In November, Senator Schumer (D-NY) advertised a full-time press intern position for $0 per hour. If you are thinking, “This is not the America I know,” or “Democrats are better than this,” then we disagree. And we know different Americas. Unpaid internships are in line with the 96% of House Democrats and the 92% of Senate Democrats who also don’t pay their interns. The US … Continue reading Why Are Unpaid Internships Legal?
Americans across the country are justifiably up in arms over the latest Supreme Court Justice nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Mr. Kavanaugh is an avowed partisan, hostile to women’s rights and consumer protection policies, as well as the conservative boogie-man, “Big Government.” What many Americans don’t know, however, is how his addition to the court could change the role of government generally, and in workplace safety specifically … Continue reading Confirming Justice Kavanaugh Means Freedom… from Being Safe?
This year is the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which enables qualifying employees to take unpaid but protected leaves from their workplace. While this was a good start, in the years since, paid leave legislation at the federal level has stalled and women have paid the price. Luckily, California has decided to do something about this. As of January 1 … Continue reading Best Fringe Benefit: Caregiver Paid Leave
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed a new rule that would allow employers to take their workers’ tips, so long as they pay them the minimum wage. If finalized, this rule could cost workers $5.8 billion annually. For workers who rely on tips to make up the difference on their $2.13/hr wage, this would be an economic disaster. Women would be affected most, as … Continue reading Tip Stealing: the Latest Attack on Low-wage Workers
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the extraordinary achievements and everyday contributions of women across the world and throughout time. When given equal access to education and opportunities, women improve the world around them. Unfortunately, a number of obstacles disproportionately disadvantage women worldwide, and public policy in the U.S. is no exception, particularly given the absence of federally mandated paid family and medical leave. When … Continue reading By the Next International Women’s Day, We Could (and Should) Have Paid Family and Medical Leave
On February 24th, 2018 Chair Morris Pearl spoke at the Working People’s Day of Action rally in New York City. Below are his thoughts. I’m standing on the podium at the Working People’s Day of Action. It’s twenty minutes before call time and there are already at least a thousand people here. Hospital workers from local 1199. Teachers from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). … Continue reading Working People’s Day of Action
The #MeToo movement has continued its efforts to change the culture of workplace sexual harassment by putting their money where their mouth is. New Year’s Day the Time’s Up initiative was announced, with stated goals that include fighting sexual assault in blue-collar workplaces across the country. One of their missions is to “discourage the use of non-disclosure agreements to silence victims,” according to the nytimes.com. … Continue reading Society Can’t Fix a Non-disclosable Problem
After decades of degeneracy, Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual abuse and harassment of dozens of women in Hollywood is being widely discussed and covered in the media. Some of these women accused Mr. Weinstein of criminal acts (assault, rape), while many claimed he acted incredibly inappropriately (suggesting that he could aid their career advancement if they had a sexual relationship with him). In some of these … Continue reading Are Secret Settlements Good for Companies?
Last week the Wall Street Journal Published an opinion piece by Michael Saltsman decrying San Francisco’s minimum wage hike.
Many businesses require employees to agree to non-compete agreements — meaning making the employee agree not to work for any competitor after leaving. There are a few instances in which this is reasonable.
This morning the Patriotic Millionaires took to the streets once again to fight for a fair minimum wage. Vice-chair Stephen Prince spoke at a rally to raise the minimum wage alongside Senators Bernie Sanders, Patty Murray, and Chuck Schumer.
For the first time since they were introduced in the 1930s, regulations to protect workers and create a safer American workplace are being openly questioned.
With each cabinet appointment, the question looms larger; was “the swamp” that Donald Trump threatened to drain one of incompetence and corruption, or was it actually our democracy that he had his sights on?
A lot of states are looking at so called “right-to-work” laws. They sound great. I’m in favor of everyone having rights and I’m in favor of working, what could go wrong? A lot, it turns out.
As a businessman, I know that putting more money into the hands of people who will spend it – American workers – is better for my business.
President Trump has nominated Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. owner Andrew Puzder to lead the Department of Labor for the next four years. Should Congress approve or reject this nomination? A brief look at the functions of the Department of Labor and Puzder’s background supplies the obvious answer: Puzder cannot become the Secretary of Labor. Congress established the federal Department of Labor in 1912. The legislation … Continue reading Abandoning America’s Workers, Starting at the Top
The United States congress passed these laws, because large employers have had a tendency to fail to treat employees fairly. The American workers deserve at the very least a Secretary of Labor who understand their point of view.
As my coal miner pop told me almost 60 years ago, “Republicans are the party of the rich son, but blue collars didn’t seem to mind.”
The 30 years following World War II were shaped by substantial economic growth and shared prosperity. So when and why did that change?
It’s Labor Day weekend. The end of the summer for some. The start of the political season for others. For too few of us, it is a reminder of the sacrifices and initiatives of workers – and the unions that represent them- that have made life better for all Americans.