In honor of Martin Luther King Day, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez penned an editorial about the role of labor unions in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Calling the holiday “the other Labor Day,” Perez detailed the strong ties between Dr. King’s actions and the labor movement, highlighting that “[m]any people are aware that King was assassinated in Memphis in the spring of 1968. Less well-known is what drew him there: solidarity with city sanitation workers, who, without the benefit of union representation, were rising up to protest humiliating pay and deplorable working conditions.”
The Washington Post‘s Lydia DePillis writes about cab drivers’ collective action in the age of Uber and Lyft ridesharing. DePillis reported that last Friday, in the Taxi Workers Alliance’s Queens offices, union cab driver activists from across American and Europe “convened for a council of war” against the popular apps. “We will send this message to every country, every government, that Uber is not welcome,” said Mac Urata, the London-based head of surface transportation for the International Transport Workers Federation. “They have no place to hide. Everywhere they go, we will fight them, shame them, and get them out of business.” Taxi driver unions have been successful in banning Uber in many European cities, as well as raising awareness through campaigns in many American metro areas.
President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, and many media outlets have predicted that the President’s speech will touch on labor-related issues. The Los Angeles Times reports that President Obama will focus on “middle-class economics,” including raising taxes on top earners and impose a new fee on large financial firms to pay for tax credits aimed at low- and middle-class families. The Wall Street Journal published graphs entitled “The State of the Economy” that include visual representations of unemployment statistics, income, industry strength, and manufacturing numbers.
In international news, the Prime Minister of Hungary urged the European Union to limit immigration numbers. The Wall Street Journal reports that Prime Minister Viktor Orban said “he believes the EU’s laws on asylum should be tightened, just a week after he said in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris that immigration into Europe should stop.”
In Germany, Lufthansa employees have agreed to mediation in their dispute over retirement benefits, the airline and trade union UFO said on Monday. Lufthansa pilots staged 10 separate strikes over an early retirement scheme last year, costing the airline close to 200 million euros ($232 million) in profits. Last week, the pilots threatened to strike again if no agreement abour retirement benefits was reached.
Daily News & Commentary
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June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.
June 29
In today’s news and commentary, Trump v. CASA restricts nationwide injunctions, a preliminary injunction continues to stop DOL from shutting down Job Corps, and the minimum wage is set to rise in multiple cities and states. On Friday, the Supreme Court held in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority that […]
June 27
Labor's role in Zohran Mamdani's victory; DHS funding amendment aims to expand guest worker programs; COSELL submission deadline rapidly approaching
June 26
A district judge issues a preliminary injunction blocking agencies from implementing Trump’s executive order eliminating collective bargaining for federal workers; workers organize for the reinstatement of two doctors who were put on administrative leave after union activity; and Lamont vetoes unemployment benefits for striking workers.
June 25
Some circuits show less deference to NLRB; 3d Cir. affirms return to broader concerted activity definition; changes to federal workforce excluded from One Big Beautiful Bill.
June 24
In today’s news and commentary, the DOL proposes new wage and hour rules, Ford warns of EV battery manufacturing trouble, and California reaches an agreement to delay an in-person work mandate for state employees. The Trump Administration’s Department of Labor has advanced a series of proposals to update federal wage and hour rules. First, the […]