Emily Miller is a student at Harvard Law School.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka announced the federation’s opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Thursday, reports Politico. Last week, Gorsuch faced questioning from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee for past decisions siding with employers on issues like worker safety, discrimination, and unions. Meanwhile, Committee Republicans have expressed support for Gorsuch, who has defended his decisions as merely following the law.
The New York Times Editorial Board published a piece Sunday arguing that Alexander Acosta, President Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, may be focused more on protecting employers rather than promoting the rights of workers. The article cites Acosta’s testimony at his confirmation hearings, particularly that he dodged questions about upholding several Obama-era Labor Department rules, and argues that his failure to answer these questions suggests that he will “embrace the Trump Administration’s demolition approach to sensible regulation.”
Grocery delivery startup Instacart recently agreed to settle a nationwide class action with workers for $4.6 million. According to Buzzfeed News, the suit alleged that the workers were misclassified as independent contractors. Since the original suit was filed, Instacart has reconfigured its workplace so that its in-store shoppers are classified as employees, while delivery drivers remain classified as contractors, although it has also cut wages and made it more difficult for customers to tip. The settlement will not reclassify the drivers as employees, but will facilitate tipping on the Instacart app, and allow workers who have been deactivated to request reconsideration of the deactivation.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]