The New York Times profiles stories on unemployed workers, as the emergency federal unemployment-insurance program – which extended benefits by up to 73 weeks beyond state maximums – is set to expire at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the Washington Post highlights the impact the change will have on each state’s maximum weeks of benefit eligibility in two stark graphics.
The number of asylum claims from immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally has tripled this year, according to the L.A. Times. The sharp spike in claims is leading some to conclude that many may be fraudulent claims designed to delay deportation, but others say such suspicions shouldn’t alter a process that is vital to protect vulnerable people from persecution abroad.
The nation’s highest municipal minimum wage, $15/hr in SeaTac, Washington passed by referendum earlier this year, is facing a crucial court test today, reports the New York Times. As labor advocates anxiously await the law’s effective date of January 1, 2014, a challenge to the law brought by Alaska Airlines and the Washington Restaurant Association is being heard in a Seattle courtroom today.
New York University teaching assistants have voted by a 620 to 10 margin to join the United Automobile Workers, reports the New York Times. The workers will become the first union of graduate assistants recognized at a private university anywhere in the country.
The Washington Post highlights a cost-of-living pay increase for federal workers contained in the new Budget deal that obtained bi-partisan support in Congress.
Talks between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have collapsed, according to the Wall Street Journal, in the latest wrinkle in the ongoing drama over where the company’s planned 777x jetliner will be manufactured. A Boeing spokesperson stated they had no plans to go back to the negotiating table, characterizing the most recent proposal as their “best and final” offer.
Laura D’Andrea Tyson in the New York Times reviews the evidence on what effect a minimum wage hike has on job numbers and prices.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 13
New York Times files retaliation suit against the EEOC; US government pushes back TPS designation termination for Haiti; federal judge grants preliminary injunction to federal workers seeking reasonable telework accommodations.
July 12
Postal workers demand investigation into Atlanta distribution center conditions following deaths; University of Chicago Press Workers vote to unionize.
July 10
Brigham and Women’s Hospital locks out 4,000 nurses after one-day strike; appeal filed challenging agency-shop agreements.
July 9
The Second Circuit declines to vacate an arbitration award over a nursing union dispute; federal workers sue the Department of Defense for termination of union contracts; New York City announces settlement with companies for violating New York work laws.
July 8
DOL plans to make changes to the PERM immigration program; three-day hearing on proposed forced-labor tariffs is underway; Mamdani recovers $2.3M in corporate settlements.
July 7
Former EEOC Commissioner drops her wrongful termination lawsuit following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Presidential removal power; unions sue Department of Defense over cancellation of collective bargaining agreements.