Jason Vazquez is a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2023. His writing on this blog reflects his personal views and should not be attributed to the IBT.
On Monday morning, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The FDA’s release assured the public that it should feel “very confident” that the vaccine, which has already been administered to more than 100 million individuals in the United States since being authorized for emergency use, “meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.” The shot’s full approval triggers vaccination mandates for more than one million workers across a range of industries, including hospitals, universities, the public sector, the military, and private enterprises. In addition, the FDA’s approval will likely give rise to more such mandates in the coming weeks. Indeed, following the news, New York City announced stricter vaccination requirements for city employees, and oil giant Chevron ordered its field workers to receive inoculations.
In organizing news, the New York City Council Union secured recognition from the New York City Council on Sunday night. The Union, which represents more than 350 Council aides, commenced its unionization efforts in 2019, although discontent among the poorly-paid staffers had been stewing for more than a decade.
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June 5
Nail technicians challenge California classification; oral arguments in challenge to LGBTQ hiring protections; judge blocks Job Corps shutdown.
June 4
Federal agencies violate federal court order pausing mass layoffs; Walmart terminates some jobs in Florida following Supreme Court rulings on the legal status of migrants; and LA firefighters receive a $9.5 million settlement for failure to pay firefighters during shift changes.
June 3
Federal judge blocks Trump's attack on TSA collective bargaining rights; NLRB argues that Grindr's Return-to-Office policy was union busting; International Trade Union Confederation report highlights global decline in workers' rights.
June 2
Proposed budgets for DOL and NLRB show cuts on the horizon; Oregon law requiring LPAs in cannabis dispensaries struck down.
June 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Ninth Circuit upholds a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration, a federal judge vacates parts of the EEOC’s pregnancy accommodation rules, and video game workers reach a tentative agreement with Microsoft. In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration […]
May 30
Trump's tariffs temporarily reinstated after brief nationwide injunction; Louisiana Bill targets payroll deduction of union dues; Colorado Supreme Court to consider a self-defense exception to at-will employment