Maxwell Ulin is a student at Harvard Law School.
Unemployment claims dropped but held steady overall this past week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning. Around 709,000 Americans filed first-time claims within the past seven days, on top of roughly 300,000 additional claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). The number of first-time claims marks a new low since March, but unemployment remains stubbornly high overall. Long-term joblessness is also a growing concern; the number of American who have transitioned over the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PUEC) program following the expiration of their state benefits now exceeds 4.1 million, up from 4 million last week.
Even as Trump continues to contest the election results in unprecedented fashion, a more traditional scramble has begun for cabinet and staff positions within the incoming Biden administration. Yesterday, President-elect Biden announced his intention to appoint Ron Klain as his Chief of Staff, much to pleasure of progressives. The fight for Labor Secretary of has been brewing; yesterday Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) publicly confirmed his interest in the position on CNN. Sanders’s efforts to garner support have been met with mixed reactions from union leaders, however. And with the Senate destined for either divided leadership or an outright Republican majority, the odds of Sanders’s confirmation appear limited. In the meantime, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has been actively marshaling support among labor leaders for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, as have AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFSCME President Lee Saunders. Meanwhile, Michigan Congressman Andy Levin, a former union organizer, has also been jockeying for the top DoL position and has already secured support from CWA and UAW leaders.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 7
The Supreme Court kicks off its latest term, granting and declining certiorari in several labor-related cases.
October 6
EEOC regains quorum; Second Circuit issues opinion on DEI causing hostile work environment.
October 5
In today’s news and commentary, HELP committee schedules a vote on Trump’s NLRB nominees, the 5th Circuit rejects Amazon’s request for en banc review, and TV production workers win their first union contract. After a nomination hearing on Wednesday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee scheduled a committee vote on President Trump’s NLRB nominees […]
October 3
California legislation empowers state labor board; ChatGPT used in hostile workplace case; more lawsuits challenge ICE arrests
October 2
AFGE and AFSCME sue in response to the threat of mass firings; another preliminary injunction preventing Trump from stripping some federal workers of collective bargaining rights; and challenges to state laws banning captive audience meetings.
September 30
the NTEU petitions for reconsideration for the CFPB layoff scheme, an insurance company defeats a FLSA claim, and a construction company violated the NLRA by surveilling its unionized workers.