Vivian Dong is a student at Harvard Law School.
Donald Trump has selected Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice-president. Unions are unlikely to be happy with the choice. Pence’s administration successfully defended in court Indiana’s right-to-work law, passed by Pence’s predecessor. Pence also repealed the state’s common wage for construction projects. But Pence departs from Trump’s views on one of the issues dearest to Trump. Pence supports the TPP. In fact, as governor Pence urged Indiana’s members of Congress to support “fast-track” trade negotiation authority for President Obama. Pence’s record shows his commitment to free trade in other contexts. Before he became governor, Pence was a member of Congress, where he voted for every free trade agreement that came before him.
The House Appropriations Committee spent Wednesday and Thursday marking up the labor and health spending bill that emerged from subcommittee. The House bill includes provisions that block many major NLRB or Labor Department rulings of the past few years, including the DOL’s new overtime rule, the DOL’s new fiduciary rule, the NLRB’s new joint employer standard, and the NLRB’s rule to speed up union elections. It also seeks to allow H-2B visa employers to use their own private wage surveys to determine the prevailing wage they must pay workers.
The NLRB will begin reporting allegations of labor law violations by government contractors to a federal database, pursuant to President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, signed on July 31, 2014. The NLRB will not report just any unfair labor practice charge however; it will only consider the allegations of a NLRB regional director. The NLRB also will not report the charge if the employer settles the case before the issuance of a complaint. Contracting agencies will use the federal database to assess a contractor’s eligibility to bid on new contracts or to continue work on future contracts valued at more than $500,000.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
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 […]