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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Some readers might recall a prior attempt by Northwestern football players to unionize several years ago.  While that effort was struck down by the National Labor Relations Board, the matter has been simmering since that time.  As the below article from Sports Illustrated notes, things have taken a sudden change in recent weeks following an announcement that an advocacy group on behalf of college athletes had failed an unfair labor practice charge that the National Labor Relations Board is moving forward with, to the dismay of many.

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


OSHA Notes Several Violations at Amazon Warehouses

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) had found several violations at six Amazon warehouses, noting a failure to properly record workplace injuries.  These violations came about following inspections earlier this year at several of the warehouses.  Now for those hoping/expecting severe penalties coming Amazon’s way…I have some bad news for you.  It appears Amazon will be on the hook for a whopping $30,000.00 or so in fines.


Are College Athletes Employees? The NLRB Sure Seems to Think So

Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board’s Los Angeles Region plans to proceed ahead with unfair labor practice charges against the University of South California, the PAC-12, and the NCAA.  The argument follows that college athletes are employees (under the National Labor Relations Act) and therefore entitled to wages, overtime pay, and benefits.  While the advocacy group that filed the unfair labor practice charge has the winds to their backs, now that the National Labor Relations Board is moving forward with the claim, there is still the question of what will ultimately come of this unfair labor practice charge.  Even if a Democratic controlled National Labor Relations Board would eventually find that college athletes are employees, I would expect this matter to eventually hit the courts and drag on for some time.  Stay tuned.

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