Posts tagged Labor Market
The labor market is still red-hot — and it’s helping union organizers
September 1, 2022 // A red-hot labor market that has afforded workers more bargaining power with employers is fueling a string of recent union victories at high-profile U.S. companies. Workers have voted to unionize for the first time in recent weeks at Trader Joe’s and Chipotle. Unions have also made significant inroads at Amazon, Starbucks, Apple and REI, employers that have long resisted unionization. What remains to be seen is whether the job market will stay strong as the Federal Reserve pushes to cool inflation with interest rate hikes. In a speech in Jackson Hole, Wyo., last week, central bank chief Jerome H. Powell acknowledged that the rate hikes would likely inflict “some pain” on businesses and households and probably weaken the labor market. Guy Berger, LinkedIn, Julia Pollak, Zip Recruiter, John Logan, Atulya Dora-Laskey,
Quiet quitting: Employees suffering pandemic burnout say they’ve just stopped working as hard
August 20, 2022 // Millions of Americans are taking a similar approach. Burned out after logging excessive hours or duties during COVID-19, they’re resolving to meet their job requirements but not go beyond. No toiling late into the night. No calls on weekends. And no pushing themselves to the brink even during regular business hours. Korn Ferry, Harris Poll, Cali Williams Yost, CEO of Flex + Strategy Group, Michelle Reisdorf, Andrew Challenger, Joe Galvin, Jonathan Millar,
Antitrust and Modern U.S. Labor Markets: An Economics Perspective
August 3, 2022 // Among the most high-profile initiatives of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during the Biden Administration has been a focus on using antitrust law to address issues relating to economic inequality, specifically the role that corporate mergers purport to play in undermining labor market competition, and in turn harming workers.[2] Proponents of the FTC’s current approach appeal to academic analysis in support of their argument.[3] We submit that this focus is misguided, and based on flawed assumptions with respect to both the state of the labor market and the purported growth in economic inequality. Rather, we argue, when analyzed correctly, the data regarding workplace flexibility, labor market concentration, and so-called “income inequality” show that, if the FTC continues down this regulatory path, the workers the agency claims to protect will suffer the greatest harm. The application of antitrust law to the labor market is unprecedented and, perhaps more importantly, antithetical to the well-being of workers. For the reasons we explain below, it should be rejected. National Longitudinal Survey, House of Representatives Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, Executive Branch,
Unemployment is at another historic low but 72,000 workers are still missing from the workforce
August 1, 2022 // Minnesota is not doing too well when compared to its neighbors either — with the exception of Iowa. Wisconsin and South Dakota have all recovered their pre-pandemic workforce. North Dakota’s workforce is only 0.3 percentage points smaller. Yes, Minnesota’s unemployment rate is very low. But our shrunken workforce is no reason to celebrate. The fact that our labor force participation rate is still not budging should be a reason for concern. Department of Employment and Economic Development, DEED Commissioner Steve Grove,
Where can public sector employees collectively bargain in Virginia?
July 29, 2022 // The ordinance — which creates bargaining units for police, fire and emergency personnel, as well as municipal labor and trade workers, professional workers, and administrative and technical staff — was finalized last week after months of negotiations between the council, Mayor Levar Stoney and pro-union municipal employees. Fairfax, Loudoun County, Arlington County, Virginia Beach, Alexandria, Mel Borja, Del. Elizabeth Guzman, Del. Kathy Byron, Del. Nick Freitas, Black employees,
Commentary: Is the labor market really as good as the administration says?
July 27, 2022 // Most significantly, 18 months’ worth of bonus unemployment benefits that paid most people more to stay on the sidelines than to work caused millions of people to leave the labor market. Meanwhile, Washington stimulated consumer and business demand for goods and services by flooding the economy with trillions of dollars in so-called COVID-19 relief — about half of which was money printed by the Federal Reserve.
As PRO Act Stalls, US Labor Department Rethinks Status of Independent Contractors
July 7, 2022 // “Only a handful of people asked the department to change the rule, and most of them weren’t even independent contractors,” according to Fight For Freelancers cofounder, Jen Singer. “They were union organizers or union members who wouldn’t be affected by any rule change.” Lorena Ortiz-Schneider, founder of CoPTIC America, noted that of the 350-plus attendees of the employer’s panel, the 44 participants who spoke up were mostly small business owners. virtual public forums, American Translators Association, AB 2257, Bill Rivers, Federal Register
The barista uprising: Coffee shop workers ignite a union renewal
July 1, 2022 // To understand how cafés became hot spots for organizing, consider the kind of workers coffee shops attract. The people making your latte tend to be young, educated and progressive in their politics. And they're part of a generation of workers who have faced massive upheaval in their young lives — economic disruption, social unrest, a global pandemic and a labor market that has emboldened workers to ask for more. Kellie Lutz, Stone Creek Coffee, Wisconsin, Steph Achter, barista-led labor movement, Kellie Lutz's union campaign at Stone Creek Coffee was unsuccessful, but she continues her labor activism in her new job in health care. "I'm going to be a union gal forever," she says, Destiny DeVooght,
Illinois: UNIONS SPEND NEARLY $5M TO PUSH PROPERTY TAX HIKES THROUGH AMENDMENT 1
June 29, 2022 // Illinoisans already suffer under the highest state and local tax burden in the Midwest, thanks to generous contracts and retirements won by powerful public unions from the elected leaders they helped bankroll. If Illinois becomes the only state to enshrine union powers in its constitution, taxpayers will face ever greater demands. progressive tax, fair tax, Mike Madigan, Boeing, Caterpillar, Citadel, constitutional amendment
Opinion: Apprenticeships, Not College, Can Help Reduce Unemployment
June 25, 2022 // We estimate that the entirety of our current employment gap is driven by people without children under 18 at home and most predominantly by young adults. While total employment is down 0.28% since the start of the pandemic, employment among 20- to 24-year-olds is down 3.7%. Claudia Goldin, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, employment gap, Huntsville, Alabama, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Pathways, Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, IRAP model,