Jacqueline Rayfield is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, Hollywood actors’ guild votes to authorize a strike, Norfolk Southern becomes the first major North American railroad to agree to paid sick time for all workers, and UNITE HERE Local 11 gears up for a strike vote.
Actors in the Screen Actors’ Guild – American Film, Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA), voted on Monday night to authorize a strike if they are not able to negotiate a new contract by their current contract’s June 30th expiration date. Roughly 48% of the union’s 160,000 members participated in the vote, and nearly 98% of those voted in favor of a strike. SAG-AFTRA President, Fran Drescher, highlighted the importance of adapting to the new digital age and streaming business model in their contract. The union expects to negotiate on benefits plans, protection from erosion of income by inflation and use of AI. As the WGA writers’ strike enters its sixth week, it may be getting company on the picket line.
On Monday, Norfolk Southern became the first major North American railroad to sign paid sick leave deals with all its employee unions. While rail workers were forces to accept a five-year deal last fall after Congress blocked their ability to strike, workers are finally beginning to see progress on sick leave across employers. Union Pacific similarly announced a paid sick leave deal with its engineers, though it still has workers left uncovered.
Tomorrow, UNITE HERE Local 11, a Los Angeles, Orange County and Arizona-based service workers’ union, will be holding a strike authorization vote with 15,000 hotel workers. The union’s co-president hopes this show of solidarity will help jump start the slow moving negotiation with Los Angeles area hotels. Major hotels among the employers in these negotiations include Marriott International and Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Results of the strike authorization vote are expected Friday morning.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.
July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.