In immigration news, the crisis of unaccompanied minors at the border continues. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Obama met with the presidents of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to discuss a solution that addresses longer-term regional problems that drive the children to come to America. Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said, “[t]he sheer size of transnational organized crime is not something that can be tackled by one nation.” Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that religious groups in the United States have mobilized in support of providing aid to the immigrant children. According to the Times, the child immigration issue may be pushing otherwise conservative religious groups to support broader immigration reform.
In Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reports that unions are a stronger force in Massachusetts’s politics than at any time in the past 25 years. Unions have played a key role in raising the minimum wage, passing “new workplace protections for state employees, a bill of rights for housekeepers and other domestic workers,” and supporting more victories for workers.
In sports news, the New York Times reports that student-athletes have won several long-sought concessions from the N.C.A.A. and universities. Schools and the N.C.A.A. have stated that these changes have been in the works for some time, but outside observers see this is a reaction to some players’ attempts to unionize, as well as an anti-trust lawsuit against the N.C.A.A. Some universities are now guaranteeing multi-year rather than one-year scholarships, improving medical coverage and providing greater financial support. The N.C.A.A. is also no longer asking players to sign a waiver giving the organization the right to use their likeness without compensation. We’ve covered the student-athlete attempts to unionize previously, including here, here, and here.
National Geographic has a feature on the “The New Face of Hunger” in America. The magazine explores why “[o]ne-sixth of Americans don’t have enough food to eat” through profiles of families in Iowa, Texas, and New York.
In international news, Iberia airlines reached an agreement with its union to cut its staff by 1,427, according to the Wall Street Journal. The reduction in staff will last through at least 2015.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
August 21
FLRA eliminates ALJs; OPM axes gender-affirming care; H-2A farmworkers lose wage suit.
August 20
5th Circuit upholds injunctions based on challenges to NLRB constitutionality; Illinois to counteract federal changes to wage and hour, health and safety laws.
August 19
Amazon’s NLRA violations, the end of the Air Canada strike, and a court finds no unconstitutional taking in reducing pension benefits
August 18
Labor groups sue local Washington officials; the NYC Council seeks to override mayoral veto; and an NLRB official rejects state adjudication efforts.
August 17
The Canadian government ends a national flight attendants’ strike, and Illinois enacts laws preserving federal worker protections.
August 15
Columbia University quietly replaces graduate student union labor with non-union adjunct workers; the DC Circuit Court lifts the preliminary injunction on CFPB firings; and Grubhub to pay $24.75M to settle California driver class action.