In his recent post, “Rethinking Wage Theft Criminalization,” Ben Levin argues that “the impulse to use criminal law for ‘progressive’ ends”—like combatting wage theft—“is dangerous; it serves to bolster the carceral state and all of its deep structural flaws.”... More »
This term, the Supreme Court will decide Janus, where it will determine the future of agency shop agreements in public sector unions. Despite being a public-sector union case, Justice Ginsburg raised a question on many people’s minds at oral argument: “what ha... More »
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court decided Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro, one of those “boring” cases that no one pays attention to. The question in the case was whether service advisors at car dealerships are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act ... More »
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation yesterday that is aimed at protecting public workers’ rights in advance of the Supreme Court’s potentially adverse ruling in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. The new law allows unions to deny full benefits to worke... More »
The NY Times and several national newspapers recently reported that a number of hotel chains have begun offering rewards to guests who agree to forgo housekeeping services. Those rewards can range from $5-10 in daily food and beverage credits, to significant ... More »
Yesterday, President Trump made his first public appearance in five days, speaking with local workers in Richfield, Ohio. ABC News reports that he publicized his administration’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, expressing openness to a piecemeal approach in... More »
Bloomberg Law reports that congressional lawmakers are negotiating a funding bill for the government that would include a provision to calm controversy surrounding a proposed Department of Labor rule about pooling tips. The proposed DOL rule would reverse an O... More »
Yesterday, President Trump announced that he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, effectively taxing every foreign shipment of those metals into the United States. The New York Times reports that the announcement was made despite strong pushback... More »
Yesterday, the Senate rejected a White House immigration proposal that would have increased border security, placed new limits on legal migration like family-based immigration and the diversity visa lottery program, and provided a pathway to citizenship for 1.... More »
Less than two years after having finally been recognized as the inspiration for J. Howard Miller’s iconic “We Can Do It!” World War II poster, Naomi Parker Fraley–the “true” Rosie the Riveter–died at age 96 on January ... More »
The Boston Globe reports that employers struggling with the tight labor market are seeking out candidates that they may not have previously considered. For example, Shake Shack is hiring workers who speak little English; Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is pl... More »
In the new tax plan, “the amount you make may be less important than how you make it,” reports the New York Times. Both the House and Senate bills link tax rates to characteristics such as “ownership, day-to-day level of involvement, organiz... More »