Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

Something For Nothing: Universal Basic Income And The Value Of Work Beyond Incentives, Jonathan D. Grossberg

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Proponents and opponents of a universal basic income all acknowledge that the most significant political challenge to its adoption in the United States is that a universal basic income would not have a work requirement attached. Often, this is characterized as a problem involving incentives—the availability of a universal basic income would cause many people to stop working (or significantly curtail the number of hours that they work) and simply live off the universal basic income. This Article makes three contributions to the literature related to a universal basic income: First, it provides a typology for understanding the many reasons …

Land Of The Free (Appropriate Public Education), Home Of The Deprived: How Vocational Services Can Remedy Education Deprivations For Former Students With Disabilities, Maria N. Liberopoulos

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

This Note explores the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s requirement that all children between the ages of three and twenty-one are provided a free and appropriate public education. This Note focuses on the relief available for students who are either older than twenty-one or who received a high school diploma, but who did not receive a free and appropriate public education. After delving into the remedy of compensatory education, this Note proposes the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the Department of Education promulgate a new regulation that includes vocational training and services as a specific remedy under …

The Covid-19 Safety And Health Accreditation Program: How Food Safety Inspectors And Building Inspectors Can Incentivize Osha Compliance To Protect Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Lindsey Tanita

Center for Health Law Policy and Bioethics

The coronavirus pandemic exposed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) severe lack of commitment and resources to enforce standards aimed at providing a safe and healthful workplace for millions of workers who are at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 every time they step foot into the workplace. We’ve seen nurses treating COVID-19 patients pleading for personal protective equipment all across the county,1 a bus driver in Detroit dying of COVID-19 after complaining about lack of protections from a coughing passenger,2 and more than three hundred workers testing positive for COVID-19 in one Los Angeles factory, even after …

Fundamental Labour Standards And Corporate Sustainability: An Analysis Of The Regulatory Framework Of Core Workers' Rights And Its Integration In Contemporary International Business, S J. Rombouts, A J.F Lafarre

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

The core of international protection of workers' rights is made up of the Fundamental Labour Standards that were developed in the framework of the International Labour Organization (ILO). These standards, included in the eight fundamental conventions of the ILO are part of public international law, but are also incorporated into a large number of other - public, private, binding and voluntary - instruments that regulate international corporate behavior and form the basis for worker protection in international corporate social responsibility mechanisms. Fundamental Labour Standards (FLS) aim to secure respect for the prohibition of child labour, the prohibition of forced labour, …

Children, Chocolate, And Profits: A Policy-Oriented Analysis Of Child Labor And The Chocolate Industry Giants, Ann W. Deam

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

In 2001, the chocolate industry adopted the Harkin-Engel Protocol, also referred to as the Chocolate Industry Protocol, in which it "publicly acknowledged the problem of forced child labor" with a promise to "commit significant resources to address it" and ensure that "cocoa beans and their derivative products have been grown and/or processed without any of the worst forms of child labor." The noble goals set forth in this voluntary, self-regulating agreement were to be attained by 2005. Twenty years have passed since the signing of the Chocolate Industry Protocol (CIP). The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness …

Florida's Late Entrance To The Ongoing Trend: Sexual Orientation In The Workplace, Ernesto Rivero

St. Thomas Law Review

John Doe is an exceptional firefighter who also happens to be a homosexual. John performs his duties every day to the utmost of his ability; however, in response to his sexual orientation, John is verbally harassed daily, underpaid for his line of work, and subsequently discharged from his position. This is a consequence of practicing his protected constitutional right of same sex marriage at his workplace. Every individual ought to have a fair and inclusive workplace free from discrimination; that is not the case in today’s America. Although employees are protected from discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …

How To Close The Gender Pay Gap: Transparency In Data Regarding Compensation Is The Key, J. Andrew Morgan

Connecticut Journal of International Law

This Article will look at the problem of unequal pay and will argue that transparency regarding compensation of men and women must be increased before any decision can be made as to why the gender pay gap exists. This Article proceeds in three parts. Part I provides a comprehensive discussion of existing equal pay laws in the United States that prohibit pay discrimination by sex and an analysis of the most up-to-date data on the current gender pay gap in the United States. It also examines theories as to why or why not there is a pay gap and how …

Disparate Impact Under The Adea: Applicants Need Not Apply, L. Whitney Woodward

Georgia State University Law Review

Part I of this Note addresses the current debate on this topic, illustrated through case law in the Eleventh Circuit, the Seventh Circuit, and a recent federal district court ruling in the Ninth Circuit. Part II analyzes the unambiguous, textual differences between the various subsections of the ADEA as well as the textual differences between Title VII and the ADEA. This Note explores these textual arguments through an analysis of the statutes and interpretative case law and concludes that, as drafted, the disparate impact theory of age discrimination should not be available to non- employee job applicants. Part III illustrates …

