Alisha Jarwala is a student at Harvard Law School and a member of the Labor and Employment Lab.
Yesterday, JPMorgan Chase announced a tentative settlement in a class-action case brought by a father who was denied the company’s 16 weeks of parental leave on the grounds that he was not the “primary caregiver.” The company will pay $5 million into a fund to compensate about 5,000 men who were denied parental leave for the same reason. This case is part of a growing number of class actions suits brought by men arguing that parental leave policies discriminate against them: for example, last year, Estee Lauder paid over $1 million to settle a similar case.
New Jersey lawmakers are trying to overhaul the state’s pension system, which is one of the most indebted in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal reports that a new bill would “shift new state workers and teachers . . . into a hybrid retirement plan that combines a pension with something like a 401(k) plan.” New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney estimates that this change in model would save the state and local governments $24.5 billion over the next 30 years.
Employers in the District of Columbia have paid over $500,000 in fines for failing to comply with D.C.’s “ban the box” law, according to a new report by the D.C. Office of Human Rights. The law prevents employers from screening out job applicants by asking prospective employees to check a box if they’ve been convicted of a crime. However, the report noted that the number of charges against employers filed by the District has decreased annually, from over 400 in 2015 to fewer than 100 in 2018.
Finally, SEIU staffers have accused their employer of engaging in unfair labor practices, laying the groundwork for an eventual strike if they cannot agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. HuffPost reports that the primary disagreement between staffers and management is over layoff protections—SEIU is willing to maintain them for current staff but wants to get rid of them for new hires, which the staff union views as selling out their future colleagues.
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July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.
June 29
In today’s news and commentary, Trump v. CASA restricts nationwide injunctions, a preliminary injunction continues to stop DOL from shutting down Job Corps, and the minimum wage is set to rise in multiple cities and states. On Friday, the Supreme Court held in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority that […]
June 27
Labor's role in Zohran Mamdani's victory; DHS funding amendment aims to expand guest worker programs; COSELL submission deadline rapidly approaching
June 26
A district judge issues a preliminary injunction blocking agencies from implementing Trump’s executive order eliminating collective bargaining for federal workers; workers organize for the reinstatement of two doctors who were put on administrative leave after union activity; and Lamont vetoes unemployment benefits for striking workers.