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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Quite a few articles to pick from this week, but one of the more noteworthy topics has to deal with the unionization efforts by campaign workers at the 2020 Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign and in particular, their fight for a $15/hour minimum wage rate.  A lot has been written on that topic over the past week or so, but the below article from Newsweek summarizes things pretty well.

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


Senator Gillibrand Makes Sexual Harassment in the Workplace A Focal Point of Speech to Union Members

Yesterday evening, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand spoke at a conference of female union members in Iowa City, in which Senator Gillibrand made pointed remarks about combating sexual harassment in the workplace and criticized her fellow Democrats for failing to take action on the matter.  Senator Gillibrand, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President, has not hesitated in regard to her advocacy for stopping sexual harassment in the workplace.  What was perhaps most noteworthy about her remarks last evening was her saying "I can't tell you how angry I am that Democrats turn a blind eye to sexual assault, sexual harassment and any reforms that value women in the workplace."  She went on to claim that some Democrats running for President do not support women working outside the home.  While Senator Gillibrand might not get the Democratic nomination, it will be interesting to see if her remarks last night gain traction and make the topic of sexual harassment in the workplace a talking point of other candidates on the campaign trail.


A Retaliation Refresher

Katie Clarey wrote an article late last month that provides employers and employees alike with a refresher on retaliation claims.  For employers, this particular article provides a few things to keep in mind in order to avoid retaliation charges by employees.  For employees, some of the ‘retaliation red flags’ listed in the article could be things to keep an eye open for if you experience similar actions from your employer.  No matter what side of the aisle you are on, this article has something for everyone.


Nevada Implements Expansive Paid Leave Policy

Earlier this summer, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed a new paid leave bill into law that will allow many workers in the state to earn paid time off to use for any reason they want.  With the passage of this bill, Nevada joins Maine as the two states to approve legislation giving employees such broad discretion to use the paid time off as they so choose.  The law, set to go into effect January 1, 2020, does not give employers in the state much time to delay.  For those Nevada employers that fall within the scope of SB 312, I would suggest taking steps to ensure compliance before January comes around.


Senator Bernie Sanders & His Campaign Workers: The Long Slog Toward a $15/Hour Wage

Newsweek wrote a recent article in which it made note of the ongoing labor fight by campaign workers for the Senator Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign for President.  (Readers will recall that campaign workers for his 2020 campaign have sought to unionize.  In doing so, they have been engaged in discussions with the campaign over working conditions, pay, etc.)  Of note, the campaign workers are advocating for a $15/hour minimum wage rate, something Senator Sanders has lauded on the campaign trial for workers nationwide.  However, if reports are to be believed, the $15/hour minimum wage requested by his campaign workers has been a sticking point in labor discussions.  Now that this has become more well known, the Sanders campaign appears ready and willing to pay its workers $15/hour...but plans to limit the amount of hours the campaign workers can actually work.  Critics have been quick to point out that a nationwide $15/hour minimum wage rate is not feasible for this very reason...work hours for the campaign workers are getting cut just to pay a $15/hour wage rate.  The line of reasoning goes that this is what would happen nationwide with employees seeing their hours slashed so that employers could cover the rising labor costs.

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