Dehumanization 'Because Of Sex': The Multiaxial Approach To The Title Vii Rights Of Sexual Minorities, Shirley Lin

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Although Title VII prohibits discrimination against any employee “because of such individual’s . . . sex,” legal commentators have not yet accurately appraised Title VII’s trait and causation requirements embodied in that phrase. Since 2015, most courts assessing the sex discrimination claims of LGBT employees began to intentionally analyze “sex” as a trait using social-construction evidence, and evaluated separately whether the discriminatory motive caused the workplace harm. Responding to what this Article terms a “doctrinal correction” to causation within this groundswell of decisions, the Supreme Court recently issued an “expansive” and “sweeping” reformulation of but-for causation in Bostock v. Clayton …

Outsourcing Discrimination, Llezlie Green

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

The significant growth in employers’ use of labor intermediaries—that is, third parties that stand between the workers and the organizations for whom they complete work— has fundamentally changed how many low-wage workers enter and function in the workplace. Temporary staffing agencies that hire and place workers with companies and organizations have taken on a gatekeeper role to low-wage jobs in many industries. Recent litigation and various reports allege flagrant hiring discrimination by temporary staffing agencies whose clients encourage them not to hire African American workers and hire and send Latinx immigrants instead. This Article explores the discriminatory treatment of low-wage …

Employers Should Owe A Duty Of Loyalty To Their Workers, Andrew Melzer, David Tracey

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

An employee’s overarching legal commitment to his or her employer is commonly known as the “duty of loyalty.” This lopsided duty of loyalty exacerbates the inordinate power that employers possess over their workers. We propose that the duty of loyalty owed by workers to their employers be made reciprocal: employers should also owe a general duty of loyalty and care towards their employees.

Easy As Abc: Why The Abc Test Should Be Adopted As The Sole Test Of Employee–Independent Contractor Status, Eric Markovits

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Note examines the features and history of the three most commonly used tests for employee classification before advocating that the ABC test be more broadly adopted going forward.

Union Rights For All: Towards Sectoral Bargaining In The United States, Kate Andrias

Book Chapters

American labor unions have collapsed. Having once bargained for more than a third of American workers, unions now represent only about 6 percent of the private sector workforce. In the wake of new statutory and constitutional limitations, their presence in the public sector is shrinking as well. As unions have declined, the United States has lost a key equalizing institution in politics and the economy, INdeed, economic inequality is at its highest point since the Gilded Age, when unionization rates were similarly low. With the weakening of unions, the United States has also lost a key mechanism for protecting against …

Litigation For The People, Samuel R. Bagenstos

Reviews

Can anti-discrimination litigation be a tool for social change? For many years, a contingent on the academic left contended that the answer is no. The Critical Legal Studies movement (CLS) of the 1970s and ’80s argued that using litigation to enforce rights privileged lawyers, fed an alienating and individualized discourse, and ultimately had a depoliticizing effect. CLS adherents believed that anti-discrimination laws often legitimated, rather than challenged, the fundamental inequalities of society.

Although CLS is no longer a presence in law schools, its ideas live on. Its critique of rights litigation has been bolstered by the opposition to identity politics …

Balancing Religious Liberties And Antidiscrimination Interests In The Public Employment Context: The Impact Of Masterpiece Cakeshop And American Legion, Brenda Bauges

Articles

No abstract provided.

Fully Funded Pensions, Jonathan Barry Forman

Marquette Law Review

At retirement, workers want to have enough income to support themselves throughout their retirement years. In that regard, financial planners often suggest that retiring workers should aim to replace 70 to 80% of their annual preretirement earnings. Social Security benefits typically replace around 35% of the typical worker’s preretirement earnings, and the purpose of this Article is to show how pensions could and should be designed to replace, say, 40% of the typical worker’s preretirement earnings throughout her retirement years. In particular, because so many public and private pension plans are underfunded, this Article focuses on how to fully fund …

The State Qui Tam To Enforce Employment Law, Andrew Elmore

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Commitment To The Whole Athlete: Embracing The Role Of Cannabinoids In Collegiate Athletics, Kelli Rodriguez Currie

Seattle University Law Review

Cannabinoids can be a highly effective way for athletes to combat various kinds of pain associated with intense training. Derivatives of cannabis, such as marijuana, have been used for centuries as a form of pain relief. Part I of this Article discusses how cannabinoids are used in sports medicine. Part II discusses the different approaches to marijuana and cannabidiol use across sports leagues. Part III highlights the inconsistencies between the NCAA’s approach to testing for substance abuse and its investment in student-athletes’ well-being. Part IV discusses how the NCAA must focus on student-athlete health. Finally, Part V concludes that the …

