commentary, Organized by Publication
NEW YORK TIMES
More People Are Being Classified as Gig Workers. That's Bad for Everyone, New York Times, Jan. 28, 2024.
Are We Actually Arguing About Whether 14-Year-Olds Should Work in Meatpacking Plants?, New York Times, March 27, 2023.
Don't Buy the Republican Appeal to Workers, New York Times, October 29, 2022.
Other People's Rotten Jobs Are Bad for Them. And for You, The New York Times, Sept. 6, 2021.
What Happened in California Is a Cautionary Tale for Us All, New York Times, November 13, 2020.
End Forced Arbitration for Sexual Harassment. Then Do More, The New York Times, November 14, 2018.
The Dead-End-Job Trap, (co-author Sharon Block), The New York Times, July 12, 2018.
Supreme Court deals a blow to workers, (co-author Sharon Block), The New York Times, May 21, 2018.
WASHINGTON POST
Unions aren't against vaccines. They just want a say, The Washington Post, Sept. 16, 2021.
Papa John’s should have parted with Schnatter long before his notorious phone call, The Washington Post, July 17, 2018.
I worked for Eric Schneiderman. And I still believe in government, The Washington Post, May 11, 2018.
SLATE
There's Only One Kind of Extra Fee That DoorDash and Instacart Don't Like, Slate, November 15, 2023.
The Other Huge Benefit to All These Labor Strikes, Slate, September 28, 2023.
Gig Companies Like Uber Always Say They Can't Pay Workers More. Here's the Truth. Slate, June 22, 2023.
Ben & Jerry's is the Anti-Starbucks, Slate, June 7, 2023.
Why Do Most Public Servants Follow Rules About Free Gifts?, Slate, April 10, 2023.
Prosecute Bad Bosses: More district attorneys are cracking down on abusive employers. It's about time. Slate, March 21, 2023.
How Did Children End Up as Factory Workers in America Again? Slate, March 1, 2023 (co-author Bob Carey)
The Supreme Court's Conservative Supermajority May Sabotage Unions' Right to Strike, Slate, January 11, 2023 (co-author Jenny Hunter).
Child Labor Has Made a Comeback, Slate, November 16, 2022.
The Supreme Court Could Not Have Timed Its Latest Attack on Unions Any Worse, Slate, October 14, 2022 (co-author Jenny Hunter)
Who Has to Work During a Hurricane? Slate, September 28, 2022.
Railroad Companies Almost Inflicted an Economic Disaster on the U.S., Slate, September 15, 2022 (co-author Jenny Hunter)
Royal Dutch Shell and the Rise of the Ventriloquist Employer, Slate, August 19, 2019.
The Trump Administration’s New Overtime Policy Leaves Millions of Workers Unprotected, Slate, March 13, 2019.
Forced Arbitration Is Unjust and Deeply Unpopular. Can Congress End It?, Slate, March 1, 2019
Google Is Ending Forced Arbitration in a Monumental Win for Its Workers, Slate, February 22, 2019.
Workers Deserve Better Than Marco Rubio’s Woeful Noncompete Clause Bill, Slate, February 14, 2019 (co-author Jane Flanagan).
Elizabeth Warren’s Plan for Corporate Boards Would Be a Boon to Businesses, Slate, February 13, 2019.
Trump’s Labor Board Just Gave Its Blessing to One of the Most Deplorable Worker Abuses in the Country, Slate, January 31, 2019
Howard Schultz’s Claims of “Centrism” Are Laughable Given His Record as Starbucks CEO, Slate, January 29, 2019
The Shutdown Shows Why Progressives Need to Make Labor-Law Enforcement a Top Priority, Slate, January 23, 2019.
Five Years Since It Was First Introduced, It’s Time to Renew the New Family Leave Act, Slate, December 12, 2018.
Finally, NYC Is Doing Right by Lyft and Uber Drivers, Slate, December 7, 2018.
Two Top Conservative Judges Offer Plan to End Discovery for Most Litigants, Slate, December 6, 2018.
Trump Is Even Worse at Enforcing White-Collar Crimes Than George W. Bush Was, Slate, December 4, 2018.
Newly Elected Democratic Governors and Legislatures Should Enact These Labor Initiatives Right Away, Slate, November 26, 2018.
Why a Vote for State Attorney General Is One of the Most Important Ballots to Cast on Tuesday, Slate, November 2, 2018.
The Dystopian Sci-Fi Flick Sorry to Bother You Is the Perfect Film for Labor Day, Slate, September 3, 2018.
Brett Kavanaugh Has His Own “Frozen Trucker” Case, Slate, August 7, 2018.
THE AMERICAN PROSPECT
Business Groups' Reflexive Anti-Worker Demagogy, The American Prospect, Nov. 13, 2023.
America's Workplace Safety Crisis, The American Prospect, April 28, 2023
New Process Gives Undocumented Workers Legal Status to Report Employer Abuse, The American Prospect, January 31, 2023.
The Real Victims of Cancel Culture Are America's Workers, The American Prospect, September 5, 2022.
In Massachusetts, a Limit on Gig Companies' Deceptions, The American Prospect, June 17, 2022.
