Time Magazine recognized the “whistleblower” women of the #metoo movement as their people of the year. As the disgusting revelations of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer and others became public, the outrage reached a level that few public crises ever have. This was a little surprising to me. The casting couch is a term that is widely known, but for some reason most people either believed this was something from the past or something that only affected the most obscure or seedy segments of the entertainment industry. However, when big-name stars started coming forward with their stories, the public response was shock and awe. I guess that is what it takes sometimes. We now see the issue being brought to light in other industries. As a father of two daughters, I am glad this issue is being addressed in a big way. As with anything, there will be some unscrupulous people who will fabricate or embellish stories of sexual harassment for personal gain – but that possibility always exists. That said, there was an interesting article in the NY Times on Friday titled “Publicly, We Say #MeToo. Privately, We Have Misgivings.” The article asks some fair questions that many of us, including women, are asking. When partisan politics get involved, the waters get even muddier. Does it really matter that Harvey Weinstein was a Hillary supporter or that Bill O’Reilly supported Trump? I don’t think so. Sexual harassment is not aligned with any political party or ideology. I think history has shown that it’s fairly agnostic affliction. Its also worth noting that it is not the first time sexual harassment gets headlines in this country, but there is something in the air this time around that feels like this one has staying power. America Ferrera and Eva Longoria recently helped to launch “Time’s Up” to help end sexual harassment in Hollywood. It seems that they correctly understand that ribbons and heartfelt speeches won’t get it done this time. I’m sure that everyone’s hope is that this movement will ultimately result in greater awareness, clearer boundaries, and an overall safer and more productive work environment for everyone, but it’s a complicated problem with no silver bullet solution. Real progress rarely happens overnight. David Acosta told me that both he and his daughter, who is a star on the Hulu series Marvel’s Runaways, have been required to attend several seminars and workshops about harassment in the entertainment industry. Perhaps only a small step forward, but progress nonetheless.
This week's big news in real estate was the settlement of the class action lawsuits directed against the National Association of Realtors (NAR)...Despite what you may have heard from the media, if the settlement is approved, this would be a modest victory for both realtors and homebuyers. The lawsuit's deeply misguided proponents, including Steve Brobeck from the Consumer Federation of America, have been calling for an outright ban on broker cooperation. In that regard, they didn't get what they wanted.
For years, large companies have been outsourcing to India and China, but the politics with China is unpredictable at best, and India has its limitations as well...However, Mexico and Latin America are just on the other side of our southern border, in the same time zone as the U.S., and with a talented and plentiful population of eager workers. There are also a number of companies that make the process of hiring a nearshore team practically turn-key.
This week, in a brief to the judge of a major antitrust lawsuit known as Nosalek, the U.S. Department of Justice called for decoupling buyer and seller agent representation. If the DOJ gets what it wants, it would mean that listing agents would no longer be permitted to share their commissions with agents representing buyers, and buyers would have to pay out of pocket to have an agent represent them.