The UAW will breathe new life into its efforts to organize workers in the South by establishing local non-bargaining units near the VW plant in Chattanooga, TN, and a Daimler AG plant in Vance, AL. According to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, membership in the groups will be voluntary and they will not be recognized by the automakers, at least initially; they are modeled after German-style works councils. The UAW said these new efforts have arisen out of the narrow defeat at the VW Chattanooga plant earlier this year.
The New York Times reports that unemployment claims fell last week to one of the lowest levels since before the Great Recession, marking another sign of strong economic recovery. The Times takes this as a sign that “the long cycle of aggressive layoffs appears to be over.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, AFSCME will soon cut off ties with the United Negro College Fund, after that organization accepted a $25 million donation from the Koch brothers, who have been vocal critics of organized labor. AFSCME and UNCF had worked together for over ten years, with the union supporting the Fund’s scholarship programs for black students. AFSCME’s President wrote that the union viewed the UNCF’s acceptance of the donation as “not only deeply hostile to the rights and dignity of public employees, but also a profound betrayal of the ideals of the civil rights movement.”
In immigration news, the LA Times reports that the parties are as divided as ever on President Obama’s proposed solution to the increased number of unaccompanied minors at the border. The president’s plan to send $3.7 billion to the border for increased enforcement has invited a number of counter-proposals in Congress. One of these proposals, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, would significantly decrease the legal procedures that such children are entitled to, making them deportable without judicial hearings.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.
June 29
In today’s news and commentary, Trump v. CASA restricts nationwide injunctions, a preliminary injunction continues to stop DOL from shutting down Job Corps, and the minimum wage is set to rise in multiple cities and states. On Friday, the Supreme Court held in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority that […]