In today’s news and commentary, Biden renominates his pick for head of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division; Walmart announces wage hike; Sanders plans Starbucks hearings as incoming chairman of the Senate HELP Committee; organizing efforts continue in the gaming industry; Amazon fires another union activist; and Harvard Law School launches the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.
The White House revealed yesterday that President Joe Biden has renominated Jessica Looman, a former labor lawyer and union official, to lead the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, as Looman’s initial nomination was blocked by Republican Senators in December and returned to the President earlier this month. Biden originally nominated Looman to serve as Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division last July, the agency that enforces such notable federal workplace statutes as the FLSA, the FMLA, and various legislative protections afforded migrant workers, following the Senate’s rejection of Biden’s first pick, David Weil, in March. Looman continues to lead the Wage and Hour Division as she awaits confirmation, currently serving as the agency’s principal deputy administrator.
Walmart Inc. announced yesterday that the company will “begin investing in higher wages for associates,” which means raising its minimum pay from $12 to $14 per hour next month, an increase that will, according to the company, bring its average U.S. pay to more than $17.50 per hour. Walmart remains both the largest...
Shots fired inside the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by President Donald Trump caused immediate confusion about the suspect and what transpired at the A...