Posts tagged Retirement
Another Weirdness of the COVID Labor Market
September 2, 2022 // The early retirements problem came into view as pandemic unemployment “cleared” and the labor market returned to status quo ante. The 65-plus group accounts for between 50 percent and 100 percent of the decline in the population-to-employment ratio, amounting to .7 percent of the entire workforce, perhaps a million or so workers, and about half that number were among those who chose to hang up their cleats ahead of time. These early retirements are interacting with the overall market in some unique ways. In a normal recession, businesses tend to cut labor costs through automation. As the old jobs are eliminated, workers are “reallocated,” meaning they move into new occupations. The NBER study finds that the COVID-19 recession saw almost no reallocation except in low-skill leisure and hospitality occupations. In the meantime, the number of workers in professional occupations grew as a share of the labor market. This relative expansion of professional jobs was also accompanied by “downskilling” (i.e., the relaxation of educational and experience requirements reflected in help-wanted ads) as firms responded to the tight labor market by making it easier for less credentialed workers to qualify for openings further up the value chain.
Punching In: High Court Signals Coming Curbs on Agency Deference
August 2, 2022 // The Supreme Court earlier this summer affirmed that agencies can’t regulate “major questions” with significant economic or political implications unless Congress explicitly gives them the power to do so, Given the court’s recently expanded view of what presents a “major question,” some attorneys say the conservative-majority court may next take a swipe at Chevron deference all together. And with the Biden administration’s ambitious regulatory agenda, the DOL’s moves to define an approach to independent contractor status, alter how prevailing wages are calculated, expand overtime pay protections, or issue most any other regulation could be more vulnerable to litigation if that happens. A revised version of President Joe Biden’s $94 billion bailout for union-backed pension plans will take effect next week, outlining a realistic path for hundreds of cash-strapped plans to pay benefits for the next 30 years. Michael Lotito, co-chair of Littler Mendelson PC’s Workplace Policy Institute,
‘The Simpsons’ production workers go union, saying they deserve a place at the table
July 5, 2022 // 20th Television Animation, The Simpsons, American Dad!, Family Guy, Ashley Cooper, Rick & Morty, Solar Opposites, Jason Jones,
MFA union ratifies its first contract
June 30, 2022 // The MFA Union represents all non-managerial employees who are not already represented by another collective bargaining agreement, and includes hourly front-of-house staff and part-time educators as well as members of administrative, technical, curatorial and conservation departments. Union leaders said the salary minimums will improve pay equity across departments and raise salaries up to industry standards. Curators and conservators, who are typically paid less than salaried professionals in other departments, will see the biggest gains. “There is room for improvement in museum compensation as an industry, but this is a step in that direction … so hopefully we don’t get so behind industry standards in the future,” said Eve Mayberger, a member of the bargaining committee and an assistant objects conservator at the museum. “It is a huge improvement for many of our unit members.” Matthew Teitelbaum, Maida Rosenstein
Still-Unreleased Union Deal Rains Cash on State Workers
June 28, 2022 // The still-unreleased deal between the Hochul Administration and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), state government’s largest group of unionized workers, would award bonuses, backpay, and guaranteed raises the next three years, documents sent to union members show. The tentative agreement, which was negotiated behind closed doors, covers about 56,000 blue- and white-collar state employees in executive branch agencies, including SUNY.
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,
New Seasons Employees Have Filed for Union Elections
June 2, 2022 // The separate announcements and filings were deliberate: Employees of the independent New Seasons Labor Union decided to represent themselves without an established union partner. “We decided that the best way for us to be heard was for us to represent ourselves,” a New Seasons Labor Union organizer told the Mercury.
Apple VP kindly reminds retail workers that they can say no to unions
May 27, 2022 // So far, no Apple retail stores have gained formal union recognition, but in February, the Washington Post reported that at least two stores were backed by major national unions and were prepared to file paperwork with the NLRB, while at least six more stores were in earlier stages of attempting to unionize. Around the same time, Apple doubled paid sick days for both full-time and part-time workers following reports from The Verge about the struggles of frontline Apple workers.
Workers Start Union Push at Trader Joe’s in Massachusetts
May 18, 2022 // Even though unionization by Trader Joe’s workers at the start of the pandemic failed, labor conditions have changed under the Biden administration and National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abbruzzo, said O’Brien, the Boston College professor. “She's much more pro-union and that's going to work in favor of the Trader Joe's workers," she said.