On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sandifer v. United States Steel Corp., the New York Times reports. The case poses the question whether the Fair Labor Standards Act requires that steelworkers be paid for the time it takes them to put on and take off their work clothing. The Seventh Circuit, in an opinion written by Judge Richard Posner, had previously answered emphatically no. The opinion went on to warn that workers should be wary of making such claims if “they don’t want the American steel industry to go where so much American manufacturing has gone in recent years — abroad.”
The Washington Post reports that the Senate voted 61 to 30 yesterday to advance the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a law that bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill is expected to be debated today and could pass the Senate as early as the end of this week.
The Associated Press reports that Seattle residents will vote today on whether to raise the minimum wage for workers at Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to $15 an hour. The current minimum wage in Washington is $9.19 an hour – the highest state minimum wage in the country.
Two recordings secretly made by workers at Iron Mountain, a document storage company in Georgia, capture supervisors warning workers not to unionize, according to Salon.com. In one recording, managers tell workers they are “very disappointed” the workers are seeking unionization, and the managers vow to “educate” them about unionization. In another, a manager confronts employee Wayne Walker about his participation in the union campaign, saying: “If that’s what you want to do, by means do it if you think that’s what’s best for your family, but just make sure you’re educated.” Walker was fired a week later. The NLRB is currently investigating charges that the firing was retaliation for Walker’s organizing efforts.
In international news, the Washington Post reports that street cleaners and garbage collectors in Madrid plan to begin an open-ended strike today to protest planned layoffs of more than 1,000 workers. The workers gathered on Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza late yesterday, where they set off firecrackers and started bonfires in denunciation of the announced cuts.
Daily News & Commentary
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March 3
In today’s news and commentary, Texas dismantles their contracting program for minorities, NextEra settles an ERISA lawsuit, and Chipotle beats an age discrimination suit. Texas Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock is being sued in state court for allegedly unlawfully dismantling the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program, a 1990s initiative signed by former Governor George W. Bush […]
March 2
Block lays off over 4,000 workers; H-1B fee data is revealed.
March 1
The NLRB officially rescinds the Biden-era standard for determining joint-employer status; the DOL proposes a rule that would rescind the Biden-era standard for determining independent contractor status; and Walmart pays $100 million for deceiving delivery drivers regarding wages and tips.
February 27
The Ninth Circuit allows Trump to dismantle certain government unions based on national security concerns; and the DOL set to focus enforcement on firms with “outsized market power.”
February 26
Workplace AI regulations proposed in Michigan; en banc D.C. Circuit hears oral argument in CFPB case; white police officers sue Philadelphia over DEI policy.
February 25
OSHA workplace inspections significantly drop in 2025; the Court denies a petition for certiorari to review a Minnesota law banning mandatory anti-union meetings at work; and the Court declines two petitions to determine whether Air Force service members should receive backpay as a result of religious challenges to the now-revoked COVID-19 vaccine mandate.