Martin Drake is a student at Harvard Law School.
Stop & Shop workers ended their strike after reaching an agreement with their employer Sunday night, WPRI reports. The strike has been ongoing since April 11, and was triggered by proposed changes to pay and healthcare benefits, Fox Business reports. Many Stop & Shop customers took their business elsewhere as a result of the strike, and the workers had support from several Democratic presidential contenders, as OnLabor previously reported.
Democratic candidates are making significant efforts to win union support in their bids for the presidency, particularly through criticism of corporate power, the Hill reports. The anti-corporate and pro-union messaging from Democratic candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg, reflects a sense that the Democratic party has drifted from its working-class reputation, thereby ceding legitimacy in formerly Democratic strongholds, like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Unions, for their part, are waiting longer to endorse candidates than in the 2016 presidential race.
In other electoral news, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Service Employees International Union of Illinois spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed effort to elect Toni Preckwinkle as the mayor of Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Despite the loss, both unions say they’re proud of successfully swinging the Chicago City Council to the left, and CTU has highlighted the fact that the Mayor-elect, Lori Lightfoot, supported many elements of the CTU’s platform on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, the International Network of Charter School’s political fund saw six supported candidates win in the runoffs, totaling 10 wins out of their 13 endorsed candidates.
The Department of Labor is investigating a prominent hedge fund, Alden Global Capital, over its handling of hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension funds, USA Today reports. Alden is the controlling shareholder of MNG Enterprises, the publisher responsible for over 100 local news outlets, including the Denver Post and the Boston Herald. As much as 90 percent of MNG newspapers’ pension assets were invested in hedge funds controlled by Alden, a potential violation of U.S. retirement laws. An MNG spokesman has asserted that Alden’s investment choices complied with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which safeguards private industry pension funds.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 3
Unions seek a preliminary injunction to prevent USDA downsizing; the D.C. District Court issues a preliminary injunction against new student loan regulations; Matt Bruenig releases an analysis of Starbucks’ ongoing legal battle against Starbucks Workers United.
July 2
First Circuit denies federal worker unions’ mandamus petition; federal court denies preliminary injunction against new union reporting rule; House introduces the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act.
July 1
Trump nominates Keith Sonderling as Labor Secretary; DOL eliminates disparate-impact liability from Title VI regulations; OPM finalizes rule allowing suitability-based removal of federal employees for post-appointment conduct.
June 30
SCOTUS ends removal protections for agencies; staff at NYC cocktail bar vote to unionize.
June 29
In today’s News and Commentary, student-athletes file a class action suit challenging the NCAA’s new Age-Based Rule, a federal judge declines to issue a preliminary injunction against FEMA’s reduction in force but expedites proceedings, and Gavin Newsom opposes California’s proposed billionaire tax in favor of a federal approach. On Thursday, DeJuan Campbell, at basketball player […]
June 28
Philadelphia utility workers announce July 4 strike; national parks workers vote to unionize; Michigan considers “right to disconnect” bill.