In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers
The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which was passed on September 5th, states that private-sector employees fall within the scope of the state’s Public Employment Relations (PERB) unless the NLRB asserts jurisdiction via a court order. The NLRB claims that the law is preempted by the NLRA, under precedent forth in Garmon, as it creates a conflicting, parallel system regulating private sector employees. Challenges to this law may hint at challenges to similar bills in California and Massachusetts.
A former United Airlines flight attendant, Ava Lawrey, filed a class action lawsuit in New Jersey federal court, seeking damages for herself and around 1,000 New Jersey-based flight attendants. She alleges United violated state wage laws by failing to pay for time spent on essential duties outside ‘actual’ flight time which is defined as the period between aircraft door closure and opening. Lawrey claims she regularly worked 12-hour shifts with 2–4 unpaid hours for tasks like security, pre-flight meetings, debriefings, and layovers. The lawsuit seeks back pay, overtime, and penalties up to 200% of unpaid wages, along with injunctive relief to stop future violations.
The Third Circuit appeared unwilling...
False information has been circulating online claiming the retirement age will be increasing and it’s even been picked up by Google’s AI Overview and Discover service. There has been a spate of fa...