Labor News & Commentary March 28, 2024 Washington enacts worker protections for strip club dancers & more

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/march-28-2024/

By Luke Hinrichs

Luke Hinrichs is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s news and commentaries, the Wisconsin Supreme Court lets ruling stand that held Amazon drivers are employees, not independent contractors; Phoenix passes heat protection ordinance for outdoor workers; DOL finds child labor violations at Tennessee manufacturing facility; and Washington enacts worker protections for strip club dancers.

On Tuesday, March 26, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Amazon’s logistics subsidiary, upholding a lower court decision which found that Amazon Flex delivery drivers are employees under the state’s unemployment insurance statute. In 2018, the state’s Department of Workforce Development determined that Amazon Logistics’ “delivery partners” qualified as employees under the definition established by the state’s unemployment insurance statute. As a result, the Department assessed Amazon Logistics over $200,000 in delinquent unemployment insurance taxes. After the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission upheld the decision, Amazon filed an appeal through the state’s court system. In 2023, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals agreed with the state that the drivers were employees. Ultimately, the State Supreme Court’s dismissal of the case will affect over 1,000 Amazon drivers and require Amazon to pay unemployment insurance taxes and penalties.

The Phoenix City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday requiring city contractors and subcontractors to provide outdoor workers with access to shade, water, breaks, and air conditioning. In 2023, Phoenix experienced a record 31 consecutive days with temperatures over 110 degrees. Labor and community organizations—including SEIU, UNITE HERE Local 11, Arizona AFL-CIO, Ironworkers Local 75, National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, and various flight attendant associations—organized a citywide campaign leading up to the vote. The new ordinance, described as a “critical first step,” applies only to city contractors and does not provide protection from employer retaliation.

FULL story at link above.