Don't Drink the Tea. Think With the WE.
Apr
2013
17
In Texas, testimony was heard on behalf of SB 676, a bipartisan bill that aims to crack down on employee misclassification in the Lone Star State. Filed by Republican State Senator John Carona, the bill is garnering support from business groups, labor groups, and concerned politicians alike. Testifying at the hearing were Rick Levy of ...
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Apr
2013
17
Another crucial step has been taken in the quest to build a bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada. The U.S. State Department has announced a presidential permit to the state of Michigan to accomplish this, signaling the final go-ahead before construction can begin. Construction of the long desired bridge has largely been held hostage by ...
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Apr
2013
16
Hilarious image passed along by a friend. Of course, the Steve Jobs aspect to this could be perceived as decidedly anti-worker, but the sentiment seems well-placed. Cue “Kevin Bacon Eternal Life SuperPAC.&#...
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Apr
2013
16
Seven unions in Canada have announced that they will pull over $1 billion in pension funds from Royal Bank of Canada Investor Services if their parent company proceeds with a plan to outsource information technology jobs. In a letter sent to Royal Bank of Canada, representatives of the B.C. Insulators Union announced their intentions. The ...
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Apr
2013
16
In California, Senate Bill 7 looks to end the practice of charter cities skirting prevailing wage requirements by making funds for public works projects available only if a city has a policy of requiring contractors to comply with the state’s prevailing wage law. The common wisdom might indicate that labor would support the measure and ...
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Apr
2013
16
In a 219-210 vote, House Republican leadership pushed through H.R. 1120, a bill that would effectively end the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The bill will not be voted on by the Senate and is therefore only symbolic. H.R. 1120 has been a priority of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and is a clear indication ...
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Apr
2013
12
Newly granted contracts to provide uniforms for United States Customs and Border Protections (CBP) contain one very ironic piece of information: they will largely be manufactured in Mexico. WHY AM I TYPING? THIS POST WRITES ITSELF. Via CPA Trade Reform: The latest contract with the company was awarded on Dec. 20, 2012, to make “uniform ...
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Apr
2013
12
In 2011, in order to get tough on residents who were abusing Unemployment Insurance in Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder lowered the monetary threshold for fraud from $25,000 to $3,500. However, since UIA, the agency in charge of monitoring such activity, faced the layoff of 300 workers last year it has been a struggle to keep ...
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Apr
2013
12
Last week, Florida’s House Bill 655 passed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives by a 75-43 margin. The bill, similar to other model legislation backed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), would prevent local governments from implementing #PaidSickDays. It also disallows local governments from mandating living wages....
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Apr
2013
11
A new report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) gives a detailed demographic analysis of the nation’s long-term unemployed. Four years after the recession there are still 27 million unemployed or underemployed workers in the American labor force. This number includes those included by official jobs numbers as well as the nearly...
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Apr
2013
11
With talk of #PaidSickDays legislation roiling New York, Pennsylvania and Florida (to name a few…), construction workers in the Northwest are telling a cautionary tale you might not expect to hear from union workers. Portland, Oregon has a stricter Paid Sick Days law than the one about to hit NYC. It mandates that any employer ...
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Apr
2013
11
A new report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shows that construction deaths more than tripled on NYC work sites last year with 21 workplace fatalities versus six the year before. The sudden surge coincides with an uptick in building projects in the region and represents the most construction workplace deaths the city ...
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