In the contentious world of education policy, Politico reports that Michelle Rhee, the “outspoken education reformer,” will “host a series of national town hall meetings” in cities across the country. Despite Rhee’s history of clashing with teachers’ unions during her tenure as chancellor of D.C.’s public schools, she will be joined by George Parker, former president of the Washington Teachers’ Union.
For slightly older students and graduates, the debate over unpaid internships continues. Kelli Goff at theWashington Post opines that Sheryl Sandberg, the Facebook COO and author of Lean In, should be ashamed that her non-profit was seeking an unpaid intern, despite herself earning over $90 million in the past year.
Over in California, a court has ordered a 60-day injunction against further BART strikes. William B. Gould IV, a former chairman of the NLRB, argues in the L.A. Times, that both management and labor take inspiration from how Major League Baseball resolved its salary disputes in 1973 and turn to binding arbitration.
In labor news overseas, the Washington Post reports that Samsung has been sued by a Brazilian labor group for poor working conditions at the firm’s assembly lines in Brazil.
The immigration reform battle continues over Congress’ August recess. The Washington Post reports that immigration reform advocates and unions have sent “caravans of cars and buses” to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s (R, CA-22) district to push him to support reform. Rep. McCarthy’s district has a significant agriculture industry, which relies on immigrant labor, making him perhaps more persuadable than other Republican Members of Congress.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 24
A majority of House Representatives sign a discharge petition for the Faster Labor Contracts Act, and the House Transportation Committee adopts a railroad safety amendment in the Build America 250 Act.
May 22
U.S. employers spend $1.7B on union avoidance each year and the ICJ declares the right to strike a protected activity.
May 21
UAW backs legal challenge to Trump “gold card” visa; DOL requests unemployment fraud technology funding; Samsung reaches eleventh-hour union agreement.
May 20
LIRR strike ends after three-day shutdown; key senators reject Trump's proposed 26% cut to Labor Department budget; EEOC moves to eliminate employer demographic reporting requirement.
May 19
Amazon urges 11th Circuit to overturn captive-audience meeting ban; DOL scraps Biden overtime rule; SCOTUS to decide on Title IX private right of action for school employees
May 18
California Department of Justice finds conditions at ICE facilities inhumane; Second Circuit rejects race bias claim from Black and Hispanic social workers; FAA cuts air traffic controller staffing target.