The BBC has made progress in closing the wage gap between its male and female stars, but its dozen highest-paid stars continue to be all men. An enormous pay disparity at the network was revealed last year, causing outrage among many employees and members of the British public. Since last year, the median pay gap for men and women doing comparable work has dropped from 9.3% to 7.6%, but equal-pay advocates says the network still has a lot of room for improvement.
Trial began this week in a sexual harassment suit against Columbia Business School. Enrichetta Ravina, a former professor at the school, alleges that she was denied tenure because she complained to school officials about another professor’s inappropriate sexual advances. Ms. Ravina has sued the school for over $20 million in damages.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that teachers’ unions in Florida have noticed an uptick in membership after the state passed a new law targeted at the unions. The law, which did not apply to any public employees other than teachers, said that a union could be disbanded if fewer than half of the teachers in a district were members of that district’s union. Since the law’s passage, union organizers have increased their outreach to members. The Orange County teachers’ union, for example, has seen its membership rate rise from 46% to 55%, giving hope to unions looking for paths forward after the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Janus.
The House Appropriations Committee began debate on legislation that proposes to cut funding to the Labor Department and the NLRB. The bill would cut Labor’s discretionary funding by $88 million dollars (to $12.1 billion) and the NLRB’s by $12.8 million (to $261.3 million). The bill also includes riders criticized by Democratic members of the committee, like a provision blocking the NLRB from exercising jurisdiction over tribal governments, which would prevent workers at tribal casinos from unionizing.
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August 15
Columbia University quietly replaces graduate student union labor with non-union adjunct workers; the DC Circuit Court lifts the preliminary injunction on CFPB firings; and Grubhub to pay $24.75M to settle California driver class action.
August 14
Judge Pechman denies the Trump Administration’s motion to dismiss claims brought by unions representing TSA employees; the Trump Administration continues efforts to strip federal employees of collective bargaining rights; and the National Association of Agriculture Employees seeks legal relief after the USDA stopped recognizing the union.
August 13
The United Auto Workers (UAW) seek to oust President Shawn Fain ahead of next year’s election; Columbia University files an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers for failing to bargain in “good faith”; and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) terminates its collective bargaining agreement with four unions representing its employees.
August 12
Trump nominates new BLS commissioner; municipal taxpayers' suit against teachers' union advances; antitrust suit involving sheepherders survives motion to dismiss
August 11
Updates on two-step FLSA certification, Mamdani's $30 minimum wage proposal, dangers of "bossware."
August 10
NLRB Acting GC issues new guidance on ULPs, Trump EO on alternative assets in401(k)s, and a vetoed Wisconsin bill on rideshare driver status