Ross Evans is a student at Harvard Law School and a member of the Labor and Employment Lab.
Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposed a new rule that would narrow its joint-employer test, which would likely benefit franchisees, staffing companies, and business that utilize subcontractors–while significantly limiting such entities’ employees’ ability to collectively bargain. OnLabor senior contributor Andrew Strom criticized this development, writing that the proposed rule “only enhances ‘predictability’ in that it is predictable that it will be easier for corporate titans to avoid a joint employer funding.” Fellow OnLabor senior contributor Sharon Block also opined, characterizing the proposal as “the latest step in the Trump Board’s tortuous path to achieving its goal of replacing the Obama Board’s Browning Ferris Industries decision with a significantly narrower interpretation of joint employer doctrine.” As The Associated Press notes via The New York Times, this proposed rule cannot be implemented until it has undergone a public-comment period; to find and/or comment on the proposed rule, one can visit www.regulations.gov.
The New York Times details how a number of female Democrats that are running for public office in Michigan in the 2018 midterm–from gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer to state legislature candidate Michelle Lavoy–have focused much of their campaigns on swinging organized labor’s support back to the Democratic Party.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States’ historically tight labor market could benefit those who are interested in obtaining part-time employment during the holiday season. Indeed, many retail companies “have begun their annual push for holiday workers earlier than ever, raising pay and offering perks such as profit-sharing and paid time off for part-time associates.”
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland estimates that the percentage of workplace tasks that are automated will increase to 52% by 2025, a significant increase from the 29% of workplace tasks that are automated today. However, the same estimates indicate that this won’t necessarily be a net-negative development for the global job market: by just 2022, “roughly 75 million jobs worldwide will be lost [due to automation], but that could be more than offset by the creation of 133 million new jobs.”
In an opinion piece published yesterday, The Wall Street Journal‘s Editorial Board criticized unions and state politicians for “circumventing” the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFCME. More specifically, the piece contends that organized labor is “still behaving as if [Janus] is merely advisory,” and that “[s]tate politicians are abetting this blatant political resistance to the Supreme Court,” amounting to “lawless behavior that robs workers of money and their First Amendment right[s].”
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September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.