Edward Nasser is a student at Harvard Law School.
The Washington D.C. City Council is expected to pass the nation’s most generous family leave law. Under the law, full-time and part-time workers could draw up to 90% of their pay from a government account, limited to $1000 per week. The cost will be borne entirely by employers as the benefit would be funded through a payroll tax raise on businesses of every size.
Joseph Morelle, the number two Democrat in the New York State Assembly, plans to introduce legislation next year that would allow portable benefits for gig economy workers. The bill, which would be the first of its kind nationwide, requires participating employers to contribute at least 2.5 percent of the fee for each job to a flexible individual account for the workers. It would also classify workers at participating employers as independent contractors under state law.
The European Union’s Court of Justice, its highest court, heard oral arguments today on whether Uber is a transportation service or digital platform. If the company is categorized as a transportation service, it must comply with all local rules governing such companies. The company argued that “[t]he reduction of unnecessary barriers to information society services is critical in the development of the digital single market,” and that national transportation laws were outdated. Regulators argued that Uber’s business model flouted existing laws and undermined the rights of consumers and workers alike. The decision, not expected until March at the earliest, is expected to have significant effects on other gig economy players operating in the region.
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January 29
Texas pauses H-1B hiring; NLRB General Counsel announces new procedures and priorities; Fourth Circuit rejects a teacher's challenge to pronoun policies.
January 28
Over 15,000 New York City nurses continue to strike with support from Mayor Mamdani; a judge grants a preliminary injunction that prevents DHS from ending family reunification parole programs for thousands of family members of U.S. citizens and green-card holders; and decisions in SDNY address whether employees may receive accommodations for telework due to potential exposure to COVID-19 when essential functions cannot be completed at home.
January 27
NYC's new delivery-app tipping law takes effect; 31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and healthcare workers go on strike; the NJ Appellate Division revives Atlantic City casino workers’ lawsuit challenging the state’s casino smoking exemption.
January 26
Unions mourn Alex Pretti, EEOC concentrates power, courts decide reach of EFAA.
January 25
Uber and Lyft face class actions against “women preference” matching, Virginia home healthcare workers push for a collective bargaining bill, and the NLRB launches a new intake protocol.
January 22
Hyundai’s labor union warns against the introduction of humanoid robots; Oregon and California trades unions take different paths to advocate for union jobs.