Morgan Sperry is a student at Harvard Law School and also serves as OnLabor's Social Media Director.
In today’s news and commentary, the National Domestic Workers Alliance calls for increased Medicaid rates to compensate care workers, Grindr is union-busting, and Guggenheim Museum employees have secured their first contract.
Yesterday, National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-jen Poo, along with Nicole Jorwic, called upon lawmakers to expand access to home and community based services in order to honor the Americans with Disabilities Act. Specifically, Poo and Jorwic are calling upon state legislatures and Congress to increase the dollars they put into the Medicaid program—including by increasing wage rates for care workers, who currently make less than $12 per hour on average. As Poo and Jorwic write, making these changes would ensure that all disabled and aging people can live and thrive while staying in their homes and communities.
Mere weeks after its employees announced their intention to unionize, Grindr has instituted a return-to-work policy that requires workers to either move within 50 miles of the company’s new offices by August 31st or lose their jobs. While the company claims that the plan has “nothing to do with the N.L.R.B. election petition,” workers have noted that Grindr has hired Littler Mendelson, a law firm that specializes in union-busting. The union has filed a ULP charge with the NLRB alleging that the new policy was retaliatory to unionizing workers.
After more than two years of bargaining, the Guggenheim Museum reached an agreement with its workers’ union last week. The contract, which goes into effect immediately, gives workers an average salary increase of 11 percent over two-and-a-half-years. It also offers improved health and retirement benefits and just cause employment protections. With this contract, the Guggenheim workers join a cohort of unionized museum curators, conservators and other employees—including those at the Whitney Museum and the New Museum.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
June 3
JOLTS data shows mixed labor market as personal income declines; New York Fed research links remote work to rising youth unemployment; Virginia Governor Spanberger signs sweeping employment reform package.
June 2
Illinois passes rideshare driver unionization bill; DOL issues new union financial reporting rule; unions push back against AI data center regulations.
June 1
Federal judge declines to block New Jersey cannabis labor peace requirements; EEOC issues proposed rescission of rule protection companies undertaking voluntary affirmative action plans; Connecticut governor signs AI law requiring employers to give notice about use of AI in employment decision-making.
May 31
The disparity between corporate profits and worker pay hits a record high; Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoes pro-union legislation; MLB announces its counteroffer in negotiations with the MLBPA.
May 29
Senators advance on college athlete rights bill; USDA strains OSHA with proposed meat production lines speed-up.
May 28
University of California workers union reach agreement; Texas shrimp industry asks for more visas.