workers’ rights
Feds slap $139K fine on NC employers for exploiting farmworkers
The U.S. Department of Labor has levied significant penalties on a Mt. Olive agribusiness and a Smithfield-based labor contractor for unlawfully exploiting farmworkers. According to a news release distributed Thursday, DOL assessed $139,039 in penalties and recouped $97,100 in back wages. This is from the release: Carol Brooke, a senior attorney at the North Carolina […]
Michigan congresswoman pushes ‘Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, re-introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at improving the lives of U.S. restaurant workers. The “Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights” would raise wages and improve work conditions for restaurant staff. Tlaib, who also pushed this legislation last year, held a press conference Tuesday alongside U.S. House colleagues and […]
At a McDonald’s in Kentucky, 10-year-olds worked past midnight, Department of Labor finds
WASHINGTON — Children as young as 10 were found working past midnight at a McDonald’s restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. Department of Labor said in announcing numerous civil penalties levied on fast-food franchises. As part of an investigation into federal child labor law violations in the Southeast, the Department of Labor said that three […]
Kids at work: States try to ease child labor laws at behest of industry
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in 11 states have either passed or introduced laws to roll back child labor laws — a push that’s come from industry trade organizations and mostly conservative legislators as businesses scramble for low-wage workers. In the past two years, those states have moved to extend working hours for children, eliminate work permit […]
Here’s how the FTC’s proposed ban on non-compete clauses would help workers
It would raise wages for low-income workers while letting employers choose who to hire American workers generally have little job security. As a general rule, employers can fire non-union workers for any reason, a legal doctrine known as “employment at will.” Incredibly, in the last decade or so, employers have eroded job security below even this […]
Campus workers union to rally, deliver demands to UNC Board of Governors
The UNC Board of Governors will hold a full day of committee meetings Wednesday – and they’ll have a few guests. UNC System workers of UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, will hold rallies both at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and at the UNC System office in downtown Raleigh. Among their […]
Why non-compete agreements are unfair to workers
Even some fast food workers have been forced to abide by non-compete clauses Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule prohibiting employers from requiring employees to abide by non-compete agreements as a condition of employment. The practice of requiring employees to sign a non-compete agreement is not new, but was traditionally required […]
A huge win for working parents: Passage of the PWFA and PUMP Act
In a huge win for working parents, the 117th Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act on December 29th, 2022. The PWFA will go into effect on June 27th, 2023, while all but one provision of the PUMP Act went into effect with […]
Here’s what you need to know about new workplace protections for pregnant, nursing workers
The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed last week ushers in expanded protections for workers who are pregnant or nursing. Proponents of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act — both included as amendments to the spending bill — say the measures clarify rights for these workers, who weren’t properly covered under existing laws.
Rev. William Barber leads protest against Dollar General over treatment of workers at shareholders meeting
Dollar General workers and advocates protesting poor working conditions and wages marched to the corporation’s stakeholders meeting in Goodlettsville, Tennessee only to be met with a locked door. On Wednesday, labor advocacy groups, community leaders and Dollar General employees from several states—including North Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi— met to protest the poor conditions many employees say they face while receiving less than livable wages.
U.S. Supreme Court hands technical, but potentially important victory to fast-food worker in wage lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a small, but potentially significant, victory to a fast-food worker from Iowa. The court did not address the basic premise of Robyn Morgan’s lawsuit – that the Taco Bell restaurant she worked for had violated wage-and-hour laws. The court did, however, address a procedural issue that could have […]
Bernie Sanders at U.S. Senate hearing rips Amazon over union opposition
WASHINGTON — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took Amazon to task Thursday at a congressional hearing, bashing the online giant’s leadership for fighting union drives and questioning whether the federal government should continue contracting with the multibillion-dollar company. Amazon executives didn’t attend the hearing but U.S. senators did hear from labor unions and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.