Articles on workplace-related issues from newspapers and Internet news sources around the country.
September 21, 2020
GAO: Millions in danger of missing coronavirus payments
Source: Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press, ABC News
A government watchdog says millions of Americans are in danger of missing coronavirus relief payments of up to $1,200 per individual because of incomplete government records.
California bill gives hope of employment to formerly incarcerated firefighters — but will it work?
Source: Alex Riggins, The San Diego Union-Tribune
While AB 2147 was hailed as correcting a ‘historic wrong,’ prisoner reentry experts question whether the legislation will have its intended effect.
California halting new unemployment claims for two weeks to catch up on backlog
Source: Aldo Toledo, Mercury News
Overwhelmed by a flood of jobless people amid the COVID-19 pandemic and struggling with aging technology, California’s state department responsible for paying unemployment claims has decided to stop processing new claims for two weeks as it attempts to catch up on a massive backlog.
A California Law Was Supposed to Give Uber Drivers New Protections. Instead, Comedians Lost Work.
Source: Eliot Brown, APK Metro via The Wall Street Journal
Early this 12 months, the organizers of a small Bay Space theater advised Alicia Dattner they wouldn’t be capable to pay her for an upcoming comedy act. The explanation: A brand new California regulation that reclassified gig-economy employees, equivalent to Uber drivers, as staff meant it might be too costly to rent her.
Can You Claim Employee Misconduct in an OSHA Citation?
Source: Courtney M. Malveaux, National Law Review
When Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites for a workplace injury, employers often claim employee misconduct as an affirmative defense. There are a few key points employers can keep in mind.
Long Battle In Store For Laid-Off Workers Trying To Prove Covid-19 Age Discrimination
Source: Ted Knutson, Forbes
Think you’ve been laid off from a job but didn’t get one in the Covid-19 recession because of age discrimination?
It could easily take years and a lot of luck to prove it.
How millennials’ financial futures have been impacted by pandemic unemployment
Source: Abigail Hess, CNBC
This spring, the coronavirus pandemic led to the biggest unemployment spike in U.S. history.
‘We are stuck, with little to no options’: 6 months after the CARES Act passed, many Americans are still struggling
Source: Alicia Adamczyk, CNBC
As the coronavirus pandemic upended life in the U.S. and across the world over the past six months, economists have credited the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, with keeping many American families, and the economy at large, afloat.
September 18, 2020
Amended Workers’ Compensation Benefits for COVID-19 Positive Employees
Source: Michael Drenan, National Law Review
Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 1159 (“SB 1159”) on September 17, 2020, which could expand the definition of injury under the workers’ compensation system to include illness or death resulting from COVID-19.
Payrolls increase by nearly 1.4 million as the unemployment rate tumbles
Source: Jeff Cox, CNBC
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 1.37 million in August and the unemployment rate tumbled to 8.4% as the U.S. economy continued to climb its way out of the pandemic downturn. The unemployment rate was by far the lowest since the coronavirus shutdown in March, according to Labor Department figures released Friday.
COVID-19 danger continues to drive joblessness in U.S. as another 6,500 Coloradans file for unemployment
Source: Paul Wiseman, The Denver Post
Coloradans filed 5,025 regular unemployment claims last week and 1,533 claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the program created to help self-employed and contract workers during the COVID-19 crisis, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said in a press release Thursday.
Workers fear humans implanted with microchips will steal their jobs
Source: Matt Egan, CNN
Workers worry that in the not-too-distant future they will be sidelined by humans implanted with performance-enhancing microchips.
Garment workers, paid by the piece, say they'll keep fighting to change the system
Source: Ludwig Hurtado, NBC News
California garment worker Santa Son had hoped this was the year the state Legislature would end a system that pays her and other workers for the number of items they make — not the hours they work.
'More than just a job': As layoffs loom, pilots face a tricky future
Source: Ben Popken, NBC News
Thousands of pilots across the country are facing pink slips in a matter of weeks unless the airline industry receives more financial aid from the federal government.
Trump's $300 in extra jobless aid has already run out in 7 states
Source: Aimee Picchi, CBS News
Seven U.S. states have exhausted federal disaster-relief funds tapped to provide supplementary federal jobless aid to millions of Americans, while other states are running low.
