The Washington Post reports that Wal-Mart has reached a settlement with the Department of Labor to provide safer conditions for custodial employees at more than 2,800 stores. Under the settlement, Wal-Mart will provide more training to workers who use trash compacters and cleaning chemicals in stores in the twenty-eight states that follow federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
In a different kind of occupational health and safety news, the Major League Baseball Players Association announced an appeal of Alex Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension. Rodriguez had been suspended for using steroids; the player’s union argues that Rodriguez’s suspension is disproportionate.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the pay-scale, the New York Times editorial board announced its support for fast-food workers’ attempt to unionize. Fast-food workers organized day-long walkouts over the past week to protest wages that are too low to earn a living. The Times reported on the workers’ reasonable request for a higher wage – $15 an hour – and enforcement of their right organize without fear of retaliation. The Washington Post discussed what it’s like living on McDonald’s wages with a two McDonald’s employees.
In political news, the Laborer’s International Union of North American Mid-Atlantic Region plans to endorse Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) for the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial race. This will be the first labor union endorsement in this race.
The New York Times published a long analysis of affluent women who chose to leave the paid workforce over the past decade to raise children, and are now seeking to return to paid employment. This follow up to the (in)famous 2003 article on the “opt-out revolution,” and the many similar pieces that followed, provides insight into the difficulties of re-entering the paid workforce, the advantages that the elite have in exiting and re-entering the paid workforce, the ways that employers still do not accommodate men and women who have child-care obligations outside of work, and how engaging in paid work can change one’s view of oneself.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
September 2
AFT joins Target boycott, Hilton workers go on strike in Houston, and the Center for Labor & A Just Economy releases a new report
September 1
Labor Day! Workers over Billionaires protests; Nurses go on strike, Volkswagen ordered to pay damages.
August 31
California lawmakers and rideshare companies reach an agreement on collective bargaining legislation for drivers; six unions representing workers at American Airlines call for increased accountability from management; Massachusetts Teamsters continue the longest sanitation strike in decades.
August 29
Trump fires regulator in charge of reviewing railroad mergers; fired Fed Governor sues Trump asserting unlawful termination; and Trump attacks more federal sector unions.
August 28
contested election for UAW at Kentucky battery plant; NLRB down to one member; public approval of unions remains high.
August 27
The U.S. Department of Justice welcomes new hires and forces reassignments in the Civil Rights Division; the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments in Brown v. Alaska Airlines Inc.; and Amazon violates federal labor law at its air cargo facility in Kentucky.