Today’s News and Commentary — September 9
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”.
