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Editorials

Protecting-Workers-Dept-of-Labor.pdf

June 18, 2017

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Daily News & Commentary

Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all

October 14

Eleventh Circuit overturns ERISA exhaustion rule; DHS finalizes removal of automatic renewal for work permits; AFGE challenges SSA over flexible scheduling policy.

October 13

Chicago hotel workers remain on strike; a coalition of Democratic states sues the Labor Department over canceled unemployment insurance grants; the Federal Labor Relations Authority establishes a new mediation framework for federal worker disputes.

October 12

Workers at the Obama Foundation begin organizing; MLB submits its latest collective bargaining agreement proposal; Brigham & Women's nurses postpone strike.

October 11

UAW President Shawn Fain succeeds in his reelection bid, and Spanish unions call for a general strike.

October 9

DHS proposes a $100k fee for the foreign grad employment program; Trump suspends tech company access to green card program; and private equity perpetuates poor working conditions for home care workers.

October 8

NLRB judge finds UPS unlawfully restricted union insignia; Harvard graduate workers authorize second strike; OSHA orders Union Pacific to pay $300,000 in damages in whistleblower case.

OnLabor In The News

Wired

Hundreds of Video Game Workers Join New Union as Trump Attacks Labor Rights: Prof. Sachs on challenges to union organizing under the second Trump Administration.

Los Angeles Times

Column: How anti-union southern governors may be violating federal law: Ben Sachs quoted in a column about the anti-union governors' letter and the fragmentation of labor law; John Fry's post referenced on the question of whether state level card-check bans are preempted by the NLRA.

Fast Company

Amazon’s Labor Union is divided but closing in on electing leadership: Prof. Sachs on Amazon's use of legal roadblocks to delay negotiations.

Semafor

Unions’ picket power now extends to U.S. boardrooms: Prof. Block on the influence of labor unions on other playing fields.

Bloomberg Law

Boeing Talks Will Test Unions’ Sway as Labor Market Softens: Prof. Block on Boeing's labor negotiations with the International Association of Machinists.

More From OnLabor

Can Workers Wear Union T-Shirts? The Second Circuit Says it’s Complicated

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The right to wear union insignia on the job has been one of the most heavily litigated labor law questions. This is somewhat surprising because the one Supreme Court case that addressed the issue, Republic Aviaton Corp. v. NLRB, upheld the National Labor Relations Board’s determination that “the right of employees to wear union insignia […]

Tesla Outlasted the World’s Strongest Union Movement

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The historic Tesla strike ended on 19 August, after 1,027 days. On 27 October 2023, some 40 mechanics walked out of 10 workshops across Sweden. Nearly three years later, their union, IF Metall, has not achieved its goal: a collective agreement with Tesla’s Swedish subsidiary, TM Sweden.

Building Toward Sectoral Bargaining

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It’s no secret that our weak, outdated labor law is failing the millions of workers who want unions at their workplaces. Republicans have repeatedly blocked federal legislation to strengthen the law. This untenable situation has been made worse by President Trump destroying the independence of the National Labor Relations Board, firing Gwynne Wilcox and installing […]

Building Worker Power in a Precarious Federal Landscape: Proportional Representation and an Electoral Voice for Labor

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Note: This post builds on a series launched in December on how states and cities can expand worker power in the United States. The series is grounded in a set of working papers and policy briefs that offer creative approaches for state and local action at a time when the federal labor law framework is […]

States, Sectoral Bargaining, and a Way Forward for Labor Law

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In advance of Labor Day, Sharon and I have a short piece up at Time laying out the case for state labor law reforms to facilitate sectoral bargaining. The op-ed also reports on some of the work we’ve been doing at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy, including our new model state sectoral […]

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