Federal law now gives some parents paid time off to help their kids with remote learning
Source: Andrew Keshner, MarketWatch
Last month, a recently-reopened school district near Atlanta, Ga. told more than 1,000 students and staffers they had to quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak.
She Was Denied An Acting Role Because Of Her Disability. Now She Runs An Agency Representing Disabled Actors.
Source: Allison Norlian, Forbes
Keely Cat-Wells runs a talent agency in Los Angeles where she represents disabled actors.
New Census data reveals no progress has been made on closing the overall gender pay gap
Source: Courtney Connley, CNBC
New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, between 2018 and 2019, no progress was made on closing the overall wage gender gap, with the average full-time working woman still earning just $0.82 for every dollar earned by men.
September 17, 2020
How Amazon Automated Work and Put Its People to Better Use
Source: Alex Kantrowitz, Harvard Business Review
For the past decade, Amazon has been pushing to automate office work under a program now known as Hands off the Wheel. The purpose was not to eliminate jobs but to automate tasks so that the company could reassign people to build new products — to do more with the people on staff, rather than doing the same with fewer people.
Another 790,021 Americans file for unemployment as the fallout from COVID-19 lingers
Source: Charisse Jones, USA Today
More than 790,000 Americans filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to mount.
45% of women business leaders say it’s difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings
Source: Courtney Connley
Today’s remote work culture is having both a positive and negative impact on women in the workplace.
Parents struggle with remote learning while working from home: ‘I’m constantly failing
Source: Megan Leonhardt, CNBC
In the early days of the pandemic, when schools suddenly shut down and millions of employees were sent to work from home, many parents looked forward to fall as the point when they believed life would return to normal.
Colorado’s CROWN Act, banning natural hair discrimination, goes into effect
Source: Patty Nieberg, The Denver Post
A Colorado law aimed at protecting workers and students from discrimination against race-based hair traits went into effect Monday.
September 16, 2020
Over 80% of hourly workers expect to lose some pay due to remote learning or lack of child care
Source: Megan Leonhardt, CNBC
As school districts around the country settle into new routines this fall, it’s becoming clear that remote learning isn’t going anywhere. And this is having a dramatic impact on working parents across the U.S. But hourly workers may be bearing a bigger burden.
A 'tidal wave' of Covid-related workplace lawsuits could be on the way
Source: Robert Kuznia, CNN
As the coronavirus continues its assault on the United States, throwing all aspects of everyday life into upheaval, the courts offer a lens into how treacherous things have gotten in one of those arenas -- the American workplace.
You Can’t Afford to Live Anywhere in the United States Solely on Unemployment Insurance
Source: Lily Roberts, Center for American Progress
Throughout spring and summer 2020, roughly 50 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance (UI). The pace, occupational distribution, and scope of job loss eclipsed previous economic downturns.
The shift toward remote work could leave blue-collar workers behind
Source: Bharat Ramamurti, CNN
Covid-19 has forced millions of Americans to work from home. And it's expected that, even after we get the virus under control, the number of Americans who will end up working from home will likely be much higher than it was before the pandemic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Issues Executive Order Giving New Yorkers More Options For Voting In Presidential Election
Source: CBS New York, CBS New York
New Yorkers Can Vote In-Person, Mail In Ballots Or Drop Off Absentee Ballots At Designated Sites
September 15, 2020
Small Businesses Go Big On Employee Engagement During Pandemic
Source: mark C. Perna, Forbes
Small businesses have struggled big-time during the COVID-19 shutdowns—but those who are hanging on are doing something right.
Wildfires Make Dangerous Air For Farmworkers: 'It's Like You Can't Breathe'
Source: James Doubek, NPR
Farmworkers in California are facing two crises at once: the coronavirus and exposure to dangerous air from wildfires.
The CDC's Guidelines on When Employees Can Return to Work May Surprise You
Source: Suzanne Lucas, Inc.
You should always encourage sick employees to stay at home while they recover, but Covid-19 took that to a whole new level.
Why the Trump administration is slashing anti-discrimination training
Source: Derrick Clifton, NBC News
The Trump administration announced two moves last week that target diversity training at federal agencies and public school lessons about American slavery.
No One Knows Their Legal Rights at Work
Source: Alison Green, Slate
American workers have both fewer and more rights than they think.
