News outlets around the country have reported on the decision of the NLRB’s general counsel to treat McDonald’s as a joint employer with its franchises. The Washington Post writes that the decision could have “potentially far-reaching implications for the ability of millions of low-wage workers to join a union.” The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reports that “McDonald’s vowed to fight the decision.”
In what the Los Angeles Times calls a “stinging defeat” for the administration of Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles Employee Relations Board voted unanimously to order the City Council to rescind a 2012 law reducing pension benefits for new city employees. A lawyer for the Coalition of L.A. City Unions said that the decision “shows the city could not unilaterally impose changes in pension benefits on its workforce.”
In the midst of the Metropolitan Opera’s “worst labor crisis in years,” the New York Times reports on a history of labor disputes at the Met going back as far as 1906. The contracts for 15 unions working at the opera expire this week, and the Times reports that “while both sides say they hope to avoid a lockout, the chances of reaching deals by Friday appear to be slim.”
As the start of the college football season approaches, the Washington Post reports that the effort to unionize the Northwestern University football program remains front and center. Coach Pat Fitzgerald “championed the team’s unity,” even as he discussed the divided opinions on his team regarding the unionization question.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]
May 2
Immigrant detainees win class certification; Missouri sick leave law in effect; OSHA unexpectedly continues Biden-Era Worker Heat Rule