Hannah Belitz is a student at Harvard Law School.
Now that the UAW has negotiated a contract with General Motors, leaders are pushing members to vote yes. Voting began late last week, and although workers at four assembly plants and a number of component plants approved the agreement, workers at two other assembly plants and one transmission plant rejected it. Voting ends on Saturday, and while the Wall Street Journal reports that the possibility remains open that workers will reject this agreement, Politico suggests that workers are likely to approve the deal.
According to the New York Times, Boeing has reached a settlement agreement of $57 million in a class-action lawsuit challenging the retirement plans it offers workers. The lawsuit accused Boeing of “charging excessive fees and choosing higher-cost investment offerings for workers and retirees who participate in its 401(k) retirement plan,” and was one of a series of class-action suits brought by a St. Louis lawyer pushing for more accountability in corporate retirement plans. Eight other companies have also settled, including Ameriprise Financial, Cigna, and Kraft Foods, for a combined settlement amount of $271.5 million.
At the Washington Post, Lydia DePillis offers a primer on the recently released Trans-Pacific Partnership. You can view the text of the agreement here, but as DePillis suggests, you should read her “TPP explainer first.”
Other TPP news includes a side agreement that obliges Vietnam to pass legislation to legalize independent unions, permit them to strike, and allow foreign labor organizations like the A.F.L.-C.I.O to offer them help. The New York Times notes that the agreement could provide workers with more bargaining power, but its impact will “depend on how Vietnam carries out the agreement.” Vietnam’s Constitution includes the right of workers to strike and engage in organized protests, but until now Vietnam had passed few laws to codify and protect those rights. While a former top official praised the agreement as “a very positive step for Vietnam,” it remains to be seen to what degree the agreement will strengthen Vietnamese labor unions.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 17
Third Circuit denies DOL's en banc rehearing request; Washington AG proposes legislation to protect immigrant workers; UAW files suit challenging government surveillance of non-citizen speech
October 16
NLRB seeks injunction of California’s law; Judge grants temporary restraining order stopping shutdown-related RIFs; and Governor Newsom vetoes an ILWU supported bill.
October 15
An interview with former NLRB chairman; Supreme Court denies cert in Southern California hotel case
October 14
Census Bureau layoffs, Amazon holiday hiring, and the final settlement in a meat producer wage-fixing lawsuit.
October 13
Texas hotel workers ratify a contract; Pope Leo visits labor leaders; Kaiser lays off over two hundred workers.
October 12
The Trump Administration fires thousands of federal workers; AFGE files a supplemental motion to pause the Administration’s mass firings; Democratic legislators harden their resolve during the government shutdown.