Vail Kohnert-Yount is a student at Harvard Law School.
More than 1,200 students at 17 universities have signed a pledge not to take jobs with Palantir, a big data analytics company, until it drops its software development contracts with ICE. Under the name #NoTechForICE, the campaign is modeled on similar efforts from the 1960s, when students targeted recruiters for Dow Chemical to protest the company’s sale of napalm during the Vietnam War. As part of its recruitment strategy, Palantir often directly pays universities thousands of dollars a year to reach their students via campus information sessions, career fairs, faculty advisors, and access to student resumes or projects.
Three days after California passed AB 5, San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott sued Instacart, alleging that its shoppers’ tasks are “directly within the course of Instacart’s business model,” which would require the grocery delivery company to classify them as employees under the new bill. “Companies like Instacart cannot deprive their employees of the basic job protections guaranteed under state law by calling them independent contractors,” Elliott said in a statement. “We are seeking restitution for the workers who’ve been exploited in the past, and we are also demanding that Instacart start legally classifying its workers.”
At a rally for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held today in Houston, Texas, President Trump cited a controversial job training “pledge” program spearheaded by his daughter as a major accomplishment. In exchange for pledging new or pre-existing employee training opportunities—largely unconstrained by rules or close oversight—companies often get “face-time” with senior Trump administration figures. The vice president and at least ten cabinet-level officials have all held events with companies that have signed Ivanka Trump’s job pledge.
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August 13
EEOC complaint process expected to harm federal workers; former UAW leaders endorse Fain challenger; Xbox employees protest layoffs.
August 12
Third Circuit affirms dismissal of driver’s bias and retaliation claims against CBS and Teamsters; employment litigation surges in Washington state; MIT Sloan professor argues the rise of “disposable workers” is transforming American employment.
August 11
Rideshare drivers nearing union certification in California; UFCW campaigns against electronic shelf labels; Teamsters support NYC delivery driver bill.
August 10
Employee sues for a fossil-fuel-free 401(k) plan as a religious accommodation; DHS submits a proposed rule eliminating 60-day grace period for H-1B workers; Eighth Circuit dismisses constitutional challenge to the FMSHRC.
August 7
Starbucks beats claims it denied shifts to union workers; Center for State Labor Innovation aims to address labor law shortcomings.
August 6
Taylor Farms faces scrutiny over labor practices; Bipartisan labor bill gains momentum.