This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe federal unemployment rate dropped in May for the first time since the coronavirus sent the economy into a tailspin, the strongest sign yet that the economic damage is bottoming out — although 21 million people remain out of work.The economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May, the first time it has added jobs since February, as hundreds of thousands of workers flooded back to jobs in restaurants, health care and construction with the reopening of several states in mid-May.The May unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe federal unemployment rate dropped in May for the first time since the coronavirus sent the economy into a tailspin, the strongest sign yet that the economic damage is bottoming out — although 21 million people remain out of work.The economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May, the first time it has added jobs since February, as hundreds of thousands of workers flooded back to jobs in restaurants, health care and construction with the reopening of several states in mid-May.The May unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration is failing to do its job properly, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by three meatpacking workers, who say the agency’s inaction has left them in danger.The lawsuit accuses OSHA of leaving the workers in imminent danger due to what they say are hazardous working conditions at the factory where they work, run by Maid-Rite Specialty Foods in Pennsylvania, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.Maid-Rite Specialty Foods did not respond to multiple emails and telephone...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration is failing to do its job properly, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by three meatpacking workers, who say the agency’s inaction has left them in danger.The lawsuit accuses OSHA of leaving the workers in imminent danger due to what they say are hazardous working conditions at the factory where they work, run by Maid-Rite Specialty Foods in Pennsylvania, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.Maid-Rite Specialty Foods did not respond to multiple emails and telephone...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareOne of the thorniest issues facing the bipartisan stimulus negotiations is the insistence by Senate Republicans that businesses and other entities have sweeping immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits.Many Democrats have refused to agree to such language, saying it could imperil workers.But now both sides are attempting to craft a compromise on the “liability shield,” worried that the prolonged impasse could derail the broader spending bill at a time when the economy appears to be softening.Treasury Secretary Steven...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareOne of the thorniest issues facing the bipartisan stimulus negotiations is the insistence by Senate Republicans that businesses and other entities have sweeping immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits.Many Democrats have refused to agree to such language, saying it could imperil workers.But now both sides are attempting to craft a compromise on the “liability shield,” worried that the prolonged impasse could derail the broader spending bill at a time when the economy appears to be softening.Treasury Secretary Steven...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareVirginia took a big step on Wednesday toward ushering in a new set of coronavirus-era safety rules that companies would be forced to implement to protect workers from infection — a first in the country and potentially way forward for other states in the face of federal inaction.The state’s 14-member health and safety board voted 9-3 to agree to create workplace safety rules that they would continue to work on and finalize in coming days. The was drafted by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry, under direction from...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareVirginia took a big step on Wednesday toward ushering in a new set of coronavirus-era safety rules that companies would be forced to implement to protect workers from infection — a first in the country and potentially way forward for other states in the face of federal inaction.The state’s 14-member health and safety board voted 9-3 to agree to create workplace safety rules that they would continue to work on and finalize in coming days. The was drafted by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry, under direction from...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareJ.C. Thompson works the night shift at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., a job he started after his work as a hospice chaplain dried up at the beginning of the pandemic.He says he’s not anti-union but was never a supporter of the effort at the facility. He appreciated the stability of the job and felt the pay and benefits that the company provided were as good as anything a union could negotiate.His experiences with organizers gave him no reason to change his mind, Thompson said. He received some text messages and...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareJ.C. Thompson works the night shift at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., a job he started after his work as a hospice chaplain dried up at the beginning of the pandemic.He says he’s not anti-union but was never a supporter of the effort at the facility. He appreciated the stability of the job and felt the pay and benefits that the company provided were as good as anything a union could negotiate.His experiences with organizers gave him no reason to change his mind, Thompson said. He received some text messages and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe U.S. economy added 379,000 jobs in February, a level well above the pre-pandemic rate that surpassed analysts’ estimates and bolstered hopes for more positive growth through the year as the public health crisis lessens.The unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 6.2 percent.It was the most positive jobs report since October, following two months of disappointing numbers, including the loss of an estimated 306,000 jobs in December. And it comes in the midst of final negotiations over President...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe U.S. economy added 379,000 jobs in February, a level well above the pre-pandemic rate that surpassed analysts’ estimates and bolstered hopes for more positive growth through the year as the public health crisis lessens.The unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 6.2 percent.It was the most positive jobs report since October, following two months of disappointing numbers, including the loss of an estimated 306,000 jobs in December. And it comes in the midst of final negotiations over President...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSEATTLE — President Biden gave Amazon warehouse staff in Alabama fighting to join a union their biggest support yet, Sunday night saying workers should be able to make their decision in the election without pressure from the company.More than 5,800 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., are in the middle of to determine whether they want the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union to represent them. Although Biden didn’t name Amazon in the video, he made it clear that he supports the union drive.“Today and...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSEATTLE — President Biden gave Amazon warehouse staff in Alabama fighting to join a union their biggest support yet, Sunday night saying workers should be able to make their decision in the election without pressure from the company.More than 5,800 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., are in the middle of to determine whether they want the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union to represent them. Although Biden didn’t name Amazon in the video, he made it clear that he supports the union drive.“Today and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Biden administration fired the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, Peter Robb, breaking with precedent to end the tenure of a figure seen as a foe by worker advocates and labor unions. Robb’s deputy, Alice B. Stock, was also fired after refusing to resign.The fracas at the NLRB, an important but normally staid body that is tasked with upholding workers’ rights to organize and overseeing union elections, began just hours into Biden’s presidency, when the administration asked Robb, a Trump appointee, to...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Biden administration fired the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, Peter Robb, breaking with precedent to end the tenure of a figure seen as a foe by worker advocates and labor unions. Robb’s deputy, Alice B. Stock, was also fired after refusing to resign.The fracas at the NLRB, an important but normally staid body that is tasked with upholding workers’ rights to organize and overseeing union elections, began just hours into Biden’s presidency, when the administration asked Robb, a Trump appointee, to...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe grocery chain Albertsons is laying off delivery workers and replacing them with gig and contract workers, a change that labor advocates and union representatives say is a direct result of the new California law that companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash sponsored last year.Albertsons, a multibillion-dollar grocery chain that , said it made the decision in December to lay off delivery staff in many areas around the country and switch to “third-party logistics providers.” The company has been partnering with the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe grocery chain Albertsons is laying off delivery workers and replacing them with gig and contract workers, a change that labor advocates and union representatives say is a direct result of the new California law that companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash sponsored last year.Albertsons, a multibillion-dollar grocery chain that , said it made the decision in December to lay off delivery staff in many areas around the country and switch to “third-party logistics providers.” The company has been partnering with the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA sizable number of the recipients of federal aid programs such as Medicaid and food stamps are employed by some of the biggest and more profitable companies in the United States, chief among them Walmart and McDonald’s, according to a new report from Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog.The at the behest of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to answer questions about the relationship between employers and the federal assistance programs. The report draws on February data from agencies in 11 states that administer Medicaid and the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA sizable number of the recipients of federal aid programs such as Medicaid and food stamps are employed by some of the biggest and more profitable companies in the United States, chief among them Walmart and McDonald’s, according to a new report from Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog.The at the behest of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to answer questions about the relationship between employers and the federal assistance programs. The report draws on February data from agencies in 11 states that administer Medicaid and the...WW…