The Washington Post offers a brief summary of today’s impending Harris v. Quinn Supreme Court decision. The issue at stake is whether unions representing employees in local and state government jobs may deduct fees from the paychecks of non-union members in their bargaining unit. Politico, Reuters, and the Chicago Tribune feature commentary from Prof. Sachs. This blog has covered the case extensively including here, here, here, here, here, and here.
According to the Allentown Morning Call, in reaction to the impending decision, Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Arizona are engaged in a debate over so-called “paycheck protection” legislation. These bills would prevent unions representing government employees from deducting dues from non-members’ paychecks.
NPR features a story discussing the federal tipped minimum wage. While the federal minimum wage has been raised to $7.25 over the last two decades, the minimum for tipped workers has remained at $2.13 an hour since 1991. This means that employers are required to pay a base rate of $2.13 an hour with the rest made up in tips. Pursuant to federal law, if the tipped workers overall earnings do not reach $7.25 an hour, the employer is required to make up the difference. However, in practice, it is difficult for employers to keep track of hourly earnings and even more difficult for authorities to enforce. The story highlights Brand 158, a Glendale, CA restaurant that has eliminated tipping.
The Los Angeles Times reports that President Obama has requested that Congress approve $2 billion in emergency funding to increase border security and detain unaccompanied children entering the United States without papers. The funding would include a streamlined process for deporting the children, permanently altering their due process rights. If passed, this funding would be the only immigration proposal that has actually made it through both the House and Senate during the last year and a half of comprehensive immigration reform debate.
The Associated Press reports that transit bus employees represented by Teamsters Local 533 in Reno, Nevada have voted to strike. The MV Transportation’s employees’ contract expires tonight at midnight.
In the Press Enterprise, an administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that it was illegal for a San Diego County casino to ban its employees from wearing pins declaring their support for UNITE-HERE.
The New York Times features a brief story on Louis Fabiano, a “terminal appearance attendant” at Grand Central Station in Manhattan. Fabiano is charged with polishing the fingerprints and smudges of the train station daily visitors off of handrails, doors, mailbox’s and the terminal’s famous brass clock.
In international news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India plans a massive overhaul of the country’s labor laws according to Reuters. The changes are expected to follow a path of economic liberalization that favors smaller government and less regulation. India’s labor unions are expected to fight the changes.
The Global Post reports that the Lao government is debating an increase in the Southeast Asian country’s minimum wage. The current minimum is 626,000 Lao kip a month, or $77.93 U.S. dollars. The reforms hope to increase the wage to 800,000 Lao kip a month, or $99.59 U.S. dollars.
The Associated Press reports that a 24-hour strike in Belgium has shut down train service throughout the country. According to Deutsche Welle, the strike was called by the CGSP, the rail union, which argues that hiring is not proportional to staff departures.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
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