Posts tagged Minimum wage
Kansas unions rallied at Statehouse. They’re seeking these 3 policy changes
January 17, 2025 // Labor unions rallied at the Kansas Statehouse on Tuesday lobbying state lawmakers to increase the minimum wage, increase authority of local governments and reject public school vouchers. The event was attended by about 200 union members under the banner of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of unions in the United States.
House Republicans serve up reforms for tipped wage and paid leave
January 16, 2025 // House bills 4001 and 4002, introduced by Reps. Jay Deboyer, R-Clay Township, and Rep. John Roth, R-Interlochen, would modify new laws that, as of Feb. 21, will require paid time off for all employees and minimum wage for tipped wage workers. The 2024 decision by the state’s high court followed years of lawmaking, and the resulting laws, which have become a hot potato for both parties. Taken together, the new laws could increase restaurant costs by a quarter or more, according to a restaurant industry survey.
Minimum wage increasing in nearly half of states, including Nebraska
January 14, 2025 // The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour. In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Nebraska, Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to significantly increase their minimum wages this year.
Nebraska state employees union reaches tentative agreement
January 14, 2025 // Leaders did not, however, discuss any progress or negotiations on the future of remote work for state employees, a decision Pillen has said he would like the administration to retain. The union and state are in the middle of a court fight over whether it can force the state to bargain with the union over his decision to force state employees back to the office. Hubly said the state was unwilling to negotiate remote work conditions while litigation continues.
When New Jersey Hiked Minimum Wages, Fast Food Prices Rose
January 14, 2025 // Today, New Jersey's minimum wage is a little more than $15 per hour, thanks to a provision that automatically raises the minimum wage along with inflation. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25, which is the federally mandated level. Interestingly, the study found that menu price hikes did not occur immediately after the minimum wage increases. Rather, it took an average of about six weeks for menu prices to rise.
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.
California fast food restaurant owners warn that hiking $20 minimum wage will ‘cripple’ them
January 8, 2025 // The council, which consists of 10 members appointed by the governor, is empowered to raise the minimum wage by up to 3.5% — or the annual rate of inflation each year — beginning Jan. 1 of this year. The union representing fast food workers has accused restaurant owners of cutting employee hours in response to the wage increase — all but offsetting the hike in wages.
COLORADO: Auto association lays out 2025 legislative concerns, including unionization
January 8, 2025 // The association advocates on behalf of the automotive retail industry throughout the state, including its 260 member dealerships. In the 2025 legislative session, which begins on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the association will be closely monitoring efforts by the Colorado General Assembly to reform the unionization process. While the state currently has a two-step election process to form a union, proposed legislation will remove the second step. This will make it easier for workers to unionize.
SEATTLE: Popular Restaurant Unable to Survive Even One Day of New $20.76 Minimum Wage Law
January 3, 2025 // As the city of Seattle, Washington, hiked minimum wages to $20.76 per hour on New Year’s Day, some businesses had to close their doors, including one restaurant whose owner somehow still supports the new law.
New York’s Fastest-Growing Union Is Management’s Best Friend — and Some Workers Don’t Even Know They’re Members
December 20, 2024 // Though she last worked for Five Borough two months ago, she stopped receiving pay stubs long before that, she said — paperwork that would have had to show deductions, including for union dues. Supervisors ignored her repeated requests for pay records, she said. Through such voluntary recognition deals with management, less than a decade after its founding, HHWA has exploded in size. It currently claims some 43,000 members, up from 14,141 in 2018. An investigation into Home Healthcare Workers of America by THE CITY, based on interviews with past and current members, legal records and other public statements, reveals that this fast-growing union is a tool of company management in the form of a labor organization.