California just continues to plow new territory in employment law and business mandates. Most recently, Governor Gavin Newsom, who pundits believe is positioning himself for a possible 2024 run for President, on Tuesday signed into law SB 1162, which will require California employers with 15 or more workers to include pay ranges in all job…
Read More »Just about ten days ago, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled proposed changes to forms that employers are required to submit when they work with third-party consulting firms to fight unionization efforts within their business. The changes proposed by DOL appear to target a select number of businesses – those who are vulnerable to…
Read More »In a similar pro-union stance, democratic lawmakers in both the US House and Senate have reintroduced the National Right to Unionize Act (NRUA) in Washington DC. The NRUA takes direct aim at the right-to-work laws that have been adopted by 27 states across the country. Right to work laws protect worker freedoms by prohibiting compulsory…
Read More »The unemployment rate increased slightly in August, despite the economy adding another 315,000 jobs during the month. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate in August was at 3.7 percent, up from the 3.5 percent recorded one month earlier. Despite the labor shortage, an additional 344,000 were added to the unemployment…
Read More »In the first union representation election held within the Chipotle system, employees in a Lansing Michigan store agreed to unionize by an 11-3 vote through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The Lansing effort was the first to go completely through to a formal vote, but not the first store to request a union election…
Read More »The ongoing unionizing battles within the Starbucks system continues to escalate on both fronts as the Workers United union has filed more complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In addition, the company has advised employees in two more stores – one in Seattle and the other in Kansas City, both of which have…
Read More »Late yesterday, the NLRB announced that it had prevailed in federal district court and won an injunction against Starbucks ordering the company to rehire a number of workers it had terminated and further to cease all unlawful activities. The case involved a successful union election held at a Starbucks in Memphis where the company disciplined…
Read More »Speaking of organized labor, the latest news on unionizing efforts within local Starbucks’ stores has the company accusing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Starbucks Workers United union of misconduct on the basis of allegations made by a whistleblower in the agency. Starbucks has formally claimed that agency officials interfered with elections by…
Read More »The Maryland Supreme Court ruled this month that hourly employees must be compensated for time spent traveling from one workplace to another under certain circumstances. The court determined that the federal Portal-to-Portal Act, which provides that travel to and from a primary worksite is generally non-compensable, was never adopted in Maryland. Conversely, Maryland wage laws…
Read More »Continuing to kowtow to organized labor, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new FY 2023 state budget into law earlier this month that includes an opportunity to enact the Workers Tax Fairness Credit, an unprecedented income tax credit for union members who pay dues to union organizations. Although Newsom has already been praised by labor…
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