The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld the state’s 2011 law effectively ending collective bargaining rights for public employees, known as Act 10. Writing for the majority, Justice Michael Gableman said, “No matter the limitations or ‘burdens’ a legislative enactment places on the collective bargaining process, collective bargaining remains a creation of legislative grace and not a constitutional obligation.”
The NLRB’s decision to treat McDonalds as a joint employer “bewilders franchisors,” according to the New York Times. Labor experts predict that the decision may lay the foundation for an expansive ruling covering companies that use temporary agencies or subcontractors. Industry trade groups plan to ask federal courts to overturn the NLRB’s ruling.
The New York Times reports that city officials and union leaders are planning to encourage municipal workers to use walk-in clinics and buy generic drugs to cut healthcare costs. Labor agreements negotiated in the spring included wage increases in exchange for savings in healthcare.
The New York Metropolitan Opera has proposed bringing in federal mediators in response to the union’s proposal of switching to “nontraditional, less adversarial” form of bargaining, according to the New York Times. The company still intends to lockout employees if an agreement is not reached by midnight today.
A District Judge denied motions by unions representing New York police officers to intervene in the stop-and-frisk lawsuit filed against the NYPD and the city. The unions hoped to appeal last year’s ruling that stop and frisk is unconstitutional, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In immigration news, a new study finds that unaccompanied minors crossing the border are more likely to appear for their court hearings if they have an attorney. Represented minors are also more likely to receive asylum or some form of legal status. Less that one third of children with pending cases have representation, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Arizona, the Los Angeles Times reports that the mother of a Mexican teenager has filed a lawsuit in federal court. Her son was killed in Nogales, Mexico after at least one Border Patrol agent opened fire on the U.S. side of the border. The lawsuit raises questions about whether U.S. Constitutional protections extend to foreign individuals outside of the United States.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 1
Labor Day! Workers over Billionaires Protests; Nurses go on strike, Volkswagen ordered to pay damages.
August 31
California lawmakers and rideshare companies reach an agreement on collective bargaining legislation for drivers; six unions representing workers at American Airlines call for increased accountability from management; Massachusetts Teamsters continue the longest sanitation strike in decades.
August 29
Trump fires regulator in charge of reviewing railroad mergers; fired Fed Governor sues Trump asserting unlawful termination; and Trump attacks more federal sector unions.
August 28
contested election for UAW at Kentucky battery plant; NLRB down to one member; public approval of unions remains high.
August 27
The U.S. Department of Justice welcomes new hires and forces reassignments in the Civil Rights Division; the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments in Brown v. Alaska Airlines Inc.; and Amazon violates federal labor law at its air cargo facility in Kentucky.
August 26
Park employees at Yosemite vote to unionize; Philadelphia teachers reach tentative three-year agreement; a new report finds California’s union coverage remains steady even as national union density declines.