Would it pass today?

During the introductory lecture in my labor law class, I point the students to Section 1 of the NLRA which contains findings and policies supporting passage of the Act. The statements are remarkable, even revolutionary when you think of the public's current perception of the role of government and its intrusive effect on private business. The section concludes declaring the public policy of the United States to be one supporting collective bargaining. The National Labor Relations Act fundamentally altered the role of government in regulating the process whereby organized labor negotiated with business the terms and conditions of private employment. In class, we discuss not only whether the NLRA would be passed today, we also discuss whether it would be deemed constitutional if considered res nova by the current Supreme Court. Long time blogger Michael Fox posted similar thoughts at Jottings by an Employment Lawyer. How different public sentiment has developed in response to the Great Recession, than it did to the Great Depression. 

Unemployment rises

Despite a gain of 39000 jobs, the unemployment rate in November rose to 9.8% (up from October's 9.6%).

Take a step back

Social security is not on life support or at least so says a new report issued by the Center for Economic Policy and Research. The report calls for a delay in tinkering with a program whose need and popularity has only been increased by the Great Recession.

Effect of Great Recession on employee attitudes

Well, its inevitable this study would be done. And equally inevitable its probably been done several times with varying questions. Quick take: Employees are waking up to life outside of work, and the importance of family as a direct effect of the Great Recession. For some of us, we were rescued earlier. My liberation occurred when a longtime local client was acquired by a multi-national firm, after which they never called again. This occurrence is of course, by no means unique to me, but it made this professional pause and rethink the boundaries of commitment to serving clients before family. The oldest of my 4 children was 12 at the time. After that point, I never missed a school event or an athletic event because of work conflicts. The best part was most client representatives (and even judges) completely understood the point.

Yikes!

According to a recent survey, more than half of unemployed workers receiving a job offer received one involving at least a 25% reduction from their former compensation.

Reducing unemployment

The Director of Economic Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Kevin Hassett, says reducing the minimum wage to $5.85 an hour (about a 25% decrease) and concession bargaining by unions would have a major impact on unemployment. Of course this would not address the actual causes of the Great Recession, only impose its effects even more harshly upon employees. If thats not enough, the Economic Policy Institute says corporate profits are 5.7% higher than in the 4th quarter of 2007, while the number of jobs is 5.9% lower. This L.A. Times opinion piece excoriates Hassett's idea too.