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
January 10
In today’s News and Commentary, Josh Hawley releases a pro-labor proposal, thousands of nurses and doctors strike in Oregon, and Starbucks Workers United files new ULP complaints. Republican Senator Josh Hawley has called for a “Pro-Worker Framework” for the upcoming Congress. The proposal calls for a ban on captive audience meetings, safety and health protections, […]
January 9
The SEIU has joined the AFL-CIO, and dockworkers have reached a tentative labor agreement.
January 8
U.S. and Nippon Steel sue to revive merger; EEOC proposal faces headwinds under Trump admin; DOL overtime rule rejected by second TX district court.
January 7
Union drive at The Athletic; Dartmouth basketball players' union bid ends; California sued over captive audience meeting ban
January 6
Biden’s FTC makes a final push to protect its worker non-compete ban; East and Gulf Coast dockworkers return to the bargaining table tomorrow; Park City ski patrol unions are on strike
January 4
In today’s news and commentary, Biden blocks the acquisition of U.S. Steel, the Third Circuit curbs NLRB remedial power, and DOL’s Wage and Hour Division’s year in review. President Biden announced that he would block a $15 billion dollar take over of U.S. Steel by the Japanese company Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns over […]