OnLabor

Law. Workers. Organizing.

  • Follow OnLabor on X
  • Subscribe via RSS
News & Commentary

April 20, 2016

  • Hannah Belitz
Hannah Belitz

Hannah Belitz is a student at Harvard Law School.

All by Hannah
  • Share
  • Share
  • Print

The United Steelworkers union is calling on the United States to impose higher tariffs on aluminum imports, the New York Times reports.  On Monday, the union’s law firm filed a petition under Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act, which permits “domestic industries seriously injured or threatened with serious injury by increased imports [to] petition the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) for import relief.”  According to the union, the U.S. aluminum smelting industry is suffering: by this summer, over three-quarters of the industry that existed five years ago will have been idled or shut down.  The union cites China’s rising exports as a key reason for the industry’s decline.

According to the Washington Post, Airbnb is negotiating with the SEIU over a deal to employ unionized housekeepers who make at least $15/hour.  Under the terms of the agreement, Airbnb would “endorse the union’s Fight for $15 and encourage vendors who provide services to homeowners on the Airbnb platform to pay their staff at least $15 per hour.”  Airbnb’s platform would also direct its hosts to cleaners that the SEIU has approved.  As for Airbnb, the deal would give it “new ammunition for its myriad political battles,” allowing the company “to make the claim that it is creating good jobs for local residents.”

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that employment has finally returned to pre-financial crisis levels.  As the Wall Street Journal explains, the employment rate fell significantly following the 2008 crisis, bottomed out in late 2010, and has been rising “slowly but steadily” ever since.  However, the fact that it has taken over seven years to recover “serves as a reminder of how damaging the crisis was.”  Moreover, the extent of the recovery varies widely across economies.  Japan, Germany, and the U.K, for example, have exceeded pre-crisis employment rates; the United States has not.

 

  • Share
  • Share
  • Print

The Latest From OnLabor

New York’s Fashion Workers Act Sets Industry-Wide Standards

by Sophia Leswing

What New Workers can Learn from Old Retirement Plans: How the History of American Retirement Can Help a New Generation

by Paneez Oliai

Drawing Power: How Redistricting Can Strengthen Political Responsiveness to the Working Class 

by Ryan Zhang

The Fifth Circuit Further Limits How Municipal Employees Can Prove Discrimination

by Amy L. Eisenstein

Tagged

More by Hannah Belitz

Browse all

Daily News & Commentary: May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017

Daily News & Commentary: May 3, 2017

May 3, 2017

Daily News & Commentary: April 19, 2017

April 19, 2017

Daily News & Commentary

Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all

December 8

Private payrolls fall; NYC Council overrides mayoral veto on pay data; workers sue Starbucks.

December 7

Philadelphia transit workers indicate that a strike is imminent; a federal judge temporarily blocks State Department layoffs; and Virginia lawmakers consider legislation to repeal the state’s “right to work” law.

December 5

Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros., Gen Z men are the most pro-union generation in history, and lawmakers introduce the “No Robot Bosses Act.”

December 4

Unionized journalists win arbitration concerning AI, Starbucks challenges two NLRB rulings in the Fifth Circuit, and Philadelphia transit workers resume contract negotiations. 

December 3

The Trump administration seeks to appeal a federal judge’s order that protects the CBAs of employees within the federal workforce; the U.S. Department of Labor launches an initiative to investigate violations of the H-1B visa program; and a union files a petition to form a bargaining unit for employees at the Met.

December 2

Fourth Circuit rejects broad reading of NLRA’s managerial exception; OPM cancels reduced tuition program for federal employees; Starbucks will pay $39 million for violating New York City’s Fair Workweek law; Mamdani and Sanders join striking baristas outside a Brooklyn Starbucks.

OnLabor In The News

Browse all

Wired

Hundreds of Video Game Workers Join New Union as Trump Attacks Labor Rights
Prof. Sachs on challenges to union organizing under the second Trump Administration.

Los Angeles Times

Column: How anti-union southern governors may be violating federal law
Ben Sachs quoted in a column about the anti-union governors' letter and the fragmentation of labor law; John Fry's post referenced on the question of whether state level card-check bans are preempted by the NLRA.

Fast Company

Amazon’s Labor Union is divided but closing in on electing leadership
Prof. Sachs on Amazon's use of legal roadblocks to delay negotiations.

Semafor

Unions’ picket power now extends to U.S. boardrooms
Prof. Block on the influence of labor unions on other playing fields.

Bloomberg Law

Boeing Talks Will Test Unions’ Sway as Labor Market Softens
Prof. Block on Boeing's labor negotiations with the International Association of Machinists.

More From OnLabor

See more

How Trade Displacement History Can Prepare for AI Displacement Now

Nov 26, 2025 Andrew Dunn

On October 6th, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders published The Big Tech Oligarchs’ War Against Workers, a study completed by asking ChatGPT to estimate displacement via catalogued job descriptions, projecting nearly 100 million jobs lost to AI and automation over the next decade. However, views about the likely impact of AI on employment run […]

Should The Captive Audience Doctrine Apply to Captive Audience Meetings?

Nov 25, 2025 Sophia Leswing

In 2024, the California Legislature enacted Senate Bill 399 — the “California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act” — which prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee for declining to attend an “employer-sponsored meeting” that “communicate[s] the employer’s opinion about religious or political matters.” But the day before SB 399 was set to go into effect, the […]

Automation as Retaliation: Technology Adoption During Economic Strikes

Nov 24, 2025 Ben Gantt

Recent advances in AI have reshaped a variety of workplaces. This is particularly true among white-collar workers, 27% of whom report regularly using AI at work (as compared to only 9% of blue-collar workers). Granted, extreme predictions about widespread job displacement have yet to come to fruition, as the number of work tasks that AI can fully automate […]

Unions Challenge Loyalty Test in Trump’s Merit Hiring Plan

Nov 21, 2025 Amy L. Eisenstein

In a prior post, I argued that President Trump’s Merit Hiring Plan may violate the First Amendment. This week, several unions — the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, and the National Association of Government Employees — raised the same concern. As Law360 reports, on November 18, the coalition of unions sought […]

The Loyalty Litmus Test in Federal Hiring

Nov 21, 2025 Amy L. Eisenstein

President Trump’s second term has been characterized by demands for intense political loyalty, value-laden executive orders, and attacks on the civil service. Consistent with this trend, the Administration in May issued a “Merit Hiring Plan” to federal agencies. It purports to construct “a Federal workforce dedicated to American values.” This post argues that the Plan may instead encourage job applicants […]

Enjoy OnLabor’s fresh takes on the day’s labor news, right in your inbox.

* indicates required

OnLabor

Law. Workers. Organizing.

OnLabor is a blog devoted to workers, unions, and their politics. We interpret our subject broadly to include the current crisis in the traditional union movement (why union decline is happening and what it means for our society); the new and contested forms of worker organization that are filling the labor union gap; how work ought to be structured and managed; how workers ought to be represented and compensated; and the appropriate role of government — all three branches — in each of these issues.

Learn more about OnLabor

Copyright © 2025 OnLabor. All rights reserved.

OnLabor is unable to accept unsolicited submissions.

  • Follow OnLabor on X
  • Subscribe via RSS
Contact
[email protected]
Site design
Jon White Studio

Sections

  • All Editorial Writing
  • All News & Commentary
  • From The Editor
  • From Senior Contributors
  • Analysis From Guest Voices
  • OnLabor In The News
  • All Featured Coverage
  • About

Connect

  • Follow OnLabor on X
  • Subscribe via RSS