Tiptoeing Through The Landmines: The Evolution Of States’ Legal Ethics Authority Regarding Representing Cannabis Clients, Karen E. Boxx

Seattle University Law Review

Despite the continued federal classification of cannabis as an illegal drug, states have legalized the possession, use, production, and sale of cannabis. In order to do so, the states have created complex regulatory schemes to control and monitor the cannabis industry and satisfy the federal government concerns, such as use by minors and organized crime involvement. First, this Article presents the ethical dilemma of cannabis lawyering. Second, this Article describes the history, evolution, and current status of the various states’ pronouncements on a lawyer’s ethical duties with respect to the business and use of cannabis that may be legal under …

In Memory Of Professor James E. Bond, Janet Ainsworth

Seattle University Law Review

Janet Ainsworth, Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law: In Memory of Professor James E. Bond.

Victim Impact Statements And Corporate Sex Crimes, Erin L. Sheley

Faculty Scholarship

This Article argues that more frequently including victim impact statements during the sentencing phase of corporate criminal trials would help lay foundation for legislative reforms geared towards punishing corporations on the occasions where genuinely corporate misconduct, such as that of USAG and the Weinstein Company, can be said to have caused sexual offenses. The Article proceeds in three Parts. First, I argue that criminal enforcement against corporations is generally untethered from harm to victims, and that this thwarts one of the most coherent justifications for the existence of corporate criminal liability. Next, I argue that a focus on victim narratives …

Humans Vs. Robots: Rethinking Tax Policy For A More Sustainable Future, Kathryn Kisska-Schulze, Karie Davis-Nozemack

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Problem With Predators, June Carbone, William K. Black

Faculty Works

Both corporate theory and sex discrimination law start with presumptions that CEOs seek to advance legitimate ends and design the internal organization of business enterprises to achieve such ends. Yet, a growing literature questions why CEOs and boards of directors nonetheless select for Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and toxic masculinity, despite the downsides associated with these traits. Three scholarly literatures—economics, criminology, and gender theory—draw on advances in psychology to shed new light on the construction of seemingly dysfunctional corporate cultures. They start by questioning the assumption that CEOs—even CEOs of seemingly mainstream businesses—necessarily seek to advance “legitimate” ends. Instead, they suggest …

Salary History And The Equal Pay Act: An Argument For The Adoption Of “Reckless Discrimination” As A Theory Of Liability, Kate Vandenberg

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

The Equal Pay Act (EPA) purports to prohibit employers from paying female employees less than male employees with similar qualifications; however, the affirmative defenses provided in the EPA are loopholes that perpetuate the gender pay gap. In particular, the fourth affirmative defense allows for wage differentials based on a “factor other than sex.” Many federal circuits have read this defense broadly to include wage differentials based on salary history. That is, an employer can pay a female employee less than her male counterparts because she was paid less by her previous employer. While salary history was once viewed as an …

Brief Of Amicus Curiae The Washington And Lee University School Of Law Black Lung Clinic In Support Of Petitioners: California V. Texas, Timothy C. Macdonnell

Scholarly Articles

Section 1556 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) makes two major changes to the Black Lung Benefits Act. These changes remove limiting language to make it simpler for disabled miners and their families to establish that they are entitled to federal benefits. First, § 1556(a) reinstates the fifteen-year rebuttable presumption, which presumptively entitles former coal miners to benefits if they have worked over fifteen years underground and have a totally disabling pulmonary disease. The second, § 1556(b), reinstates a continuation of benefits for surviving spouses whose coal-mining spouse was receiving benefits at the time of their death. …

Proposal: Protecting U.S. Agricultural Workers Utilizing Existing Legal Structures And Augments To The U.S. Farm Bill, Alexia M. Kulwiec

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Taking Care Of The Caretakers: An Argument For A Cross-Sectoral Approach To Mental Health Resources For Farmers, Ranchers, And Agricultural Workers, Mary Dallas

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The Rise And Fall Of Unions In The Coal Industry: How The New Era Of Labor Union Resurgence Can Protect The Miners That Remain, Emily Allender

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The Not So Friendly Skies: Pilots’ Attempt To Claim Employer Collusion With Rival Pilots Union During Collective Bargaining Fails In Beckington, Drew Baker

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Why Is There So Much Pre-Retirement Liquidity In The U.S. Pension System?, Kathryn L. Moore, John Turner

Law Faculty Books and Chapters

Some analysts argue that there is a retirement savings crisis in the United States. While the extent of the crisis is contested, most analysts agree that retirement savings in this nation is inadequate. Although the reasons for the retirement savings shortfall are many and complex, this paper focuses on one factor that leads to inadequate retirement savings in the United States: pre-retirement liquidity or leakage.

Pre-retirement liquidity or leakage refers to the ability of individuals to withdraw money from their retirement savings account prior to retirement and use that money for nonretirement purposes. The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) writes, …