
Rachel Sandalow-Ash is a student at Harvard Law School and a member of the Labor and Employment Lab.
Workers at Marriott hotels across the country are voting to go on strike. Under the banner of “one job should be enough,” these workers — members of UNITE HERE — are calling for living wages that will enable them to support themselves and their families. Workers at the Marriott and other hotels in Chicago have been on strike for over a week, protesting seasonal layoffs and calling for year-round pay and benefits. Marriott workers in Hawaii, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, and San Jose have also voted to strike, and Marriott workers in additional cities will soon hold strike votes as well. UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor said, “There are too many of our folks who are working full time . . . who frankly can’t survive without doing two or three jobs. We think the largest, most powerful hotel company could set a standard for the entire hospitality industry. And that’s not where we’re at now.” Marriott workers also hope to win improved workload protections and more regular schedules. Yeqing Wei, a guest room attendant at a Marriott hotel in Boston, reports that she often is required to be ‘on call’ even on days when she is not scheduled to be working; this erratic schedule makes it hard for her to care for her children and her aging parents.
Alexia Fernández Campbell writes in Vox that the Fair Labor Standards Act leaves low-wage workers especially economically vulnerable when hurricanes or other natural disasters occur. Hourly workers do not have to get paid when businesses close due to a natural disaster; and employers can force salaried workers to use their paid vacation days or sick days during periods of disaster-induced business closure. Due to these anti-worker laws, low-income families in New Jersey suffered $832 million in lost wages as a result of Hurricane Sandy, according to a 2013 Rutgers study.
72% of workers across eight countries favor a shorter workweek as long as their pay remains the same, according to a study conducted by the Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated. A similar percentage of those surveyed — 71% — reported that their work interferes with their personal life. The researchers surveyed workers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Two leaders of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) write in The Hill about the importance of unions in nonprofit workplaces. The authors explain that nonprofit workers generally earn lower wages than do their counterparts who work for government agencies or for-profit companies, and that nonprofit workers frequently experience burnout. The authors then explain that at their workplace (the Economic Policy Institute), their union has secured better wages and benefits; reduced staff turnover; and improved communication between workers and management.
Daily News & Commentary
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August 3
In today’s news and commentary, a federal court lifts an injunction on the Trump Administration’s plan to eliminate bargaining rights for federal workers, and trash collectors strike against Republic Services in Massachusetts.
August 1
The Michigan Supreme Court grants heightened judicial scrutiny over employment contracts that shorten the limitations period for filing civil rights claims; the California Labor Commission gains new enforcement power over tip theft; and a new Florida law further empowers employers issuing noncompete agreements.
July 31
EEOC sued over trans rights enforcement; railroad union opposes railroad merger; suits against NLRB slow down.
July 30
In today’s news and commentary, the First Circuit will hear oral arguments on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) revocation of parole grants for thousands of migrants; United Airlines’ flight attendants vote against a new labor contract; and the AFL-CIO files a complaint against a Trump Administrative Executive Order that strips the collective bargaining rights of the vast majority of federal workers.
July 29
The Trump administration released new guidelines for federal employers regarding religious expression in the workplace; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers is suing former union president for repayment of mismanagement of union funds; Uber has criticized a new proposal requiring delivery workers to carry company-issued identification numbers.
July 28
Lower courts work out meaning of Muldrow; NLRB releases memos on recording and union salts.