Lolita De Palma is a student at Harvard Law School.
In the aftermath of the Chicago teachers’ strike, which ended on October 31, students and teachers are struggling to catch up on missing work. Some high school seniors who were unable to take the SAT during the strike have now missed early admission deadlines. A few Illinois state schools have responded by extending admissions deadlines for CPS students. While the missed days of school did place a burden on parents and students, many parents and students appreciate the strike’s gains in securing a greater number of social workers and nurses throughout the district.
On Sunday, Instacart shoppers began a three-day strike for better pay. The company recently announced that it was cutting default tips from 10 percent to 5 percent. Since Instacart customers rarely change the default tip, this new tipping structure means less money for the workers. Instacart shoppers also want the company to remove the 5 percent service fee. This fee does not go to the workers and further reduces the amount customers are willing to tip. Since shoppers only make about $7 per batch and have to pay for gas, tips are essential.
The New York Times touted the success of labor organizing that targets a sector of employment rather than a single employer. Pushing for sector-specific minimum wages has allowed labor to bypass the partisan divide that has frozen the national minimum wage at $7.25 for a decade. Economist Ben Zipperer said, “This is for middle-income workers. Having sectoral standards can have a much broader effect than just raising the minimum wage.”
A Forbes article found that unions provide the strongest guarantee of financial security for American families. Union members are wealthier than non-unionized employees. They also have more benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, and life insurance.
A Wall Street Journal opinion attacked official measures of income inequality on the basis that they do not accurately account for government transfers. Based on the authors’ analysis of how government and private programs redistribute wealth, they conclude that there is only a 3.8 to 1 gap in the income received between the top and bottom quintiles.
McDonald’s fired its chief executive Steve Easterbrook for engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee that violated company policy. Chris Kempczinski, president of McDonald’s USA, will replace Mr. Easterbrook.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 11
Regional director orders election without Board quorum; 9th Circuit pauses injunction on Executive Order; Driverless car legislation in Massachusetts
July 10
Wisconsin Supreme Court holds UW Health nurses are not covered by Wisconsin’s Labor Peace Act; a district judge denies the request to stay an injunction pending appeal; the NFLPA appeals an arbitration decision.
July 9
the Supreme Court allows Trump to proceed with mass firings; Secretary of Agriculture suggests Medicaid recipients replace deported migrant farmworkers; DHS ends TPS for Nicaragua and Honduras
July 8
In today’s news and commentary, Apple wins at the Fifth Circuit against the NLRB, Florida enacts a noncompete-friendly law, and complications with the No Tax on Tips in the Big Beautiful Bill. Apple won an appeal overturning a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that the company violated labor law by coercively questioning an employee […]
July 7
LA economy deals with fallout from ICE raids; a new appeal challenges the NCAA antitrust settlement; and the EPA places dissenting employees on leave.
July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.