Melissa Greenberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
Yesterday, street protests erupted in numerous cities in France, including Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse, in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to reform French labor law. The proposed reforms aim to ease rules for small businesses, loosen hiring and firing restrictions, and allow individual businesses to bargain over some issues at the company level rather than follow sector-wide rules. The unions reported that 60,000 people took to the streets, but the Paris police prefecture put the number of protesters near 24,000. French unions have had mixed responses to Macron’s plans for reform, and the General Confederation of Labor was the only union which asked its members to protest yesterday. Some demonstrators used this protest to criticize President Macron’s handling of other issues.
HuffPost reported on labor unions’ efforts to protect their immigrant members from deportation. Across the country, unions have hosted “know your rights trainings,” given immigrant workers legal help, assisted with demonstrations, and made a coordinated effort to include workplace protections for immigrants in collective bargaining agreements. These efforts demonstrate how unions have evolved on immigration issues and in some cases become “de facto immigrant rights groups.” Read more here.
Bloomberg reports that the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and the United Steelworkers (USW) have ended their long-time partnership with Harley-Davidson Inc. citing concerns that the company is attempting to “‘systematically dismantle’ its hourly workforce.'” In a letter to the company, Robert Martinez Jr., the president of IAM, argued that Harley-Davidson has replaced full-time workers with temporary ones, outsourced production, and contributed to the reduction of American manufacturing jobs by building factories overseas. The unions reported that Matt Levatich, Harley-Davidson’s chief executive, said that he will continue to work with the unions on staffing matters.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
August 31
California lawmakers and rideshare companies reach an agreement on collective bargaining legislation for drivers; six unions representing workers at American Airlines call for increased accountability from management; Massachusetts Teamsters continue the longest sanitation strike in decades.
August 29
Trump fires regulator in charge of reviewing railroad mergers; fired Fed Governor sues Trump asserting unlawful termination; and Trump attacks more federal sector unions.
August 28
contested election for UAW at Kentucky battery plant; NLRB down to one member; public approval of unions remains high.
August 27
The U.S. Department of Justice welcomes new hires and forces reassignments in the Civil Rights Division; the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments in Brown v. Alaska Airlines Inc.; and Amazon violates federal labor law at its air cargo facility in Kentucky.
August 26
Park employees at Yosemite vote to unionize; Philadelphia teachers reach tentative three-year agreement; a new report finds California’s union coverage remains steady even as national union density declines.
August 25
Consequences of SpaceX decision, AI may undermine white-collar overtime exemptions, Sixth Circuit heightens standard for client harassment.