Labor
‘Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights’ introduced in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, re-introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at improving the lives of U.S. restaurant workers. The “Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights” would raise wages and improve work conditions for restaurant staff. Tlaib, who also pushed this legislation last year, held a press conference Tuesday alongside U.S. House colleagues and […]
Automakers’ record profits not shared with workers, Biden says as UAW strike launches
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dispatched two senior administration officials to Detroit on Friday after the United Auto Workers union began a historic strike against the Big Three auto companies amid a contract dispute. “Over the past decade auto companies have seen record profits, including over the last few years because of the extraordinary skill […]
Biden administration proposes new standards to boost nursing home standards
The nation’s most thinly staffed nursing homes would be required to hire more workers under new rules proposed on Friday by the Biden administration, the greatest change to federal nursing home regulations in three decades. The proposed standard was prompted by the industry’s troubled performance earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, when 200,000 nursing home residents […]
Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule
Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation. The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers compensate full-time workers in management, administrative, or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change […]
Study undermines Biden administration promise to boost nursing home staffing
The Biden administration last year promised to establish minimum staffing levels for the nation’s roughly 15,000 nursing homes. It was the centerpiece of an agenda to overhaul an industry the government said was rife with substandard care and failures to follow federal quality rules. But a research study the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
Job growth exceeds economists’ expectations as unemployment inches up
The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 jobs, above expectations of 170,000 jobs from […]
A company promised 100 high-paying jobs in Jefferson Parish. Now it’s just 13 at half the pay
A company that said it would bring more than 100 six-figure-salaried jobs to a Jefferson Parish community if officials allow it to build a chemical plant there has filed plans to create only 13 jobs at half the promised pay. It also wants residents to shoulder a $47 million tax exemption in return for those […]
Pregnant workers have new protections. Here’s what to expect from your boss.
Almost two months after workplace accommodations for pregnant workers became law, the rules surrounding what employers can and cannot do have yet to be finalized — but that doesn’t mean the protections are not in place. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s proposed regulations are expected to offer more clarity once finalized, but workers can still […]
Louisiana’s riverboat casinos want to lower their target job numbers
The head of Louisiana’s gambling regulatory body expects the state’s riverboat casino operators to request adjustments in the employee numbers included in their state licenses. Some of the hiring goals date back to when venues were originally approved three decades ago and were not adjusted for riverboats that have relocated. Wade Duty, executive director of […]
‘Who’s going to work there?’: Lawmakers grapple with labor shortages
INDIANAPOLIS — For years, Indiana’s GOP-controlled legislature has focused on creating a business-friendly climate by pushing favorable tax rates and regulations, aiming to foster the creation of good-paying jobs across the state. The way Republican state Sen. Michael Crider sees it, those moves have worked: Companies such as Amazon and Walmart have built new warehouses and […]
Louisiana sees strong jobs growth ahead of new workforce secretary’s arrival
Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed a new labor secretary Friday and touted strong jobs growth for the state’s economy. Robert Wooley will take over the Workforce Commission from Ave Dejoie Cates, who will resign effective Aug. 31. The commission released data Friday showing Louisiana’s unemployment rate fell in July to 3.4%, the lowest rate ever […]
VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects
Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule Vice President Kamala Harris touted Tuesday. Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first update in […]