Alexander W. Miller is a student at Harvard Law School.
With more reporting on Brexit, the Los Angeles Times explores the potential effect of the referendum on the world’s poorest workers. Noting possible reductions in development aid and increased impediments to trade, the Times speculates that African farmers could be among the most affected because of the key role that the United Kingdom had played in promoting their access to the European market.
Turning to the more immediate effects of Brexit, Janet Daley of The Telegraph calls for civility and increased dialogue on questions of migration and worker movement. Criticizing the reticence of prominent politicians to address these key drivers of the Leave vote, she suggests that the developing crisis among the movement’s leadership may be attributable to the lack of a clear solution to the foundational economic dislocations felt across Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union.
In American labor news, last week the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Home Care Association of America v. Weil. The case was a challenge by home care providers to Labor Department regulations designed to bring their workers under the aegis of minimum wage and overtime pay protections. Today the New York Times editorial board reflects on efforts by the Obama administration and 21 states to expand protections for the primarily female, mostly minority home care workforce, urging further action.
Years of labor unrest at the Trump Taj Mahal casino and hotel boiled over Friday morning, with more than 1,000 employees going on strike after contract negotiations failed to produce a new agreement. With the walkout entering its second day, union spokesperson Diana Hussein described cuts in wages and benefits of more than a third over the past few years, and stated that the workers were inspired by the success of the recent Verizon strike.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
January 18
Met Museum workers unionize; a new report reveals a $0.76 average tip for gig workers in NYC; and U.S. workers receive the smallest share of capital since 1947.
January 16
The NLRB publishes its first decision since regaining a quorum; Minneapolis labor unions call for a general strike in response to the ICE killing of Renee Good; federal workers rally in DC to show support for the Protecting America’s Workforce Act.
January 15
New investigation into the Secretary of Labor; New Jersey bill to protect child content creators; NIOSH reinstates hundreds of employees.
January 14
The Supreme Court will not review its opt-in test in ADEA cases in an age discrimination and federal wage law violation case; the Fifth Circuit rules that a jury will determine whether Enterprise Products unfairly terminated a Black truck driver; and an employee at Berry Global Inc. will receive a trial after being fired for requesting medical leave for a disability-related injury.
January 13
15,000 New York City nurses go on strike; First Circuit rules against ferry employees challenging a COVID-19 vaccine mandate; New York lawmakers propose amendments to Trapped at Work Act.
January 12
Changes to EEOC voting procedures; workers tell SCOTUS to pass on collective action cases; Mamdani's plans for NYC wages.