Skip to main content

What I've Been Reading This Week


I came across a lot of great articles earlier this week that would certainly warrant their own individual post.  However, I decided to pick and choose a few of the more relevant articles to focus on with this post.  Perhaps one of the more noteworthy developments was Ivanka Trump's trip to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to discuss the proposed paid parental leave plan that the Trump administration recently announced.  For those looking for a breakdown of the initial interaction between Ivanka Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (namely his 'failed' hug which somehow generated a bit of a Tweetstorm), I am afraid you will have to look elsewhere...this post will instead focus on the potential ramifications of that Capitol Hill meeting with an eye toward the possibility of a paid parental leave plan becoming a reality.

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


Ivanka Trump Leads Round table Meeting on Capitol Hill on Paid Parental Leave

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, held a round table meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to talk about paid parental leave.  Readers might recall that President Trump recently proposed a paid family leave plan which would provide six weeks of paid leave for new mothers and fathers (including adoptive parents).  Although this proposal (which was included in the President's proposed budget) might not be approved by Congress, Ivanka Trump's meeting was seen as a sign of the Trump administration seeking to work with Congress to create a paid leave plan that could eventually pass Congress.  Until some of the more hot button issues get through Congress (such as health care and possibly tax reform), paid parental leave will likely be taking a back seat.  With that being said, perhaps this is a proposal (President Trump's version or a compromise) that could garner bipartisan support?


President Trump Makes Nomination For Empty NLRB Seat

As expected, President Trump took steps to fill a vacant NLRB seat, in an effort to appoint more employer-friendly Board members after several years of pro-union rulings during the Obama administration.  Earlier this week, President Trump formally nominated Marvin Kaplan to fill one of he two vacant seats on he NLRB.  Kaplan, who would bring a conservative background to the NLRB, has been promised a speedy confirmation by a Republican Senator Lamar Alexander (who is chairman of the Senate committee which will move Kaplan's nomination along).  Assuming Kaplan gets confirmed, which is quite likely with a Republican controlled Congress, attention will shift to who President Trump will nominate to fill the fifth and final seat on the NLRB.  With a 2 - 2 split among Democratic and Republican leaning Board members, that final nomination could go a long way toward breaking several ties among the Board.  Stay tuned.

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

Breaking: Labor Secretary Rumored to Be Leaving Administration

A few hours ago, word leaked out that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (“Walsh”) is in the midst of negotiations to head up the NHL Players Union and leave his position at the Labor Department. Walsh, who has served as the sole Labor Secretary under President Biden, has taken part in a labor renaissance of sorts as support for organized labor has increased during his term as Labor Secretary (although the number of workers that have joined a union over the past two years has not grown as mush as some expected.)  He has also overseen the ongoing negotiations with rail workers over a new contract, although that matter is still on shaky ground and playing out as we speak. As for who might step into the vacant Labor Secretary role, there are already rumblings that President Biden should nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su (a strong labor advocate) or even a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders.  Until Walsh officially gives his notice, however, I would expect some/many potential...
Post a Comment
Read more

San Diego Rolls Back Vaccine Mandate For City Workers

Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to do away with the vaccine mandate for city employees. The city’s vaccine mandate that was in place required city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine or risk termination.  Perhaps to this surprise of no one, the city’s policy came under fire with 14 employees being terminated and over 100 other employees resigning.  With the coronavirus subsiding, including in Southern California, the San Diego City Council took action. Now, bear in mind, the repeal of the vaccine mandate does not take place immediately. With that being said, the mandate will be repealed March 8th.  I suppose the question now is, what other cities or regions follow San Diego’s lead? For additional information:   https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-01-24/san-diego-repeals-controversial-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-citing-drop-in-cases-hospitalizations
Post a Comment
Read more