Esther Ritchin is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, Stanford Graduate Workers Union authorizes a strike, Massachusetts voters reject One Fair Wage ballot initiative, and UAW Labor for Palestine launches divestment campaign.
On Wednesday, November 6, the Stanford Graduate Workers Union voted to authorize a strike. The membership overwhelmingly opted to authorize the strike, with about 89% of the 2,317 votes in favor. The union rejected Stanford’s proposed contract, calling for higher wages for first-years, improved anti-discrimination protections, and paid parental leave. The strike could begin as early as Tuesday, November 12.
Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated a subminimum wage exclusive to tipped workers. 64.3% of voters voted against the measure after a fierce opposition campaign. Proponents of the measure claim a single minimum wage for all employees, tipped or non tipped, promotes equality across industries and stability for employees, while reducing the possibility for employer wage theft. The opposition claims the ballot measure would have unduly burdened restaurants, reduced tipped workers’ overall wages (through the reduction of tipping), and decreased employment throughout the sector. Those advocating for the measure spent about $1.2 million, mostly funded by the nonprofit One Fair Wage. The opposition spent about $2.5 million, primarily funded by restaurant associations.
On Wednesday, November 6, United Auto Workers (UAW) Labor for Palestine, launched a new campaign called “UAW Divest Now!” calling for the union to divest from Israel bonds. The campaign called for the union to reflect the views of its membership and continue its anti-apartheid legacy. The campaign contrasts itself with Vice President Harris’ campaign, calling themselves an alternative to her campaign’s failed tactic of “bank[ing] on working people voting for concessions to right-wingers and the wealthy[.]”
Daily News & Commentary
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September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.
September 11
California rideshare deal advances; Boeing reaches tentative agreement with union; FTC scrutinizes healthcare noncompetes.
September 10
A federal judge denies a motion by the Trump Administration to dismiss a lawsuit led by the American Federation of Government Employees against President Trump for his mass layoffs of federal workers; the Supreme Court grants a stay on a federal district court order that originally barred ICE agents from questioning and detaining individuals based on their presence at a particular location, the type of work they do, their race or ethnicity, and their accent while speaking English or Spanish; and a hospital seeks to limit OSHA's ability to cite employers for failing to halt workplace violence without a specific regulation in place.