United States and Minnesota Supreme Courts issue landmark decisions favoring employees and promoting the public interest
July 1st, 2020
In Bostock v. Clayton County, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the main Federal civil rights statute governing the workplace, Title VII, makes it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The United States Supr…
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Categories: Blog
Minnesota Supreme Court updates harassment law in the context of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements
June 10th, 2020
In a unanimous decision that has reverberations across the nation, the Minnesota Supreme Court recently clarified the legal standards for, and the analysis of, harassment claims. In that case, Kenneh v. Homeward Bound, Inc., the Minnesota Supreme Cou…
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Support for unions and other employee collective action surges as key corporations put profits over people during the pandemic
May 6th, 2020
Amazon workers, Walmart employees, Fedex drivers, Kroger grocery store workers, Instacart shoppers, Uber drivers, and other employees – many of whom have been designated as “essential workers” – are reportedly not being treated as the heroes…
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Categories: Blog
Pandemic highlights the need for universal paid sick and family leave as well as a healthcare system that works for everyone
April 1st, 2020
With the Trump Administration slow to recognize the seriousness of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), also known as SARS II – and even to make tests available to identify people potentially infected with the highly contagious disease – State-level offic…
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Categories: Blog
Trump administration continues to eliminate work protections – but advocates for workplace fairness fight back
March 16th, 2020
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) once again and recently changed its standard to favor employers over employees. Specifically, the NLRB adopted a new rule to make it more difficult to prove that affiliated companies share culpability f…
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Categories: Blog
Minnesota Supreme Court rejects corporate attacks against local wage laws
February 1st, 2020
In a landmark case, Graco, Inc. v. City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Supreme Court recently rendered a nationally significant decision that affirms the importance of progressive action at the local level. Notably, Republican-appointed Chief Justice…
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Categories: Uncategorized
Employers restrict nearly 1/3 of private-sector employees’ freedom to change jobs
January 1st, 2020
According to a report recently issued by the Economic Policy Institute, at least 36 million employees in the private sector have been compelled to sign purported non-compete agreements that limit where those employees can work after their employment…
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Categories: Blog
Tags: noncompete
2019 was a good year for large corporations, but not so much for employees
December 26th, 2019
The year began with the impact of the Trump Administration’s tax “reform” becoming clear. This legislation has amounted to one of the largest redistributions of wealth in the country’s history, giving a windfall to large corporations and extr…
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Categories: Blog
As workplace unfairness and economic inequality increase, union support surges
November 1st, 2019
Although the field for the Democratic Party nomination remains large and includes a number of so-called centrist candidates, the field almost uniformly supports progressive policies to address the unfairness and inequality intensifying with each pass…
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Categories: Blog
Unions leading the way for progressive change to benefit the proverbial 99%
October 21st, 2019
The current strike of both Chicago public school teachers and staff illustrates a growing trend across the nation. In particular, and despite employer attempts to frame contract negotiations as only about wage increases for union members, unions are…
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Categories: Blog
Tags: civil rights