September 14, 2020
Saving for retirement already challenged women — then COVID-19 hit
Source: Michelle Connell, MarketWatch
American women are far behind men in terms of preparing for retirement. Even before COVID-19, women by the age of 65 were 80% more likely than men to be living at or below the poverty line. Women aged 75-to-79 were three times more likely to fall below the poverty level.
Federal workers will soon see Trump bump in pay -- but there's a catch
Source: Tami Luhby, CNN
Many federal workers will soon see a few hundred dollars more in their paychecks, thanks to a coronavirus relief measure signed last month by President Donald Trump.
'Beyond negligent': Census workers describe logistical nightmare as deadline approaches
Source: Dartunorro Clark, NBC News
When Dean Arnold started working for the Census Bureau in late August, the work was more difficult than he had imagined. The agency gave him about two weeks of training as an enumerator after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the original timeline of the 2020 census this year.
More than 4,000 University of Illinois Hospital workers go on strike in second walkout in less than a week
Source: Abdel Jimenez, Chicago Tribune
More than 4,000 workers at the University of Illinois Hospital and its medical schools went on strike Monday morning after failing to reach a contract with the hospital.
September 11, 2020
Another 857,000 workers file for unemployment as layoffs persist amid COVID-19 pandemic
Source: Paul Davidson, USA Today
Although the nation is partially recovering from its steepest-ever recession amid the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses continue to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers as they grapple with fewer sales and depleted federal aid.
The pandemic didn’t end. Why did hazard pay for grocery store workers? | Opinion
Source: Brian String, The Philadelphia Inquirer
As COVID-19 continues to ravage our region, frontline workers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland continue to put themselves in harm’s way for our communities.
Amazon is hiring 33,000 new employees with an average compensation package worth $150,000
Source: Alexis Benveniste, CNN
Amazon announced it will hold a Career Day on September 16 that is open to everyone seeking a job.
4 meat workers at a Smithfield plant died from COVID-19 — the feds fined the company $13,494
Source: Kate Gibson, CBS News
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday proposed that Smithfield Foods pay a $13,494 fine for failing to protect employees at a meat processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where nearly 1,300 workers contracted COVID-19 and four died.
September 10, 2020
With another 884,000 new first-time jobless claims, question arises: Is this a fresh wave of layoffs?
Source: Jeffry Bartash , MarketWatch
The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits through state and federal programs rose in early September for the third week in a row, signaling that a gradual improvement in the labor market during the summer has stalled.
What Jobs Are Employers Offering Older Workers?
Source: John F. Wasik, Forbes
If you’re transitioning into retirement — or want a job during retirement — where should you look?
Goldman Sachs joins JPMorgan in saying Wall Street workers will return to the office in rotations
Source: Hugh Son, CNBC
Goldman Sachs told employees that it would allow them to return to the office in shifts, a rotational approach similar to what JPMorgan Chase announced last month for its investment bank.
625,000 essential workers in Michigan eligible for free college: What to know
Source: David Jesse, Detroit Free Press
About 625,000 essential workers in Michigan who put in time during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown and don't have a degree are eligible for free college under a plan detailed Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
These workers won’t be able to opt out of the payroll tax deferral
Source: Darla Mercado, CNBC
While private companies decide how to proceed with the payroll tax holiday, one major employer has decided that it’s in: the federal government.
September 9, 2020
Child-free workers aren't selfish. They're being exploited
Source: Jill Filipovic, CNN
Six months into the Covid-19 pandemic that has shut down schools and day care centers and forced millions of Americans to work from home, the stressors of our no longer new normal are only growing. Which is perhaps why workplace tensions between people with children at home and those without seem higher than ever.
Virtualizing Workers And Globalizing The Talent Market Democratizes Employment
Source: Rebecca Henderson, Forbes
Now that remote working has become the norm for the foreseeable future, employers are realizing that virtualizing their workforces offers new opportunities to transform their talent pipeline.
More EEOC COVID-19 Guidance: Testing, Screening, Managers, Confidentiality, and Telework
Source: Joseph J. Lazzarotti, National Law Review
The guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has focused on disability-related inquiries, confidentiality, hiring, and reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as issues under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
EEOC Sues the Ohio State University for Age Discrimination
Source: EEOC, EEOC
The Ohio State University (OSU), a public research university, violated federal law by firing a human resources generalist in the College of Education and Human Ecology (CEHE) because of his age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. The university replaced him with a younger and less-qualified employee, the EEOC said.
