Everyone please wish my smart, compassionate, talented, beautiful, kick-ass daughter a happy 16th birthday!!!
Here's what I read this past week that I think you should read, too.
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As the pandemic has shown so clearly, public health issues are workplace issues. Business leaders are responsible for protecting the health and well-being of our employees, and that includes protecting reproductive rights and abortion access.…Levi Strauss joins other notable employers such as Amazon, Citigroup, Salesforce, and Yelp in covering employees' abortion-related travel expenses. I say bravo!
Under our current benefits plan, Levi Strauss & Co. employees are eligible for reimbursement for healthcare-related travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including those related to reproductive health care and abortion. There is also a process in place through which employees who are not in our benefits plan, including part-time hourly workers, can seek reimbursement for travel costs incurred under the same circumstances.
Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights.
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Earlier this week our country officially passed 1 million Covid-19 deaths. According to the World Health Organization, Covid's full death toll is three times higher than officially reported.
Whether the actual number is 1 million or 3 million, it's an awful milestone and a grim reminder that Covid is still out there, mutating and circulating in the community. Indeed, Covid numbers are rising nationwide, with some counties and even entire states moving back into the "high transmission" category after a short restbite.
You'd think after two-plus years of pandemic living, people would know the rules of Covid-19 road. For example, the importance of practicing good hygiene habits and not sneezing directly into the palm of your hand.
Some people, however, appear not to have received this message. For example, consider the cashier at a local Skechers store that Norah and I visited last weekend. All we wanted to do was buy her a pair of comfortable shoes to wear to her new job. Instead, we got this nasty encounter.
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How do I know that labor unions are making raging comeback? Historically, my posts on unions, union organizing, and union avoidance would struggle on LinkedIn to break 1,000 views and would only garner a handful of likes and comments. Over the past few weeks, however, my posts on the dramatic and successful rise in union organizing have been viewed well over 100,000 times with hundreds upon hundreds of likes, comments, and shares. It's an issue that has raised passion on both sides.
How else do I know? Because my social and news feeds are full of stories about union organizing. I think I've read more stories about labor unions in the past 18 months than I did in the first two decades of my legal practice combined.
Yesterday, it was my pleasure to appear on Labor Relations Radio to discuss all of these issues. We covered the reasons for the rise in union organizing, why I'm anti-union (but pro-employee), the use of salts in the Amazon and Starbucks campaigns, and the NLRB's general counsel's Cemex brief, which calls for the NLRB to alter rules on mandatory card check recognition, the elimination of captive audience speeches, and other issues that will dramatically tilt the organizing playing field even more in favor of the unions than it already is.
You can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
A huge thank you to Peter List for inviting me on his show.
Here's what I read the past week that I think you should be reading, too.
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To wrap things up this week, I thought I'd update two stories.
1/ UCLA Unpaid Job Posting
In addition to taking down the offensive job posting, UCLA tweeted this update.
Had UCLA included some of this reasonable explanation as part of its job posting, it could have avoided being excoriated online.
2/ Brienne Allan
Brienne, now of Brave Noise Beer, recently appeared on the Good Beer Hunting podcast to discuss what her year has been like since her Instagram post asking for stories about sexual harassment and gender discrimination in craft breweries went viral. It's a great listen. My takeaway (which will be fodder for a future post): Is your business an ally, or are you just afraid of being canceled?Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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Earlier this week I had the pleasure of guesting on DriveThruHR, one of the oldest and (in my opinion) best HR radio shows/podcasts. We discussed the end of my pandemic practice, the start of my craft beer practice, how alcohol is in my blood (and not in the way you might think), the sudden and successful rise of the labor movement, and some worst employers. Thanks to Mike VanDervort for the invite, and Mike and Robin Schooling for the discussion.
You can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Here's what I read this past week that I think you should be reading, too.Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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On behalf of myself and my daughter, I'd like to thank everyone for all of the kind words of encouragement and support I received for our most recent podcast episode. Whenever you go through any sort of trauma, you feel like you're in it alone. What I learned through the many of you who took the time out of your busy lives to email, comment, or message is that we are not alone and that so many have gone through similar experiences. That community of shared experiences offers a tremendous amount of comfort.
If you've yet to listen, please do so (Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts). If you have listened, please share. And if you've shared, please re-share somewhere else. Norah wants to make something positive out of her experience to help people by talking about and de-stigmatizing mental health issues. It's a conversation that is long overdue and very needed.
