Labor & Economic News Blog
Monday, June 30, 2014
California voters reject tenure, layoff rules for public school teachers
California voters reject tenure, layoff rules for public school teachersA strong majority of California voters oppose the state’s tenure and layoff policies for public school teachers, according to a new poll released just days after the landmark Vergara court case invalidated both statutes as unconstitutional.
State Public Pension Investments Shift Over Past 30 Years
State Public Pension Investments Shift Over Past 30 YearsThe Pew Charitable Trusts ... In a bid to boost investment returns, public pension plans in the past ... With $3 trillion in assets and the retirement security of 14.5 million state and local employees at stake, sound investment ...
What’s the Matter With Eastern Kentucky?
What’s the Matter With Eastern Kentucky?Coal country is the most disadvantaged part of our nation. Why have decades of federal intervention failed?
Supreme Court Rejects Contraceptives Mandate for Some Corporations
Supreme Court Rejects Contraceptives Mandate for Some CorporationsThe Supreme Court ruled, 5 to 4, that family-owned corporations cannot be required under the Affordable Care Act to pay for insurance coverage for contraception.
Justices Rule Some Public Workers Need Not Pay Union Fees
Justices Rule Some Public Workers Need Not Pay Union FeesIn a 5-4 decision, the court said there was a type of worker — a partial public employee — who could choose not to join a union.<
Friday, June 27, 2014
As Panama Canal Expands, West Coast Ports Scramble to Keep Big Ships
As Panama Canal Expands, West Coast Ports Scramble to Keep Big ShipsTacoma, Wash., Seattle and other West Coast ports are spending billions on upgrades to keep themselves competitive in the overall fight for foreign trade.
Ikea to raise its average minimum hourly wage to $10.76 ...
Ikea to raise its average minimum hourly wage to $10.76 ...Swedish furniture giant Ikea is wading into the contentious American minimum wage debate by raising pay in its U.S. stores.
At CVS, only the very rich get much richer
At CVS, only the very rich get much richerAt CVS Caremark, it doesn't pay to be really good at your job. The nation's second-largest drugstore chain adjusts its annual raises to how much an employee makes. The higher your salary, the lower your raise. The top workers at CVS stores — those earning the highest hourly wage for their job classification — are "red lined" by the company and receive no raises at all.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Economy in First Quarter Was Worse Than Everybody Thought
Economy in First Quarter Was Worse Than Everybody Thought
A construction project at the Seaport District in
Boston. Revised estimates show that the United States economy had its
worst quarter since the last recession ended five years ago.
NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Leads Pledge Of Income Equality
NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Leads Pledge Of Income Equality
De Blasio was elected vowing to fight income inequality with a staunchly progressive agenda. De Blasio is leading a task force of mayors to ...
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The economy shrank almost 3 percent in Q1. Holy guacamole.
The economy shrank almost 3 percent in Q1. Holy guacamole.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis said Wednesday morning that the economy actually shrank at an annualized rate of 2.9 percent over the ...
Comparing the Effects of State Minimum Wage Increases in ...
Comparing the Effects of State Minimum Wage Increases in ...
University of California, Berkeley
Institute for Research on Labor & Employment
Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics
Institute for Research on Labor & Employment
Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
It’s Official: The Boomerang Kids Won’t Leave
It’s Official: The Boomerang Kids Won’t Leave
One in five young adults lives with his or her parents. It might be a
recessionary blip — or the dawn of a whole new economic age.
A Job Seeker’s Desperate Choice
A Job Seeker’s Desperate Choice
The story of Shanesha Taylor, a mother who had a job interview but was
unable to find child care, shows the harsh realities of today’s economy.
5 years after the Great Recession: Where are we now?
It was the worst U.S. economic calamity since the 1930s. Over 19 months, the Great Recession erased trillions of dollars of wealth, destroyed 8 million jobs and robbed tens of thousands of their homes. More than half of adults lost a job or saw a cut in pay or hours, and almost everybody's wealth fell. In the five years since the recovery began, the economy has grown slowly, in fits and starts.
Obama urges Congress and employers to expand benefits for families
Obama urges Congress and employers to expand benefits for families
President
Obama urged Congress and employers to broaden benefits for families,
arguing that paid leave for new parents and good-quality child care are
basic needs for today's workforce, not "frills."
Tuition financial aid on the way for middle-class California families
Tuition financial aid on the way for middle-class California families
The
assistance aims to help middle-class families that earn more than
$80,000 and typically aren't eligible for grants that cover much or all
of the tuition for lower-income students.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
California set for more exports, strong manufacturing
The Economy May Be Improving. Worker Pay Isn’t.
