French public sector workers across the nation’s 9 main unions have engaged in another strike against President Macron’s economic policies. The strikes have affected schools and flights, grounding at least 450,000 travelers across Europe.
Today, the Japan labor standard office determined the suicide of a 23-year old employee of Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium construction site stemmed from overwork. Hiroshi Kawahito had recorded 190 hours of overtime in one month. Last week, Japanese broadcasting firm “NHK” disclosed the death of one of their journalists in the summer of 2013. Miwa Sado had worked 159 hours of overtime over a summer and died of congestive heart failure a month later. “Karoshi,” or “death from overwork,” became a widely recognized phenomenon in the 1980s for Japanese workers and continues to affect the workforce. This week, Japan’s biggest advertising company, “Dentsu,” was fined a token sum of 500,000 yen (about $4400) for forcing its staff to work overtime over agreed-upon union limits. Dentsu employee Matsuri Takahashi had committed suicide on Christmas of 2015 in a case that was also labeled as karoshi.
Amidst the reactions to sexual harassment allegations and investigations of Harvey Weinstein, Gretchen Carlson, the former anchor at Fox who filed a lawsuit against Roger Ailes, has written an piece on changes to arbitration policies that employers and Congress must take to encourage women to report incidents of sexual harassment.
Today, Lufthansa and its main pilots’ union signed an agreement that includes a shift from a defined benefit to a defined contribution pension scheme, has more flexible working hours and aims to increase the average retirement age of pilots. In exchange for lower staff costs and reduced pension liabilities, Lufthansa will hire junior pilots and have increased pay. The New York Times reports.
Daily News & Commentary
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October 8
In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers; the Second Circuit denies a request from the NFL for an en banc review in the Brian Flores case; and Governor Gavin Newsom signs an agreement to create a pathway for unionization for Uber and Lyft drivers.
October 7
The Supreme Court kicks off its latest term, granting and declining certiorari in several labor-related cases.
October 6
EEOC regains quorum; Second Circuit issues opinion on DEI causing hostile work environment.
October 5
In today’s news and commentary, HELP committee schedules a vote on Trump’s NLRB nominees, the 5th Circuit rejects Amazon’s request for en banc review, and TV production workers win their first union contract. After a nomination hearing on Wednesday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee scheduled a committee vote on President Trump’s NLRB nominees […]
October 3
California legislation empowers state labor board; ChatGPT used in hostile workplace case; more lawsuits challenge ICE arrests
October 2
AFGE and AFSCME sue in response to the threat of mass firings; another preliminary injunction preventing Trump from stripping some federal workers of collective bargaining rights; and challenges to state laws banning captive audience meetings.