Jon Weinberg is a student at Harvard Law School.
Chrysler’s recently-announced pact with the United Auto Workers, approved by union leaders and intended to serve as a model for Ford and General Motors, might be in jeopardy. The New York Times reports that voting at plants began Monday and several rejected it outright, with voting at the largest plants to begin today. Opponents of the deal argue that it disadvantages lower-tier workers at the expense of veterans. According to Reuters, “labor experts say they cannot remember a full national contract ever being rejected.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon has joined the gig economy. Through the new “Amazon Flex” service, independent contractor drivers in the Seattle area will be paid $20 an hour to make deliveries from mini-warehouses to customers’ homes. Amazon is aiming to cut down on shipping costs and increase control over deliveries. While the service is currently only operational in Seattle, it will eventually be extended to the 12 other cities where “Prime Now” service is available. In categorizing drivers as independent contractors, Amazon opens itself to the worker classification criticism prevalent in the gig economy. Notably, despite the classification, “Amazon said the company generally assumes liability for the products Flex drivers deliver, but will also closely monitor workers’ performance and could suspend them from the program if multiple problems occur.”
USA Today notes that national supermarket chain Whole Foods Market is cutting 1,500 jobs. The jobs lost represent 1.6% of the company’s workforce and come after it added 9,000 jobs in the past year. No details were released as to where the layoffs would occur.
AGWeb highlights new protections for farm workers proposed by the EPA and Department of Labor. The new rules require that workers be 18 years old to handle pesticides, increase the required training education for workers handling pesticides, and broaden “exclusion zones” for outdoor areas treated with pesticides. The proposed rules exempt family farms.
According to Politico, the National Education Association, which represents 3 million teachers, plans to endorse Hillary Clinton in the upcoming 2016 presidential election. The union’s political arm will reportedly schedule an upcoming vote “recommending Hillary Clinton for the presidential primary.” There is considerable dissent within the union, as many support the candidacy of Bernie Sanders.
Daily News & Commentary
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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.