The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama plans to sign an executive order which would bar federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The White House is currently finalizing details – including whether or not to allow an exemption for non-profit religious organizations – and will likely not issue an order until the Supreme Court announces its decision in Hobby Lobby. The Washington Post visualizes the scope of the planned executive order’s coverage.
The Wall Street Journal also reports that American Airlines has reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists union. Earlier in the year, bargaining between the union and company was at an impasse, with the union objecting to American Airlines’ merger with US Airways. The Machinists union has said that the new agreement provides “substantial wage increases, job security improvements and maintain[s] industry-leading health care benefits.”
The New York Times offers a visualization of employment to population ratios on a state-by-state basis across America. Though the familiar labor market indicator of unemployment rates have been nearing pre-recession lows, the share of “adults with jobs — or employment rates — look[s] much less healthy.”
Daily News & Commentary
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December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.