Alexa Kissinger is a student at Harvard Law School.
According to The Crimson, hundreds of Harvard University dining service workers and supporters picketed on campus yesterday in the first walk out Harvard has seen since 1983. Negotiations, which are continuing during the strike, have failed over the dining workers’ demands for a minimum salary of $35,000 for those who wish to work the whole year and health benefits. Today begins day two of the strike.
The U.S. private sector added 154,000 jobs in September, the slowest pace in six months and below the 2016 average of 181,000. The ADP report, which is derived from ADP’s actual payroll data, measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month on a seasonally-adjusted basis.
Amazon delivery drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against the retail giant, alleging the company violated federal labor laws by classifying them as contractors rather than employees. The drivers, who work for a service called Amazon Flex — Amazon’s smartphone delivery app by which drivers choose their own hours and shifts — are seeking back wages, overtime pay and compensation for fuel, car maintenance and other expenses. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, makes Amazon the latest large company to become roiled in the issue of how to classify “gig economy” workers as Amazon continues to grow its own shipping business.
In The New York Times, immigration judges, who have higher burnout rates than hospital workers and prison wardens, discuss the difficulty of keeping implicit biases out of immigration court decisions. Claims often rise and fall on judges’ instinctive reactions to personal testimony, and these personal judgments, affected by language and cultural barriers, and frequent lack of representation, all occur under the weight of the over 500,000 pending cases. Implicit bias training sessions have been put in place in a number of locations with the simplest and most effective advice to combat bias being — become aware of your bias, avoid rushing, and take breaks.
Despite Labor Day Weekend sales, U.S. car sales dipped in September. According to The Wall Street Journal, the pace of sales remains historically strong, but dealership traffic is cooling after more than six years of steady growth. Slowing sales have spurred auto makers to increase rebates and discounts to keep North American factories running at full throttle.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
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.
November 16
Boeing workers in St. Louis end a 102-day strike, unionized Starbucks baristas launch a new strike, and Illinois seeks to expand protections for immigrant workers