My Employment Law Predictions For 2019

Honestly, I thought about skipping predictions this year, because what's happening with the president is unpredictable. However, I'll take my best shot. Here are my predictions for employment law in 2019:

• Florida might be more pro-employee: Although our new governor was a Trump pick, I don't think that's the end of the story. He's already fighting to lift some legislatively-imposed restrictions on medical marijuana. His new Chief of Staff was also Charlie Crist's Chief. You might remember that Charlie, although a Republican at the time, was actually pretty good for employees in Florida. I'm thinking we might get some pleasantly pro-employee action out of Tallahassee this year. The legislature is still gruesomely anti-employee though. So we'll see if the new governor can make a difference for working people.
• More anti-employee executive orders: One thing that Trump has been consistent with is his attacks on working people. He'll continue his anti-employee agenda.
• More anti-employee federal agencies: All the federal agencies that are supposed to be helping working people, like OSHA, DOJ, EEOC, and NLRB have become more anti-employee under Trump. That will continue.
• Anti-employee Supreme Court: The Supremes will be pretty consistently anti-employee. They already upheld the transgender military ban. It will only get worse.
• Pro-employee legislation in the House: The House will pass multiple pro-employee laws. The Senate won't. Even if something miraculously got through, it wouldn't be signed. Sad.
• Legal marijuana will spread: Despite repeated promises from the Trumpian DOJ to crack down, more states will legalize marijuana. Some will even protect employees from being fired for legal use, or from being fired for approved medical use.
• Federal employee slavery will end: Eventually, the shutdown will end and the enforced work-without-pay of federal employees will end. Will this cause federal employee unions to demand more protections? Will people leave the federal government in droves knowing this could happen again and again? Very possibly.

Overall, we'll have a bad year for employees, with some possible hope in Florida for a change. Vote better folks.