Today’s News & Commentary — August 18, 2015

This past weekend’s New York Times piece on working conditions at Amazon continues to generate news.  CNET has the reaction from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, while The Upshot compares Amazon’s labor situation to that faced by Walmart before they instituted reforms.

Writing in The Washington Post, Lydia DePillis explores whether the recent success of the Fight for $15 movement will lead to increased mechanization in the fast food industry.  DePillis explores investments made by restaurant companies as well as the possible limitations of automation.

Also related to Fight for 15, CBS News highlights the opposition of restaurant owners to the recent recommendation by a New York state Wage Board to raise the fast food worker minimum wage to $15 an hour.  The state labor commissioner is widely expected to approve the recommendation for the wage increase.

Finally, turning to high-end restaurants, The Wall Street Journal reports an increase in complaints by employees alleging wage and hour violations.  The story notes that “the number of wage-violation lawsuits has been on the rise for more than a decade, driven by a successful worker-organization movement, increased attention by plaintiffs’ attorneys and complicated labor laws that leave some employers confused, according to legal analysts and industry leaders.”