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Labor & Economic News Blog

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

As Job Rate Rises, Older Workers Are Often Left Behind

As Job Rate Rises, Older Workers Are Often Left Behind

An AARP group surveyed 2,492 people ages 45 to 70 who had been unemployed and found about half had managed to find work.

 

The Health Care Wager

The Health Care Wager

A surge in spending on health care is translating into well-paying jobs, but opportunities are only available to those willing to put in the time and money to retrain.

 

Raise the minimum wage, but don't forget about the cost of housing

Raise the minimum wage, but don't forget about the cost of housing

A worker would have to earn $33 an hour to afford the average apartment, KPCC reported this year. The state minimum wage of $9 an hour doesn’t have the same buying power in Los Angeles that it does in Bakersfield or Humboldt. So it makes sense to set a higher minimum wage in a pricey urban area.

 

Economic Inequality: It’s Far Worse Than You Think

Economic Inequality: It’s Far Worse Than You Think   

In a candid conversation with Frank Rich last fall, Chris Rock said, "Oh, people don’t even know. If poor people knew how rich rich people are, there would be riots in the streets." The findings of three studies, published over the last several years in Perspectives on Psychological Science, suggest that Rock is right. We have no idea how unequal our society has become

 

Friday, March 20, 2015

Inland Empire: Next 'big dog' in California economy?

Inland Empire: Next 'big dog' in California economy?

 

Mexican farmworkers strike over low wages, blocking harvest

 Mexican farmworkers strike over low wages, blocking harvest
The strike, which began Tuesday, has shut down schools and stores across the region and focused attention on alleged labor abuses at agribusinesses that export millions of tons of produce to the U.S. every year. Among those targeted are U.S.-based BerryMex, which grows strawberries and raspberries sold under the Driscoll label.

 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

See which California jobs require the longest hours

See which California jobs require the longest hours

 

As Women Try Out For Armor Units, 'If You Can Hack It, You Can Hack It'

As Women Try Out For Armor Units, 'If You Can Hack It, You Can Hack It'
The Pentagon lifted the ban on women serving in the unforgiving world of ground combat — infantry, armor and artillery units — but gave the armed service's branches until January to ask for exemptions. Now the Marines and the Army are running the necessary tests to see what women soldiers can do. Dozens of female Marines are taking part in this experiment at the desert base at Twentynine Palms for the next month.

 

Job gains continue, so why are wages stubbornly stagnant?

Job gains continue, so why are wages stubbornly stagnant?



February’s labor report came in with stronger growth than expected, with 295,000 jobs added last month and the lowest unemployment rate since the 2008 financial crisis. But wage growth continues to lag, with hourly earning rising just one tenth of a percent. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez analyzes the numbers with Judy Woodruf

 

Why workers’ comp isn’t working for many who need it

Why workers’ comp isn’t working for many who need it



Workers’ compensation benefits have played a critical role in the American labor market by allowing businesses to pay for medical costs and wages if an employee is injured on the job. But a new investigation has found that more than 30 states have passed laws reducing these benefits. Judy Woodruff learns more about the impact from Michael Grabell of ProPublica and Howard Berkes of NPR

 

Why you shouldn’t expect wages to rise any time soon

For months, the thorn in the side of otherwise sunny jobs reports has been sluggish wage growth. As unemployment falls, wages are supposed to rise. Those expectations will likely play a role in the Fed’s policy deliberations this week. But in today’s Making Sen$e column, economist John Komlos argues that there’s still too much slack in the labor market for much growth

 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Kentucky Right-To-Work Battle Shifts To Counties

Eleven Kentucky counties have passed local right-to-work laws since last year, including several along the Tennessee border, which is a right-to-work state.

 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

California public workers may be at risk of losing promised pensions
As millions of private employees lost their pension benefits in recent years, government workers rested easy, believing that their promised retirements couldn't be touched. Now the safety of a government pension in California may be fading fast. Feeling the heat is the state's huge public pension fund, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, known as CalPERS.

 

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Gender bias rampant in workers' comp cases, women's groups charge

 

Monday, March 02, 2015

How longshoremen command $100K salaries in era of globalization and automation

 How longshoremen command $100K salaries in era of globalization and automation
More than 4,400 ships bring nearly $400 billion worth of goods through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach every year, a crucial link in the global supply chain of factories, warehouses, docks, highways and rail lines.