Lauren Godles is a student at Harvard Law School.
The U.S. Census Bureau has good news for Americans: household incomes increased in the largest annual surge ever recorded (5.2%) in 2015. The average household income now stands at $56,516 and is up for the first time since 2007. However, it still stands below the pre-recession high from 1999. The New York Times Editorial Board criticized both major presidential nominees for not yet talking about how to help the poor in light of these statistics. However, they predict that Clinton’s proposed agenda items to help families and the working-class would also have benefits for the poor, while Trump’s policies would harm job growth.
Those who thought they had heard the last on Friedrichs may be surprised to see the lead plaintiff’s name in the news again. This week, Rebecca Friedrichs got political with a second editorial in as many months in The Hill. This time, she criticized Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine for “suddenly abandon[ing] right-to-work.” Friedrichs had previously praised Kaine for his support of right-to-work laws in his home state of Virginia, but wrote that she was “disappointed” with his announcement that he now opposes right-to-work nationwide. A Clinton spokesperson asserted that Kaine has been consistent in his positions and has always opposed a federal right-to-work law.
Lastly, the New York Times reassures us that we should not panic that robots are training to do our jobs. This new reality may help us in prioritizing “creative intelligence,” which helps us work with robots, rather than our knowledge bases, which have been long outstripped by computers and other machines.
Daily News & Commentary
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August 27
NLRB GC targets Biden-era precedent; Starbucks Workers United calls for boycott; Encore Boston Harbor workers authorize strike
August 26
Trump administration proposes $103,000 H-1B visa fee after court blocks earlier attempt; Illinois governor signs law enabling state investment in AFL-CIO housing trust; Deloitte pays $21.5 million to settle DOJ probe alleging DEI-related discrimination in federal contracts.
August 25
Hyundai workers reach a tentative agreement; Federal-sector unions sue the Trump Administration over OPM rule changes; Federal judge dismisses a teachers’ union free speech suit.
August 24
Boeing engineers and technicians reject contract proposals and authorize a strike; Ninth Circuit holds that unions charged under 8(b)(4)(D) cannot invoke the work-preservation defense to disregard 10(k) determination.
August 23
Hyundai Motors workers launch full-day strike; federal judge rules in favor of Vermont dairy plant in closure dispute
August 21
Tyson workers respond to abrupt plant shutdown; DOL ends its power to police federal contractor bias.