Esther Ritchin is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, Vance crosses the picket line and the CFPB passes new guidance protecting workers from surveillance.
On Thursday, current Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance crossed the picket line of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vance published an op-ed with the newspaper, officially crossing the picket line of the longest current strike in America. Vance has presented himself as a pro-worker candidate, a claim debunked in another OnLabor post. According to NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss, “JD Vance is a scab just like anybody else who crosses a picket line.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is appearing in federal court on Monday, facing an injunction.
On Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued guidance to protect workers from employer digital surveillance. The guidance clarifies that employers using “third-party consumer reports,” such as surveillance based scores of workers, must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), meaning employees must consent to the use of these tools, employers must be transparent about the data used in disciplinary processes, and employees must be able to dispute inaccurate information. Currently, these tools are used to do things such as predict worker behavior, including possible union organizing, reassign workers, issue disciplinary actions, and look at social media activity.
Daily News & Commentary
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October 11
UAW President Shawn Fain succeeds in his reelection bid, and Spanish unions call for a general strike.
October 9
DHS proposes a $100k fee for the foreign grad employment program; Trump suspends tech company access to green card program; and private equity perpetuates poor working conditions for home care workers.
October 8
NLRB judge finds UPS unlawfully restricted union insignia; Harvard graduate workers authorize second strike; OSHA orders Union Pacific to pay $300,000 in damages in whistleblower case.
October 7
DOL scraps plan to remove decades-old wage-and-hour guidance from federal regulations; New York enacts personnel records access law; Starbucks loses bid to dismiss Workers United trademark suit.
October 6
Protect College Sports Act dampens athlete unionization outlook; Stanford RA union decides to withdraw petition
October 5
Delaware bans captive audience meetings; EEOC settles remote work national origin discrimination claim; First Circuit stays enforcement order in VA's dispute with AFGE.