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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


While this week’s election might have caught the attention of some readers, I suspect that in the run up to the 2020 election next year, we will come across quite a few more relevant topics to cover here. With that being said, there are rumblings out of Virginia that Democrats in the state are already planning to repeal the state’s right to work law.  As the below article points out, with Democrats having gained majority control of the Legislature after Tuesday’s election, that topic will be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.

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



Nelson Schwartz at The New York Times wrote an article this past Sunday in which he pointed out that while the fight to increase the hourly minimum wage rate across the board in the U.S. has (and continues to remain) a partisan quagmire, there is some reason for a sense of optimism among minimum wage advocates.  For instance, there have been recent increases in certain sectors and parts of the country:  Hotel workers in Oakland have seen their hourly wage rate increase as have workers at airports in Denver and Houston.  Whether these local “victories” will spur a large scale change in minimum wage rates around the country remains to be seen.  For the time being, these local developments give minimum wage advocates a reason to cheer.


Virginia’s Right to Work Law a Target For Democrats

After the election earlier this week, for the first time in several decades, Democrats in Virginia have majority control of both the Senate and General Assembly.  With newly elected Governor Ralph Northam in office, Democrats in the state are already talking about repealing the state’s right to work law.  Now bear in mind that while Governor Northam has refused to speculate on the matter (as there is no right to work bill on his desk), he has indicated that he is interested in taking steps to protect workers in the state.  (Or in other words, he is likely willing to sign legislation to repeal the state’s right to work law once a bill reaches his desk.)

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