Fran Swanson is a student at Harvard Law School.
Life for American truck drivers has devolved into a “dystopian nightmare,” writes Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein in an op-ed for the New York Times. Before the 1970s, trucking was a “good job, with union representation, decent pay and benefits, and normal hours,” but, fears of inflation led the Carter administration to allow non-union, less regulated firms compete, creating a race to the bottom. Now, truckers are paid low wages—almost always pinned to the miles they drive, not the time they spend driving or waiting—which forces them to compensate by working, on average, well over 60 hours per week. This fatigue makes dangerous work even more so, but companies have responded with increased surveillance and automation rather than addressing its cause.
A federal district judge has reinstated a Trump-era rule on independent contractor classification, Bloomberg Law reports. A coalition of gig companies sued to reinstate the rule— which assigned greater weigh to two of the factors in the Fair Labor Standards Act’s test for worker classification—because it made it easier for them to continue to classify their workers as contractors. It was set to take effect in March 2021 but never did because Biden’s Department of Labor issued a rule postponing its effective date and then issued a final rule withdrawing the Trump rule. (Hannah wrote about the options DOL had at the time here.) Judge Marcia Crone of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that the Biden DOL’s actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act: the delay rule’s notice-and-comment period was too short (and the scope of comments too limited), while the withdrawal rule was arbitrary and capricious because DOL failed to consider certain alternatives.
Finally, Minneapolis Public School food service workers announced their intent to strike if an agreement for a new contract isn’t reached in ten days, the Star Tribune reports. 99% of the workers voted earlier this month to authorize the strike, and have continued serving meals while schools have been closed during the district’s teacher strike. They typically make less than $28,000 a year. They are seeking a $1/hour raise each year in the new contract. “Enough is enough,” said Kelly Gibbons, SEIU Local 284’s executive director.
Daily News & Commentary
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June 25
Some circuits show less deference to NLRB; 3d Cir. affirms return to broader concerted activity definition; changes to federal workforce excluded from One Big Beautiful Bill.
June 24
In today’s news and commentary, the DOL proposes new wage and hour rules, Ford warns of EV battery manufacturing trouble, and California reaches an agreement to delay an in-person work mandate for state employees. The Trump Administration’s Department of Labor has advanced a series of proposals to update federal wage and hour rules. First, the […]
June 23
Supreme Court interprets ADA; Department of Labor effectively kills Biden-era regulation; NYC announces new wages for rideshare drivers.
June 22
California lawmakers challenge Garmon preemption in the absence of an NLRB quorum and Utah organizers successfully secure a ballot referendum to overturn HB 267.
June 20
Three state bills challenge Garmon preemption; Wisconsin passes a bill establishing portable benefits for gig workers; and a sharp increase in workplace ICE raids contribute to a nationwide labor shortage.
June 19
Report finds retaliatory action by UAW President; Senators question Trump's EEOC pick; California considers new bill to address federal labor law failures.