
Marina Multhaup is a Senior Associate at Barnard, Iglitzin & Lavitt—a law firm in Seattle, Washington, that represents unions, and a former student member of the Labor and Employment Lab at Harvard Law.
Today is the inauguration of President Joe Biden, whose candidacy has been supported by union leaders and worker advocates as a turning point for the labor movement. President Biden previously unveiled plans to implement a $15 national minimum wage, pass the PRO-Act, and expand unemployment benefits, among other pro-labor plans.
President Biden promised to unveil an immigration reform bill today which includes an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the US without documentation. The bill would also quicken the path to citizenship for DACA-recipients, promises to address some of the root causes of Central American migration, and includes paths to citizenship for undocumented and H-2A agricultural workers.
Yesterday the Senate began confirmation hearings for Biden’s cabinet members after significant delays. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen testified that her priorities will be investing in expanding unemployment benefits, helping struggling workers find good jobs and better wages, and repairing the economy especially with regard to women and people of color. Ms. Yellen said that the administration should “act big,” prioritizing national spending to rebound economically from the pandemic rather than worrying about national debt.
The Trump Department of Labor issued a last-minute Opinion letter yesterday which advised that certain local news reporters can be considered “creative or learned professionals” under the FLSA and therefore exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements. The Opinion Letter argued that, due to substantial changes in the field of journalism, many local news reporters have shifted from a “just the facts” approach to a more “context-based reporting,” which “requires significantly more autonomy, independence, and originality.” Whether journalists are subject to the “creative” FLSA exception has long been debated in the agency and in the courts. The Biden-led DOL could reverse this guidance.
As Zachary noted yesterday, 1400 members of Teamsters Local 202 went on strike in the Bronx, demanding a $1 per hour wage increase. Police officers arrested several members on the picket line and held them overnight. The circumstances of the arrests remain unclear. Daniel Kane Jr., President of Teamsters Local 202, condemned the arrests, saying, “It is outrageous that after being called essential heroes for months, several of our members were arrested while peacefully protesting for a raise today.” The workers were released early yesterday morning.
Finally, in a statement released yesterday afternoon, the Screen Actors Guild union (SAG-AFTRA), of which Trump is a member, voted to hold a disciplinary hearing for the former president over his role in the deadly Capitol riots. The union emphasized the danger to its broadcast journalist members that Trump incited. After the disciplinary hearing, two-thirds of the union could vote to suspend or expel Trump from its membership.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 11
Regional director orders election without Board quorum; 9th Circuit pauses injunction on Executive Order; Driverless car legislation in Massachusetts
July 10
Wisconsin Supreme Court holds UW Health nurses are not covered by Wisconsin’s Labor Peace Act; a district judge denies the request to stay an injunction pending appeal; the NFLPA appeals an arbitration decision.
July 9
the Supreme Court allows Trump to proceed with mass firings; Secretary of Agriculture suggests Medicaid recipients replace deported migrant farmworkers; DHS ends TPS for Nicaragua and Honduras
July 8
In today’s news and commentary, Apple wins at the Fifth Circuit against the NLRB, Florida enacts a noncompete-friendly law, and complications with the No Tax on Tips in the Big Beautiful Bill. Apple won an appeal overturning a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that the company violated labor law by coercively questioning an employee […]
July 7
LA economy deals with fallout from ICE raids; a new appeal challenges the NCAA antitrust settlement; and the EPA places dissenting employees on leave.
July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.