The latest Federal Reserve labor market conditions index has indicated that labor market conditions picked up last month – a metric that may push the Fed to raise interest rates sooner than previously anticipated. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the index – developed by Federal Reserve economists and first unveiled last May – rose 2.5 points in September, after four months of summer deceleration.
At the New York Times, David Leonhardt discusses an alarming trend of wage stagnation in the US. Now, “the typical American family makes less than the typical family did 15 years ago, a statement that hadn’t previously been true since the Great Depression.” Though some predict a wage surge may be around the corner, Leonhardt predicts that “the wage slowdown won’t end until the country makes much more progress in improving education, cutting medical waste and energy costs and creating a more responsive, nimble government.”
The Department of Labor has signed an enforcement agreement with the Alabama Department of Labor, aiming to reduce the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The DOL press release can be found here. Last year, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division investigations resulted in $83 million dollars of back wages being returned to over 100,000 workers. A large proportion of these misclassified workers were in low-wage industries, such as janitorial, food, or construction sectors. The Department’s “Misclassification Initiative” currently includes similar agreements with California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Utah and Washington state agencies. More information on the initiative is available here.
The Washington Examiner reports that over 300 union members and their families gathered at the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters today to protest a proposal to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. The proposal, protestors emphasized, would eliminate their jobs in Appalachia. The EPA says that under their proposal, coal will still provide 30 percent of the nation’s power, down from about 42 percent today.
New York Magazine discusses the campaign to unionize drivers at Facebook, predicting it will be part of a much larger labor movement in Silicon Valley. “If successful, the Teamsters won’t stop at Facebook. They’ll continue down the peninsula to Google, Apple, and other large tech companies who employ drivers from similar third-party companies.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.
July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.