
Gilbert Placeres is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News & Commentary, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien to speak at the RNC, some red states rollback underage work permit requirements, and the labor movement mourns the passing of Jane McAlevey.
Controversially, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien will be speaking at the Republican National Convention this week. Earlier this year, O’Brien met with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort and then brought him to a Teamsters executive board meeting to discuss labor issues and an endorsement. The Teamsters president, who requested to speak at both parties’ conventions, has framed the choice as a thorough engagement in the democratic process and an effort to maintain a relationship with whoever may win the presidential election.
However, the decision has generated criticism, both inside and outside of the union. Earlier this year, James Curbeam, the national chairman of the Teamsters National Black Caucus, responded to O’Brien’s meeting with Trump with a letter to Teamsters saying “We will not allow the working-class labor movement to be destroyed by a scab masquerading as a pro-union advocate after doing everything in this power to destroy the very fabric of unions.” Further, the rest of organized labor still stands firmly behind President Joe Biden (or, as Holt wrote Friday, at least whoever may be the Democratic nominee). Some Democrats feel betrayed after they passed the Butch Lewis Act, providing relief to struggling union pension funds, a primary goal of the Teamsters. The union is still undergoing a protracted process to determine who it will endorse, which union leadership has called the most democratic and transparent in its history though some Teamsters have reported being retaliated against for criticizing O’Brien’s overtures to Trump. O’Brien will be speaking during the primetime 10 pm slot on Monday.
Across the country, Republican-led states are rolling back work permit requirements for minors and their employers. Alabama, Arkansas, and Iowa are among the states that have ended the work permit requirements, arguing they are unnecessary red tape. The same was tried, unsuccessfully, in Missouri, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Critics have argued the permit process allows states to monitor youth employment and educate teen workers, their parents, and their employers about regulations and thus proactively prevent violations. Indeed, states with permitting requirements report significantly less child labor violations. Other youth work protections repealed recently include work-hour rules in Florida and hazardous work limits in Iowa. These changes have coincided with an increase in child labor violations, which other states, such as Colorado and Illinois, have responded to by strengthening regulations and imposing harsher penalties.
Lastly, the labor movement lost a giant last weekend with the passing of organizer, author, and educator Jane McAlevey. Beautiful eulogies and tributes for her and her work poured out this week, including from Alex Press, Sarah Jaffe, Margot Roosevelt, and D.D. Guttenplan. She set high expectations and insisted on effective strategies because she truly believed an organized working class could win – she surely usually did. For those looking to learn more about her teachings, her books are available on her website.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
March 28
In today’s news and commentary, Wyoming bans non-compete agreements, rideshare drivers demonstrate to recoup stolen wages, and Hollywood trade group names a new president. Starting July 1, employers will no longer be able to force Wyoming employees to sign non-compete agreements. A bill banning the practice passed the Wyoming legislature this past session, with legislators […]
March 27
Florida legislature proposes deregulation of child labor laws, Trump administration cuts international programs that target child labor and human trafficking, and California Federal judge reversed course and ruled that unions representing federal employees can sue the Trump administration over mass firings.
March 25
Illinois warehouse quota bill vetoed; Minnesota residents organize; circuit split on NLRB deference continues
March 23
Mahmoud Khalil and labor; CA Fast Food Council's slow start; debating worker-to-worker organizing
March 19
Colorado unions push to join Montana on just cause protection, Starbucks advocates for the Counterman standard
March 16
Trump scraps $15 federal contractor minimum wage, redirects investments away from union-friendly employers; Utah workers launch campaign to overturn ban on public sector unions.