The Wall Street Journal calls Tuesday’s election results a “blow to organized labor.” Republican governors held on to their seats in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and Maine despite targeting by the AFL-CIO for pushing anti-union measures. Politico analyzed Scott Walker’s reelection in Wisconsin, pointing to the governor’s financial resources and labor’s continued decline. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO remained optimistic due to voter support for an economic agenda friendly to workers, like minimum wage increases and paid sick time. The AFL-CIO also released polling data that demonstrated voter support for left-leaning economic policies.
Despite spending unprecedented sums in the midterm elections, candidates supported by teachers’ unions lost in eight states on Tuesday. Union backed candidates won in Pennsylvania and California. Time reports that education reformers are claiming victory, attributing Republican gains to voter repudiation of the education establishment. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said that the election results only reflect voters’ feelings about President Obama.
The service industry in the U.S. continues to grow, but the pace of that growth slowed in September and October, the New York Times reports. Private payrolls continued to increase last month.
In an effort to assimilate the Uighurs, an ethnic minority in China, the Chinese government has implemented a labor export program. The New York Times reports that the government is hoping to quell ethnic unrest and resistance to Beijing in the Xinjiang the region where the Uighurs live. More than 1,000 workers have moved from Xinjiang to Guangdong, a province dominated by the Han, the ethnic majority. Guangdong companies that hire Uighurs will receive a subsidy from the provincial government.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.
July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.