Esther Ritchin is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News & Commentary, San Diego finds success in a creative program to combat wage theft, workers at an Amazon warehouse file an unfair labor practice against Amazon for intrusive surveillance, and the University of California seeks an injunction to end a strike.
San Diego has found success in an innovative pilot program aimed at combating wage theft, called the Workplace Justice Fund. The fund supports workers who have won a legal judgment in their favor in a wage theft case, and does so by providing them up to $3,000 while trying to get their debts paid. The process of collecting debts from employers in wage theft cases can be incredibly onerous, especially given that many former employers accused of wage theft close, leaving no entity from which to recover the money. Other cities in California have come up with similarly creative solutions, including Santa Clara, which has threatened to withhold operation authorization from food businesses with unpaid labor violation judgments.
Workers at a warehouse in Missouri have filed an unfair labor practice against Amazon for intrusive and sweeping surveillance of the workers, which workers claim violates their rights to engage in protected concerted activity. Workers point to video surveillance, combined with artificial intelligence, that constantly tracks and analyzes the movements of workers. Such surveillance can stifle an employee’s ability to feel free to openly communicate with coworkers and organize.
The University of California (UC) is seeking a court-ordered injunction to end a strike, currently ongoing at UC Santa Cruz and planned to spread to other UC campuses, objecting to the university’s treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. The union is demanding protection for freedom of speech, amnesty for those affiliated with the university who were arrested or are facing disciplinary action in relation to protests, and divestment from weapons manufacturers, military contractors, and companies making profits from the war in Gaza. The university is claiming the strike is unlawful, not tied to the terms and conditions of employment, and in violation of a no-strike clause. The union contends that the strike is legal as walkouts are allowed in response to unfair labor practices.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]