Skip to main content

What I've Been Reading This Week: Labor Law Edition


Every so often, I come across a few good articles on a particular topic during the week that warrant a "What I've Been Reading This Week" post dedicated solely to that topic.  This week was no exception as there were several good labor law articles I came across that caught my attention.  As always, below are a few articles that caught my eye this week.


Southwest is on the Rise, But Will Labor Issues Ground Them?

Bloomberg Businessweek has a good article on the potential labor union issues that Southwest is facing.  A few weeks ago, Southwest rebranded itself by way of a new logo, designs on planes, etc. to much fanfare.  What has not been talked about as much, as of yet, is the growing rumbling among its employees over negotiations over their contracts.  This is one to keep an eye on.


A Look at How Unions Are Shrinking & the Subsequent Impact

What better way to start a Labor Law Edition blog than to start with the basics.  This article takes an in depth look at how labor unions have shrunk over the years in the U.S. and the effect that has had.  The article uses 7 different charts to walk the reader through the decreasing presence of unions in the workplace.  One of the things I found most surprising was that while union membership has decreased significantly over the past few decades, public support has remained relatively consistent, around the 50% mark.  Interesting...and somewhat surprising. 


What Unions No Longer Do

Justin Fox has a somewhat unique look at what labor unions no longer do in today's work environment.  As the above article showed, unions have been around for decades, and with declining membership especially in the private sector, the roles of unions have changed.  Justin has a few interesting points to read through on areas in which unions no longer play a role.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

What I've Been Reading This Week

Recently, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Commissioner, Chai Feldblum, had her re-nomination on the brink, after Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee took steps to block it .  Readers might have heard that late last week, Commissioner Feldblum's re-nomination quietly slipped away and she tweeted out a thank you to supporters and friends, acknowledging that her time at the EEOC was over.  While there has not been much in the way of a further update in regard to that ongoing saga, we wait to see how things will play out at the EEOC, now that it has lost a quorum until additional Commissioners are confirmed by the Senate. For the time being, there are other developments for readers to review this week.  In particular, I call attention to the article on managing a wage & hour audit by the Department of Labor as well as steps an employer can take to better ensure compliance with the ADA. As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Senator Bernie Sanders To Introduce Bill Requiring Large Corporations To Pay For Federal Assistance Programs

Next week, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is set to introduce legislation which would require large employers such as Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald's to fully cover the cost of food stamps, public housing, Medicaid, and other federal assistance programs that their employees receive.  Senator Sanders has stated that the goal is to force these large employers to pay their employees a living wage and cut back on the nearly $150 billion in taxpayer dollars that go toward funding these federal programs every year. As for the specifics, a 100% tax on government benefits received would be imposed on government benefits received by workers at companies with 500 or more employees.  For instance, if a Walmart employee received $500 in food stamps, Walmart would be taxed $500. To call this proposed legislation groundbreaking would be an understatement.  I would expect that Senator Sanders, an Independent that caucuses with Democrats, is going to face an uphill battle gett...
Post a Comment
Read more