Jon Weinberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
This past weekend’s New York Times piece on working conditions at Amazon continues to generate news. CNET has the reaction from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, while The Upshot compares Amazon’s labor situation to that faced by Walmart before they instituted reforms.
Writing in The Washington Post, Lydia DePillis explores whether the recent success of the Fight for $15 movement will lead to increased mechanization in the fast food industry. DePillis explores investments made by restaurant companies as well as the possible limitations of automation.
Also related to Fight for 15, CBS News highlights the opposition of restaurant owners to the recent recommendation by a New York state Wage Board to raise the fast food worker minimum wage to $15 an hour. The state labor commissioner is widely expected to approve the recommendation for the wage increase.
Finally, turning to high-end restaurants, The Wall Street Journal reports an increase in complaints by employees alleging wage and hour violations. The story notes that “the number of wage-violation lawsuits has been on the rise for more than a decade, driven by a successful worker-organization movement, increased attention by plaintiffs’ attorneys and complicated labor laws that leave some employers confused, according to legal analysts and industry leaders.”
Daily News & Commentary
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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