A New York Times piece covers the impact of drug tests (and drugs) on the economy. In particular, it profiles various manufacturing companies in the Midwest, revealing the challenges they face filling jobs due to the proportion of applicants who fail drug tests. As one employer stressed, one wrong move with the equipment can result in death, so there is a pressing need to ensure that employees a... More »
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer published an op-ed in today’s N.Y. Times, in which he outlined the Democratic Party’s “better deal” for American workers. The three stated goals of the new agenda are to increase pay, reduce expenses, and provide workers with tools for the new economy. Democrats will announce policy proposals to stop prescription drug price gouging, strengthen antitrust laws,... More »
On Friday, fifteen civil and human rights leaders published a letter to José Muñoz, chairman of Nissan North America, urging him to allow workers at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi to organize through a free and fair union election. The signatories, including Vanita Gupta, formerly of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, urged Muñoz “to accord [Canton’s] worker... More »
The New York City Council passed the country’s first law requiring ride-hailing apps like Uber to offer in-app tipping. New York’s in-app tipping requirement was first proposed to the City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission this spring in a petition by the Independent Driver’s Guild that garnered over 11,000 signatures. Also this week, Uber’s long-awaited in-app tipping feature, which it announ... More »
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Postal Service violated federal law by pressuring managers to approve employees’ requests for time off last year to campaign for Hilary Clinton. While federal workers can use their time to off to campaign or donate to candidates, by directing managers to approve the time off even though they may be understaffed, the Postal Service showed a workplace bias ... More »
Workers at the Nissan auto plant in Canton, Mississippi should have a big decision to make within the next couple of weeks – whether they want to be represented by the UAW and start a new chapter in their relationship with their employer. The UAW petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for an election to represent the thousands of Nissan employees at the Canton plant. The Board approved th... More »
NPR reports that state minimum wage preemption laws are on the rise. 27 states currently have laws prohibiting cities from raising their minimum wage above the state minimum. In Missouri, the last state to pass one of these measures, a minimum wage preemption law will go into effect on August 28th. When this law takes effect, St. Louis’s $10 minimum wage ordinance will no longer be operative. ... More »
Charlotte Garden is an associate professor at Seattle University School of Law. To the extent there was ever doubt on this point, it is now clear that the Trump Administration will not prioritize robust enforcement of employment law mandates. One key example: the Department of Justice’s decision not to support the NLRB’s individual arbitration rule before the Supreme Court. (The NLRB will represe... More »
When the statements of a United States Senator lead to the conclusion that he is either ignorant or acting in bad faith, I think the more charitable approach is to assume that the Senator is simply uninformed. And, after watching Senator Lamar Alexander, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pension (“HELP”) Committee at the hearing on President Trump’s nominees to the Nationa... More »
Once simply the subject of academic books and articles, Universal Basic Income (UBI)—wherein the state provides a uniform cash grant to every citizen without a means test or work requirement—has seemingly become de rigueur for progressive activists. In their thoughtful and interesting posts, Andy Stern and Brishen Rogers talk about why and how UBI proponents should support labor law reform. Howeve... More »