Adi Kamdar is a student at Harvard Law School.
Following last week’s nationwide injunction against the Department of Labor’s overtime rule, the Washington Post editorial board urged Congress to make the rule law. The board noted that five Republican senators earlier proposed a law phasing in the overtime rule’s higher salary threshold over a period of four years, with opt-outs for nonprofits and state governments.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said today that global growth will grow under the Trump administration, pointing at lower taxes and increased infrastructure spending, according to Fortune. As growth increases, OECD predicted unemployment will drop from 4.9% to 4.5% in 2018.
Tomorrow’s a big day for Uber: first, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will hear arguments in a case that will affect Uber’s status across the continent, the New York Times reports. The case was filed by the Spanish taxi association, which claimed unfair competition. The Spanish judge referred the case to the ECJ to determine whether Uber is a transportation service, and thus subject to Europe’s strict labor laws, or a digital platform. Second, hundreds of Uber drivers are joining Fight for $15 protests tomorrow across the United States, Reuters reports.
The gig economy is looking to state legislation to settle disputes around benefits, according to Reuters. In New York, the online home cleaning company Handy has proposed a draft bill that “would establish guidelines for a portable benefits plan for New York workers at gig-economy companies.” Portable benefits are tied to the worker, not the hiring company. The bill classifies such workers as independent contractors as long as the companies they work for reach certain standards: companies are required to contribute 2.5% of each job’s fee toward an individual worker’s account, which she could use to purchase benefits.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 13
Chicago hotel workers remain on strike; a coalition of Democratic states sues the Labor Department over canceled unemployment insurance grants; the Federal Labor Relations Authority establishes a new mediation framework for federal worker disputes.
October 12
Workers at the Obama Foundation begin organizing; MLB submits its latest collective bargaining agreement proposal; Brigham & Women's nurses postpone strike.
October 11
UAW President Shawn Fain succeeds in his reelection bid, and Spanish unions call for a general strike.
October 9
DHS proposes a $100k fee for the foreign grad employment program; Trump suspends tech company access to green card program; and private equity perpetuates poor working conditions for home care workers.
October 8
NLRB judge finds UPS unlawfully restricted union insignia; Harvard graduate workers authorize second strike; OSHA orders Union Pacific to pay $300,000 in damages in whistleblower case.
October 7
DOL scraps plan to remove decades-old wage-and-hour guidance from federal regulations; New York enacts personnel records access law; Starbucks loses bid to dismiss Workers United trademark suit.