Martin Drake is a student at Harvard Law School.
Vox reported yesterday on unprecedented rates of labor organizing in Mexico since the beginning of 2019, which has sparked a national movement. Thousands of Mexican factory workers have been striking in Mexican border cities, demanding higher wages from the US companies and subcontractors in operation there. The workers generally earn about $2.50 an hour making car parts, washing machines, appliances and soda for American consumers. The strikes have coalesced into the 20/32 Movement, which is spreading beyond factories and demanding a 20 percent pay raise and 32,000 peso annual bonus.
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday approving 1.9 percent pay raise for federal workers, The Hill reports. The order overrides the pay freezes that Trump put in place in August; at that time the scheduled increase was set for 2.1 percent. The pay raise will retroactively apply on January 1st, giving workers an extra bonus to cover the last three months.
Illinois manufacturing workers were fired last week after a one-hour strike protesting discrimination and unfair treatment, Truthout reports. The workers claim that their strike was protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act, and they have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The workers were employed at Headly Manufacturing, which produces precision-drawn metal stamps; they are not unionized, but they are supported by the worker organization Arise Chicago. One fired worker had worked there for seven years, and says he and his co-workers received no written explanation for their firing.
Anti-union organizations have filed over a dozen lawsuits in California since the Janus ruling, and so far the suits have been unsuccessful, the Sacramento Bee reports. The majority of the lawsuits attempt to force unions to let members leave before their contracts run out. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits are backed by right-leaning groups that are attempting to weaken unions at all levels of government, with some of the lawsuits attempting to force unions to pay back dues they have collected for up to two years.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.
September 11
California rideshare deal advances; Boeing reaches tentative agreement with union; FTC scrutinizes healthcare noncompetes.