Holt McKeithan is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, the Labor Department charges an Alabama Hyundai plant for use of child labor and UC workers strike over the schools’ handling of Gaza protests.
An investigation revealed that a 13-year old child worked 50-60 hour weeks on a Hyundai assembly line in Luverne, Alabama. The Department of Labor charged three Alabama companies – Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC, SMART Alabama LLC, and Best Practice Service LLC – in connection with the finding. The DOL’s complaint seeks an injunction against the use of child labor and a portion of the profits Hyundai made while employing child labor. Hyundai Alabama is also facing pressure from an organizing campaign. The UAW is organizing a union campaign at an Alabama Hyundai plant. 30% of workers at the Montgomery plant had signed cards as of February.
UCLA and UC Davis workers walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the schools’ responses to Gaza protests. In response to a request from UCLA, police in riot gear arrested more than 200 students. Now, researchers, graduate students, and other workers affiliated with the UAW have walked off the job. Union leaders are demanding no arrests, expulsions, suspensions, or other disciplinary action against protestors, as well as divestment of university funds associated with the war in Gaza. The university has claimed the strike is unlawful.
Daily News & Commentary
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March 16
Starbucks' union negotiations are resurrected; jobs data is released.
March 15
A U.S. District Court issues a preliminary injunction against the Department of Veterans Affairs for terminating its collective bargaining agreement, and SEIU files a lawsuit against DHS for effectively terminating immigrant workers at Boston Logan International Airport.
March 13
Republican Senators urge changes on OSHA heat standard; OpenAI and building trades announce partnership on data center construction; forced labor investigations could lead to new tariffs
March 12
EPA terminates contract with second-largest union; Florida advances bill restricting public sector unions; Trump administration seeks Supreme Court assistance in TPS termination.
March 11
The partial government shutdown results in TSA agents losing their first full paycheck; the Fifth Circuit upholds the certification of a class of former United Airline workers who were placed on unpaid leave for declining to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons during the pandemic; and an academic group files a lawsuit against the State Department over a policy that revokes and denies visas to noncitizens for their work in fact-checking and content moderation.
March 10
Court rules Kari Lake unlawfully led USAGM, voiding mass layoffs; Florida Senate passes bill tightening union recertification rules; Fifth Circuit revives whistleblower suit against Lockheed Martin.