That Union Thing

A study by Actors Equity shows that some actors taxes will increase significantly under the new tax law.

The tax increases will also effect writers, directors, and other performers. The new law increases the standard deduction by $5,650, but also eliminates the personal exemption of $4,050, resulting at best as a $1,600 increase and at worst a decrease. More significantly, the law eliminates deductions for unreimbursed employee business expenses and the qualified performing artist deduction. An actor making about $28,000 could see their taxes increase by as much as $1,200, or almost 200 percent.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that Uber is a transportation business and not a technology platform. The ruling will mean that Uber will have to comply with the same rules and regulations that taxi companies must comply with. The ruling applies across the European Union.

Florida's minimum wage workers are receiving a 1.85 percent raise. Due to the 2004 state constitutional amendment, the state minimum wage rose to $8.25 per hour on January 1. On a related note, the city of Miami Beach is appealing to the Florida Supreme Court over its proposal to establish a local minimum wage. The city wants to establish a city-wide minimum wage of $10.31 this year, rising to $13.31 in 2021.

The National Labor Relations Board is inviting comments on the possibility of revoking rules that require employers to share contact information of employees with unions. Obama-era rules sped up the timeline for union representation elections and required employers to share phone numbers and email addresses in addition to street addresses of employees. A change in the rules would make it harder for unions to communicate with employees and create an unlevel playing field where employers can hold captive-audience meetings with employees but unions have no access to these employees.