Jason Vazquez is a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2023. His writing on this blog reflects his personal views and should not be attributed to the IBT.
On Monday morning, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The FDA’s release assured the public that it should feel “very confident” that the vaccine, which has already been administered to more than 100 million individuals in the United States since being authorized for emergency use, “meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.” The shot’s full approval triggers vaccination mandates for more than one million workers across a range of industries, including hospitals, universities, the public sector, the military, and private enterprises. In addition, the FDA’s approval will likely give rise to more such mandates in the coming weeks. Indeed, following the news, New York City announced stricter vaccination requirements for city employees, and oil giant Chevron ordered its field workers to receive inoculations.
In organizing news, the New York City Council Union secured recognition from the New York City Council on Sunday night. The Union, which represents more than 350 Council aides, commenced its unionization efforts in 2019, although discontent among the poorly-paid staffers had been stewing for more than a decade.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
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 […]