{"id":2969,"date":"2022-04-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2969"},"modified":"2022-04-21T20:04:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T20:04:19","slug":"labor-news-federal-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/labor-news-federal-update","title":{"rendered":"Labor in the News: What Is Happening at the Federal Level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden\u2019s pro-labor administration is trying to keep its promise to prioritize the rights of workers and directly address those issues adversely affecting them. Since taking office, the federal administration has put workers at the heart of multiple legislative and advocacy efforts to ensure workers and their rights are protected in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the most recent federal-level actions that have directly impacted labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supreme Court Rules on Vaccine Mandate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In November 2021, President Biden rolled out a pair of vaccine mandates<\/a> aimed at large, private-sector employers and healthcare workers with the intention to mitigate the spread of the virus and give workers greater protection on the job. While not all unions supported the mandates, many, like the AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), praised Biden, with Randi Weingarten<\/a>, president of the AFT, saying: \u201cSafety and health have been our north star since the beginning of the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the mandates, over half of the states sued the administration resulting in a stay of the rules as the lawsuits worked their way through the court system, eventually landing at the Supreme Court. On Jan. 13, 2022, the Court voted to delay the implementation of the requirements until all lawsuits regarding them are decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to be deterred, the Department of Labor has asserted its determination to protect workers. The ruling did leave leeway for mandates in workplaces where workers are at a higher risk of infection, and unions have come out in support of such measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile we are disappointed by the decision, the court\u2019s majority clearly acknowledged OSHA\u2019s authority to protect workers who face heightened risks of contracting Covid-19 in the workplace,\u201d said Liz Shuler<\/a>, president of the AFL-CIO. What those protections look like is yet to be determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Union Task Force Releases Recommendations for Promoting Union Membership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In April 2021, Biden issued an executive order forming the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The group was charged with presenting recommendations for promoting worker organizing and collective bargaining in the workplace. In late October, the administration released guidelines based on the Task Force\u2019s recommendations directing federal agencies to take steps to educate workers about their collective bargaining rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those actions, as outlined by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)<\/a>, include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n