Posts tagged technology
Texas sees surge in union membership, defying state’s anti-union history
August 14, 2024 // In total, there are about 586,000 union workers in Texas, a fraction of the millions who work here. And yet, the increase is somewhat remarkable given the state's long history of hostility toward unions. And nationwide, union membership dipped during the same time. Texas is one of 26 so-called right-to-work states. Texas lawmakers first passed that law in 1993. The law allows for workers the option to not pay unions due and the right to work in a unionized workplace without being a part of the union itself. And more recently, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law aimed at stopping local governments from enacting progressive-leaning worker protections and other policies.
Union members sound alarm after Google fires key workers
June 12, 2024 // “As members of the LIS team, these workers are responsible for handling and responding to requests for user data made by law enforcement, the courts, and members of the public, as well as creating and operationalizing the programs and policies that safeguard user data and maintain compliance with Google’s legal obligations,” the Alphabet Workers Union wrote in a May 24 statement. Since Bloomberg published a September 2023 report revealing law enforcement officials often use search warrants to gain access to Google’s location and search data made by individuals involved in “nonviolent cases” (and those who had no involvement in the crime they are investigating), Google has appeared to further distance itself from withholding that sensitive information. This may explain Google's decision to shrink the Legal Investigations Support team.
Mike Rowe calls Gen Z the next ‘toolbelt generation’ amid increasing vocational enrollment
April 22, 2024 // Rowe doubled down on the demand for electricians, pipe fitters and plumbers, among others, despite emerging technologies. "Look, plumbers are not going to be outsourced," he added. "Electricians, steam fitters, pipe fitters, the people my foundation tries to assist — they have a level of job security that the article in the Journal is referencing, and it's a big deal, because those jobs have always been here for the last 20 years, as long as I've been doing this, they've been open, and it's starting to tip where we're literally turning a tanker around with regard to perceptions."
Minneapolis Is About To Kill Ride-Sharing
April 18, 2024 // Just last month, Seattle's disastrous attempt to enact a minimum wage for app-based food delivery drivers was in the news. The result was $26 coffees, city residents deleting their delivery apps, and drivers themselves seeing their earnings drop by half. Now, the Minneapolis City Council has decided to join the fray in the multifront progressive war against the gig economy—and this time, the outcome could be even worse.
Op-Ed: Labor Department stuck in 1930s with rule against independent contractors
January 23, 2024 // With a national rule, however, few of those escape options are possible. Freelancers are unlikely to flee the country, and there is no such thing as a national ballot measure. The department has only just finalized the rule, so revisions are unlikely unless there is a change in control of the executive or legislature this November. Independent contractors face an extremely uncertain future. The reason why the rule is likely to be such a problem is because it is based on a vision of what the workplace should look like from a century ago, when large corporations dominated. Large corporations made sense when it was harder to be nimble as a business. Nobel Prize winner Ronald Coase explained the reason we have corporations at all is because of the presence of what are called transaction costs. If I have a business idea that requires the services of someone else, I face those costs. If the business idea requires someone with advanced mathematical calculation skills I don’t have, I can either contract with someone who has those skills to do the work every time I need it, or I can hire them as an employee instead and have them always available.
AI JITTERS IN THE WORKPLACE: STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE WORKERS TO EMBRACE NEW TECHNOLOGY
October 19, 2023 // The AI fear is definitely real, too. An APA study revealed that 4 out of 10 workers fret over being replaced by AI. Goldman Sachs predicted that at least 300 million jobs could be on the line, and Forrester reports that 45 million workers could lose jobs by 2030. OpenAI adds that 80% of workers will see daily tasks affected, and a Pew Research Center report shows that over 50% of Americans worry about AI’s potentially harmful effects. Also important to note We don’t know how Chat GPT will evolve or devolve. We don’t know how the government will fully regulate it and other AI tools. In other words, hang tight and be ready to adapt. By adopting efforts to include solutions in your positive employee relations efforts, you can boost engagement, retention, and communicate to your employees that you have their technology concerns in mind.
U.S. Independent Professionals Earned $286 Billion in 2022, a Nearly 10% Increase Compared to 2021, According to Fiverr’s Sixth Annual Freelance Economic Impact Report
May 19, 2023 // Women see a clear advantage to freelancing over traditional employment This year’s report reveals that women are pursuing freelance work for a number of reasons, including that they prefer to work from home (41% versus 31% men), want more flexibility in their schedule (39% versus 22% men), feel burned out (25% versus 17% men), want to avoid an unpleasant or toxic work environment (26% versus 15% men), and experience a lack of enjoyment in their work (22% versus 13% men). The ability to “work from anywhere” remains a priority for freelancers and more plan to work and travel next year The ability to “work from anywhere” while traveling is a major factor or somewhat of a factor in the decision for nearly three-in-four (73%) freelancers who work independently to do so. Working remotely while traveling is becoming more common, with one-third (32%) of independent professionals reporting they did at least some work from remote locations in 2022 compared to only 23% in 2021.
Deals with CT unions focus on keeping workers, not streamlining workforce
March 10, 2022 // Those bonuses aren’t the hazard or premium pay unions have sought for front-line workers who couldn’t telecommute during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Labor leaders and the administration still are negotiating that issue, and special pandemic pay still might be awarded in the future.