Worker's Rights Likely To Look Different Under Incoming Trump Administration

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, November 18, 2024…

• President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce his pick to lead the Labor Department. His choice will reveal the direction the administration plans for the agency.
• The first case of a more severe strain of mpox has been found in California. State health officials confirmed the first known U.S. case of the strain – known as clade I – in San Mateo County over the weekend.  
• A judge has ruled against the state in its lawsuit against Huntington Beach over a local measure that requires voter identification at the polls.

Federal Enforcement Of Worker Protections Likely Shifting In California Under Trump

The incoming Trump administration will likely impact federal workplace enforcement priorities in California and other states and unwind the Biden administration’s efforts to extend employee protections to millions more people in the U.S., according to several experts.

The U.S. Department of Labor has long aimed to ensure fair pay and safe working conditions for low-wage earners. The agency’s current leader, Julie Su, a former California labor secretary, has focused resources to prioritize protecting those who are most vulnerable to exploitation, including the immigrant workforce and migrant children who come to the U.S. without their parents.

Federal law protects workers, regardless of their immigration status. Judy Conti, government affairs director at the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group, expects the Department of Labor’s focus to shift under the administration of a president-elect who campaigned on deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Tom Homan, Trump’s pick for border czar, plans for immigration agents to conduct more workplace raids as part of that crackdown. “We know how hostile they are to immigrant workers and just downright disrespectful and disdainful,” said Conti, who has followed labor enforcement and the low-wage workforce for nearly three decades. “So I think you’ll probably see a big change there.”

San Mateo County Reports First Known US Case Of Emerging Mpox Strain

Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.

The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in San Mateo County upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.

The individual was isolating at home and health workers are reaching out to close contacts as a precaution, the state health department said.

Judge Rules Huntington Beach Can Proceed With Voter ID Law

A judge on Friday rejected California’s lawsuit against the city of Huntington Beach over a local measure allowing officials to require voter identification at the polls.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled that existing state law does not block the local measure, which was approved by voters earlier this year. The ruling could clear the way for the majority-Republican city to implement one of California’s only voter ID requirements at the polls in local elections.