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What I've Been Reading This Week


Pretty busy week so far, but I was able to find some downtime to read through a couple good articles.  The note from Eric Meyer on a potential nationwide "ban the box" was very interesting and worth a read.  In fact, the article on Ohio's possible right to work legislation is also a good note on some potentially big legislation.  While both of these are in the early stages and still a ways away from becoming law, they are certainly ones to watch.

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


Right to Work States: Next Up, Ohio?

The Columbus Dispatch has an update on plans for a Cincinnati area lawmaker to introduce a right to work bill in Ohio this month that would impact private sector unions.  The article points out that any right to work bill will likely have trouble passing as a prior bill in 2011 that would have included right to work language for public sector unions was overturned by voters.  Given that Ohio's Governor, John Kasich, is running for President, it appears that this right to work matter is not high on his list of priorities...as another loss on this front is likely something he does not want publicized while running for President.  However, time will tell though whether this proposed right to work legislation advances.


Are Women Poised to Become the Face of Labor Unions?

Interesting note from CBS News on whether women might actually become the face of labor unions in the coming years.  The article points to the fact that the share of working women who are union members is holding relatively steady (while union membership has been in decline the past decade).  However, as the article stated, women still are not as likely as men to hold leadership roles in unions.  Over time, this will likely change...but for now, unions should just be thankful that the number of women in unions is actually holding steady.


Is Nationwide "Ban the Box" Coming?

Eric Meyer pointed out a new bill that has been introduced in Congress, the Fair Chance Act that would "ban the box" across the country for all federal agencies and federal contractors.  Although there would be exceptions, the Fair Chance Act would make it unlawful for a federal agency or federal contractor to request a job applicant disclose a criminal history record before the applicant received a conditional offer of employment.  This one still has a ways to go before it would become law (and I question whether it would have enough bipartisan support to actually pass)...but let us see how it plays out.


Fight for 15 Comes to Florida

The Orlando Sentinel has a good note on a recent Fight for 15 rally in Orlando.  As the article notes, the labor groups and politicians who held the rally are supporting a bill pending in the Florida legislature that proposes raising the minimum wage to $15/hour.  Note, that is nearly double the current minimum wage in the state of $8.05.  Time will tell if this piece of legislation will pass (and whether this rally will have any impact on that bill).  For the time being, this is a wait and see matter.


Did Scott Walker's Union Busting Strategy Doom His Campaign?

NPR has an interesting look at whether Governor Scott Walker's tough talk on unions (and making that one of the central pieces of his campaign - Walker Proposes Sweeping Changes to Union Landscape) is what ultimately doomed his campaign for President.  Given that support for unions has been on the rise in recent years and the fact that many voters simply do not consider labor issues to be a major campaign issue is part of what could have prevented Walker from gaining traction.  With Walker being one of the only candidates to address labor issues so far (and it apparently doing little to bring attention/support to his campaign), it might be a while before other candidates venture down this road...

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