National

Bill to end tribal worker union rights fails in Senate

The vote was 55-41 to end debate, but backers needed 60 votes.

Senate bill would end union rights for Indian casino workers

Oregon Democrat Kurt Schrader joined Greg Walden and 215 other Republicans in voting for it.

U.S. Supreme Court hears the Janus case

Janus v AFSCME, about public sector union fees, is the biggest union case in a generation.

Right-to-work nation? Getting ready for Janus v AFSCME

In less than two weeks time, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the most significant labor law case in decades.

President Trump: Year 1

It’s not what presidents say or fail to say that matters most; it’s what they do or fail to do. 

FedEx executive will be Trump’s new OSHA chief

Scott Mugno got the thumbs up from a Senate Committee in a party-line vote Dec. 13.

Trump NLRB majority moves fast to reverse Obama-era decisions

In just three months, the new Board has reversed major gains.

Trump Administration comes out for ‘right-to-work’ in public sector

The Justice Department filed amicus briefs in looming Supreme Court case Janus v AFSCME.

Congress looks at failing multi-employer pensions

One solution, favored by many Democrats, is to have the Treasury step in to help.

GOP finalizes tax cuts

The newly passed law contains the biggest corporate tax cut in history, and nearly all its benefits go to the richest Americans.

Furor over GOP tax bills

Senate Republicans passed a sweeping package of tax changes in the dead of night Dec. 1. The bill reduces taxes dramatically on corporations and high-income taxpayers, while raising them slightly on many working people.

Trump tax plan courts major backlash

The GOP tax plan would give the top tenth of a percent an average tax cut of over $1 million a year.

U.S. Senate confirms Trump nominees to the NLRB

The federal agency that protects workers’ right to form a union may now be about to reverse years of progress.

Supreme Court to hear case challenging union dues

Janus vs. AFSCME could be a severe blow to public sector unions and the labor movement as a whole.

Trumka says hope of working with Trump has faded

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at first hoped labor leaders could find common ground with Trump. 

Will Sen. Jeff Merkley run for president in 2020?

At a union-sponsored Labor Day picnic, a suggestion that Merkley run in 2020 got enthusiastic applause.

U.S. House votes down effort to weaken federal prevailing wage

SW Washington’s Jamie Herrera Beutler votes to cut Davis-Bacon.

‘Right to work’ coming to the public sector

A Supreme Court ruling that ‘fair share’ fees are unconstitutional is likely 6 to 13 months away.

The end of Obamacare?

The American Health Care Act, dubbed Trumpcare, would worsen Obamacare’s flaws.

An end to overtime? U.S. House passes a bill letting employers offer ‘comp’ time instead of paying overtime

The bill would erode the 40-hour work week by making it cheaper for employers to require long hours.