Posts tagged low-income
Commentary: ‘The Safety of Our Children’
September 11, 2025 // Here’s an interesting perspective from within the estimated 8,300 public comments that the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development uploaded last week, with regard to its proposed independent-contractor rule. Denise Lanza, co-chair of the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association Public Affairs Committee, filed a comment that explains how the rule-making would make it a challenge for the statewide parks and recreation community to hire people like youth league umpires and coaches, or yoga instructors for senior citizens at community centers.
Republican senators unveil “portable benefits” bill for gig workers
July 7, 2025 // Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-L.A.) unveiled a bill on Monday that would make it easier for companies to offer benefits to gig workers without making them full-fledged employees. Why it matters: As more Americans turn to gig work and self-employment, there's a growing push to get them access to things like paid sick leave, health insurance and retirement benefits. Zoom in: Called the Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act, the bill is part of legislative package from Cassidy, along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Both also plan on unveiling related bills Monday.
Oakland children’s hospital workers end strike after judge denies injunction
June 30, 2025 // Employees at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland will be back at work on Monday after deciding to end their strike. According to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, a federal judge denied their request to stop UCSF Health from proceeding to cancel union contracts.
Chicago school board OKs $139M to fund new teacher contract, launches equity initiatives
April 27, 2025 // “We’re doing everything we can to shield as much as we can, as we plan for the upcoming budget season,” said Ben Felton, the district’s chief talent officer, in a presentation touting the CPS teacher recruitment process to board members. “But maintaining staffing levels will require additional revenue, and there’s no disillusionment around that.” To address disparities that persist between Black students and other student groups in terms of discipline, academic achievement and access to rigorous academic courses and extracurricular activities, the school board passed a resolution codifying its Black Student Achievement Committee, chaired by board member Jitu Brown, of District 6, on the city’s West Side.
Restaurant Minimum Wage Hurting Businesses and the Workers Proponents Seek to Help
January 10, 2025 // For fast food operators, it’s not just this latest minimum wage increase. Since 2013, their minimum wages have increased from $8 to $20, which is 2.5 times. It’s unsurprising that they’re slashing jobs, cutting hours and raising prices. This also coincides with a major turn towards automation. Of course, automation is driven by many factors, not just increased labor costs – but they certainly don’t help.
Commentary: Connecticut General Assembly Goes Full Authoritarian
May 14, 2024 // It wasn’t until CT Mirror reported on Saturday (May 4) that the bill was actually being used to pay workers choosing to strike and that the language was changed as “an attempt to resolve a standoff by the Connecticut AFL-CIO and Gov. Ned Lamont.” During the late night Senate debate, Sen. Eric Berthel (R-Watertown) asked the bill’s proponent and chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, Sen. Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) about the account’s purpose. However, Sen. Kushner responded by simply reciting the language in the bill, providing no substantive answers.
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION SEES PLENTY OF SCANDALS IN 2023
December 27, 2023 // The union’s decisions directly impact residents. The union spent millions to get its former employee Brandon Johnson elected mayor. CTU has failed to provide required annual audits to members and had to raise its dues $160 for 2024 – most likely to make up for its financial missteps. Yet it spends less than 17 cents of each dollar representing those members.
ILLINOIS: Union president’s school choice sparks debate over Illinois’ expiring program
September 11, 2023 // State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, did not comment directly on whether the Invest in Kids Act should be extended but said it should be up to the parents to do what they believe is best for their children. "I believe every child should have the opportunity to go to the school that their parents choose for them to go to. Period," Ford told The Center Square. Ford said the choice by Davis Gates to send her child to a private school speaks to another issue he sees. "We cannot miss that her decision to place her [child] in a school outside of Chicago Public Schools speaks volumes to the deficit in those schools," Ford said.
Unionized Public Education is Destroying California
March 13, 2023 // The teachers’ union in California supported a ballot initiative that guarantees at least 38 percent of the state general fund is spent on K-14 public education. This guarantees that any new government program – such as last year’s single payer healthcare proposal that would have added hundreds of billions to the state budget – will pour more money into public education. This creates an incentive for California’s teachers’ unions to push for huge increases to the size of the state government, because they’ll get 38 percent of the pie no matter how big it gets. Because California’s public schools receive state funds based on attendance, the teachers’ union is also incentivized to support anything that will increase the student age population. Hence they have an incentive to support anything that will facilitate mass immigration, whether or not that puts a strain on housing and other services. If those students are from low-income households or don’t speak English as their first language, the per student allocations are increased.
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION TRIES TO KILL SCHOOL CHOICE FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS
January 5, 2023 // The Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program is Illinois’ take on offering parents and students more flexibility in school options. But the Invest in Kids Act is set to expire Dec. 31, 2023. If CTU and its allies succeed and lawmakers allow the program to die, thousands of Illinois students and their families would be left scrambling for ways to stay in their schools. Or they might have to leave their private schools altogether. Lawmakers in the new year should make the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program permanent.