The NLRB is considering another joint employer case. After the Board’s decision to treat McDonalds as a joint employer (which we covered extensively) the agency is inviting parties in a subcontracting case for input on whether it should reevaluate its joint employer standard. The Sanitary Truck Drivers and Helpers Local 350, a Teamsters local union, has asked the NLRB to declare Browning-Ferris Industries of California, Inc. and Leadpoint Business Services, a staffing agency, joint employers for the purpose of collective bargaining. The union says that, “the difficulties presented by this triangulated workforce structure has created a second-tier workforce of employees working for lower wages and fewer benefits than the standard employees performing the exact same work.” The Wall Street Journal calls the joint employer cases “the latest battle over the application of labor laws.”
In Boston, workers of the supermarket chain, Market Basket, have succeeded in reinstating the company’s former president, Arthur T. Demoulas, according to the New York Times. Demoulas’ cousin and allies have agreed to sell their stake in the company and Demoulas will be reinstated immediately. The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire intervened in the dispute after shoppers abandoned the store in solidarity with workers.
In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Teamsters Local 237 have come to a tentative agreement in a pay equity lawsuit, the New York Times reports. Under the city’s policy, special officers, who are largely male, are eligible to earn over $7,000 more annually than safety agents, who are overwhelmingly female. The proposed settlement raises the pay for both classes of employees and accelerates the salaries of agents whose pay fell behind officers.
The New York Times reports that significantly more women then men perform “green-collar work” on urban farms. Managers estimate that women hold from 60-80% of both salaried and volunteer positions.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a strike by Lufthansa’s pilots appears “inevitable.” Employees of German rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, are also contemplating a walkout, Reuters reports. .
The European Union is planning to increase border protections, according to the Wall Street Journal. The EU’s border patrol is currently coordinated by an agency called Frontex. The agency’s operations will be increased in Mediterranean countries like Italy, and all member states will be asked to provide boats, helicopters, and places for refugees.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 25
Healthcare workers rally to restore legal status for TPS holders; nurses at a Maine hospital overwhelmingly vote to form their union despite alleged aggressive union busting tactics.
September 24
NLRB abandons rule for offensive conduct during protected activity; New York home care workers seek a union election; maritime deck officers endure long fight for first contracts.
September 23
DoorDash settles delivery-worker pay claims; Philadelphia school workers win new contract; stock gains spur retirements.
September 22
Judge blocks ICE raids in Alabama; Chicago hotel workers vote to strike; AutoZone workers look to create first union
September 21
In today’s News and Commentary, the Seventh Circuit raises the bar for the NLRB to obtain preliminary injunctions, the California Primary Care Association sues SEIU-UHW for racketeering, and the Seventh Circuit finds that an employer group and think tank do not have standing to challenge an Illinois law banning captive audience meetings. On Friday, the […]
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.