The L.A. Times reports that the U.S. economy added just 74,000 jobs in December, the smallest increase in three years. The news was accompanied by a drop in the unemployment rate to 6.7%, the lowest level since October 2008. However, this decrease was driven by the number of Americans who have given up on looking for work, rather than by those who left the ranks of the unemployed after finding work.
The New York Times features stories of domestic workers who have alleged mistreatment by their diplomat-employers. The story comes after Indian deputy consul general Devyani Khobragade was granted immunity and allowed to leave the country rather than face charges of visa fraud related to allegations of exploitation and wage theft made by her housekeeper.
Trucking company YRC Worldwide faces more difficulties, according to the Wall Street Journal, after Teamsters voted to reject a contract extension that would have continued pay and benefits cuts negotiated in a previous agreement. The company owes nearly $1.4 billion to creditors, some of whom have conditioned refinancing on a renegotiation of YRC’s labor contracts.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
May 14
MLB begins negotiating; Westchester passes a new wage act; USDA employees sue the Agriculture Secretary.
May 13
House Republicans push for vote on the SCORE Act; Wells Fargo wins 401(k) forfeiture appeal; Georgia passes portable benefits bill.
May 12
Trump administration proposes expanding fertility care benefits; Connecticut passes employment legislation; NFL referees ratify new collective bargaining agreement.
May 11
NLRB Judge finds UPS violated federal labor law; Tennessee bans certain noncompetes; and Colorado passes a bill restricting AI price- and wage-setting
May 10
Workers at the Long Island Rail Road threaten to strike, and referees at the National Football League reach a collective bargaining agreement.
May 9
HGSU wraps up its third week on strike and economists find that firms tend to target workers with “wage premiums” for AI replacement.