OnLabor

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February 17, 2022

Fred Wang

Fred Wang is a student at Harvard Law School.

All by Fred

Daily News & Commentary

Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all

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 […]

OnLabor In The News

Wired

Hundreds of Video Game Workers Join New Union as Trump Attacks Labor Rights: Prof. Sachs on challenges to union organizing under the second Trump Administration.

Los Angeles Times

Column: How anti-union southern governors may be violating federal law: Ben Sachs quoted in a column about the anti-union governors' letter and the fragmentation of labor law; John Fry's post referenced on the question of whether state level card-check bans are preempted by the NLRA.

Fast Company

Amazon’s Labor Union is divided but closing in on electing leadership: Prof. Sachs on Amazon's use of legal roadblocks to delay negotiations.

Semafor

Unions’ picket power now extends to U.S. boardrooms: Prof. Block on the influence of labor unions on other playing fields.

Bloomberg Law

Boeing Talks Will Test Unions’ Sway as Labor Market Softens: Prof. Block on Boeing's labor negotiations with the International Association of Machinists.

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Updates from the Legal Struggle Against Prison Labor

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“My three-year-old son thinks I’m a firefighter, which I like to think I am, too.” Joseph Sevilla, told reporters during the Los Angeles wildfires. Sevilla is a firefighter, but he also is incarcerated. He wears an orange uniform on the job and earns just $5.80 to $10.24 for an entire 24-hour shift. Non-incarcerated firefighters, conversely, earn $42.36 per hour. California deployed over 1,000 […]

Career and Technical Education at a Crossroads: Opportunity or Exploitation?

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A bachelor’s degree is the most reliable pathway into the middle class. Over a lifetime, college-educated workers typically earn $1.2 million more than those with only a high school diploma. Yet faith in higher education is faltering while student debt has skyrocketed to a record $1.7 trillion. This crisis of confidence in higher education has fueled bipartisan interest in career and […]

Farmworker Access Rights Under Threat in Colorado

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In 2008, Alfredo Conovilca traveled to Colorado to herd sheep on an H-2A visa. On paper, it looked promising: the employer would cover everything from transportation to housing and food. But Conovilca soon discovered there were hidden costs. When he fell ill with back pain—precipitated by kidney issues resulting from insufficient access to water—his employer refused to take him to […]

Pregnancy Discrimination, Proxy Voting, and Workplace Accommodation

Apr 28, 2025 Lucy Cheskin

In February, Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen made headlines when she cast her vote against the House’s proposed budget deal with her four-week-old baby in her arms. Faced with the House’s prohibition on voting by proxy, Rep. Pettersen returned from her home district in Colorado shortly after giving birth in order to make her voice heard and discharge her duty […]

The Anti-Labor Problem in Beast Games

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What would you do for a chance at FIVE MILLION DOLLARS? Mr. Beast wants to know. Mr. Beast is a YouTuber known for his extravagant stunt videos and philanthropy, often promising extreme rewards for the completion of outrageous tasks. Since rising to prominence in 2017, he has grown the largest YouTube following of any content […]

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