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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Elon Musk has had his fair share of labor and employment law related stories over the years.  And no, we are not talking about this morning’s news that Musk’s bid to buy Twitter is on hold.  With that being said, I did want to note a Musk related development over at Tesla, as it applies to the employment context that is.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


U.S. House Hikes Staffer Pay Effective September 1st

In recent days, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, announced that the minimum pay for Congressional staff will rise to $45,000.00/year starting September 1st.  In recent months, thanks in part to an infamous Instagram account, working conditions at the Capitol for Congressional staff has become a hot button issue that has been simmering.  With that Instagram account reporting on questionable work environments at the Capitol (such as low pay, long hours, and verbally abusive employers, among other issues), there has been increased attention on the matter.  Will this pay hike quell concerns about working conditions for Congressional staff?  Perhaps.  But the question remains, what about the other issues that have come to light following the Instagram account?


With Roe v. Wade On Shaky Ground, Tesla Inserts Itself in the Conversation

For those that might have been living under a rock the past week or two, a draft opinion leaked from the U.S. Supreme Court in a pending case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  Based upon the leaked draft opinion, the Supreme Court appears to be on the cusp of overturning Roe v. Wade.  While I caution readers that a draft opinion does not represent an actual opinion (as things can still change before the actual opinion is actually released) and there are other blogs which are more suitable for addressing the potential ramifications of Dobbs, I want to highlight a recent development from Tesla on the matter.  As reported by the AP, Tesla is offering to cover the travel costs for any employee that seeks to have an abortion.  This has led to some politicians seeking to cut government funding or business ties with companies that offer this option to its employees.

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