The Chicago Tribune reports that the well-known immigration reform activist, Mexican Elvira Arellano, is back at a church in Chicago where she previously lived for a year in order to escape deportation. Arellano hid in the church from 2006 to 2007 when she was discovered, separated from her son, and sent back to Mexico. Last week, Arellano returned to the U.S. with her sons as part of a protest against President Obama’s immigration policies. She was captured but released by authorities and allowed to travel to Chicago. She will have to face an immigration hearing in September.
Meanwhile, USA Today discusses diverse reactions to President Obama’s announcement that deportations of illegal immigrants should be carried out more “humanely.” Advocates like the National Immigration Law Center hope that the President is signaling an end to deportations, while the Federation for American Immigration Reform argues that such a move would violate the President’s legal obligations.
In international news, the New York Times reports that the employees of Israel’s Foreign Ministry are on strike over pay and working conditions. Foreign Ministry employees are paid on a different scale than other government employees, which the Ministry says has resulted in substandard and unacceptable salaries. On the other hand, the Finance Ministry says that Foreign Ministry employees received a 20% pay hike just two years ago. As a result of the strike, more than 103 Israeli diplomatic missions across the world are closed.
The New York Times also reports that the Euro Zone economy expanded in March. The growth is driven by strong recovery in Europe’s labor market, particularly in France. The stabilization in the job market across Europe is in sharp contrast to this time last year, when the region was facing rising unemployment rates.
Daily News & Commentary
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March 19
WNBA and WNBPA reach verbal tentative agreement, United Teachers Los Angeles announce April 14 strike date, and the California Gig Workers Union file complaint against Waymo.
March 18
Meatpacking workers go on strike; SCOTUS grants cert on TPS cases; updates on litigation over DOL in-house agency adjudication
March 17
West Virginia passes a bill for gig drivers, the Tenth Circuit rejects an engineer's claims of race and age bias, and a discussion on the spread of judicial curtailment of NLRB authority.
March 16
Starbucks' union negotiations are resurrected; jobs data is released.
March 15
A U.S. District Court issues a preliminary injunction against the Department of Veterans Affairs for terminating its collective bargaining agreement, and SEIU files a lawsuit against DHS for effectively terminating immigrant workers at Boston Logan International Airport.
March 13
Republican Senators urge changes on OSHA heat standard; OpenAI and building trades announce partnership on data center construction; forced labor investigations could lead to new tariffs