September 8, 2020
Another coronavirus aid package is probably ‘not happening’ after August jobs report and deal to avoid government shutdown, analyst says
Source: Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch
Friday’s jobs report makes it more likely that Washington won’t deliver another big coronavirus aid package before the November election, according to some analysts.
Upskilling Workers For The Post-Pandemic Economy
Source: Adam Milsap, Forbes
The pandemic has permanently altered the labor market and many people currently unemployed or furloughed will never return to their old jobs. Instead, they will need to learn new skills to find new jobs in growing sectors of the economy.
Philadelphia is still very much a labor town. Here’s how workers are fighting back.
Source: Juliana Feliciano Reyes, The Philadelphia Inquirer
In June, a coalition of labor unions and organizations won a first-of-its-kind whistle-blower protection law that made it illegal for Philadelphia employers to fire or otherwise discipline workers for speaking out against unsafe coronavirus conditions.
Covenant Healthcare Will Pay $104,707 to Settle EEOC Wage Discrimination Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Covenant Medical Center, Inc. will pay $104,707 and provide other relief to settle a sex wage discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Labor Day celebrates workers. But this year, 1 in 5 are unemployed
Source: Aimee Picchi, CBS News
The coronavirus pandemic brought the U.S. economy to a standstill in March, prompting a historic wave of layoffs. Although 11 million people have since been rehired as states reopened their economies, the progress has tapered off, economists say. Notably, there are still 11.5 million fewer jobs now than prior to the pandemic.
September 4, 2020
Tyson Foods Pilots New Healthcare Clinics For Meatpacking Workers
Source: Jenny Splitter, Forbes
Tyson Foods announced plans today for a new approach to worker healthcare at its meatpacking facilities. Opening by the first half of 2021, the clinics will be operated by Marathon Health and will focus on primary and preventative healthcare.
It's Time For A Bipartisan Health Plan For Employers And Employees
Source: Regina E. Herzlinger, Forbes
The recent twin economic and pandemic calamities should cause us to rethink the status quo for health insurance compensation.
With new Labor Department methodology, weekly unemployment claims fall to 881,000
Source: Catherine Thorbecke, ABC News
Weekly unemployment claims fell to their lowest level since March, dipping to 881,000 last week, the Department of Labor said Thursday.
Presbyterian Healthcare to Pay $150,000 to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination and Retaliation Suit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Presbyterian Healthcare Services, operating Lincoln County Medical Center and its emergency services unit in Ruidoso, N.M., will pay $150,000 and furnish other relief to settle a lawsuit for race discrimination and retaliation brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Unemployment benefits are less than minimum wage in many states
Source: Greg Iacurci, CNBC
Many states pay unemployment benefits to workers at a level below the federal minimum wage.
September 3, 2020
Majority of workers expect their ‘retirement’ to include a job, survey shows
Source: Sarah O’Brien, CNBC
For many workers, a traditional retirement is not part of their plans.
Here are 5 key things workers should know about the payroll tax deferral
Source: Darla Mercado, CNBC
The payroll tax deferral went into effect on Sept. 1, following an executive order Trump had issued in August. It’s effective until the end of the year.
Why Are Workers Getting A Smaller Piece Of The Economic Pie?
Source: Adi Gaskell, Forbes
New research from MIT sets out to understand precisely why the labor share of GDP has fallen from 67% in 1980 to just 59% today.
Amazon has reportedly been spying on workers' private Facebook groups and tracking their plans to 'strike or protest'
Source: Tyler Sonnemaker, Business Insider
Amazon workers have become more vocal about dangerous conditions during the pandemic, repeatedly going on strike, staging protests, and joining with coworkers to push for change.
More than half of states are now approved for the extra $300 per week in unemployment insurance
Source: Alicia Adamczyk, CNBC
The majority of U.S. states are now approved to send workers the extra $300 weekly unemployment benefit from the federal government.
September 2, 2020
Black former franchisees sue McDonald's for $1 billion, claiming bias
Source: CBS News, CBS News
More than 50 Black former McDonald's franchise owners are suing the burger chain, alleging the company steered them to less-profitable restaurants and didn't give them the same support and opportunities White franchisees received.