I do want to take a moment to address one critique we've received from one very small corner of the internet, which has been bothering me and that I don't want to leave unanswered — that because we chose to attack this issue with some humor, we are devaluing the seriousness of the situation and are not taking mental health issues seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. No one (and I mean no one) has the right to tell someone else how to process trauma. Some do so with anger or sadness. Some with quiet reflection. And some with serious discussion. Consistent with our personalities, we process with humor and sarcasm. It doesn't mean we're not taking the situation seriously or making light of it. Quite the opposite. It just means we're coping the best we can. I can assure you that no one takes what Norah went through and is going through more seriously than she and our family.
Here's what I read this week that I think you should be reading, too.
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Everyone do me a favor and hug your kids a little stronger and a little longer tonight. They all need it.
— Jon Hyman 💉😷 (@jonhyman) January 5, 2022
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Before we get to the links of others that you might have missed this past week, I thought it best to look back on my own links that you also might have missed in the hustle and bustle of your workweek.
1/ Voting is open for the Worst Employer of 2021, and will remain open until 11:45 pm on Monday. If you don't vote, you forfeit your right to complain about the results. Vote here.
2/ I guested on this week's episode of Marc Alifanz's and Kate Bischoff's Hostile Work Environment podcast (my favorite employment law podcast, with two of my favorite people), running down the eight Worst Employer finalists. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
3/ Episode 4 of The Norah and Dad Show is live on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please consider subscribing to our show in your app of choice so that you never miss an episode, and, as Norah says every week, we'd love your 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts and 5-star ratings on Spotify (which just launched its podcast ratings).
Here's the plan for the remainder of the year. After regular posts on Monday and Tuesday, on Wednesday I'll announce the winner of the Worst of Employer of 2021. Finally, on Thursday I'll wrap up the year with my annual reading of 'Twas the Employment Law Night Before Christmas, which will have a companion video if I get my stuff together over the next few days.
Have a great, safe, and healthy weekend. Here's this year's final list of the best things I read online over the past week that I think you should be reading, too.
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Earlier this week a local hospital system held a webinar entitled, COVID-19: Omicron, Vaccines, and Anti-Virals. The news is sobering.
Covid is surging, yet again. Delta is wreaking havoc on populations in colder-weather states. Moreover, we don't yet know or understand exactly what Omicron means for the future of this pandemic. Unvaccinated populations remain at the highest risk for serious illness, hospitalizations, and death, but those who are fully vaccinated still must act with caution. The news is that we are in for a long winter. And it's not just the virus itself that we have to worry about, but the impact of the virus on our healthcare systems. ICUs and hospital beds at capacity mean diminished care and strained healthcare workers.
None of this is good news. Yet, it's the same news we've heard since March 2020. And the best practices to combat Covid remain the same. If you're not vaccinated, get vaccinated. If you're not boosted, get boosted. Regardless, wear a mask to protect yourself and others. Limit contact with unvaccinated people. Practice good hand-washing and other hygiene habits. And for God's sake, if you don't feel well or have any possible symptoms of Covid-19, stay the frick home until you've tested negative.
While we all might be done with Covid, it's not done with us. We all just need to act like it. Now I sound like a broken record.
I can't leave you for the week with all bad news, so before I turn today's post over the employment law links, I have two other links to share with you.
First, before there was The Norah and Dad Show (have you downloaded and listened yet?), there was the guest-hosting spot Norah and I recorded for the Rockin' the Suburbs podcast. Our episode, in which we discuss daddy/daughter concert experiences, went live today. You can listen to it here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Secondly, I have a movie recommendation. Check out Mixtape on Netflix. It's an utterly charming, family-friendly movie set in 1999 about a quirky 12-year-old who sets out to learn about her deceased parents through the songs on an old mixtape of theirs she found in her grandmother's basement. It's the rare family movie that speaks to adults without dumbing down the substance, speaks to children without soaring over their heads, and has the emotional beats and laughs hit equally for both. Also, the music slams. Any scene in a 1999 Pacific Northwest indie record store that accurately showcases early White Stripes is a winner in my book. Bottom line — my house absolutely loved Mixtape, and you should add it to your Netflix List. Highly recommended.
Now, here are the best things I read online the past week that I think you should be reading, too.Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways:
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