The Economy May Be Improving. Worker Pay Isn’t.
The increase in inflation means that American employees have gone the last 12 months without any real increase in pay.
Good Cop, Bad Cop: How Infighting is Costing NJ Taxpayers
New Jersey taxpayers are footing the bill for millions of dollars worth of legal costs and settlements for lawsuits against local police officers, police departments and towns. The majority of those cases are legal spats between individual officers or officers and departments, not civilian suits.
Are You Ready for Retirement?
Are You Ready for Retirement?
Do you crave or dread hanging up your hat at the end of a long
career? Advice from the experts - and you - about making the most of
your golden years.
IMF chief wants U.S. to raise the minimum wage
Lagarde said more policy changes would lead to "medium-term fiscal growth."
Report says too many teachers-to-be are poor students...
Report says too many teachers-to-be are poor students...Higher education institutions are training some of the weakest students to lead the nation's classrooms.
That’s one of the conclusions of a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality. On top of that, the advocacy group says fewer than 10 percent of the teacher training programs it's assessed are doing a stellar job.
Report finds low graduation rates, but high federal aid
A report identifies colleges where most students drop out, many drowning in debt.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Expanding apprenticeships is worth the investment
Expanding apprenticeships is worth the investmentUS Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke today at the Urban Institute about the value of investing in a robust apprenticeship program. Young people today face high student debt, high unemployment rates for young workers, and weak future job prospects. Apprenticeships may be the answer to these problems.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Home, Food Or Health Care: A Choice Many Renters Can't ...
Home, Food Or Health Care: A Choice Many Renters Can't ...Many renters now pay more than 50 percent of their income on rent. ... Home, Food Or Health Care: A Choice Many Renters Can't Afford.
Starbucks Brews Up College Educations For Employees
Starbucks Will Pay For Employees To Complete College ...Starbucks will pay for the online college education of thousands of its U.S. employees, according to The New York Times. The program is part
If a Teenager Lands a Summer Job, the Value Is Lasting
If a Teenager Lands a Summer Job, the Value Is Lasting
Only 25 percent of American teenagers were employed last summer, but the
long-term payoffs from a summer job are hard to beat, according to a
new study.
Finding Shock Absorbers for Student Debt
Finding Shock Absorbers for Student Debt
Now come the payments: Forty million people hold
student loans, with outstanding debt at $1 trillion. Above, the New York
University commencement at Yankee Stadium.
How to insure against the risks of investing in a college education?
Allow student loan payments to rise and fall with the borrower’s income.
Measuring Recovery? Count the Employed, Not the Unemployed
Measuring Recovery? Count the Employed, Not the Unemployed
The employment rate shows that the economy is improving. It also shows that it has a long way to go.
Definition of ‘Rich’ Changes With Income
Definition of ‘Rich’ Changes With Income
What annual income would it take for you to consider yourself rich? Is it possible you are rich already?
A little-known worker benefit: Employee assistance programs
Starbucks to cover large portion of college tuition for workers
Starbucks to cover large portion of college tuition for workersThe Seattle coffer purveyor announced Monday that it will give about $6,500 a year in tuition reimbursement to employees who enroll in Arizona State University's online bachelor's degree programs. That would cover about half of tuition costs.
Minimum wage hike won't help many workers in S.F.
Minimum wage hike won't help many workers in S.F.A proposal to increase San Francisco's minimum wage, already the highest in the nation, won't do much to close the income gap in this high-cost city.
Friday, June 13, 2014
The Impact of Oakland’s Proposed City Minimum Wage Law: A Prospective Study
A
joint report from the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
and the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics University of
California, Berkeley
The Impact of Oakland’s Proposed City Minimum Wage Law: A Prospective Study
June 2014, by Michael Reich, Ken Jacobs, Annette Bernhardt and Ian Perry
» Report
The Lift Up Oakland Coalition,
an alliance of community, labor, small business and faith
organizations, has placed an initiative on the Oakland November 2014
ballot that would establish a minimum wage of $12.25 for businesses in
the city starting March 1, 2015. This study examines the effects of a $12.25 minimum wage on Oakland workers and businesses.
