Alexa Kissinger is a student at Harvard Law School.
British Airways’ cabin crew have announced they will hold a four-day strike later this month. This strike comes on the heels of an IT meltdown prompting the airline to strand 75,000 passengers at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick. The crew is striking over inferior pay and conditions, will walk out on June 16 over what they term “poverty pay” at the airline.
According to the New York Times, a workers’ advocacy group released a report accusing Walmart of violating the ADA, FMLA and other workplace laws.The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 and claims Walmart systematically refuses to accept doctors’ notes, penalizes workers who need to take off to care for family members, and punishes employees for other lawful absences. This same group has argued in a lawsuit filed last month, and in an earlier complaint with the EEOC, that Walmart, the U.S.’s largest employer routinely discriminates against pregnant workers.
According to data from the Department of Labor, 138,000 jobs were added in the month of May. Economists had expected a gain of about 185,000. The unemployment rate reached its lowest point since 2001, however Marketwatch attributes this decline to people leaving the workforce rather than an increase in the number of employed Americans. In light of these numbers and other factors, economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise benchmark interest rates when it meets on June 13 and 14.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
May 12
NJ Transit engineers threaten strike; a court halts Trump's firings; and the pope voices support for workers.
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.