If you've applied for a job recently, there's a good chance you had to fill out an extensive salary history. It's not at all unusual for companies to require applicants to provide their salaries at several – or even all – of their past jobs. In public sector jobs, wages and benefits are easily accessible – either through record requests or … [Read more...]
Big Companies Have Money for Stock Buybacks, CEO Salaries, Not Increased Worker Pay
How's the economy doing? Your answer to that question will depend on who you are. If you're the CEO or high-ranking executive of a major corporation, things are going very well indeed. Executive compensation is at an all-time high, and their companies are benefiting enormously from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in December of 2017. In the … [Read more...]
Court Rejects McDonald’s Proposed Settlement in On-Going Labor Relations Case
Fast-Food Giant Wants to Avoid “Joint Ownership” Label with Franchisees McDonald’s relationship with their franchisees has been an integral part of the fast-food giant’s success – but a recent ruling in a major case is putting those relationships in jeopardy, and McDonald’s is definitely not lovin’ it. Although the Big Macs and the other menu … [Read more...]
Massachusetts Passes Compromise Labor Law
Massachusetts will be the third state in the country to raise the minimum wage to $15.00/hr., a result of a so-called “grand bargain” labor bill passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Charlie Baker on June 28. The law, “An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid Family Medical Leave, and the Sales Tax Holiday,” or HB 4640, represents … [Read more...]
NFL Cheerleaders Come Forward About Unequal Treatment
During the past few months, a number of NFL cheerleaders have come forward, after allegedly experiencing discriminatory and unfair treatment. In March, former New Orleans Saints cheerleader, Baily Davis, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that her employer enforced a double standard when they … [Read more...]
Gig Workers Win Big in California Supreme Court Ruling
The California Supreme Court set its sights on the gig-economy last month, when Justices issued a unanimous ruling requiring companies using contract labor to prove that their independent contractors actually run their own business. All seven of the Justices joined the majority opinion written by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who took aim at … [Read more...]
Ninth Circuit Ruling Joins the Fight for Gender Equality
In one of his last opinions for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Stephen Reinhart issued a ruling on behalf of a unanimous court, arguing that women should not be subject to unequal pay simply because of their salary history. At 87, Reinhart died of a heart attack shortly after authoring the decision, ending his 40-year tenure at the appeals court with a … [Read more...]
Conservative Labor Board Sides with Employers
Recent changes at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have resulted in a number of rulings favoring employers, leaving workers (both union and non-union) with fewer legal options. John Ring, a labor attorney who sides with management, was confirmed this month by the Senate as the fifth member of the independent regulatory body. In a somewhat … [Read more...]
Undocumented Workers Exploited in Wake of Harvey
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, day laborers, the majority of which are undocumented immigrants, are being put to work thanks to the many reconstruction projects now underway. This situation is not entirely surprising, as half the construction workforce in Texas are in the states illegally. According to a study released in 2013, nearly … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Wants to Change Salary Threshold for Overtime
Background In May of last year, the Obama administration authored a rule that would, in effect, raise the salary threshold for collecting overtime (OT). This means salaried workers would be able to collect time-and-a-half if they work longer than 40 hours in a week. According to the Labor Department’s rule, anyone making under $47,476 (instead of … [Read more...]