Labor Department clarifies when parents qualify for paid leave, unemployment for school closures
Source: Jennifer Liu, CNBC
The Department of Labor issued new guidance last week that aims to clarify when parents may qualify for paid leave or unemployment benefits if they must care for children at home during the new school year.
Ninth Circuit Gives California Employers a Break in Defending Rest Period Claims
Source: Alexander Chemers, National Law Review
3 Messages On Essential Workers Hazard Pay That You Need To Know Now
Source: Terina Allen, Forbes
Over the past six months, Congress passed three different coronavirus relief packages and spent trillions of dollars in an effort to buttress the struggling economy. Yet, not one dime—none a single cent—has been specifically allocated as hazard pay for essential workers on the frontlines who are risking their lives so that the rest of us can be safer.
Job growth expected to slow sharply over the next decade, Labor Department says
Source: Jeff Cox, CNBC
The pace of job gains over the next decade will slow considerably amid a sharp decline in the active labor force and an aging population, according to Labor Department projections released Tuesday.
September 1, 2020
3 Messages On Essential Workers Hazard Pay That You Need To Know Now
Source: Terina Allen, Forbes
Over the past six months, Congress passed three different coronavirus relief packages and spent trillions of dollars in an effort to buttress the struggling economy. Yet, not one dime—none a single cent—has been specifically allocated as hazard pay for essential workers on the frontlines who are risking their lives so that the rest of us can be safer.
School employee says she contracted coronavirus on job and faces firing after asking to work from home
Source: Janelle Griffith, NBC News
In late March, Jennifer Mazzotta-Perretti, a public school administrator on Long Island, New York, was in a hospital with a 103-degree fever discussing end-of-life plans with her domestic partner. Mazzotta-Perretti, who donated a kidney to one of her students in 2009, so was particularly at risk from COVID-19, said she had contracted the coronavirus two weeks earlier at work.
Elections: Florida Amendment 2 raises minimum wage to $15
Source: Rob Landers, Florida Today
Amendment 2 would incrementally increase the minimum wage of Florida workers from $8.56 per hour to $15 per hour by 2026. If passed, workers would see minimum wage increase to $10 on Sept. 30, 2021 and increase $1 a year thereafter with standard cost of living increases resuming in 2027.
The payroll tax deferral takes effect Sept. 1. What it really means for your paycheck
Source: Darla Mercado, CNBC
Workers who participate in President Donald Trump’s payroll tax deferral will see a temporary increase in their take-home pay, but they’ll likely see smaller paychecks in early 2021.
August 31, 2020
Young workers at risk of financial exhaustion due to coronavirus pandemic
Source: Lorie Konish, CNBC
The economic uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus has spared no generation of American workers. But a recent survey found that young professionals could be bearing the brunt of the financial stress.
The Rebuilding And The Autism Full Employment Act Of 2021
Source: Michael Bernick, Forbes
Let’s consider what an Autism Full Employment Act of 2021 might look like.
Capital One cuts credit limits as millions struggle with income cliff
Source: Aimee Picchi, CBS News
Capital One is cutting the credit limits on some credit cards, with some consumers reporting on social media that their credit limits have been cut in half by the card issuer. The company said it's making the decision based on the customer's account activity in the last year.
Labor Law: New Virginia law bans hairstyle discrimination
Source: Karen Micheal, The Daily Progress
The new Virginia Human Rights Act touts protections from discrimination to sexual orientation or gender identity, but it also provides other protections for workers, including prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles.
Many older workers entered the pandemic with little saved toward retirement. Here’s how they can improve their finances now
Source: Lorie Konish, CNBC
Many people’s retirement dreams received a reality check following the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
August 28, 2020
Millions of Americans have lost health insurance in this pandemic-driven recession. Here are their options
Source: Annie Nova, CNBC
Amid historic levels of unemployment, as many as 12 million Americans may have lost their health insurance since February, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute.
A permanent payroll tax cut could deplete Social Security trust funds by 2023
Source: Lorie Konish, CNBC
A letter sent this week by Social Security Chief Actuary Stephen Goss estimates that if a permanent payroll tax cut were put in place, it could deplete the program’s funding by mid-2023.
