News & Commentary

November 10, 2013

As multiple news outlets have reported, Republican lawmakers are now saying a vote on immigration reform in the House of Representatives is unlikely this year.  According to the New York Times, Congressman McCarthy, the Republican Majority Whip, told constituents that the House would not be voting on the issue this term.  Despite this, the Los Angeles Times reports that leading public figures, including Hilary Clinton and former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, continue to push the House to take up the issue.

On Thursday the UAW selected Dennis Williams, the current secretary-treasurer, to be the nominee for its next president, according to the New York Times.  The UAW president’s next four years will handle contentious contract negotiations with American automobile manufacturers as well as “pressure to organize foreign-owned plants in the United States.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that ongoing labor disputes continue to affect the workers who broadcast PAC 12 football games.  The Pac-12 Networks, which televise the Pacific 12 Conference football games, has had an ongoing dispute with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union representing the networks’ camera operators and other technicians.  In 2012, the union staged a two-week strike.  This week, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a letter to the Stanford University President criticizing the Pac-12 Networks for their treatment of the union members.  Stanford is a member of the PAC 12 Conference and the Stanford President sits on the Board of the Pac-12 Networks.

On Friday, the trial challenging Detroit’s declaration of bankruptcy ended, the New York Times reports.  One of the key issues is whether the City offered good faith opportunity for creditors (including the city employees’ union) to negotiate their debts before the City declared bankruptcy.  The trial occurred in the U.S. Bankruptcy court before Judge Rhodes, who could issue a ruling anytime after this Wednesday.

The Washington Post reports that the economy added 204,000 jobs in October.  At the same time, the number of workers in the labor force fell, meaning that more unemployed people are giving up looking for jobs, and are therefore no longer included in the overall size of the workforce.

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