Citigroup Bailout, Sexual Harassment and Union Elections
The U.S. government promises an additional $20 billion to bail out banking giant Citigroup.
The Supreme Court considers a case that could dramatically expand the scope of sexual harassment law.
Congress prepares to consider the controversially named Employee Free Choice Act.
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1. BUSINESS
The U.S. government promises an additional $20 billion to bail out banking giant Citigroup.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews on why the increasing number of bailouts is taking us in the wrong direction:
“Markets and capitalism disperse risk; our failure has been to have too little capitalism and free enterprise, not too much. Unfortunately that lesson isn’t being learned, and the ability to reinvigorate the disciplinary institutions of capitalism diminish by the day as governments assume greater control and powers that will be difficult, if not impossible, to wrest from them.”
2. LEGAL
The Supreme Court considers a case that could dramatically expand the scope of sexual harassment law.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on how sexual harassment law currently applies to public schools:
“…the Constitution doesn’t permit schools to be held liable for harassment by third parties, like students, just because the school is indifferent to it. Instead, under the Supreme Court’s decisions in Personnel Administrator v. Feeney (1979) and Washington v. Davis (1976), the plaintiff has to show that the school district acted as it did because of the plaintiff’s gender — not because of laziness or indifference, even if it is ‘aware of’ the ‘consequences’ of its indifference. Some lower courts have figured this out, and some haven’t.”
3. LABOR
Congress prepares to consider the controversially named Employee Free Choice Act.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on how the law would hurt workers:
“That EFCA would undermine secret ballots could not be more clear from the Act’s own language. This bill’s other provisions — imposing both binding arbitration and stiffer penalties on employers for “unfair” labor practices — are also troubling, but denying workers the secret ballot so blatantly is bad enough.”
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