Emily Miller is a student at Harvard Law School.
Lawmakers are moving to reform the H1-B visa program, a hotly contested temporary visa program for specialized workers. According to Politico, Senator Chuck Grassley met with Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta Thursday to discuss the program. In the past, Grassley has stated that the program is “short on enforcement” and has co-sponsored a bill with Senator Dick Durbin to reform the program to increase enforcement. On the other hand, Senator Orrin Hatch is expected to introduce a bill in the upcoming weeks expanding the program from 65,000 to 115,000 and lifting the cap on visas for applicants with Master’s degrees or higher.
The Department of Labor announced Thursday night that it would be taking steps to reverse the Obama-era “persuader rule” requiring companies to disclose contacts with consultants in response to unionizing efforts. The regulation, which was finalized in 2016 but has not yet taken effect due to a nationwide injunction issued last November, would require companies to disclose “actions, conduct or communications” they’ve pursued to “affect an employee’s decisions regarding his or her representation or collective bargaining rights.” According to the Washington Post, the Labor Department announced it would be issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to take public comment on rescinding the rule altogether. AFL-CIO spokesperson Josh Goldstein has disagreed with the proposal, saying “Corporate CEOs may not like people knowing who they’re paying to script their union-busting, but working people do.”
Tech companies in Silicon Valley may be the next sector to see a wides-scale push for unionization among its low-wage workers like janitors, security guards, food service workers, and shuttle bus drivers. Salon reports that in January, thousands of security guards working for companies like Facebook and Cisco voted to unionize, and will be represented by SEIU United Service Workers West in upcoming labor negotiations. According to Jeffery Buchanan, co-founder of labor rights group Silicon Valley Rising, this is part of a broader effort to push tech companies to take more responsibility for these workers, who are often hired through outside contractors and make as little as $20,000 per year.
Daily News & Commentary
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July 7
LA economy deals with fallout from ICE raids; a new appeal challenges the NCAA antitrust settlement; and the EPA places dissenting employees on leave.
July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.
July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]