Hannah Belitz is a student at Harvard Law School.
North Carolina has passed a bill that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that do not match the gender on their birth certificates and prohibits cities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBT individuals. In addition, the bill includes a provision banning localities from instituting minimum wage requirements that are higher than those of the state. According to the New York Times, the bill “is only the latest manifestation of the long-standing Southern antipathy toward minimum wages and other labor protections.”
In other minimum wage news, the Los Angeles Times reports that labor unions and state lawmakers have reached a tentative deal to gradually raise California minimum wage to $15 an hour. The agreement would begin on January 1, 2017, by increasing statewide minimum wage from $10 an hour to $10.50 an hour, followed by a 50-cent increase in 2018 and then a $1 increase each year until 2022. Also included in the proposal is the addition of up to three new paid sick days for home healthcare workers. The agreement, if passed, will likely avoid an expensive political campaign in the fall and possibly place California “at the forefront of a national movement.”
New research shows that the shift away from traditional employment has taken place mostly “offline” — that is, not through apps like Uber and Lyft, but rather in industries including health care, education, manufacturing, and public administration. Citing research by professors Alan Kruger and Lawrence Katz, the Wall Street Journal reports that since 2005, “the number of workers in alternative arrangements has climbed by more than half, rising to nearly 16% of the workforce.” The gig economy, on the other hand, employs only about 600,000 people, which amounts to less than 0.5% of the workforce.
In an interview with NPR, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez confirmed that the Labor Department is investigating “opt-out programs” that allow employers to opt out of traditional state-regulated workers’ compensation plans. According to Perez, “What opt-out programs really are all about is enabling employers to reduce benefits.” These programs “create really a pathway to poverty for people who get injured on the job.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 9
Equity and the Broadway League resume talks amid a looming strike; federal judge lets alcoholism ADA suit proceed; Philadelphia agrees to pay $40,000 to resolve a First Amendment retaliation case.
October 8
In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers; the Second Circuit denies a request from the NFL for an en banc review in the Brian Flores case; and Governor Gavin Newsom signs an agreement to create a pathway for unionization for Uber and Lyft drivers.
October 7
The Supreme Court kicks off its latest term, granting and declining certiorari in several labor-related cases.
October 6
EEOC regains quorum; Second Circuit issues opinion on DEI causing hostile work environment.
October 5
In today’s news and commentary, HELP committee schedules a vote on Trump’s NLRB nominees, the 5th Circuit rejects Amazon’s request for en banc review, and TV production workers win their first union contract. After a nomination hearing on Wednesday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee scheduled a committee vote on President Trump’s NLRB nominees […]
October 3
California legislation empowers state labor board; ChatGPT used in hostile workplace case; more lawsuits challenge ICE arrests