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Farmworkers’ wages threatened by Trump administration’s inaction
The middle of a pandemic is a particularly challenging time for low-wage workers to take a pay cut, but the 205,000 farmworkers across the country could face that dire situation next year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly decided to cancel its annual survey of farmworker wages, throwing 2021 wage rates for both H-2A temporary […]
Report: “50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers”
Intimidating local health departments on behalf of the meat-packing industry. Excluding millions of workers from paid leave. Pushing for lower wages for migrant workers. These are just three of the 50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers, according to a recent report published by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank […]
Veteran attorney explains rights of people heading back to work and hoping to stay safe
My workplace is reopening, but I’m afraid conditions there are unsafe. What can I do? The North Carolina Division of Employment Security will consider that you have good cause not to return to work, and you may be eligible to continue to receive unemployment benefits, under the following circumstances: You have been diagnosed with or […]
Trump administration rolls back labor protections
The Trump Administration this week made good on its promise to roll back its Department of Labor’s stance regarding protections for employees who work for more than one company. Formally adopting its proposed interpretation of “joint employment,” the Department set forth criteria for when it thinks a company is sufficiently involved in a worker’s employment […]
Trump administration rule change would stymie workers’ suits against employers
“The Future of Work.” It sounds so promising, with its emphasis on flexibility, app-based employment, and following your passion. Some of that future is here now, and it’s not living up to the promise. Workers misclassified as independent contractors lose out on valuable benefits. Workers cobble together multiple “gigs” in a vain attempt to keep […]
Attorney General moves to limit anti-worker “no poaching” agreements
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein took an important step forward in protecting both businesses and workers this week by announcing a new multi-state settlement that prohibits several major fast food companies from forcing their employees to sign “no-poaching” agreements — or contracts that prohibit employees of one franchise from moving to another. Public attention […]
Trump administration moves to curb health and safety rules for workers
The Trump Administration launched its latest attack on working people yesterday, repealing a 2016 rule requiring large employers to electronically report injuries and illnesses to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). And this is just the latest assault. Previous efforts have included privatization of inspections in hog slaughtering plants, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds […]
Underpaid au pair workers settle lawsuit for $65.5 million
Childcare workers who earn less than the minimum wage had a big win this month with the settlement of a lawsuit against 15 companies who recruited so-called au pairs from around the world. The former employees, who traveled from their home countries on J-1 visas to work for U.S. families, were typically paid a salary […]
Worst-of-all-worlds immigration bill would harm foreign and U.S. workers
Just when you thought U.S. immigration policy couldn’t get any crueler or more dysfunctional, along come the conservative Republicans in the congressional “Freedom Caucus” to take things to a new low. The latest potentially disastrous proposal:
A rare bit of good news for North Carolina workers
North Carolina’s state government took an important first step this week toward recognizing and addressing the problem of misclassification, which occurs when employers wrongly classify employees as independent contractors. On August 11, Governor Cooper signed The Employee Fair Classification Act (SB 407). The Act codifies the Employee Classification Section in the NC Industrial Commission, established […]
Report: NC employers stealing $316 million per year from employees; Labor Commissioner faulted
A bedrock principle of private property is that stealing is wrong. Yet the problem of employers refusing to pay their workers the wages they’ve earned—or wage theft—is pervasive and growing in North Carolina. That’s the message of Employers steal billions from workers’ paychecks each year, a report recently released by The Economic Policy Institute. This […]
ALEC-inspired proposal lets franchisors escape responsibility, puts onus on small businesses for violations
In another twist in the ongoing saga of the special legislative session, the first section of the General Assembly’s so-called Regulatory Reform Act (HB3) deals a blow to restaurant and other franchise owners who take actions at the direction of the franchisor (the corporate entity that grants an individual or corporation the right to run […]