Yesterday was Election Day around the country. Here’s a sampling of results: “Audacious Liberal” Bill De Blasio won in a landslide to become Mayor of New York City, and former labor leader Martin Walsh beat fellow Democrat John Connolly to become Mayor of Boston; Republican Chris Christie was re-elected as Governor of New Jersey “by a crushing margin,” while former DNC chairman Terry McAulliffe was elected Governor of Virginia in a narrow victory over tea-party favorite, Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli; New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 per hour, with automatic annual cost-of-living increases; proponents of a ballot initiative in Seattle are optimistic of victory in their bid to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for workers in and around the Sea-Tac International Airport, with yes votes leading the early results; and Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal to bring a $1 billion resort casino to East Boston.
An op-ed by University of Pennsylvania professor Michael Katz in the New York Times today seeks to draw attention to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s extensive antipoverty program during his tenure, despite the Mayor’s reputation as a “champion of the rich.” The programs focused their attention primarily on three particularly at risk groups:, “the working poor, young adults between the ages of 16 and 24, and families with children below age 6,” and have served as a model for experiments and programs in cities around the country.
Airplane manufacturer Boeing reached a tentative deal with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and state officials to build Boeing’s 777X in Washington State, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deal with the union would run to 2027, and Governor Jay Inslee is calling for the legislature to pass a package of tax breaks and incentives for Boeing valued at approximately $18.7 billion.
President Obama met with business leaders on Tuesday, urging them to press the House of Representatives to support immigration reform this year, according to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. The President observed that broad support exists for immigration reform, including from former President George W. Bush.
In international news, the Wall Street Journal reports that Greece’s two largest labor unions called a nationwide general strike on Wednesday to protest ongoing austerity measures. The strike comes as representatives of the European Commission, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary fund arrived in Athens to discuss a potential deal to provide further aid to the country.
The New York Times today chronicles the efforts of Ford to close plants in Europe, and the steep price the company is paying to do so. According to the company, it will cost $1 billion to close three plants, one in Belgium and two in England. The high cost is partly the result of severances being paid to workers, who are protected by more favorable labor and employment laws in Europe than they are in the United States. The company hopes that the downsizing will allow it to once again become profitable in Europe. Yet the plant closings are likely to cause “economic devastation” to the communities where the plants are located if production shuts down.
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November 27
Amazon wins preliminarily injunction against New York’s private sector bargaining law; ALJs resume decisions; and the CFPB intends to make unilateral changes without bargaining.
November 26
In today’s news and commentary, NLRB lawyers urge the 3rd Circuit to follow recent district court cases that declined to enjoin Board proceedings; the percentage of unemployed Americans with a college degree reaches its highest level since tracking began in 1992; and a member of the House proposes a bill that would require secret ballot […]
November 25
In today’s news and commentary, OSHA fines Taylor Foods, Santa Fe raises their living wage, and a date is set for a Senate committee to consider Trump’s NLRB nominee. OSHA has issued an approximately $1.1 million dollar fine to Taylor Farms New Jersey, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, after identifying repeated and serious safety […]
November 24
Labor leaders criticize tariffs; White House cancels jobs report; and student organizers launch chaperone program for noncitizens.
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.