Hannah Finnie is a writer in Washington, D.C. interested in the intersections of work and culture. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
The Inflation Reduction Act appears to have enough support to pass both the House and Senate after Democrats brokered a deal with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). The bill, as currently written, has several provisions that will affect workers and businesses. It would create a minimum tax rate of 15% for corporations generating $1 billion or more in income. It would also greatly enhance enforcement funding for the IRS, which is currently underfunded and often therefore fails to investigate potential tax issues for larger corporations and entities. The bill would also allow Medicare to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs, potentially leading to lower prices for patients. And finally, the text of the bill also contains significant investments in combatting climate change, which is currently leaving the most vulnerable workers in even more vulnerable positions, like increasing temperatures for farmworkers and mail delivery drivers.
Kansas voters delivered an overwhelming win for abortion rights earlier this week, as they turned out in droves to keep abortion protections in their state constitution. As I’ve written about before, abortion is a workers’ rights issue: the ability to decide whether and when to have children is central to a workers’ economic empowerment. Some companies have also chosen to create benefits for workers who need to travel out of state for abortions now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. The state supported Trump in the previous election by double digits, and saw a huge increase in voters this election from prior elections, demonstrating that when abortion is on the ballot, voters will turn out.
Daily News & Commentary
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October 9
DHS proposes a $100k fee for the foreign grad employment program; Trump suspends tech company access to green card program; and private equity perpetuates poor working conditions for home care workers.
October 8
NLRB judge finds UPS unlawfully restricted union insignia; Harvard graduate workers authorize second strike; OSHA orders Union Pacific to pay $300,000 in damages in whistleblower case.
October 7
DOL scraps plan to remove decades-old wage-and-hour guidance from federal regulations; New York enacts personnel records access law; Starbucks loses bid to dismiss Workers United trademark suit.
October 6
Protect College Sports Act dampens athlete unionization outlook; Stanford RA union decides to withdraw petition
October 5
Delaware bans captive audience meetings; EEOC settles remote work national origin discrimination claim; First Circuit stays enforcement order in VA's dispute with AFGE.
October 4
Boston nurses announce open-ended strike; federal judge restores federal prison workers' union protections; St. Louis workers form the first movie theater union in Missouri.