The L.A. Times reports that the U.S. economy added just 74,000 jobs in December, the smallest increase in three years. The news was accompanied by a drop in the unemployment rate to 6.7%, the lowest level since October 2008. However, this decrease was driven by the number of Americans who have given up on looking for work, rather than by those who left the ranks of the unemployed after finding work.
The New York Times features stories of domestic workers who have alleged mistreatment by their diplomat-employers. The story comes after Indian deputy consul general Devyani Khobragade was granted immunity and allowed to leave the country rather than face charges of visa fraud related to allegations of exploitation and wage theft made by her housekeeper.
Trucking company YRC Worldwide faces more difficulties, according to the Wall Street Journal, after Teamsters voted to reject a contract extension that would have continued pay and benefits cuts negotiated in a previous agreement. The company owes nearly $1.4 billion to creditors, some of whom have conditioned refinancing on a renegotiation of YRC’s labor contracts.
Daily News & Commentary
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November 21
The “Big Three” record labels make a deal with an AI music streaming startup; 30 stores join the now week-old Starbucks Workers United strike; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration draws scrutiny over a recent worker death.
November 20
Law professors file brief in Slaughter; New York appeals court hears arguments about blog post firing; Senate committee delays consideration of NLRB nominee.
November 19
A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel the collective bargaining rights of workers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media; Representative Jared Golden secures 218 signatures for a bill that would repeal a Trump administration executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights; and Dallas residents sue the City of Dallas in hopes of declaring hundreds of ordinances that ban bias against LGBTQ+ individuals void.
November 18
A federal judge pressed DOJ lawyers to define “illegal” DEI programs; Peco Foods prevails in ERISA challenge over 401(k) forfeitures; D.C. court restores collective bargaining rights for Voice of America workers; Rep. Jared Golden secures House vote on restoring federal workers' union rights.
November 17
Justices receive petition to resolve FLSA circuit split, vaccine religious discrimination plaintiffs lose ground, and NJ sues Amazon over misclassification.
November 16
Boeing workers in St. Louis end a 102-day strike, unionized Starbucks baristas launch a new strike, and Illinois seeks to expand protections for immigrant workers