A number of Democrats have voiced frustration with President Obama’s decision to delay an Executive Order to halt deportation of undocumented immigrants. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) accused Obama of “playing it safe” and fellow Democrats of turning their backs on the party’s “values and principles.” The L.A. Times reports. At the Nation, Michelle Chen discusses the delay and responses, arguing that stronger labor rights must go hand in hand with immigration reform.
This summer, over 60,000 Silicon Valley workers filed a class action against their employers, claiming the companies collaborated to suppress wages. Four defendants – Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe – have appealed the rejection of a proposed $324.5 million settlement reached with attorneys for the workers. Appealing to the 9th Circuit, the companies claim that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh “applied a mechanical formula that overrode sensitive judgments of the class’s [workers] own counsel,” and that the ruling “will inflict significant harm on all parties and the class action procedure.” The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police and Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Union have sued their city in response to proposed changes to health insurance plans for 2015, alleging the plans violate existing union contracts. The Indianapolis Star reports.
The BBC surveys the range of views British labor groups have expressed on the prospect of an independent Scotland. As the nation prepares for a referendum next week, some groups have expressed worry that a split United Kingdom would damage workers’ rights, leading to a “race to the bottom”.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 24
A majority of House Representatives sign a discharge petition for the Faster Labor Contracts Act, and the House Transportation Committee adopts a railroad safety amendment in the Build America 250 Act.
May 22
U.S. employers spend $1.7B on union avoidance each year and the ICJ declares the right to strike a protected activity.
May 21
UAW backs legal challenge to Trump “gold card” visa; DOL requests unemployment fraud technology funding; Samsung reaches eleventh-hour union agreement.
May 20
LIRR strike ends after three-day shutdown; key senators reject Trump's proposed 26% cut to Labor Department budget; EEOC moves to eliminate employer demographic reporting requirement.
May 19
Amazon urges 11th Circuit to overturn captive-audience meeting ban; DOL scraps Biden overtime rule; SCOTUS to decide on Title IX private right of action for school employees
May 18
California Department of Justice finds conditions at ICE facilities inhumane; Second Circuit rejects race bias claim from Black and Hispanic social workers; FAA cuts air traffic controller staffing target.