Looking back on 2014, it is clear that this has been (for better and worse) a major year in labor. From the Supreme Court to Chattanooga, TN, and from Northwestern football to McDonald’s restaurants, a lot has happened. Here at OnLabor, we’re interested in your views on what the most important labor developments have been over the past twelve months. So, to take advantage of the expertise and experience of our readership, we’re running our first ever reader poll.
To get things started, we’ve put together a partial list (not in any particular order) of what seem to us major developments from 2014. But we want to hear from you. So let us know your thoughts by completing the poll. You can use the options we’ve provided or suggest ones we’ve left out. Once we hear from you, we’ll post the results at OnLabor.
1. The Supreme Court’s decision in Harris v. Quinn. (We extensively covered the pre-game analysis, the decision, and some of its implications).
2. The Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss Mulhall. (We covered the lead-up to the case, our reactions to the oral arguments, some perspectives from around the political spectrum, and the implications of the dismissal).
3. The UAW’s loss at VW in Chattanooga, TN. (Which we explained, covered, and analyzed)
4. VW’s decision to engage in “constructive dialogue” with worker organizations at the Chattanooga plant. (Which we covered and provided some analysis of the legal issues).
5. The ALJ decision that Northwestern football players are “employees” within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. (We covered the decision, its background, and some of its implications for football players and other athletes).
6. The NLRB general counsel’s decision to authorize complaints against McDonalds as a joint employer. (We covered the decision, some of its implications, and some disagreeing viewpoints).
8. The new NLRB election rule.
9. The political success of minimum wage laws.
10. Market Basket.
Vote below!
[polldaddy poll=8525553]
(To add your own answer, select “other” and start typing after the colon — the textbox will appear).
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.
December 15
Advocating a private right of action for the NLRA, 11th Circuit criticizes McDonnell Douglas, Congress considers amending WARN Act.
December 12
OH vetoes bill weakening child labor protections; UT repeals public-sector bargaining ban; SCOTUS takes up case on post-arbitration award jurisdiction