Recently, a federal magistrate judge in San Francisco ruled to allow a labor lawsuit against GrubHub to go forward, denying the company’s motion for summary judgment. Lawson v. GrubHub was first filed in 2015, and it is one example of an ongoing case that could help answer the question of whether gig economy workers should be classified as contractors or as employees.
The Fifth Circuit recently reaffirmed the view of many courts that “regular work-site attendance” is essential to most jobs, a position that is in tension with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In Credeur v. Louisiana, the court held that a lawyer in the Louisiana state attorney general’s office is not entitled to telecommute as an accommodation for complications from kidney transplant surgery.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to focus on private-sector hiring, rather than pubic spending, to spur employment recovery drew praise from French business leaders, reports the Wall Street Journal. At an annual summer retreat, French business elite generally expressed support for President Macron’s plans to loosen rigid labor rules, while some cautioned that the measures will take time to take effect, given the fact that the overall unemployment rate is nearly ten percent, and about a quarter of young people are unemployed.
The New York Times reports that this week, U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley and other Democratic members of the New York congressional delegation are set to introduce the 9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act, a bill that would give green cards to undocumented immigrants who served in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “They served our country when we needed a hand, and now we are only showing them, unfortunately, the back of ours,” Mr. Crowley said at a news conference outside City Hall on Sunday. “Instead of gratitude, they are being shown the door.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
January 5
Minor league hockey players strike and win new deal; Hochul endorses no tax on tips; Trump administration drops appeal concerning layoffs.
December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.