New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation yesterday that is aimed at protecting public workers’ rights in advance of the Supreme Court’s potentially adverse ruling in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. The new law allows unions to deny full benefits to workers that opt out and makes it easier for unions to receive dues. “Too often, and at the hands of this federal administration, we are seeing the labor movement going backwards,” Cuomo said. “In New York it is a different story, and our efforts to protect working men and women are moving labor forward, making the workplace fairer and more just than ever before.”
The Japanese government announced plans to create a new program for foreign workers in an effort to counteract a labor shortage. There are about 1.6 jobs open for every job seeker, despite the fact that Japan already has an existing program to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country as “trainees.” According to the Wall Street Journal, “Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to open the door for foreign laborers to immigrate to Japan and settle permanently, although many companies would eagerly hire such immigrants if they were available.”
Yesterday morning, the major player unions—NFLPA, NBPA, NHLSPA, and MLBPA—released a joint statement to clarify their position on gambling, in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the New Jersey sports betting case (Murphy v. NCAA). Their statement includes the following language: “Our unions have been discussing the potential impact of legalized gambling on players’ privacy and publicity rights, the integrity of our games and the volatility on our businesses. Betting on sports may become widely legal, but we cannot allow those who have lobbied the hardest for sports gambling to be the only ones controlling how it would be ushered into our businesses. The athletes must also have a seat at the table to ensure that players’ rights and the integrity of our games are protected.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
June 5
Nail technicians challenge California classification; oral arguments in challenge to LGBTQ hiring protections; judge blocks Job Corps shutdown.
June 4
Federal agencies violate federal court order pausing mass layoffs; Walmart terminates some jobs in Florida following Supreme Court rulings on the legal status of migrants; and LA firefighters receive a $9.5 million settlement for failure to pay firefighters during shift changes.
June 3
Federal judge blocks Trump's attack on TSA collective bargaining rights; NLRB argues that Grindr's Return-to-Office policy was union busting; International Trade Union Confederation report highlights global decline in workers' rights.
June 2
Proposed budgets for DOL and NLRB show cuts on the horizon; Oregon law requiring LPAs in cannabis dispensaries struck down.
June 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Ninth Circuit upholds a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration, a federal judge vacates parts of the EEOC’s pregnancy accommodation rules, and video game workers reach a tentative agreement with Microsoft. In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration […]
May 30
Trump's tariffs temporarily reinstated after brief nationwide injunction; Louisiana Bill targets payroll deduction of union dues; Colorado Supreme Court to consider a self-defense exception to at-will employment