Labor News & Commentary February 7, 2024 challenge to Biden's $15 minimum wage for federal contractors & more

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/february-7-2024/

By Linh Tang

Linh is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s labor news, the House passed law to address increased human trafficking, Starbucks was ordered to reinstate employees illegally fired for organizing, and the Ninth Circuit prepares to hear challenge to Biden’s $15 minimum wage for federal contractors.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (H.R. 443) to aid the Department of Labor (DOL) in identifying labor and sexual exploitation during workplace inspections. The bill mandates training for DOL inspectors to recognize human trafficking and requires reporting cases to the Justice Department annually. Human trafficking incidents in the US have increased significantly, according to a 2023 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, coinciding with a rise in child labor violations. Despite bipartisan support for the bill, discussions continue on the necessity of broader changes to address illegal child labor.

Also on Tuesday, Starbucks was directed to reinstate 12 workers in New York and Colorado by two NLRB judges, who found the company unlawfully terminated them due to their involvement with the union. Administrative Law Judges Robert Ringler and Mara-Louise Anzalone separately ruled on labor violations, detailing instances of unlawful conduct including threats, unfair firings, and interference with union activities. Despite this, some terminations, such as that of a New York employee wearing a suicide awareness pin, were not deemed illegal by Ringler. These decisions reflect an ongoing trend of NLRB judges ruling against Starbucks, citing numerous labor law violations, including the unjust firing of over 50 union organizers and interference with board investigations.

FULL story at link above.