Yesterday, as expected, the Senate passed a bill that would restore unemployment benefits to 2.8 million “long-term unemployed” workers, according to the Washington Post. The House is expected to vote down the bill, according to the New York Times.
On April 1st, New York City’s paid sick leave law began to take effect, as the New York Times reports. Despite controversy when the law was passed, the implementation this month has gone smoothly—so smoothly that many haven’t noticed, according the Times. Under the law, which we’ve covered before, companies with five or more employees must provide at least five paid sick days for employees to care for themselves or their relatives.
On Monday evening, the Maryland legislature voted to raise the state minimum wage, according to the Washington Post. With the minimum wage increase, Maryland became the second state (after Connecticut) to increase the minimum wage to President Obama’s proposed $10.10. Lawmakers had been negotiating over the minimum wage increase for the past several weeks, as we previously covered. The General Assembly celebrated the end of the legislative session with “traditional bursts of confetti” at midnight, according to the Post.
The NCAA President Mark Emmert announced strong opposition collegiate athlete unions on Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal. In his annual address at the Final Four, he argued that unions are a “grossly inappropriate solution” that would “blow up everything about the collegiate model of athletics.” At the same time, the NCAA is considering major reforms in response to criticism, as we reported on yesterday.
The New York Times reports that Metropolitan Opera and the sixteen unions representing its performers and workers are preparing for a lockout. We previously covered the Met’s ongoing, contentious, labor negotiations. The current contract expires in July.
In immigration news, the New York Times reports that two-thirds of deportations involve people who had no criminal record or only minor infractions such as traffic violations. The Los Angeles Times reports that some republican leaders might be softening their stance on immigration reform: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said in a speech that Republicans need to “get beyond the harsh rhetoric” on immigration reform.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 11
In today’s News and Commentary, Biden’s NLRB pick heads to Senate vote, DOL settles a farmworker lawsuit, and a federal judge blocks Albertsons-Kroger merger. Democrats have moved to expedite re-confirmation proceedings for NLRB Chair Lauren McFerran, which would grant her another five years on the Board. If the Democrats succeed in finding 50 Senate votes […]
December 10
In today’s News and Commentary, advocacy groups lay out demands for Lori Chavez-DeRemer at DOL, a German union leader calls for ending the country’s debt brake, Teamsters give Amazon a deadline to agree to bargaining dates, and graduates of coding bootcamps face a labor market reshaped by the rise of AI. Worker advocacy groups have […]
December 9
Teamsters file charges against Costco; a sanitation contractor is fined child labor law violations, and workers give VW an ultimatum ahead of the latest negotiation attempts
December 8
Massachusetts rideshare drivers prepare to unionize; Starbucks and Nestlé supply chains use child labor, report says.
December 6
In today’s news and commentary, DOL attempts to abolish subminimum wage for workers with disabilities, AFGE reaches remote work agreement with SSA, and George Washington University resident doctors vote to strike. This week, the Department of Labor proposed a rule to abolish the Fair Labor Standards Act’s Section 14(c) program, which allows employers to pay […]
December 4
South Korea’s largest labor union began a general strike calling for the President’s removal, a Wisconsin judge reinstated bargaining rights for the state’s public sector workers, and the NLRB issued another ruling against Starbucks for anti-union practices.