Jon Weinberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Those celebrating should be careful not to run affront of labor and employment law. The Richmond Times-Dispatch notes that “when a gift is received unexpectedly from a co-worker on Valentine’s Day of all days, it raises the creep level to litigation status.” Their special correspondent advises readers to keep their celebrations out of the workplace.
Donald Trump’s selection for Secretary of Labor, Andrew Puzder, continues to face difficulties with his nomination. According to CNN, four Republican senators – “Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia” – are withholding support for Puzder pending his confirmation hearings. Republican leaders will lobby the four senators, but if they cannot be swayed Trump may replace Puzder.
After a long campaign, a little over 3,000 Boeing workers in Charleston will finally vote tomorrow on unionization. The New York Times reports that the election represents a key test of the strength of organized labor in the early days of Trump’s presidency. Boeing was enticed to open the plant in South Carolina in large part because of reduced labor costs relative to their operations in the Seattle area, partly driven by the lack of unionization.
In other news, graduate students at colleges and universities continue to mount union organization campaigns. Organizers and students continue to make their case at Duke University and the University of Maryland, for example.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
August 30
Worker interviews raise concerns about the enforcement of California’s new indoor heat protections; SAG-AFTRA celebrates the progress of an AI regulation bill in California; preventable trench collapses threaten worker safety.
August 29
Federal labor and antitrust agencies enter agreement to collaborate on merger investigations; United Airlines Flight Attendants vote 99.99% for strike authorization; and Cornell and UAW reach tentative agreement on new labor contract.
August 28
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit to allegations that Chipotle Mexican Grill violated federal labor law, over 4,000 Fred Meyers workers began a strike in Portland, Oregon, and unionized software workers filed a labor complaint against Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.
August 26
NLRB bids adieu to consent orders; New research on teachers' strikes; 5th Circuit vacates DOL rule.
August 23
NLRB: Amazon is joint employer of drivers; UAW threatens Stellantis strike; Canada intervenes in railway labor dispute.
August 22
Dartmouth College players union files an unfair labor charge and two prominent Canadian Railways are planning to institute worker lockouts.