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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July 28
DOJ drops charges against SEIU California president; Massachusetts nurses file ULP against hospital; Democratic lawmakers look to remove damage caps in employment discrimination cases
July 27
NY Port Authority proceeds to trial on PUMP Act case; First Circuit denies stay in order vacating H-1B visa fee; DC Circuit panel denies First Amendment claim over disclosure of confidential emails in allegation of prison's COVID-19 mismanagement.
July 24
EEOC drops request for UPenn's Jewish staff; Starbucks defeats mail-in ballots; and Mamdani appoints Lina Khan.
July 23
Ninth Circuit affirms ban of transphobic books in school; leading demographer warns of impending labor shortage.
July 22
EDNY strikes down state labor board law; D.C. Circuit applies Loper Bright to NLRB; Joint employer bill reaches the House floor.
July 21
Fifth Circuit transfers an Anheuser-Busch NLRB case to the Eleventh Circuit; a new report makes the case for tripling union membership.