Today’s News & Commentary — November 13, 2017

USA Today reports that the U.S. federal agencies relied on trucking companies that violated labor laws.  XPO Logistics and California Cartage, two companies that were found guilty of labor infractions, and Konoike-Pacific, which was accused of the same kinds of violations by its drivers, are still working as federal contractors or subcontractors.  Lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, responded to USA Today’s investigation by calling on the agencies to change their practices.  “The DoD shouldn’t be giving taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that cheat their workers out of wages or take shortcuts on safety,” said Sen. Warren.

“The downfall of the constitutional convention vote last week was a big victory for organized labor,” reports the Albany Times Union.  Union organizing against the constitutional convention allowed unions to strengthen member outreach and showed how unions benefit paying members.  “In many ways, the organizing methods we used will serve us well if there is an adverse decision in Janus,” New York State United Teachers union spokesman Carl Korn said.

On Sunday, Uber announced that it struck a deal—worth as much as $10 billion—with an investor group, led in part by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the deal would include changes to Uber’s corporate governance, and it is in part motivated by “bring[ing] peace to a company defined in 2017 by scandal and infighting.”

The New York Times lists a series of things that employees should consider if they feel that they have been sexually harassed.  The article draws on advice from legal experts.