On the Wall Street Journal opinion page, Steve Caldeira (President of the International Franchise Association) argues that many of the new higher minimum wage ordinances are unfair to franchises. Caldeira writes that in Seattle, “at the request of the SEIU, the city council and mayor classified franchisees not as the small, locally owned businesses they are, but as giant corporations.” This matters because in many cases, as in Seattle’s minimum wage bill, large companies (more than 500 employees) have three years to phase-in the increase to $15/hour, while small business get seven years to phase-in the increase. Caldeira thinks this arbitrarily discriminates against small business simply because they are franchises.
The New York Times reports that in the new contract negotiations for Long Island Rail Road workers, union leaders are skeptical that the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s latest offer is really “everything [the unions have] asked for,” as the MTA claims. While MTA offered workers 17% raises over seven years, the union claims that it requested the raises over six years, not seven, and that under the MTA’s offer, for the first time employees would be required to contribute 2% of their salaries to their health care plans. The railroad workers voted in February to approve a strike, and they have still not ruled it out: the Times reports that it could happen as early as July 20.
Politico reports that several top former Obama aides will lead a new nationwide campaign to challenge teacher tenure, seniority, and other job protections that are championed by teachers’ unions. The Incite Agency, founded by former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and former Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt, will lead the effort, which will proceed through litigation and a major public relations push. The move is said to highlight the schism within the Democratic Party over education reform: “Teachers unions have long counted on Democrats as their most loyal allies. But in the past decade, more and more big-name Democrats have split with the unions to support charter schools, tenure reform and accountability measures that hold teachers responsible for raising students’ scores on standardized tests.”
On the New York Times Taking Note blog, Lawrence Downes reports that “Representative Luis Gutierrez, the Illinois Democrat, took the House floor this morning and declared the end of immigration reform.” Because of the July 4 recess and the upcoming midterm elections, Downes thinks the prospects for immigration reform are “dead, for the foreseeable future.”
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 […]