According to this New York Time article, the number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance rose by less than expected. While unemployment claims had risen due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the labor market seems to have recovered from those two storms. This marks the 138th straight week that unemployment claims remained below 300,000 which is the level associated with a strong labor market.
According to this article, Iowa public sector employees overwhelmingly voted to recertify their unions. Specifically, 436 out of 468 public sector bargaining units voted in favor of retaining the existing union. The Iowa State Legislature recently passed a law requiring recertification whenever a new contract is negotiated, as opposed to just when a member petitions for decertification.
According to this article and a recent Bloomberg analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, renewable energy is creating jobs faster than any other sector. Specifically, solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians will grow twice as fast as any other occupation. The new jobs in solar are driven by US capacity for solar energy rising by 72% year over year in the past decade
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.