the most profitable retail stores in the country, still owes at least $17 million worth of fines related to workplace safety violations. Published July 19, 2023

Netflix cuts basic tier in U.S. and U.K.

Viewers in the U.S. and U.K. no longer can sign up for a basic Netflix subscription plan after the streaming company dropped the tier. Published July 19, 2023

Twitter logos hang outside the company's offices in San Francisco, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Ex-employee files lawsuit accusing Twitter of targeting him for layoffs due to his age

An ex-employee is accusing Twitter of firing him for being too old. Published July 19, 2023

Actor Kevin Bacon, second right, joins the picket line outside NBCUniversal at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Solidarity and stamina are themes on picket lines in New York as striking actors and writers are bracing for a long standoff with studios. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

Hollywood unions file labor complaint against NBCUniversal

The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild this week have filed grievances with the National Labor Relations Board against NBCUniversal over what the unions call unsafe picketing conditions. Published July 19, 2023

A plane takes off from Harry Reid International Airport near casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Las Vegas. Nevada's tourism economy is putting the coronavirus pandemic behind it, with regulators reporting the best casino winnings ever for a February and the airport serving Las Vegas announcing plans to resume nonstop international flights in April. The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 reported a 12th straight month of $1 billion or more in casino house winnings, a key index of state economic health. The state reaped almost $59 million in casino taxes based on the figure, up more than 34% from a year ago. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Delta passengers hospitalized after sitting in hot plane for hours

A Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta was canceled Monday after several passengers experienced heat-related illnesses. Published July 19, 2023

Tesla board members agree to give back over $700 million in compensation

Members of Tesla's board of directors have agreed to return $735 million in stock awards to the company as part of a settlement that accused the executives of grossly overpaying themselves. Published July 18, 2023

United Parcel Service trucks are seen parked at a distribution facility, Friday, June 30, 2023, in Boston. A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said Friday, July 14, 2023, it will begin training many of its non-union employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

UPS to train nonunion drivers as strike looms

As the Teamsters Union prepares to lead thousands of UPS drivers off the road next month, UPS announced this week that it will train nonunion employees to pick up the slack. Published July 18, 2023

Apple appeals to Supreme Court to keep App Store payments exclusive

Even though it defeated other tech companies in a lengthy antitrust lawsuit, Apple is asking the Supreme Court to further cement its victory. Published July 18, 2023

Striking writers and actors chant as they walk a picket line, Monday, July 17, 2023, in New York. Three years after the pandemic brought Hollywood to a standstill, the film and TV industry has again ground to a halt. This time, though, the industry is engaged in a bitter battle over the how streaming — after advancing rapidly during the pandemic — has upended the economics of entertainment. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Some influencers to join striking actors on picket lines

The Screen Actors Guild has issued guidelines for online influencers in an effort to avoid confusion and foster solidarity during the actors' strike against Hollywood studios. Published July 18, 2023

This photo, taken in New York, Thursday, July 6, 2023, shows Meta's new app Threads. Meta has unveiled an app called Threads to rival Twitter, targeting users looking for an alternative to the social media platform owned — and frequently changed — by Elon Musk. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Meta’s Threads app to enforce rate limits to battle spam accounts

Meta's Threads app is limiting the number of posts users can see per day in an effort to crack down on spam. Published July 18, 2023

Starbucks employees hold signs as they strike, Friday, June 30, 2023, outside the 228 S Clinton St. location in Iowa City, Iowa. The employees voted 25-0 in favor of unionizing out of 30 people eligible in the election on May 11. (Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP)

Starbucks’ union wants customers to help picket stores

Starbucks Workers United members are hitting the road to convince coffee drinkers to help organize and join picket lines at their local stores. Published July 12, 2023

Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University, on Oct. 17, 2019, in Washington. European Union hits Facebook parent Meta with record $1.3 billion fine over transfers of user data to US. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Twitter traffic down as Threads passes 100 million users

Meta's Twitter competitor Threads has taken a big bite out of Twitter's web traffic, one week after launching. Published July 12, 2023

Striking Writers Guild members hold signs during a rally in front of Paramount Pictures studio in Los Angeles on May 17, 2023. Hollywood actors may be on the verge of joining screenwriters in what would be the first two-union strike in the industry in more than six decades. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) **FILE**

Actors’ union OKs emergency meeting with mediators ahead of strike

The Screen Actors Guild has agreed to a last-minute meeting with federal mediators ahead of a strike expected to start at midnight Wednesday. Published July 12, 2023

A skeleton in sunglasses sits beside a sign reading: "Just waiting for the insurance check," outside the closed Kona Kai Motel on Sanibel Island, Fla., Thursday, May 11, 2023. Struggles continue for thousands in Florida months after Hurricane Ian. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) ** FILE **

Farmers Insurance to pull out of Florida, cut back in California

Farmers Insurance will no longer offer home and auto coverage in Florida, forcing thousands to find new providers. Published July 12, 2023

A man walks past a Microsoft sign set up for the Microsoft BUILD conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco on April 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) **FILE**

Microsoft starts new round of layoffs

Microsoft began its fiscal year by announcing it will fire more workers. Published July 12, 2023

New York magazine and HuffPost reporter Yashar Ali fired off a series of explosive tweets Friday afternoon accusing Dafna Linzer, the managing editor of politics at NBC News and MSNBC, of trying to bully him into delaying a story "at the behest of the DNC." (Twitter/@DafnaLinzer)

Journalist Yashar Ali must pay over $230,000 to oil heiress

Activist and Twitter power broker Yashar Ali has been ordered to pay his future earnings to oil heiress Ariadne Getty to settle a debt. Published July 6, 2023

A District of Columbia flag is flown during a rededication ceremony following renovations of the District of Columbia WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 10, 2011. District leaders spoke out against a plan to rename the memorial to be a national and D.C. memorial, arguing that the District should be allowed to keep their memorial since each state has a dedicated memorial to those residents who served in WWI.
(T.J. Kirkpatrick/ The Washington Times)

D.C. unveils new driver’s license design

New additions are coming to District of Columbia driver's licenses this month. Published July 6, 2023

REI Employees in green welcome shoppers to the REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) Grand Opening at REI SoHo, the outdoor retailer's first Manhattan store, Dec. 2, 2011, in New York. Workers at the New York City outpost of outdoor clothing and equipment seller REI voted overwhelmingly in March to join a union, the first REI store to do so. Seattle-based REI has more than 170 locations across 41 states and Washington, D.C. (Matt Peyton/AP Images for REI) ** FILE **

Progressive REI accused of union-busting tactics

Unionized workers at Recreational Equipment Inc. are accusing the company of drawing out contract negotiations and using their liberal image to hide union-busting tactics. Published July 6, 2023

National Labor Relations Board orders Starbucks to rehire 4 Pittsburgh-area workers

A National Labor Relations Board judge ordered Starbucks to rehire four Pittsburgh-area employees after ruling the company violated the law by laying them off. Published July 6, 2023

Television actor Allison Mack leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York, April 8, 2019, after pleading guilty to racketeering charges in a case involving a cult-like group based in upstate New York called NXIVM. Mack has been released from a California prison, according to a government website. Online records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons said she was released Monday, July 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Former ‘Smallville’ actress Allison Mack released from prison early

Allison Mack, who was convicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges in 2021 in connection to the Nxivm sex trafficking scandal, was released early from prison this week. Published July 5, 2023

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