What Amazon and Starbucks Don't Let Us Know, The American Prospect, April 13, 2022.
Is Washington State About to Deprive Its Workers of Basic Rights, The American Prospect, March 2, 2022.
Will Starbucks Bargain With Its Baristas, or Just Pretend To? The American Prospect, December 16, 2021.
Starbucks: Purveyor of Fresh Coffee and Stale Union-Busting, The American Prospect, November 23, 2021.
State Attorneys General Are Helping Workers in Hard Times, The American Prospect, September 7, 2020.
How States and Cities Can Protect Workers During the Pandemic, The American Prospect, May 15, 2020.
When Anti-Immigrant Mania Endangers Public Safety, The American Prospect, December 11, 2019.
Hard Lessons From the Hard Rock Hotel Collapse, The American Prospect, October 16, 2019.
Protect the Whistleblowers—and All Workers Who Speak Out, The American Prospect, October 8, 2019.
American Airlines Sues to Make Travelers Sicker, The American Prospect, August 12, 2019.
The Chamber Speaks: Forced Arbitration Is Actually Good for Workers!, The American Prospect, June 5, 2019 (co-author Heidi Shierholz).
How States Can Enforce Workers’ Rights When Trump and His Supremes Don’t Want To, (co-author David Seligman), The American Prospect, November 14, 2018.
NBC NEWS THINK
Students need to know reading, writing, and their rights at work, NBC News THINK, June 2, 2022.
Adding salary ranges to job listings stops people from wasting their time, NBC News THINK, May 16, 2022.
Covid mask mandates for travel have been lifted. Where do we go from here?, NBC News THINK, April 20, 2022.
Forced Arbitration in Workplace Sexual Assault Cases is Ending. But What About Other Disputes?, NBC News THINK, February 11, 2022.
'Bachelor in Paradise' Alums Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk had a baby by C-section. Great., NBC News THINK, Jan. 20, 2022.
To start 2022 off right, chuck the bucket list, NBC News THINK, Jan. 2, 2022.
Kim Kardashian is being sued for employment practices that are sadly common, NBC News THINK, May 26, 2021.
Labor Day is a time to recognize all unions do — to help health care, education, even marriage, NBC News THINK, September 7, 2020.
Ellen DeGeneres wasn't fired for her show's toxic workplace. Bosses often get off easy, NBC News THINK, August 19, 2020.
Noncompete agreements allow bosses to chain workers to their jobs. We need to free them, NBC News THINK, January 11, 2020.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Uber, DoorDash & Grubhub deliver poverty wages: app giants are trying to block NYC rules on minimum pay, NY Daily News, July 26, 2023.
Can’t JetBlue please fly some must-mask planes?: An appeal to NYC’s hometown airline, NY Daily News, May 20, 2022.
Put the heat on the feds: OSHA must do more to protect workers from rising temperatures, The New York Daily News, July 17, 2018.
A clear-cut case for intervention to aid underpaid Uber & Lyft drivers, The New York Daily News, July 3, 2018.
How the Supreme Court just failed thousands of voters, The New York Daily News, June 11, 2018.
TEEN VOGUE
Noncompete clauses: What Are They, and Why Is the FTC Trying to Ban Them? Teen Vogue, January 18, 2023.
Amazon and the Girl Scouts Are Unlikely—and Disturbing—New Partners, Teen Vogue, Feb. 4, 2022.
CNN
What CEOs are missing by trying to get workers back to the office, CNN, September 8, 2023.
The UPS strike authorization vote is about more than pay (co-author Jenny Hunter), CNN, June 28, 2023.
Gig companies want to change the rules about who qualifies as an employee. Here's why they're wrong, CNN Business, Oct. 14, 2020.
POLITICO
How Corporations Keep Their Own Workers in Debt, Politico, Oct. 21, 2021.
THE GUARDIAN
These Americans are trapped in their jobs: they need to pay $10,000 to quit, The Guardian, April 8, 2018.
We need an agenda for new laws to prevent sexual harassment, (co-author Sharon Block), The Guardian, December 2, 2017.
THE NATION
There's a Way to Get More People Vaccinated—and It Doesn't Involve the Lottery, The Nation, July 1, 2021 (co-author Lorelei Salas).
Stealing From Workers is a Crime. Why Don't More Prosecutors See It That Way?, The Nation, May 24, 2018.
Trump’s Attacks on Immigrants Are a Gift for Bad Bosses, The Nation, April 24, 2017.
Bill O’Reilly Could Have Been Stopped Years Ago—Here’s How, The Nation, May 11, 2017.
THE PROGRESSIVE
A Cordial Invitation to Justice Clarence Thomas to Join Our Summer Vacation, The Progressive Magazine, April 28, 2023.
It's Time to Raise the Federal Minimum Wage, The Progressive, August 2, 2022.
Don’t Suppress Votes of New Citizens, The Progressive, November 18, 2019.
THE HILL
How states and employers can use work sharing to avoid more layoffs, The Hill, April 6, 2020 (co-author Sharon Block).
America needs paid sick leave laws to stop coronavirus from spreading, The Hill, March 4, 2020.
