Melissa Greenberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
Politico reports that the Senate will likely vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, today. President Trump also appointed current National Labor Relations Board member Philip A. Miscimarra to serve as chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. Miscimarra has been serving as acting chairman of the Board beginning in January 23, 2017. The National Law Review suggests that being named to this position “while largely administrative, may bode well for Miscimarra’s renomination to a new term.” His term expires in December of 2017.
Yesterday, President Donald Trump assured Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he would seek to renegotiate NAFTA rather than exit the agreement right away. The White House had indicated earlier on Wednesday that President Trump would sign an executive order officially withdrawing from the trade agreement. The New York Times suggested the initial White House announcement on withdrawal was “an example of Mr. Trump’s deal-making in real time.” Under NAFTA Article 2205, the United States must provide six months advanced warning before terminating the trade agreement. It remains unclear whether President Trump might still sign an executive order initiating withdrawal from the agreement at some point in order to begin the notification process and gain leverage in negotiations. Read more here.
In other news from the White House, President Donald Trump vowed to appeal an order by Judge William H. Orrick of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. The order temporarily restrains the Administration from withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities. Although the federal government has yet to flesh-out the definition of a sanctuary city, the term is generally defined as a jurisdiction that does not fully cooperate with efforts by the federal government to enforce its immigration policy. Read more about the decision here.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 20
Culinary Workers Union members protests union leadership; lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal internal concerns about the threat of AI training to human labor.
September 17
Unions push to block Google from buying Spirit Airlines employment records; U.S. Department of Labor sues Oklahoma coffee chain over alleged wage violations.
September 16
Trump nominates Catherine Eschbach as EEOC general counsel; NLRB declines to resolve union work-assignment dispute; Allina Health physicians begin four-day strike.
September 15
Documents reveal the inner workings of Amazon's union avoidance program; Washington state public sector unions reach tentative deals amid a difficult bargaining cycle; hundreds of Nevada Culinary Union members protest their union's health care changes.
September 14
NCAA and Big Ten file motion to dismiss in former star player's NIL suit; Seventh Circuit rules against former postal worker in discrimination suit.
September 13
Documents released on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks show that city officials encouraged workers to return to Ground Zero despite knowing the risks of asbestos exposure, and new polls demonstrate continued widespread support for labor unions.