Maia Usui is a student at Harvard Law School.
The orchestras are on strike. Starting on Friday with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the musicians’ strike continued throughout the weekend with the Philadelphia Orchestra walking out on an opening-night performance. Musicians have taken to the picket line to protest falling wages. The New York Times has more.
In gig news, ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft are now facing an interesting competitor. According to the New York Times, Juno is attracting new drivers not only with a bigger cut of fares — Juno takes a 10% commission, compared to the 20% taken by Uber and Lyft — but with the promise of equity ownership. Juno’s founders have set aside a pool of restricted stock for their highest-performing drivers, offering a creative new model for the gig economy.
Dreaming of retirement? For a growing number of Americans, it’ll have to remain a dream. Although retirement savings are up overall, researchers have found that the gains have not been evenly distributed — half of all families in the U.S. have less than $5,000 in their retirement accounts. The Boston Globe takes a closer look at the problem of retirement inequality.
And across the pond, Prime Minister Theresa May is turning her attention to labor reform. After setting a firm start date (March 2017) for launching the Brexit process, May’s administration has been quick to reassure workers that their rights will be protected in the transition. May also announced this week that she’ll be reviewing regulations governing Britain’s growing gig economy. Meanwhile, unions are calling on her to honor her campaign promise to put worker representatives on corporate boards. The Financial Times has more.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
August 29
Trump fires regulator in charge of reviewing railroad mergers; fired Fed Governor sues Trump asserting unlawful termination; and Trump attacks more federal sector unions.
August 28
contested election for UAW at Kentucky battery plant; NLRB down to one member; public approval of unions remains high.
August 27
The U.S. Department of Justice welcomes new hires and forces reassignments in the Civil Rights Division; the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments in Brown v. Alaska Airlines Inc.; and Amazon violates federal labor law at its air cargo facility in Kentucky.
August 26
Park employees at Yosemite vote to unionize; Philadelphia teachers reach tentative three-year agreement; a new report finds California’s union coverage remains steady even as national union density declines.
August 25
Consequences of SpaceX decision, AI may undermine white-collar overtime exemptions, Sixth Circuit heightens standard for client harassment.
August 24
HHS cancels union contracts, the California Supreme Court rules on minimum wage violations, and jobless claims rise