Maddy Joseph is a student at Harvard Law School.
In the week after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, news outlets explored federal and state laws governing job termination for political views. Although some state or local laws go further, “federal law doesn’t offer any protection for expressing political views or participating in political activities for those who work in the private sector and don’t have a contract stating otherwise,” as The Atlantic summarizes.
Yesterday, the Second Circuit held that a customer’s price-fixing claims against Uber might be able to go to arbitration. The court determined that Uber’s online user agreement provided “reasonably conspicuous notice” that disputes would be arbitrated. As Bloomberg reports, this antitrust case is one of several that Uber has sought to keep out of court an in arbitration. As we covered, the Ninth Circuit held in September that most of Uber’s driver arbitration agreements are enforceable.
A new report by Brookings’ Hamilton Project gives a “detailed snapshot” of the 24 million people of “prime working age” out of the labor force. The study was motivated by the nation’s falling labor participation rate and concludes:
“The large number of adults who are not in the labor force is a puzzle that cannot be fully accounted for by factors like baby boomers aging out of the workforce, women engaged in caregiving, or recent college graduates delaying the responsibilities of adulthood.”
Daily News & Commentary
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May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]
May 2
Immigrant detainees win class certification; Missouri sick leave law in effect; OSHA unexpectedly continues Biden-Era Worker Heat Rule