Jacqueline Rayfield is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit to allegations that Chipotle Mexican Grill violated federal labor law, over 4,000 Fred Meyers workers began a strike in Portland, Oregon, and unionized software workers filed a labor complaint against Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.
The NLRB announced on Monday that a complaint against Chipotle by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters alleging unlawful discipline of a worker has merit. Teamsters assert that Chipotle denied raises to an employee based on union activity in violation of federal labor law. If Chipotle and Teamsters do not reach a settlement, the NLRB general counsel threatened to file charges against the company. This is not the first time Chipotle violated labor law. The company retaliated against unionizing employees last year by closing a store in Augusta, Georgia.
Over 4,000 workers in 28 Fred Meyers stores around Portland began a strike early this morning. The union says that the strike will continue until September 3rd or until Fred Meyers negotiates a deal. The employee’s union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and Fred Meyers remain unable to reach a contract after several bargaining sessions. The union explains that a strike is necessary to add pressure on key bargaining issues like pensions and wages.
Unionized software workers at Raven Software filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint against their parent companies, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft. The workers allege that both companies bargained in bad faith and retaliated, discharged, and disciplined workers for union activity.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.
December 15
Advocating a private right of action for the NLRA, 11th Circuit criticizes McDonnell Douglas, Congress considers amending WARN Act.
December 12
OH vetoes bill weakening child labor protections; UT repeals public-sector bargaining ban; SCOTUS takes up case on post-arbitration award jurisdiction