This week, Democratic Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders floated support for decriminalizing sex work, joining Cory Booker, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and long-shot candidate Mike Gravel, who even lists decriminalization as a platform prior... More »
Google’s temporary employees and contractors now outnumber full-time employees, according to a New York Times expose. Contingent employees are formally employed by independent staffing agencies, but work side-by-side with Google employees, but “make less money... More »
The National Labor Relations Board issued a memorandum concluding that Uber drivers are independent contractors, not employees under Section 2(3) of the National Labor Relations Act. Because the NLRA’s protections apply to employees, the decision leaves ride-h... More »
The Department of Labor issued a new opinion letter saying that the Department considers gig workers in the so-called “sharing” economy (like Uber drivers or Instacart shoppers) to be independent contractors, rather than employees. The letter is a notable shif... More »
A federal judge in Washington ruled yesterday that Amazon drivers aren’t bound by an individual arbitration agreement, allowing a massive class action over employee misclassification to proceed. Amazon drivers allege that they have been improperly designated i... More »
This morning, the Supreme Court granted cert. in three cases asking whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on workplace discrimination based on sex also prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ workers. The Court granted cert. in Harris Funeral ... More »
Yesterday, House Democrats introduced a groundbreaking new bill to fight workplace sexual harassment. The #BeHeard Act (Bringing an End to Harassment By Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination in the Workplace Act) was written to ensure that the ... More »
The Maryland State Senate just approved a $15 minimum wage by 32 to 15 — with enough votes to override a possible veto by Republican Governor Larry Hogan. Hogan has instead proposed raising the minimum wage to $12.10 an hour in 2025, and Senate Democrats belie... More »
Workplace deaths hit a 10-year high in 2018, with over 5,000 workers were killed on the job. But, according to a disturbing new report by the National Employment Law Project, OSHA investigations have fallen steadily during the Trump Administration — even as th... More »
Uber just agreed to a $20 million settlement with 13,600 California drivers, bringing an end to lawsuits challenging their classification as independent contractors who can be denied employment protections like the minimum wage, unemployment insurance, and hea... More »
Yesterday, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) reintroduced the Child Care for Working Families Act, which dramatically expand access to high-quality child care to low- and middle-income families. The legislation would cap childcare ... More »
The Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency that hears grievance appeals for federal workers, is about to lose its last member. The Board has three seats, two of which have been vacant throughout the Trump administration because of a deadlocked... More »
June 21st, 2019