Esther Ritchin is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB files an injunction against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cal/OSHA heat enforcement rates have fallen, and Walgreens pharmacy workers hope to unionize.
On Wednesday, August 14, the National Labor Relations Board filed an injunction against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, asking a judge to compel the newspaper to reimburse their employees for healthcare costs incurred as a result of the paper’s unilateral changes to employee healthcare, and bring the paper back to the bargaining table for good faith negotiations. This order comes after a nearly two-year strike by a group of employees.
The Los Angeles Times and Capital & Main, found that California was cutting back on enforcement of its heat safety standards, even as temperatures continue to rise. California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is responsible for enforcing California’s outdoor heat-illness law, which requires protections including shaded break areas and cool drinking water. The investigation conducted by LA Times and Capital & Main found that from 2017 to 2023, Cal/OSHA conducted 30% fewer field investigations and issued 40% fewer violations to employers. The drop in numbers does not reflect improved compliance by employers, according to advocates such as California Rural Legal Assistance and interviews with more than 40 farmworkers in California.
Walgreens pharmacists and technicians at a store in Washington are hoping to be the first Walgreens employees to join the Pharmacy Guild, a union that formed last year in the wake of walkouts throughout the industry. CVS employees at a store in Las Vegas became the first to join the union last year, followed by CVS employees at other stores. The Washington Walgreen workers are hoping for more reasonable workloads and adequate staffing.
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September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.