Henry Green is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, Lori Chavez-Deremer’s confirmation hearing, striking King Soopers workers return to the bargaining table, and UAW members at Rolls-Royce authorize a strike.
Lori Chavez-Deremer, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, faces a Senate confirmation hearing today. Chavez-Deremer may face more No votes from Republicans than other Trump cabinet members. Rand Paul, a senior member on the committee that must advance her nomination, called for her to publicly renounce her support for the PRO Act. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said he could support Chavez-Deremer if she comes out as “pro-right-to-work.” Across the aisle, John Fetterman has said he will support Chavez-Deremer, meaning she can lose as many as four Republicans and still be confirmed.
Striking King Soopers workers will return to the bargaining table, UFCW Local 7 announced Monday night. The workers had been on strike since February 6, after their contract ended January 17. Striking workers risked losing health insurance coverage starting in April if the strike continued; under the return-to-work agreement, King Soopers agreed to maintain their coverage. King Soopers is a Colorado grocery chain owned by Kroger. Local 7 is also negotiating a new contract with Albertsons, which attempted to merge with Kroger last year.
UAW members at a Rolls-Royce plant in Indianapolis have authorized a strike if necessary as their contract’s expiration date approaches. The Rolls-Royce complex employs over 800 members of UAW Local 933 and “is the primary Rolls-Royce facility making aircraft engines for U.S. government contracts,” according to a UAW press release. The workers’ contract expires on February 26. On Thursday, workers voted by 99.5% to authorize a strike, with 86% of the membership participating in the vote. A UAW video calls for ending tiers and notes that new employees at the plant pay as much as $16,000 a year for health insurance.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
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.