Chipotle managers refused nursing mom pumping breaks, class-action suit alleges
Source: Lisa Burden, HR Drive
The managers at an Arizona Chipotle violated federal law when they refused a worker's request to pump breast milk during her shifts, according to a proposed class action complaint,
The payroll tax holiday will kick off in two weeks. Your employer isn’t ready
Source: Darla Mercado, CNBC
Employers and payroll companies have less than two weeks to put President Donald Trump’s payroll tax deferral in place. It’s looking like an uphill battle.
Coke will offer buyouts to 4,000 workers in the US and Canada
Source: Alicia Wallace, CNN
Coca-Cola (KO) will cut thousands of jobs and reduce its number of business units as it faces declining beverage sales in the pandemic.
August 27, 2020
Why unions are good for workers—especially in a crisis like COVID-19
Source: Celine McNicholas, Lynn Rhinehart, Margaret Poydock, Heidi Shierholz, and Daniel Perez, Economic Policy Institute
12 policies that would boost worker rights, safety, and wages.
Health insurance and the COVID-19 shock
Source: Josh Bivens and Ben Zipperer, Economic Policy Institute
What we know so far about health insurance losses and what it means for policy
Op-ed: This isn’t your grandparents’ retirement plan
Source: Ken Cella, CNBC
he idea of “slowing down” in retirement is quickly becoming an antiquated concept. To today’s retirees, retirement is no longer simply defined as the end of work, but the beginning of a whole new chapter of life, with new choices, freedoms and challenges.
U.S. initial jobless claims fall to 1 million in late August and resume downward trend
Source: Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch
New applications for jobless benefits fell again in late August to just above 1 million and resumed a downward trend, perhaps signaling the resumption of a gradual if painfully slow recovery in the U.S. labor market.
NLRB Expands Employer Options for Social Media and Non-Disparagement Rules
Source: Susan Kline, National Law Review
With the COVID-19 emergency impacting employers’ operations and the way employees work, more and more employees may start taking to social media to vent their opinions about work and current events (sometimes intertwining the two).
Social Security: 3 Strategies That Can Protect Your Retirement if Benefits Are Cut
Source: Katie Brockman, The Motley Fool
Social Security benefits can have a significant effect on your retirement, depending on how much you have saved in your retirement fund. In fact, nearly a quarter of married couples and close to half of unmarried beneficiaries depend on their monthly checks for at least 90% of their retirement income, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Virginia Is First To Have Coronavirus Workplace Safety Standards
Source: Tom Spiggle, Forbes
Virginia has taken the first major step in protecting its workers by implementing occupational safety standards specifically tailored to the coronavirus threat.
August 26, 2020
Should employers force workers to get COVID-19 vaccine? Some experts say they should
Source: Nathan Bomey, USA Today
Employers grappling with COVID-19's impact on the workplace may soon be forced to make another tough decision after months of agonizing over layoffs, furloughs and the right strategies to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic.
The next challenge? Should they require workers to take vaccines?
Farm Workers Already Challenged By COVID-19 Labor Through Heat And Wildfire Smoke
Source: CBS Network, CBS Sacramento
The recent heatwave and wildfire smoke have made for especially tough times for farm workers who were already struggling with COVID-19.
Remote workers suffer from loneliness and isolationism as the pandemic in the U.S. drags on
Source: AJ Horch, CNBC
For millions of Americans, bedrooms have become multi-functional offices, kitchen tables have become conference rooms and bookcases have become the go-to accessory to complete any Zoom backdrop. While socially distant, millions are digitally connected now more than ever before.
Agricultural Workers Lose Millions of Dollars Each Year to Employer Wage Theft
Source: Pramod Acharya, In These Times
Tens of thousands of agricultural workers have been denied wages by their employers — a violation of labor laws — over the past two decades, according to Department of Labor data.
Baccarat to Pay $100,000 to Settle EEOC Lawsuit for Race, Sexual Orientation and Disability Harassment
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Baccarat, Inc., which operates a retail store in Manhattan that sells luxury crystal products, will pay $100,000 and furnish other relief to settle a lawsuit for employment discrimination filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
August 25, 2020
Opinion: The job benefit workers really need right now is an equity stake in their company
Source: Corey Rosen, MarketWatch
If your company is not sharing ownership widely with employees, it should.
