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
December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.
December 16
Second Circuit affirms dismissal of former collegiate athletes’ antitrust suit; UPS will invest $120 million in truck-unloading robots; Sharon Block argues there are reasons for optimism about labor’s future.