In San Francisco, transit drivers have called in sick for a third straight day following the overwhelming rejection of a proposed labor agreement on Friday in what the San Francisco Chronicle describes as a “sickout.” According to the Chronicle, the “grassroots action is a loophole around a city law banning Muni employees from striking.” The president of the union representing the drivers said Tuesday that “the union has no part in what’s going on” and therefore cannot call it off.. The Associated Press reports that the rejected contract would have required workers to pick up the tab for pension payments currently paid by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
The New York City Teachers’ Union voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to approve a new nine-year labor contract, according to the New York Times. While some members expressed misgivings about certain provisions of the deal, particularly those addressing retroactive raises and reductions in health care costs, the contract ultimately “passed with over 77 percent of the roughly 90,000 votes cast.” The contract is widely expected to serve as a model for several other municipal unions in their negotiations with the City.
The Associated Press reports that the Michigan state legislature has approved $195 million to head off drastic cuts to the pensions of Detroit retirees and city workers. The grant of funds, which “is being hailed as a major step forward in ending the largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history,” will also allow Detroit to avoid selling a publicly owned art collection that some have valued in excess of $1 billion.
In immigration news, President Obama this week ordered FEMA to lead a relief effort in response to a “surge in unaccompanied children crossing the South Texas border illegally.” The New York Times reports that over 47,000 children travelling without parents have been apprehended since October 1, “a 92 percent increase over the same period in 2013.” The sharp rise in children crossing the border illegally has created a humanitarian crisis, as officials scramble to locate relatives to take charge of the minors.
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November 23
Workers at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority vote to authorize a strike; Washington State legislators consider a bill empowering public employees to bargain over workplace AI implementation; and University of California workers engage in a two-day strike.
November 21
The “Big Three” record labels make a deal with an AI music streaming startup; 30 stores join the now week-old Starbucks Workers United strike; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration draws scrutiny over a recent worker death.
November 20
Law professors file brief in Slaughter; New York appeals court hears arguments about blog post firing; Senate committee delays consideration of NLRB nominee.
November 19
A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel the collective bargaining rights of workers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media; Representative Jared Golden secures 218 signatures for a bill that would repeal a Trump administration executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights; and Dallas residents sue the City of Dallas in hopes of declaring hundreds of ordinances that ban bias against LGBTQ+ individuals void.
November 18
A federal judge pressed DOJ lawyers to define “illegal” DEI programs; Peco Foods prevails in ERISA challenge over 401(k) forfeitures; D.C. court restores collective bargaining rights for Voice of America workers; Rep. Jared Golden secures House vote on restoring federal workers' union rights.
November 17
Justices receive petition to resolve FLSA circuit split, vaccine religious discrimination plaintiffs lose ground, and NJ sues Amazon over misclassification.