Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/790371
60 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2017 LABOR MAT TERS coverage for seniors and lower-income Americans — even if it means a bigger role for the federal government and increased federal spending. FREEDOM CAUCUS WANTS TO ROLL BACK RULES Donald Trump was expected to face immediate pressure to implement a variety of conservative policy proposals designed to erase much of President Obama's legacy, writes Ben Jacobs in The Guardian. The so-called "Freedom Caucus" in the House of Representatives, considered the most ardent conservatives on Capitol Hill, hope Trump's anti- establishment campaign can now be a sign that the President will embrace its agenda to roll back the modern regulatory state. The caucus announced an extended wish list, detailing 228 regulations and executive orders that they would like to see the president revoke immediately after taking office. Prominently included in the list are Climate Change, Net Neutrality and Labor. The "Freedom Caucus" joins Department of Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder in proposing to revoke rules to expand eligibility for overtime pay, treating independent contractors as employees under labor law, and waiving the requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires federal contractors to be paid "a prevailing wage," adds Jacobs. NBA AGREES TO NEW LABOR DEAL At a time of popularity and prosperity for professional basketball, the players' union and the National Basketball Association reached an accord on a seven-year collective bargaining agreement that establishes labor peace through the 2023-24 season, writes Scott Cacciola in The New York Times. The players agreed to a 51 percent share of basketball-related income, roughly the share that they have under the current agreement. But revenue has increased in recent seasons, thanks to a new television deal that will generate an average of $2.66 billion in annual payments through the 2024-25 season. The average player salary is expected to be $8.5 million in the 2018 season, and $10 million by 2020-21. As for the schedule — a topic of increasing concern among players, coaches and league officials — the league will reduce the numbers of instances in which teams play games on consecutive days, a dreaded situation known as a "back-to-back." Under the new agreement, the regular season would start a week earlier to allow for more days off. The number of exhibition games also would be reduced. This was the first labor deal with Michele Roberts as the head of the union and Adam Silver as the league's commissioner. Roberts' negotiations with Silver were notable for their lack of public acrimony, considering the huge pile of money they were divvying up. Despite not having a background in labor relations or in basketball, Roberts was immediately a strong presence for the players, questioning the league's business structure. As the first female head of a major sports union, she showed that she was willing to challenge the league. When she pitched her candidacy for head of the union, she told the players, "My past is littered with the bones of men who were foolish enough to think I was someone they could sleep on." After chalking up approvals from both sides in late December, the deal goes into effect on July 1. SIX RETAILERS AGREE TO STOP ON-CALL SCHEDULING New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with attorneys general from seven other states and the District of Columbia, Michele Roberts, the first female head of the NBA players union and a newcomer to professional sports, closed her first collective bargaining agreement. Photo by Christopher Leaman