Hannah Finnie is a writer in Washington, D.C. interested in the intersections of work and culture. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
The Government Accountability Office released a trio of reports about the U.S. unemployment insurance (UI) system and its successes and failures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reports found that black applicants for UI were half as likely to receive benefits as white applicants. The reports also found that UI contributed to creating economic stability during a potentially destabilizing event.
The GAO also noted that it didn’t have enough data to fully measure and therefore counteract the racism embedded in the UI system, stating that it was only able to obtain data from five states. House Democrats, according to the Politico article, are reportedly considering introducing legislation that would make it easier to collect data from states about UI that would result in having more comprehensive data to more fully understand the scope of the problem.
The Consumer Price Index revealed earlier this week that year-over-year inflation has reached 8.6 percent, with the prices of food, gas, and housing all rising. Meanwhile, oil companies continue to tout large profits. Reporting from The Guardian shows that the largest oil companies have already made $100 billion in profit in just the first three months of this year. BP’s chief financial officer said in February: “Certainly, it’s possible that we’re getting more cash than we know what to do with.” Advocates like the Groundwork Collective have called for an excess profits tax to reign in the industry’s profits.
Workers at a Trader Joe’s store in Massachusetts have filed for an election to unionize. If they’re successful, the store would be the first unionized Trader Joe’s location in the United States. As I previously wrote for OnLabor, one of the main motivations for the workers is that the company, which previously was known for relatively generous worker pay and benefits for the grocery industry, has recently made unilateral decisions that cut workers’ benefits and conditions. Like the recent successful Amazon union drive, the workers at this Trader Joe’s location are operating as an independent union, the Trader Joe’s Union, instead of planning to unionize with an established union.
Finally, a recent piece from In These Times acknowledges how reproductive rights are workers’ rights, and overviews how unions can and are using their power to protect reproductive rights.
Daily News & Commentary
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August 1
The Michigan Supreme Court grants heightened judicial scrutiny over employment contracts that shorten the limitations period for filing civil rights claims; the California Labor Commission gains new enforcement power over tip theft; and a new Florida law further empowers employers issuing noncompete agreements.
July 31
EEOC sued over trans rights enforcement; railroad union opposes railroad merger; suits against NLRB slow down.
July 30
In today’s news and commentary, the First Circuit will hear oral arguments on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) revocation of parole grants for thousands of migrants; United Airlines’ flight attendants vote against a new labor contract; and the AFL-CIO files a complaint against a Trump Administrative Executive Order that strips the collective bargaining rights of the vast majority of federal workers.
July 29
The Trump administration released new guidelines for federal employers regarding religious expression in the workplace; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers is suing former union president for repayment of mismanagement of union funds; Uber has criticized a new proposal requiring delivery workers to carry company-issued identification numbers.
July 28
Lower courts work out meaning of Muldrow; NLRB releases memos on recording and union salts.
July 27
In today’s news and commentary, Trump issues an EO on college sports, a second district court judge blocks the Department of Labor from winding down Job Corps, and Safeway workers in California reach a tentative agreement. On Thursday, President Trump announced an executive order titled “Saving College Sports,” which declared it common sense that “college […]