Nicholas Anway is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary: Even the best structural reforms will not succeed without organizing supported by legislative wins, and despite Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s declaration that they are “unwelcome,” undocumented workers are stepping up to rebuild after Hurricane Ian.
Even the best structural reforms will not succeed without organizing supported by legislative wins, George Goehl and Lauren Jacobs argued in the The Forge and the American Prospect last week. “We agree that organizers should use every available mechanism to help us grow our power and that power-building policies like the ones proposed can act as important catalysts for organizational growth,” write the authors. Theirs is the latest in a series of articles inspired by Ben and Kate Andrais’s article in the Yale Law Journal “proposing that organizers push for legislation granting collective-bargaining rights to tenants, debtors, welfare recipients, and other groups of poor and working-class people—facilitating the development of durable institutions that can act as countervailing powers against the power of organized capital.” The authors argue that to rebuild American democracy, “we need to win more legislation that redistributes power to poor and working people—and creates new handles for organizing and building member organizations,” following historical examples like the National Labor Relations Act and the Community Reinvestment Act.
Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’s declaration that they are “unwelcome,” undocumented workers are stepping up to rebuild after Hurricane Ian, according to the Washington Post. “We’re not here to steal; we’re here to work,” said one worker in Southwest Florida. “This is helping.” Indeed, data show that undocumented immigrants accounted for the vast majority of the day laborers who cleaned up after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Ida last year. And that trend is continuing. “[A]fter Hurricane Ian inflicted billions of dollars in damage, undocumented workers came to the Sunshine State to rebuild, joining tens of thousands of others who were already here.” Construction managers say they are sorely needed.
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August 16
New documents show that federal surveillance operations targeted Minnesota labor unions during the ICE surge, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission denies halting federal class discrimination complaints.
August 14
Hollywood unions diverge in response to the Paramount-Warner merger saga; Tesla defeats a years-long strike in Sweden, and labor scholars advocate for state sectoral bargaining policy innovation.
August 13
EEOC complaint process expected to harm federal workers; former UAW leaders endorse Fain challenger; Xbox employees protest layoffs.
August 12
Third Circuit affirms dismissal of driver’s bias and retaliation claims against CBS and Teamsters; employment litigation surges in Washington state; MIT Sloan professor argues the rise of “disposable workers” is transforming American employment.
August 11
Rideshare drivers nearing union certification in California; UFCW campaigns against electronic shelf labels; Teamsters support NYC delivery driver bill.
August 10
Employee sues for a fossil-fuel-free 401(k) plan as a religious accommodation; DHS submits a proposed rule eliminating 60-day grace period for H-1B workers; Eighth Circuit dismisses constitutional challenge to the FMSHRC.