Today’s News & Commentary — April 20, 2016
The United Steelworkers union is calling on the United States to impose higher tariffs on aluminum imports, the New York Times reports. On Monday, the union’s law firm filed a petition under Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act, which permits “domestic industries seriously injured or threatened with serious injury by increased imports [to] petition the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) for import relief.” According to the union, the U.S. aluminum smelting industry is suffering: by this summer, over three-quarters of the industry that existed five years ago will have been idled or shut down. The union cites China’s rising exports as a key reason for the industry’s decline.
According to the Washington Post, Airbnb is negotiating with the SEIU over a deal to employ unionized housekeepers who make at least $15/hour. Under the terms of the agreement, Airbnb would “endorse the union’s Fight for $15 and encourage vendors who provide services to homeowners on the Airbnb platform to pay their staff at least $15 per hour.” Airbnb’s platform would also direct its hosts to cleaners that the SEIU has approved. As for Airbnb, the deal would give it “new ammunition for its myriad political battles,” allowing the company “to make the claim that it is creating good jobs for local residents.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that employment has finally returned to pre-financial crisis levels. As the Wall Street Journal explains, the employment rate fell significantly following the 2008 crisis, bottomed out in late 2010, and has been rising “slowly but steadily” ever since. However, the fact that it has taken over seven years to recover “serves as a reminder of how damaging the crisis was.” Moreover, the extent of the recovery varies widely across economies. Japan, Germany, and the U.K, for example, have exceeded pre-crisis employment rates; the United States has not.
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