A historic and unpredictable summer in politics
The past few weeks in U.S. politics have been chaotic and significant. On May 15, President Biden challenged former President Trump to a debate. Before the debate could happen, Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies in New York, though he is appealing the decision. After Biden and Trump finally debated June 27, many believed Biden’s age might become a bigger issue in his campaign.
As experts speculated about the upcoming November election, the Supreme Court made a major ruling regarding presidential immunity July 1, benefiting Trump. Then, on July 13, Trump survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania but continued his activities undeterred, even playing golf the next morning. A few days later, during the Republican convention, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was chosen as Trump’s running mate. Shortly after, on July 21, Biden announced he was suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris. Get ready for more unprecedented twists and turns as we head toward the 2024 elections in November.
Department of Labor announces workforce development initiatives and funding
The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration announced the availability of grant funding focused on workforce development programs. This includes $99 million in available funding to support the delivery of pre-apprenticeships through the YouthBuild program in high-demand industries, including construction, clean energy, health care, infrastructure, information technology and hospitality. The YouthBuild program provides academic support, occupational skills training and employment services to young people ages 16 to 24 in communities that face persistent barriers to academic and career skills development. Also, a separate announcement includes $65 million in available grants for the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program to help community colleges scale affordable, high-quality workforce training that meets employers’ and workers’ skill needs in critical industry sectors.
NLRB withdraws its appeal of court ruling regarding joint employer rule
The National Labor Relations Board has withdrawn its appeal of a federal court decision, which nullified the board’s final rule modifying the standard for determining joint employer status under federal law. Under the rule, two or more businesses may be considered joint employers of a group of employees if each entity has an employment relationship with the employees and if the entities share or co-determine one or more of the employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment. The rule had been scheduled to take effect in February but was vacated by a court decision in March in response to a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, which argues the rule is unlawful, arbitrary and capricious. NRCA opposed the rule and filed comments noting member concerns with potential effects of the rule on small businesses. It is unclear whether the NLRB will take further regulatory action regarding this matter. The previous standard under which an employer must have direct and immediate control over a group of workers to be considered a joint employer remains in place.
