In today’s News and Commentary, U.S. labor productivity is climbing at its fastest pace in decades; a federal judge grants a preliminary injunction to anti-abortion groups challenging Michigan’s civil rights law; and Jackson, Mississippi’s bus workers walk off the job. 

American workers are more productive than ever. Labor productivity has been growing at its fastest pace in at least two decades, driven by a combination of tight labor markets, the post-pandemic digitization of work, remote hiring from broader talent pools, and industry consolidation. Former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell noted in March that he had never expected to see so many consecutive years of strong productivity growth, adding that the economy had not yet begun to feel the effects of generative AI. But the gains have a darker side. Tech employment has shrunk for eighteen consecutive months, and the finance sector has lost more than 100,000 jobs since May 2025. A Federal Reserve survey this spring found that many firms had delayed or foregone hiring because AI-driven efficiencies enabled them to do more with fewer workers. Whether these efficiency gains will ultimately translate into higher wages remains an open question. Over the past decade, productivity growth has outpaced real compensation growth by roughly two to one, reducing labor’s share of national income.

A federal judge in Michigan granted a preliminary injunction Friday to two anti-abortion organizations challenging the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Right to Life of Michigan and a Grand Rapids pregnancy resource center argued that the law’s 2023 amendments, which prohibit employment discrimination based on employees’ reproductive decisions, would require them to hire individuals whose views on abortion conflict with their organizational missions and to cover elective abortions in employee health plans. Judge Robert J. Jonker found that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their First Amendment claims and barred the state from enforcing the law against them while the litigation proceeds. He also asked the Michigan Supreme Court to determine how the statute applies to mission-driven organizations. The case highlights the growing tension between expanding state anti-discrimination protections and the First Amendment rights of religious and ideological organizations. A spokesperson for Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said the state has “significant concerns” with the ruling.

More than sixty bus drivers and transit workers in Jackson, Mississippi, walked off the job Monday after contract negotiations between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208 and MV Transportation, the Texas-based contractor that operates the city’s JTRAN bus system, broke down. The union has been bargaining since its contract expired in December, seeking competitive wage increases. MV Transportation, meanwhile, has proposed eliminating two fixed routes, ending Saturday service, and shifting to a “microtransit” model using smaller vehicles operated by drivers without commercial licenses. To maintain partial service, the city has temporarily waived its requirement that JTRAN drivers hold Mississippi driver’s licenses, while MV Transportation has begun bringing in out-of-state drivers. Mayor John Horhn has urged the parties to pursue federal mediation. The strike is the second in less than two years; workers also walked out for fourteen days in September 2024 over similar contract disputes.