Hannah Belitz is a student at Harvard Law School.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Public Employment Relations Board, California’s labor oversight board, plans to file for an injunction to stop the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, a large charter organization, from interfering with teacher unionization efforts. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) began a drive to organize Alliance teachers in March, and since then has filed four unfair practice claims against the charter organization. It asked the Board to file the injunction, stating that it cannot wait for the resolution of those claims because Alliance’s actions — intimidating employees, preventing organizers from accessing school buildings, and blocking emails — have “resulted in a chilling effect on the employees’ responsiveness to unionization, which is threatening the effectiveness of organizing efforts.”
On Tuesday, Uber announced a plan to expand its business to cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, extolling the number of jobs it could bring to the area. As the New York Times notes, this “legislative and public relations push,” coupled with similar efforts by Lyft, “suggest that ride-sharing could be at play in the next legislative session, which begins in January.”
According to Politico, in the next few days Fiat Chrysler workers will either approve or reject the tentative contract with UAW. The agreement promises to phase out the two-tier wage system, provide raises to entry-level workers, and deal with unpredictable scheduling. Because the workers voted down the first contract, this second vote also serves as a “referendum” on the leadership of UAW President Dennis Williams.
At the Washington Post, Lydia DePillis describes how students have picked up the Fight For $15 movement for themselves. Inspired by workers across the country speaking up for higher wages, students are now asking universities to raise the on-campus minimum wage. Although the student campaigns are mainly independent of the union-backed Fight for $15 movement, they share the goal of earning enough money to cover their bills. As Beth Huang, a coordinator for the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), explained, “tuition, housing, textbooks are increasing in price while student wages have largely stayed stagnant.”
Daily News & Commentary
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March 16
Starbucks' union negotiations are resurrected; jobs data is released.
March 15
A U.S. District Court issues a preliminary injunction against the Department of Veterans Affairs for terminating its collective bargaining agreement, and SEIU files a lawsuit against DHS for effectively terminating immigrant workers at Boston Logan International Airport.
March 13
Republican Senators urge changes on OSHA heat standard; OpenAI and building trades announce partnership on data center construction; forced labor investigations could lead to new tariffs
March 12
EPA terminates contract with second-largest union; Florida advances bill restricting public sector unions; Trump administration seeks Supreme Court assistance in TPS termination.
March 11
The partial government shutdown results in TSA agents losing their first full paycheck; the Fifth Circuit upholds the certification of a class of former United Airline workers who were placed on unpaid leave for declining to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons during the pandemic; and an academic group files a lawsuit against the State Department over a policy that revokes and denies visas to noncitizens for their work in fact-checking and content moderation.
March 10
Court rules Kari Lake unlawfully led USAGM, voiding mass layoffs; Florida Senate passes bill tightening union recertification rules; Fifth Circuit revives whistleblower suit against Lockheed Martin.