The NFL players union has filed a grievance against the league for its “Take a Knee” ban. In a statement, the NFL Players Association argued that the policy “is inconsistent with the collective agreement and infringes on player rights[.]” The NFL announced the policy, which requires players to either stand during the national anthem or wait in their locker rooms until game time, in May in an attempt to crack down on nearly two years’ worth of player protests against police brutality. OnLabor’s Ben Sachs and Sejal Singh have both previously written about how the NFL’s “Take a Knee” ban violates federal labor law.
Pilots for Allegiant Air have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the low-cost airline. The pilots are demanding that the airline fix a scheduling system that they claim is disruptive to their lives and does not take account of seniority or preferences. Teamster Local 1224, which represents the pilots, accused Allegiant of not fulfilling its obligations under the pilots’ August 2016 collective bargaining agreement. Allegiant responded by claiming that a strike would be illegal because “the issue would not constitute grounds for a legal work stoppage” under either federal statute or the pilots’ collective bargaining agreement.
Across the Atlantic, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association strike against Ryanair seems to be having its intended effect. Ryanair announced that it will cancel up to 30 flights on Thursday as a result of the strike. Though the airline accused the union of “caus[ing] unnecessary disruption to customers and damage[ing] Ryanair’s low fare model[,]” it has also agreed to meet the union before Thursday’s planned strike. The parties are set to meet at Dublin Airport this morning.
In New Zealand, nurses plan to strike for the first time in 30 years after weeks of failed negotiations with the federal government. Over 30,000 nurses will go on strike this Thursday, disrupting health services across the country and forcing all non-urgent care to be rescheduled. The union had earlier rejected an offer of NZ $520 million (USD $356 million) to raise wages by 3 percent and hire more staff, calling it insufficient in light of a decade of severe underfunding and growing demand for health services. The government responded that it has inherited a budget crisis and cannot offer more. The nurses’ strike is just one among many actions by public sector workers: on Monday 4,000 employees of the inland revenue department and business ministry walked off the job, while primary school teachers plan to strike in August.
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May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]