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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Perhaps we should have called this the Senator Warren week...given the two posts related to her involvement in California's codification of its ABC Test for independent contractor v. employee classification as well as the unfair labor practice charge filed against her campaign for President.  While she dominated much of the week, there are several other developments worth highlighting.  In particular, I call attention to ongoing discussions in Texas in regard to passing a statewide ban the box measure.

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


Texas Governor Backs Statewide Ban the Box Legislation

Late last week, Republican Governor Greg Abbott voiced his support for a statewide ban the box measure.  For those unaware, Texas does not currently have any ban the box law in place, although attempts were made to pass legislation last session.  With the Texas Legislature not set to meet again until 2021, those in the state hoping for passage of this legislation will have to wait.  In the meantime, the Governor’s support of a statewide ban the box measure will likely buoy those that are hoping the Legislature will take action again next session.


An Overview of Delaware's New Sexual Harassment Law

At the start of 2019, Delaware has amended its law to classify sexual harassment as being separate from discrimination claims.  For those looking for a comprehensive overview of how Delaware handles sexual harassment claims in the workplace, this is a great resource to consult.


Unfair Labor Practice Charge Filed Against Dave Portnoy, Founder of Barstool Sports

Twitter became a major talking point last week, after the founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, tweeted several anti-union comments that drew the attention of New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donald Trump, Jr.  On the heels of those tweets came news that an unfair labor practice charge had been filed by the Committee to Preserve the Religious Right to Organize.  This report from Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter delves into how things will likely play out, starting with the National Labor Relations Board investigators gathering evidence and taking affidavits from parties and witnesses to determine if a violation of the National Labor Relations Act occurred.

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

A few years ago, I remember when the “Fight for $15” movement was taking off around the country.  Lo and behold, it appears that a $15/hour minimum wage is not the stopping point, which should be no surprise.  As the below article notes, New York is aggressively moving to ramp up hourly wage rates even higher.  While all the  below articles are worth a read, I called particular attention to that one. As always, below are a couple article that caught my eye this week. Disney World Workers Reject Latest Contract Offer Late last week, it was announced that workers at Disney World had rejected the most recent contract offer from the company, calling on their employer to do better.  As Brooks Barnes at The New York Times writes, the unions that represent about 32,000 workers at Disney World reported their members resoundingly rejected the 5 year contract offer which would have seen workers receive a 10% raise and retroactive increased back pay.  While Disney’s offer would have increased pa