Drawing
on a variety of government data sources, we estimate that more than a
quarter of the Oakland workforce, 40,000-48,000 workers, would benefit
from the proposed policy, with the average worker earning an additional
$2,700 a year. Our analysis of the existing economic research literature
suggests that businesses will adjust to modest increases in operating
costs through reduc
Thursday, June 12, 2014
More than 10,000 suicides attributed to Great Recession, study finds
More than 10,000 suicides attributed to Great Recession, study findsThe authors suggest investing in work re-entry programs could reduce the risk of suicide
CEOs Make 296 Times More Than Their Workers in 2013
CEOs at the top 350 firms earned an average of $15.2 million in 2013, up 937% since 1978. CEO pay is growing faster than worker pay, the stock market, and the wages of the top 0.1%.
The middle class gets creamed again: Why CEO performance pay is awful for everyone but CEOs
The middle class gets creamed again: Why CEO performance pay is awful for everyone but CEOs
A new paper reveals that soaring CEO salaries aren't just unfair but deeply harmful to the economy
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Key teacher job protections unlawful, judge rules
Key teacher job protections unlawful, judge rulesThe ruling, a major loss for unions, comes in a lawsuit alleging that the process for laying off, dismissing and granting tenure to teachers hurts students by leading to ineffective instruction
Monday, June 09, 2014
Farm Workers' Low Wages Hinder San Joaquin Valley's ...
Job Outlook Brightens For Graduates, Though Problems ...
Job Outlook Brightens For Graduates, Though Problems ...
But May's employment report also shows 9.8 million people remain out of ... Job Outlook Brightens For Graduates, Though Problems Linger.
Millennials struggling to provide a boom to the housing market
Millennials struggling to provide a boom to the housing market
Student loans, tough economy and lack of jobs are driving home purchases down
Most L.A. city employees don't live in L.A., Times analysis finds
The Age Premium: Retaining Older Workers
The Age Premium: Retaining Older WorkersValuing knowledge and experience, some employers are making extra efforts to encourage longtime workers to stay.
Noncompete Clauses Increasingly Pop Up in Array of Jobs
Noncompete Clauses Increasingly Pop Up in Array of JobsOnce largely limited to the technology and sales sectors, the agreements are entering a range of fields; even camp counselors and hairstylists are being required to sign.
Minimum Wage: Who Makes It?
Minimum Wage: Who Makes It?Most workers who earn the minimum wage are older than they used to be and more educated.
Friday, June 06, 2014
U.S. military veterans and nonveterans in the labor force, 2013
U.S. military veterans and nonveterans in the labor force, 2013June 6 is the 70th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy during World War II. To mark the occasion, we take a brief look at the 21.4 million men and women in 2013 who were U.S. military veterans. These veterans accounted for 9 percent of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and older.
The French Sensation: Income Inequality in 700 Pages and a Hundred Graphs
The French Sensation: Income Inequality in 700 Pages and a Hundred GraphsCapital is a giant, data-packed tome on income inequality covering three hundred years of history by the French economist Thomas Piketty. Is there a reason he’s getting the rock star treatment? Is it the symptoms that resonate so — our drift into oligarchy — or the cure — a progressive tax on wealth?
Americans Say Big Business Helps Overseas, Less So at Home
Americans Say Big Business Helps Overseas, Less So at HomeMajority says large U.S. companies do poor job helping grow U.S. economy
U.S. job market recaptures all the jobs that were lost during the recession
U.S. job market recaptures all the jobs that were lost during the recession
Businesses created 217,000 new jobs in May, while the jobless rate held steady at 6.3 percent.
For Some Retirees, a Second Act Is Easier Than Expected
For Some Retirees, a Second Act Is Easier Than ExpectedSkills honed during decades spent in one career can be relevant to strikingly different positions, experts say.
Cheryl Delaney, a caregiver at an assisted-living facility in Brookline, Mass., with a client, Tullius Acampora.
2014 Milliman Medical Index
2014 Milliman Medical Index$23,215. That’s how much is spent in 2014 on healthcare for a typical American family of four covered by an average employer-sponsored health plan according to the 2014 Milliman Medical Index (MMI). And yet while the amount has more than doubled over the past 10 years, growing from $11,192 to $23,215, the 5.4% growth rate from 2013 to 2014 is the lowest annual change since the MMI was first calculated in 2002.
More Fathers Who Stay at Home by Choice
More Fathers Who Stay at Home by Choice
A shift reveals a structural change in gender roles in family and at work underway in the United States.
How the Recession Reshaped the Economy, in 255 Charts
How the Recession Reshaped the Economy, in 255 Charts
Five years since the end of the Great Recession, the private sector has
finally regained the nine million jobs it lost. But not all industries
recovered equally.
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