The New York Times editorial board called for action on wage theft yesterday. The authors note that although wage theft is commonly associated with low-wage workers, it is a problem that affects workers across the board. For example, software engineers employed by Google, Apple, Intel and Adobe allege that they were robbed of up to $3 billion in wages between 2005 and 2009 when their employers colluded not to recruit one another’s employees in order to suppress wages. The authors call for better funding for the Labor Department and a more active Justice Department.
According to the Washington Post, the Obama administration will announce a new rule on coal dust exposure tomorrow. The rule, which has been in the making for 2.5 years, will aim to reduce miners’ exposure to coal dust, which causes black lung.
The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear an appeal of a Ninth Circuit decision barring enforcement of a section of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070, the Associated Press reports. The section of the law at issue permitted police to arrest people who harbored undocumented immigrants. Two challenges to Arizona’s immigration law are still pending in federal court.
CNN suggested yesterday that there may be some movement on immigration reform in June or July this year. Although “conventional political wisdom suggests that immigration reform in a midterm election year has a snowball’s chance in July of getting any traction,” many analysts believe that these midterm elections may be different. House Republicans are concerned that if Congress does not act by this summer, President Obama will use his executive power to overcome Congressional gridlock. That fear may drive Republicans to get serious about immigration reform.
Inspections of factories in Bangladesh by the two consortiums of Western retailers created last year continue, the New York Times reports. The two groups – the European-dominated Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety, and the American-dominated Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, are moving quickly to conduct hundreds of inspections of factories where their products are produced. While the Alliance has conducted more inspections thus far than the Accord, the Accord believes its inspections are more thorough. Both groups have found serious safety problems in some of the factories they inspected. Of the 400 factories the Alliance has inspected thus far, it has ordered one closed and asked the Bangladeshi government to close four more. The Accord, for its part, has shut down four of the 300 factories it has inspected, and has asked the government to close another four.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.
June 29
In today’s news and commentary, Trump v. CASA restricts nationwide injunctions, a preliminary injunction continues to stop DOL from shutting down Job Corps, and the minimum wage is set to rise in multiple cities and states. On Friday, the Supreme Court held in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority that […]