More than a decade after the federal minimum wage last went up, an increase may be included in the COVID-19 relief package under consideration in Congress. That bill is planned to be passed through reconciliation—in other words, through a simple majority vote—in the Senate, which makes it a great place for the minimum wage, since Republicans would certainly …
Whines about raising the minimum wage don’t hold up, full stop Read More »
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed many serious and dangerous challenges for workers everywhere?—?not just for workers on the job, but for workers trying to exercise their right to organize. But there have also been unexpected bright spots on this front over the past year, including a boom in union drives at nonprofits around the United States. One …
In the Shadow of Covid, ACLU Joins Non-Profit Unionization Surge Read More »
In recent weeks, essential workers have been pushed down the priority list for COVID-19 vaccinations in states including California and Massachusetts, a decision that is likely to cost lives among the people we rely on to keep us fed and keep the economy going. A recent study by researchers at the University of California-San Francisco shows a …
Essential workers fear not just for their own health, but for their families Read More »
Meatpacking plants have been the sites of some of the worst outbreaks—and the worst abuses—of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Rep. Jim Clyburn, chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, is planning to investigate. Clyburn put the meatpacking industry and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on notice Monday. Clyburn charged that OSHA failed “to …
Clyburn pressures OSHA over its failures on meatpacking plant COVID-19 outbreaks Read More »
Workers in half of the United States are seeing minimum wage increases in 2021, meaning employers and employees alike will need to stay abreast of changes that can affect various types of compensation beyond workers’ regular pay, experts told Law360. The statewide wage floor will go up in 25 states this year, according to a …
3 Tips For Handling This Year’s Minimum Wage Increases Read More »
Last week, labor unions got some uncommonly good news: The government’s annual survey showed that union density in America actually rose by a full half point in 2020, a rare reversal of a long-term trend of decline. Should unions be celebrating their work? Actually, no! Union density?—?the percentage of working people who are union members?—?has been broadly declining for decades. At its …
Union Density Went Up Last Year! Don’t Get Too Excited. Read More »
As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot presses ahead with a controversialplan to reopen elementary schools next Monday, the 25,000-member Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) may be headed into its third strike since 2012. Closed since March because of the coronavirus crisis, K?8 schools are set to resume in-person classes on February 1, with parents having the option of sending their children back …
Chicago Teachers Are Showing the Country How to Fight an Unsafe Reopening Read More »
President Joe Biden signed two executive orders on Friday aimed at fighting hunger, protecting American workers and providing economic relief to families whose jobs and livelihoods have been destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic. The measures ask agencies across the government to expand, extend and at times re-examine guidelines to find ways to provide further aid …
Biden signs executive orders aimed at combating hunger, protecting workers Read More »
Remember back in April when everyone suddenly realized that food chain workers are essential workers? A group of workers in the Bronx is trying to make good on that realization as they negotiate their next contract—and it’s led to a strike, as the bosses at the Hunts Point Produce Market refuse the workers’ call for …
Essential food workers strike over $1 in New York City, this week in the war on workers Read More »
Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union have just sent a referendum to members: shall we all work remotely starting Monday, January 25? That’s the date when many were assigned to return to schools. If the district retaliates, delegates will reconvene to take a strike vote. The plan was voted up by a large majority in …
Chicago Teachers Are Voting on Whether to Defy Monday’s Reopening Order Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
