Ajayan Williamson is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, an investigation launches into the Secretary of Labor; New Jersey advances a bill to protect child labor in online videos; and NIOSH reinstates hundreds of employees.
On Monday, top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were placed on administrative leave following the start of an investigation by the department’s inspector general. The New York Times and Politico report that Secretary DeRemer allegedly misused official funds for personal travel and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The suspended aides — her Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff — were named in the complaint and were said to have knowledge of the misconduct. The White House and the Department of Labor both denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, New Jersey advanced a bill on Monday that would extend labor protections to children featured in online video content. The bill provides that minors who participate in generating online content, or who are passively included in such content, must be compensated with a share of earnings from the content. It further requires that video content creators — referred to as “vloggers” by the bill — follow relevant wage, employment, and child labor laws when employing minors. The bill passed out of the New Jersey legislature with bipartisan support, and will now be sent to Governor Phil Murphy for his signature. Assuming it becomes law, New Jersey will join California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Utah in providing specific protections for children involved in content creation, adding additional oversight to what is now a multi-billion dollar industry.
Finally, on Tuesday the Trump administration reinstated hundreds of employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who had been placed on leave last year. NIOSH, which is housed in the CDC, is the primary government entity conducting research and providing recommendations for preventing workplace-related injuries and disease. This reinstatement restores positions for about 90% of NIOSH’s staff, who were terminated by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last April. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) celebrated the reversal as a product of union organizing, stating that “life-saving research is going to be able to continue” as a result.
Daily News & Commentary
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February 11
Hollywood begins negotiations for a new labor agreement with writers and actors; the EEOC launches an investigation into Nike’s DEI programs and potential discrimination against white workers; and Mayor Mamdani circulates a memo regarding the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
February 10
San Francisco teachers walk out; NLRB reverses course on SpaceX; NYC nurses secure tentative agreements.
February 9
FTC argues DEI is anticompetitive collusion, Supreme Court may decide scope of exception to forced arbitration, NJ pauses ABC test rule.
February 8
The Second Circuit rejects a constitutional challenge to the NLRB, pharmacy and lab technicians join a California healthcare strike, and the EEOC defends a single better-paid worker standard in Equal Pay Act suits.
February 6
The California Supreme Court rules on an arbitration agreement, Trump administration announces new rule on civil service protections, and states modify affirmative action requirements
February 5
Minnesota schools and teachers sue to limit ICE presence near schools; labor leaders call on Newsom to protect workers from AI; UAW and Volkswagen reach a tentative agreement.