Six women have sued the law firm Jones Day for pregnancy and gender discrimination. The former associates claim that the firm’s “fraternity culture” benefits male attorneys to the detriment of women, who are routinely excluded from the best assignments and denied promotions and pay raises. The pregnancy discrimination claims are the latest in a series of such suits against some of the country’s largest and most influential employers, and comes as the legal industry continues to struggle with diversity at its highest ranks.
The U.S. construction and agricultural industries are alarmed by the tight labor market and fears that restrictive immigration policy will only exacerbate the problem. The low unemployment rate has started to raise wages, and employers now need to find another source of cheap labor. In 2016, immigrants made up 1 out of 4 construction workers, and 7 out of 10 agricultural workers were born in Mexico. As the Trump administration moves to severely restrict the flow of migrants over the southern border, these industries worry that they may be unable to sustain production, leading to price hikes and shortages.
The manufacturing industry, once a rosy spot on the Trump administration’s economic record, has begun to falter. After adding jobs for 19 months in a row that total over 500,000 jobs since Trump’s inauguration, the industry added just 4,000 jobs in February, its weakest performance in a year. Tariffs, slow growth in China and Europe, and the fading impact of last year’s tax cuts have contributed to the slowdown, and the political risks to Republicans and President Trump are clear, after Trump made manufacturing growth a key selling point via Twitter and at his rallies.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 29
9th Circuit rejects challenge to NLRB's constitutional structure; preemption challenges to state labor peace statutes
October 28
Two federal unions oppose CBA cancellations, another federal union urges Democrats to end the government shut down, and Paramount plans for mass layoffs
October 27
GM and Rivian announce layoffs; Boeing workers reject contract offer.
October 26
California labor unions back Proposition 50; Harvard University officials challenge a union rally; and workers at Boeing prepare to vote on the company’s fifth contract proposal.
October 24
Amazon Labor Union intervenes in NYS PERB lawsuit; a union engages in shareholder activism; and Meta lays off hundreds of risk auditing workers.
October 23
Ninth Circuit reaffirms Thryv remedies; unions oppose Elon Musk pay package; more federal workers protected from shutdown-related layoffs.