John Fry is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, Chavez-DeRemer confirmed as Labor Secretary; NLRB issues decisions with new quorum; and Flex drivers deemed Amazon employees in Virginia.
The Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor Secretary yesterday. While Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination made headlines due to her past support for the PRO Act as a member of Congress from Oregon, she has since walked back her support for the law, as Divya has covered. Despite her recent statements seeming to moderate her pro-labor views, three Republicans voted against Chavez-DeRemer, while 17 Democrats supported her.
The National Labor Relations Board has resumed issuing decisions now that Gwynne Wilcox has rejoined as a Board Member, creating a three-Member quorum that once again allows the agency to fully function. On Wednesday, the District Court for the District of Columbia ordered Wilcox reinstated, a ruling which I analyzed yesterday. The Board started small yesterday by issuing four unpublished decisions affirming the judgments of administrative law judges in cases where neither party objected to the ALJ’s decisions. The Trump administration, however, has already appealed Wilcox’s reinstatement, which casts uncertainty on the Board’s activity in the near future.
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Amazon Flex drivers, who sign up to deliver Amazon packages in three- or four-hour shifts using their own vehicles, are employees under Virginia law. After the Virginia Employment Commission sought to make Amazon pay unemployment taxes on behalf of the drivers, the company appealed, but the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Amazon failed to show “at any point” why Flex drivers should be considered independent contractors under the relevant legal test. Thursday’s ruling comes as Amazon is trying to avoid responsibility for its delivery drivers on multiple fronts, including fights over whether it is a joint employer of the drivers who operate Amazon-branded delivery vans.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
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.
October 7
The Supreme Court kicks off its latest term, granting and declining certiorari in several labor-related cases.