Safety experts lauded Doug Parker's nomination, pointing to his track record policing workplace Covid-19 risks at the state level.According to the Labor Department, Secretary Marty Walsh has requested “a rapid update” on OSHA’s progress on a coronavirus workplace safety standard. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP PhotoPresident Joe Biden will nominate California’s workplace safety chief, Doug Parker, to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the White House said Friday.The role has taken on outsize importance amid the pandemic and as the administration is weighing whether to issue...…Safety experts lauded Doug Parker's nomination, pointing to his track record policing workplace Covid-19 risks at the state level.According to the Labor Department, Secretary Marty Walsh has requested “a rapid update” on OSHA’s progress on a coronavirus workplace safety standard. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP PhotoPresident Joe Biden will nominate California’s workplace safety chief, Doug Parker, to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the White House said Friday.The role has taken on outsize importance amid the pandemic and as the administration is weighing whether to issue...WW…

The union drive could become a lightning rod for Democrats’ efforts to push through one of the broadest expansions of collective bargaining rights in nearly a century.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a rally March 26 in Birmingham, Ala., ahead of a union vote at an Amazon warehouse in the state. | AP Photo/Kim ChandlerBESSEMER, Ala. — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday thrust himself into the middle of a bitter labor dispute at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama where union leaders are locked in a two-month drive to organize workers.But the stakes in this battle go far beyond the struggle...…The union drive could become a lightning rod for Democrats’ efforts to push through one of the broadest expansions of collective bargaining rights in nearly a century.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a rally March 26 in Birmingham, Ala., ahead of a union vote at an Amazon warehouse in the state. | AP Photo/Kim ChandlerBESSEMER, Ala. — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday thrust himself into the middle of a bitter labor dispute at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama where union leaders are locked in a two-month drive to organize workers.But the stakes in this battle go far beyond the struggle...WW…

Businesses warn the policy could create confusion and bring hefty new costs for employers.Currently, 16 states have no mask mandates in place, and the CDC and OSHA’s guidelines are now optional recommendations. | Noah Berger/AP PhotoThe Biden administration is expected to issue new temporary rules next week to curb Covid-19 spread in the workplace, setting a collision course with the growing number of states loosening restrictions on businesses to aid their reopening.The mandates — which would add enforcement powers to guidelines that are now just optional — threaten to further roil the...…Businesses warn the policy could create confusion and bring hefty new costs for employers.Currently, 16 states have no mask mandates in place, and the CDC and OSHA’s guidelines are now optional recommendations. | Noah Berger/AP PhotoThe Biden administration is expected to issue new temporary rules next week to curb Covid-19 spread in the workplace, setting a collision course with the growing number of states loosening restrictions on businesses to aid their reopening.The mandates — which would add enforcement powers to guidelines that are now just optional — threaten to further roil the...WW…

The findings could help the Biden administration justify the emergency rulemaking, which Republicans and the business community have opposed.Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butcher process meat as they work to meet increased demand due to Covid-19-related shortages. | Brent Stirton/Getty ImagesThe Labor Department’s independent watchdog recommended that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration consider issuing Covid-19-specific safety rules employers would be required to follow, saying that would better protect Americans from exposure to the coronavirus.The recommendation adds...…The findings could help the Biden administration justify the emergency rulemaking, which Republicans and the business community have opposed.Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butcher process meat as they work to meet increased demand due to Covid-19-related shortages. | Brent Stirton/Getty ImagesThe Labor Department’s independent watchdog recommended that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration consider issuing Covid-19-specific safety rules employers would be required to follow, saying that would better protect Americans from exposure to the coronavirus.The recommendation adds...WW…

Dems are cranking out bills filled with carrots for developers of zero-emission infrastructure, but with pro-labor strings attached.While both sides are eager to push clean energy projects forward, their disagreements will test President Joe Biden’s vow to be both the greenest and the most pro-union president in history. | Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden’s green energy agenda is in danger of being engulfed in a fight between organized labor and industry over unionization, wages and other workplace issues.As the renewable energy industry expands, unions and their allies...…Dems are cranking out bills filled with carrots for developers of zero-emission infrastructure, but with pro-labor strings attached.While both sides are eager to push clean energy projects forward, their disagreements will test President Joe Biden’s vow to be both the greenest and the most pro-union president in history. | Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden’s green energy agenda is in danger of being engulfed in a fight between organized labor and industry over unionization, wages and other workplace issues.As the renewable energy industry expands, unions and their allies...WW…

National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb's firing was hailed by union officials and their Democratic allies.The National Labor Relations Board building. | AP Photo/Jon ElswickPresident Joe Biden is forcing out two Trump-era counsels from the National Labor Relations Board, the first time in more than 70 years a president has exercised that power over the agency.National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb, a Trump appointee, was fired Wednesday after refusing a request from Biden to step down from his post. On Thursday, Biden asked for the resignation of Robb’s...…National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb's firing was hailed by union officials and their Democratic allies.The National Labor Relations Board building. | AP Photo/Jon ElswickPresident Joe Biden is forcing out two Trump-era counsels from the National Labor Relations Board, the first time in more than 70 years a president has exercised that power over the agency.National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb, a Trump appointee, was fired Wednesday after refusing a request from Biden to step down from his post. On Thursday, Biden asked for the resignation of Robb’s...WW…

The challenge by the ACLU argued that the change could cause some states to lose seats in Congress if undocumented immigrants weren’t included in apportionment counts.President Donald Trump. | AP Photo/Patrick SemanskyA three-judge panel in New York is blocking President Donald Trump from excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count for the purpose of congressional reapportionment.The federal judges ruled Thursday that excluding the immigrants would violate both the 14th Amendment, which requires the number of House seats each state is allotted to be based on “counting the whole...…The challenge by the ACLU argued that the change could cause some states to lose seats in Congress if undocumented immigrants weren’t included in apportionment counts.President Donald Trump. | AP Photo/Patrick SemanskyA three-judge panel in New York is blocking President Donald Trump from excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count for the purpose of congressional reapportionment.The federal judges ruled Thursday that excluding the immigrants would violate both the 14th Amendment, which requires the number of House seats each state is allotted to be based on “counting the whole...WW…