The New York Times reports that union leader Eliseo Medina is on the 13th day of a water-only fast. Mr. Medina, the second highest official in his union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), began fasting to bring attention to immigrants’ rights, arguing that “unions should embrace unauthorized foreign workers, rather than shun them as job stealers.” At 67 years old, Mr. Medina has said that he will continue fasting until his body gives out. The fast is taking place on the National Mall.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Los Angeles police union issued a press release in an effort to protect the reputations of LAPD officers being accused of using excessive force during an arrest. The press release included a recording of the arrestee, made by police a few days before the arrest, wherein the arrestee admits to having used a synthetic drug than can cause paranoia. The LA Times cites this case as offering a glimpse into “how the union mobilized in an effort to defend officers they believe have been wrongly accused.”
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the city has been debating the issue of employee pay for the past several weeks. The Associated Press reports that public sector employees are arguing for merit increases and longevity bonuses. The city acknowledges that a pay increase for public employees is necessary to raise pay to a rate that is comparable to similarly situated communities. A task force is being created to examine ways the system might be overhauled to free up funding for these raises. It is estimated that almost $9 million per year will be needed. The consultants tasked with this effort found that employee benefits are better than those in comparable communities and younger employees are more concerned with immediate pay than retirement.
The San Francisco Chronicle repots that, Diamond Resorts International, a large hospitality company, has begun using biometric finger print time clocks at its different properties across the United States.
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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.
September 9
Ninth Circuit revives Trader Joe’s lawsuit against employee union; new bill aims to make striking workers eligible for benefits; university lecturer who praised Hitler gets another chance at First Amendment claims.