Peter Morgan is a student at Harvard Law School.
Today’s News and Commentary: the Board issued a new ruling on severance agreements, HarperCollins employees return to work, Senator Sanders sends a letter to Google, and two new reports show a rise in labor activity and the benefits of a four-day workweek.
The Board issued a new ruling prohibiting employers from requiring employees to waive NLRA rights in severance agreements. In the case, McLaren Macomb, the Board found that severance agreements requiring employees to refrain from disclosing the terms of the agreement or from making critical comments about their employer—and even the offer of such agreements—violated 8(a)(1) by deterring the employees from using their section 7 rights. This marks a return to the Board’s standard before Baylor University Medical Center in 2020.
More than 250 HarperCollins employees returned to work after their union ratified an agreement with the publisher. Gains included an increase in the base salary from $45,000 to $50,000 in 2025, two hours of available overtime that did not require management approval, a $1,500 lump-sum payment to union members, and compensation for work on diversity and inclusion efforts. The strike had begun in November.
After previous letters to Starbucks executive Howard Schultz, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to Google expressing “serious concern regarding alleged retaliation taken against YouTube Music workers.” This letter arrives as YouTube Music workers participate in a strike begun earlier this month.
Two new major reports launched within the last day. First, Cornell-ILR’s Labor Action Tracker released an annual report of labor actions over 2022. The report documented a marked uptick in labor activity: 424 work stoppages occurred, compared to 279 in 2021; and the number of workers which participated in such stoppages increased from approximately 140,000 to 224,000.
Second, a study led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Boston College found that all but 56 of the 61 companies which took part in a four-day workweek trial have said they will continue with the four-day week. The study, which involved up to 2,900 employees in the UK, showed fewer resignations and sick days, a reduction in burnout in a majority of employees, and even (where data was provided) increased sales numbers.
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October 14
Census Bureau layoffs, Amazon holiday hiring, and the final settlement in a meat producer wage-fixing lawsuit.
October 13
Texas hotel workers ratify a contract; Pope Leo visits labor leaders; Kaiser lays off over two hundred workers.
October 12
The Trump Administration fires thousands of federal workers; AFGE files a supplemental motion to pause the Administration’s mass firings; Democratic legislators harden their resolve during the government shutdown.
October 10
California bans algorithmic price-fixing; New York City Council passes pay transparency bills; and FEMA questions staff who signed a whistleblowing letter.
October 9
Equity and the Broadway League resume talks amid a looming strike; federal judge lets alcoholism ADA suit proceed; Philadelphia agrees to pay $40,000 to resolve a First Amendment retaliation case.
October 8
In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers; the Second Circuit denies a request from the NFL for an en banc review in the Brian Flores case; and Governor Gavin Newsom signs an agreement to create a pathway for unionization for Uber and Lyft drivers.