Laura Padin

I used to focus on left versus right. Now I’m much more worried about the money at the top. But while it might seem strange to say it, I think this is a hopeful way of looking at the world that opens the door to coalitions that seemed impossible before. My first for the @newrepublic.com:

Unemployment Insurance and the Government Shutdown: What Federal Workers and Contractors Need to Know - National Employment Law Project What federal workers and contractors need to know to help support themselves during the government shutdown.

The president’s words don’t change the facts: Furloughed #FederalWorkers are entitled to back pay under the law.

Since getting paid back can take time, we also urge furloughed #workers to apply for #unemployment benefits (known as UCFE) ASAP.

See our blog for more: www.nelp.org/unemployment...

WE WON: "This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall w/in..this district court squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in US..have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.”"

App-based workers need real rights, not ‘portable benefits’ gimmicks  While workers would gain little, corporations stand to gain a lot.

"Savings accounts are no substitute for insurance-based benefits, like workers’ compensation and #unemployment insurance, that help people weather emergencies," writes @laurapadin.bsky.social at @thehill.com.

Read her op-ed on the dangers of corporate #PortableBenefits: thehill.com/opinion/tech...

Uber says it will exit Colorado if bill aimed at boosting rideshare safety becomes law The California-based company says it could not comply with House Bill 1291 and the measure would pose too big a legal risk. It has never pulled out of a state before.

Ugh! Uber threatens to leave CO if a safety law is passed. They've cried wolf this way many times before: "we'll leave if you regulate us." @laurapadin.bsky.social of @nelp.org & I wrote about this last year (our piece is linked in the next post). (1/2) coloradosun.com/2025/04/23/u...

The Pope Who Decried the Savage Inequalities of Billionaire-Class Capitalism Pope Francis, who has died at 88, fought for economic justice with a consistency that distinguished him from the elites of his time.

“As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems.”
— Pope Francis

This morning, FACULTY UNIONS led by @aaup.bsky.social sued the Trump administration over the unlawful funding cuts at Columbia. We will not let the federal government use coercion to rob us of academic freedom and critical research!

So proud of my union!

protectdemocracy.org/wp-content/u...

Why Workers Need Real Portable Benefits - National Employment Law Project Portable benefits help empower workers, but app corporations are co-opting the term for corporate programs are neither portable nor benefits.

“#DoorDash claims that it wants to fix the problem of delivery workers’ lack of benefits, but this is a problem entirely of DoorDash’s making.”

Learn why DoorDash’s proposals for “portable benefits” fall far short of what #workers need to thrive in our new factsheet: www.nelp.org/insights-res...

NELP Condemns Trump’s Firing of Thousands of Federal Workers - National Employment Law Project Federal workers have civil service protections because our country values their expertise, independent judgment, and adherence to the rule of law.

"Federal #workers have civil service protections because our country values their expertise, independent judgment, and adherence to the rule of law. Their political views and loyalty to a particular party or president are not part of the job."

Read our full statement: www.nelp.org/nelp-condemn...

The ‘Pro-Worker’ Portable Benefits Scam Big Tech app companies want to evade employment law, and they’re hoping Republicans will help.

Great article calling these programs what they are -- scams. prospect.org/labor/2025-0...

The ‘Pro-Worker’ Portable Benefits Scam Big Tech app companies want to evade employment law, and they’re hoping Republicans will help.

App corporations classify their workers as ICs to deny them real benefits -- Social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance, paid time off. Now they are offering workers savings accounts and calling them "portable benefits."

An Immigrant Died Building a Ship for the U.S. Government. His Family Got Nothing. Elmer Pérez was one of many immigrants hired by U.S. shipbuilders to fill the urgent need for skilled labor. These workers do the same jobs and take the same risks as their American counterparts, but ...

Before the election, I wrote about how a young immigrant's death in a Louisiana shipyard is emblematic of a U.S. system that relies ever more on immigrants, even as employers and politicians vilify them.
www.propublica.org/article/immi...

super helpful! Thanks, Terri