OVERTIME: Labor Stories of the Week (Mar 4, 2016)

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Missed out on labor news last week? We have you covered!

In foul trouble. Labor rights advocates are accusing Nike of taking a big backward step in supply chain accountability by denying the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent monitor, the right to inspect one of its Vietnamese factories where workers are striking.

The old playbook. For a ride-sharing app, Uber seems to be employing pretty standard employer union-busting tactics .

That’s billion with a B! Big banks continue to torment working families through hefty overdraft fees , collecting $11 billion per year.

The first of many to come… Gawker employees become the first to successfully bargain a union contract at a digital media company . The deal sets minimum salaries at $50k and above, guarantees 3% annual raises, and protects editorial independence.

Raise the wage! The Atlantic applauds the state of Oregon for taking a clever, tiered approach to raising its minimum wage , while two economists writing for the Washington Post argue that evidence dispelling the notion that wage increases harm local business is starting to pile up . New York Archbishop and Cardinal Timothy Dolan also had something to say on the matter :

“A lot of people ask me, “Does the church have a position on the minimum-wage issue?” I reply, “No. But she does have position on a living wage: that every worker deserves one!”

Attorneys of the world, unite! As the Obama administration considers extending overtime benefits to millions of workers, lawyers are organizing to ensure that they are not left out .

The high road is a long road. Costco, known for being an employee-friendly retailer, raised its minimum wage by $1.50 to $13 an hour . The fact that it took a ‘high-road’ employer nine years to raise its minimum wage is a reminder that businesses boost wages when market forces or organizing power compels them to, not good will.

There’s an app for that! Day laborers may have a new weapon in their fight against wage theft: a smartphone app that allows them to rate employers, log their hours, take pictures of job sites, identify employers with a history of withholding wages, and work with advocates to recoup wages.

VP Perez? According to Yahoo, Secretary of Labor Tom Perez is generating buzz as a potential running-mate for Hillary .

And, the outsourced college. The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s piece on the proliferation in outsourcing of university services is a must read for those who care about labor practices on college campuses.