Why conservatives must take principled action for workers, The Hill, September 17, 2019.
Major companies have to prioritize workers in new corporate missions, The Hill, August 23, 2019 (co-author Jane Flanagan).
More states should follow new Colorado policy on wage theft, The Hill, May 30, 2019.
A paid leave plan cannot make you choose between kids or retirement, The Hill, August 9, 2018.
Voters should keep eye on 2018 races for state attorneys general, The Hill, June 15, 2018.
Labor Department’s program on wage theft enforcement is the wrong approach, The Hill, March 22, 2018.
ROUTE FIFTY
How states can fight child labor, Route Fifty, March 8, 2024.
How Local Governments Are Advancing Workers' Rights, and Why Even More Should Get Involved, Route Fifty, June 28, 2022 (co-author LiJia Gong).
How Governments Can Boost Workplace Safety After Supreme Court Wrongly Halts Vaccine Mandate, Route Fifty, Jan. 21, 2022.
The Pandemic Response Measures State and Local Governments Should Move on Now, Route Fifty, April 14, 2020 (co-author Naomi Walker).
MORNING CONSULT
With OSHA as an Employer Advice Columnist, States and Cities Should Protect Workers from COVID-19, Morning Consult, August 10, 2020 (co-author Debbie Berkowitz).
Forget Covid! Trump Says Regulations Are the Problem, Morning Consult, June 1, 2020 (co-authors Frances Colon and Diane Thompson).
STATE, LOCAL, OR LEGAL SPECIALITY PUBLICATIONS
Uber and Lyft are the corporations that cry wolf, Minnesota Reformer, April 8, 2024 (co-author Laura Padin).
Connecticut should curb noncompetes, no matter what happens in D.C., Connecticut Insider, February 9, 2023.
Opinion: Why Coloradans should be skeptical about gig companies’ promises, Colorado Sun, January 21, 2021.
Are Employment Contracts With Unenforceable Terms Unethical? The National Law Journal, June 7, 2019. (co-author Brian Shearer).
A Great Father’s Day gift? Support for earned sick leave, The Journal News, June 16, 2017.
HUFFINGTON POST CONTRIBUTORS' NETWORK
Human Trucker, Frozen Judge, Huffington Post Contributors’ Network, March 27, 2017
Protecting Workers in the Time of Trump, Huffington Post Contributors’ Network, March 21, 2017
BLOG POSTS
With labor in the national spotlight, state AGs are increasingly standing up for workers' rights, American Constitution Society blog, August 31, 2023.
The Supreme Court sided with corporations over workers—again. Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, June 9, 2022.
Could Amtrak's Quiet Car Be a Model for COVID-19 Travel Policies?, Bill of Health blog (Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School), December 5, 2022.
The Role of State Attorneys General in Protecting Workers' Rights, American Constitution Society blog, September 4, 2022.
Cities are leading in efforts to advance workers' rights, (co-author LiJia Gong), Mayors Innovation Project blog, July 5, 2022.
Local governments stepping in to bolster workers' rights, (co-author LiJia Gong), Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, June 13, 2022.
Enforcers take action to protect building superintendents and grocery and construction workers, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, March 23, 2022.
Enforcers take action to protect workers from workplace violations at Domino's and Family Dollar stores, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, February 22, 2022.
Chicago and New York take action to protect domestic workers, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, January 27, 2022.
State attorney general takes action to protect workers against COVID-19, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, January 6, 2022.
State attorney general addresses extreme underpayment of immigrant detainees, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, December 7, 2021.
State and local enforcers standing up to protect workers, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, November 29, 2021.
When corporations deceive and cheat workers, consumer laws should be used to protect workers, (co-authors Lorelei Salas and David Seligman), Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, May 5, 2021.
State attorneys general taking on protection of workers' rights, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, December 16, 2020.
Protecting workers through publicity during the pandemic, (co-author Tanya Goldman), Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, July 29, 2020.
How state attorneys general are protecting workers during the coronavirus pandemic, Economic Policy Institute and American Constitution Society blogs, April 3, 2020.
A Trump attack on government, flying largely under the radar, (co-author Diane Thompson), Economic Policy Institute and American Constitution Society blogs, March 9, 2020.
Welcome developments on limiting noncompete agreements, (co-author Jane Flanagan), Economic Policy Institute blog, November 7, 2019.
Misleading and biased research: Why a report on arbitration by a Chamber of Commerce affiliate is just plain wrong, (co-author Heidi Shierholz), Economic Policy Institute blog, June 10, 2019.
A Response to “Rethinking Wage Theft Criminalization,” (co-author David Seligman), OnLabor blog, April 20, 2018.
Microsoft ends forced arbitration for sexual harassment: good news, but only a first step, American Constitution Society blog, January 8, 2018.
State Attorneys General: Stepping Up to Protect People on the Job, (co-authors Sharon Block and James Tierney), American Constitution Society and OnLabor blogs, August 15, 2017.
Employment Without an Exit, American Constitution Society blog, June 1, 2017.Sexual Harassment: New Laws That Would Help, American Constitution Society and OnLabor blogs, December 6, 2017.