Adi Kamdar is a student at Harvard Law School.
Today is the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, and labor is heavily represented. Monday’s speaker’s list includes AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, AFT president Randi Weingarten, AFSCME president Lee Saunders, Building Trades president Sean McGarvey, SEIU president Mary Kay Henry, and NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia. Winning over labor is crucial, especially after newly tapped VP pick Tim Kaine expressed agreement with provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership before renouncing his support for the deal soon after.
Meanwhile, those staying tuned to their mobile devices or taxi cab televisions in Philadelphia will see a flurry of ads regarding minimum wage waivers for union workers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The ads are sponsored by the Worforce Fairness Institute, “which has for years fought union-backed legislation in Washington.”
Roughly $66,000. That’s how much it’ll cost per employee for banks to move their British staff abroad post-Brexit, a consulting firm estimated, according to Bloomberg. This price includes the “cost of relocating staff, hiring and firing other employees and setting up new offices in cities that could include Amsterdam, Dublin, Paris or Frankfurt.” Many banks have threatened—or are planning—to move out of the U.K. in order to maintain free access to the rest of the European market.
A Bloomberg video talks about how the labor force participation rate is at its lowest rate in 30 years, and the U.S. birth rate is at its lowest in a hundred. The commentator notes that, because of factors like the low birth rate, there will be a continued threat to labor participation unless we look to immigration to fill some much-needed gaps.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
January 19
Department of Education pauses wage garnishment; Valero Energy announces layoffs; Labor Department wins back wages for healthcare workers.
January 18
Met Museum workers unionize; a new report reveals a $0.76 average tip for gig workers in NYC; and U.S. workers receive the smallest share of capital since 1947.
January 16
The NLRB publishes its first decision since regaining a quorum; Minneapolis labor unions call for a general strike in response to the ICE killing of Renee Good; federal workers rally in DC to show support for the Protecting America’s Workforce Act.
January 15
New investigation into the Secretary of Labor; New Jersey bill to protect child content creators; NIOSH reinstates hundreds of employees.
January 14
The Supreme Court will not review its opt-in test in ADEA cases in an age discrimination and federal wage law violation case; the Fifth Circuit rules that a jury will determine whether Enterprise Products unfairly terminated a Black truck driver; and an employee at Berry Global Inc. will receive a trial after being fired for requesting medical leave for a disability-related injury.
January 13
15,000 New York City nurses go on strike; First Circuit rules against ferry employees challenging a COVID-19 vaccine mandate; New York lawmakers propose amendments to Trapped at Work Act.