Minors in Texas may soon need parental approval to join a labor union.  According to the Texas Tribune, “minors in the state may be required to obtain parental approval before they can join a labor union under a proposal the Texas Senate tentatively approved along party lines Monday.”  The legislator who introduced the bill “said she filed the measure in response to concerns from a constituent whose daughter ‘was persuaded to join a union without fully understanding’ the terms of agreement.”  For their part, “some union leaders argue the bill would target minors employed by grocery stores while unfairly limiting their freedom and opportunity in the workplace.”

Voters in Missouri may be deprived the opportunity to vote on the state’s right-to-work legislation, if a lawsuit is successful.  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that “supporters of Missouri’s new ‘right to work’ law have filed another lawsuit seeking to scuttle an attempt by labor officials to put the issue before voters for an up-or-down vote.”  Labor leaders “want to give voters the chance to weigh in on the issue after it was pushed quickly through the GOP-controlled Legislature this year and signed into law by Republican Gov. Eric Greitens.”  The law is set to go into effect on August 28.  Missouri residents “can call a referendum on a new law by collecting signatures totaling 5 percent of voters from two-thirds of the state’s congressional districts.”

The Fight for $15 has been incredibly successful – but not in Baltimore.  Vox explores why the effort to raise the minimum wage in Baltimore to $15 an hour fell apart, noting the city’s financial problems and fear of ensuing job loss.

Finally, Republicans are challenging several key labor protections.  The Miami Herald reports on union concerns that President Trump will revist the Davis-Bacon Act, “a law that guarantees wage levels for workers on most federally funded construction projects,” while the Washington Examiner notes that a “group of 47 House Republican lawmakers is urging the heads of Congress’ appropriations committee to restrain the National Labor Relations Board from implementing several of former President Barack Obama’s changes to labor regulations.”