Lauren Godles is a student at Harvard Law School.
Summer is heating up, and so is the Uber antitrust lawsuit. Judge Jed Rakoff’s most recent decision in the case became public on Monday, and it allows Uber Technologies Inc. to be added as a defendant in the case. The original lawsuit named only the company’s CEO, Travis Kalanik. This addition could trigger the arbitration clause that the plaintiff, Uber passenger Spencer Meyer, likely sought to avoid by not naming Uber in the original complaint.
Employers have cut down significantly on health and wellness programs in the last year, according to a new study by the Society for Human Resource Management. Wellness programs can consist of anything from yoga classes to smoking cessation incentives, but the jury is still out on which, if any, are most effective. OnLabor recently explained why companies that pay employees to get more sleep face both legal and implementation problems. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that corporate wellness programs can cause companies to lose 50 cents per dollar spent, which helps to explain the decline in programs this year.
In other wellness news, a pioneering 32–year longitudinal study shows that working long hours results in significantly worse health outcomes for women than for men. The study found that women who worked 60 hours or more over the 32 years had triple the risk of developing diabetes, cancer, heart problems, and arthritis compared to those who worked only 40 hour weeks. On the other hand, men who worked longer hours than their peers saw better health outcomes in some areas, including heart and lung disease—though their risk of arthritis did increase. These staggering results suggest that female employees have far more to worry about than the wage gap.
Finally, the Supreme Court will consider the President’s appointment powers for the second time in two years. In NLRB v. SW General Inc., the Court will review President Obama’s appointment of Lafe Solomon as Acting General Counsel of the NLRB . Obama nominated Solomon while Solomon was already filling the post in an acting capacity, which the D.C. Circuit held to be a violation of the 1998 Federal Vacancy Reforms Act. SW General Inc. provides ambulances services in Arizona, and the NLRB found that it had committed an unfair labor practice while Solomon was acting General Counsel. They contend that the finding was invalid, since Solomon lacked the authority to sign off on the finding. The Supreme Court will not review the underlying unfair labor practice. Read more about this case, which has huge implications for the next President and all his or her federal appointments, on SCOTUSblog and POLITICO.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 3
Unions seek a preliminary injunction to prevent USDA downsizing; the D.C. District Court issues a preliminary injunction against new student loan regulations; Matt Bruenig releases an analysis of Starbucks’ ongoing legal battle against Starbucks Workers United.
July 2
First Circuit denies federal worker unions’ mandamus petition; federal court denies preliminary injunction against new union reporting rule; House introduces the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act.
July 1
Trump nominates Keith Sonderling as Labor Secretary; DOL eliminates disparate-impact liability from Title VI regulations; OPM finalizes rule allowing suitability-based removal of federal employees for post-appointment conduct.
June 30
SCOTUS ends removal protections for agencies; staff at NYC cocktail bar vote to unionize.
June 29
In today’s News and Commentary, student-athletes file a class action suit challenging the NCAA’s new Age-Based Rule, a federal judge declines to issue a preliminary injunction against FEMA’s reduction in force but expedites proceedings, and Gavin Newsom opposes California’s proposed billionaire tax in favor of a federal approach. On Thursday, DeJuan Campbell, at basketball player […]
June 28
Philadelphia utility workers announce July 4 strike; national parks workers vote to unionize; Michigan considers “right to disconnect” bill.