Leora Smith is a student at Harvard Law School.
Politico reported yesterday on the lack of union support for the Democratic presidential ticket, which outperformed the Trump campaign by only 8% in union households (households with at least one union member), which is the narrowest margin since 1984. Support among union members themselves was likely higher than that from union households, but some speculate that union members were put off by the Democrats’ strong support for free trade deals. Supporting that theory, United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said yesterday that he would like to meet with President-elect Trump to dicuss cancelling or renegotiating NAFTA. Though he expressed alliance with Trump’s views on trade, Williams stated that the he and the union will continue to support progressive views on social issues.
And, in light of federal election results, California legislative leadership chose to draw a line in the sand. The state’s Senate President and Assembly Speaker put out a joint statement vowing to “defend its people” and to investigate the impact that Trump’s presidency might have on funding of state programs, trade and federal enforcement of laws. Other states are likely doing the same, though none have made similarly bold statements yet.
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May 22
U.S. employers spend $1.7B on union avoidance each year and the ICJ declares the right to strike a protected activity.
May 21
UAW backs legal challenge to Trump “gold card” visa; DOL requests unemployment fraud technology funding; Samsung reaches eleventh-hour union agreement.
May 20
LIRR strike ends after three-day shutdown; key senators reject Trump's proposed 26% cut to Labor Department budget; EEOC moves to eliminate employer demographic reporting requirement.
May 19
Amazon urges 11th Circuit to overturn captive-audience meeting ban; DOL scraps Biden overtime rule; SCOTUS to decide on Title IX private right of action for school employees
May 18
California Department of Justice finds conditions at ICE facilities inhumane; Second Circuit rejects race bias claim from Black and Hispanic social workers; FAA cuts air traffic controller staffing target.
May 17
UC workers avoid striking with an 11th-hour agreement; Governor Spanberger vetoes public employee collective bargaining protections; Samsung workers prepare for an 18-day strike.