Justin Cassera is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, Meta unveils new advertisements, “Blame-Democrats” emails are blocked by a federal court, and thousands protest in Portugal.
Meta recently unveiled new advertisements promoting the company’s recent data center construction in various parts of the United States. The commercials, featuring towns like Altoona, Iowa, and Los Lunas, New Mexico, characterize the data centers as an opportunity for job creation and economic growth in otherwise stagnating communities. Their website, titled “Building America,” includes statistics on financial commitments and quotes from elected officials. Critics of the data centers think promises of long-term job creation are dubious and highlight the “nonstop noise, pollution . . . and rapidly rising electric bills.”
On Friday, a federal court granted summary judgment in favor of the American Federation for Government Employees’ lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s use of partisan language in automated out-of-office emails from government employees during the government shutdown. Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia stated that the practice infringed on the free speech rights of the employees whose emails had been commandeered. Following the ruling, AFGE issued a statement saying that the “Trump-Vance administration’s use of official government resources to spread partisan messaging using employees’ email was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment, and the court’s ruling makes clear that even this administration is not above the law.”
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people protested proposed labor reforms in Portugal. The reforms, put forth by Portugal’s center-right government, would make it easier to dismiss workers and place limits on various pregnancy-related benefits. The reforms are expected to receive parliamentary approval as the government aims to improve productivity and mobility in the labor market. The protest was organized by the country’s main labor union, which has also announced a general strike beginning December 11.
Daily News & Commentary
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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.
March 9
6th Circuit rejects Cemex, Board may overrule precedents with two members.
March 8
In today’s news and commentary, a weak jobs report, the NIH decides it will no longer recognize a research fellows’ union, and WNBA contract talks continue to stall as season approaches. On Friday, the Labor Department reported that employers cut 92,000 jobs in February while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.4 percent. A loss […]