
Courtney Brunson is a student at Harvard Law School and member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
Following Britain’s Supreme Court’s ruling that Uber must classify its drivers as employees in order for them to be provided access to benefits like vacation pay, rest breaks, and a minimum wage, Bloomberg reported on the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) statement yesterday that urged better regulatory cooperation among countries to protect workers in the digital economy. They specifically expressed their concern over algorithms, and not humans, “allocating and evaluating work, and administering and monitoring workers.” The ILO suggested that greater protections for workers should include regularity of work and income, access to social protections, freedom of association, and collective bargaining rights.
Chairman of Federal Reserve Jerome Powell spoke in front of the Senate Banking Committee yesterday. His remarks to lawmakers included stating that the economy is far from its employment and inflation goals, declining to comment on the current $1.9 trillion spending plan in Congress, asserting that the Fed cannot affect wealth inequality because it is primarily a fiscal policy issue, and determining that the economy’s recovery from the pandemic recession will be “robust” in the future but currently remains “uneven and far from complete.” This testimony occurred alongside Reuter’s report on a consumer confidence index survey from The Conference Board, Inc., a 501 non-profit business membership and research group organization. It concluded that consumers are more interested in overseas vacations than they have been in past months but that fewer consumers intend to purchase homes, automobiles, and other big-ticket items over the next six months.
The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about the important role that Venezuelan workers have been playing in the Latin American economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, almost 2 million Venezuelans have fled their country and moved to Colombia since 2015. Since that time, they have made significant economic contributions to the country by fulfilling jobs that Colombians have avoided including harvesting coffee, picking potatoes, and forming small businesses. The Colombian government has implemented a program to legalize at least one million undocumented Venezuelans in order to collect taxes on their employment as well as provide them with healthcare and schooling.
In California, Central Coast United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a local advocacy group, has successfully reached a settlement on behalf of 212 farmworkers who were allegedly unlawfully fired and threatened with law enforcement by Rancho Laguna after they engaged in a work stoppage seeking to increase their wages. CAUSE filed an unfair labor practice charge in May 2020 with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), which was established by the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975 to protect the rights of farm employees and labor organizations. The settlement announcement was made on Saturday and stipulated that the farmworkers would receive nearly $30,000 to compensate impacted workers for potential economic losses that resulted from the alleged retaliation.
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October 8
In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers; the Second Circuit denies a request from the NFL for an en banc review in the Brian Flores case; and Governor Gavin Newsom signs an agreement to create a pathway for unionization for Uber and Lyft drivers.
October 7
The Supreme Court kicks off its latest term, granting and declining certiorari in several labor-related cases.
October 6
EEOC regains quorum; Second Circuit issues opinion on DEI causing hostile work environment.
October 5
In today’s news and commentary, HELP committee schedules a vote on Trump’s NLRB nominees, the 5th Circuit rejects Amazon’s request for en banc review, and TV production workers win their first union contract. After a nomination hearing on Wednesday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee scheduled a committee vote on President Trump’s NLRB nominees […]
October 3
California legislation empowers state labor board; ChatGPT used in hostile workplace case; more lawsuits challenge ICE arrests
October 2
AFGE and AFSCME sue in response to the threat of mass firings; another preliminary injunction preventing Trump from stripping some federal workers of collective bargaining rights; and challenges to state laws banning captive audience meetings.