More than half of states are now approved for the extra $300 per week in unemployment insurance
Source: Alicia Adamczyk, CNBC
The majority of U.S. states are now approved to send workers the extra $300 weekly unemployment benefit from the federal government.
Don't default to mass surveillance in the workplace
Source: Burco Kilic, The Hill
After the wave of big tech scandals over the past few years, all of us should be wary about a rush to embrace new technologies that store and process oceans of personal data in real time
American Airlines plans to furlough 17,500 workers in October
Source: Kyle Arnold, The Dallas Morning News
Coronavirus-devastated American Airlines will furlough 17,500 union workers in October even after more than 23,000 workers took voluntary leaves and buyouts.
August 24, 2020
Uber and Lyft’s California labor law battle is far from over
Source: Lauren Feiner, CNBC
Uber and Lyft got their way on Thursday when an appeals court ruled to extend a stay on an order requiring them to reclassify drivers as employees. But their legal battle in that case — and elsewhere in California — is far from over.
Retirement account withdrawals allowed by CARES Act without penalty, but should be last resort, experts say
Source: Jason Knowles, ABC News
Currently, under the CARES Act, you can access up to $100,000 from your retirement account and not pay a penalty fee. But should you?
Eleventh Circuit Sides With Employer in Title VII Opposition Clause Case
Source: Arielle Eisenberg, Daily Business Review
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects an employee’s conduct of complaining about Title VII violations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, however, has now provided the framework for when an employee’s otherwise protected conduct can lose that protection.
Teachers, deemed 'essential workers' by White House, now likely to have to keep working after COVID exposure: 'Risks lives,' says union
Source: Abby Haglage, Yahoo News
For America’s teachers, back-to-school season has been a whirlwind of learning new safety protocols and adjusting existing teaching structures — either for in-person learning or continued online classes. But for educators in states where in-person classes are moving forward, a new mandate from the White House is likely making the new school year seem even more daunting.
Multi-South Management Services to Pay $42,500 to Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination and Disability Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Multi-South Management Services, LLC, a Memphis-based property management company, has agreed to pay $42,500 and furnish significant equitable relief to settle an EEOC lawsuit alleging it failed to accommodate and then fired a pregnant employee with medical complications, the federal agency announced today.
August 21, 2020
How major companies are responding to employee needs in a remote work world that has no end in sight
Source: AJ Horch, CNBC
Companies such as EY and Hewlett Packard are offering discounts on tutoring, more flexible leave policies, and creating resource groups for employees with similar-age children.
White House formally declaring teachers essential workers
Source: Sarah Westwood, CNN
The White House is formally declaring teachers essential workers as part of their efforts to encourage schools around the country to reopen for in-person learning.
San Diego, San Jose Mayors Back Uber And Lyft In California Gig Worker Labor Battle
Source: Rachel Sandler, Forbes
The mayors of San Diego and San Jose—the second and third largest cities in California—urged a judge Wednesday to delay enforcement of a law requiring Uber and Lyft to make their drivers employees, saying it would cause “irreparable harm” if the ridesharing companies make good on their threat to temporarily shut down service in the state on Thursday.
1.1M more workers file for unemployment as tally remains at historic high during COVID-19 crisis
Source: Paul Davidson, USA Today
A gauge of U.S. layoffs rose back above 1 million last week, signaling the recovery from the COVID-19-induced recession will remain volatile as recent infection surges ease in some states but persist in others.
Is the stock market more important to the economy than the $600 unemployment benefit?
Source: Andrea Riguier, MarketWatch
The stock market is not the economy.
But it may have more influence on consumer spending than the extraordinary fiscal stimulus program put in place to stem the fallout from the pandemic, one economist notes.
August 20, 2020
American initial jobless claims rocket above 1 million again
Source: Anneken Tappe, CNN
Another 1.1 million Americans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, dashing economists' hopes for a second-straight week with fewer than 1 million claims.
Women are drowning in unpaid labor at home. Stop making them do it at work
Source: Minda Hart, Fast Company
According to one Harvard study, women doing more in the workplace is not driven by women being more selfless, but by both men and women regarding men’s time as more valuable. There is also more pressure for women to accept these tasks at work because they fear negative rapport.
