The positive jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has triggered a requirement for more food stamp recipients to work in order to consider receiving the benefits, according to the Los Angeles Times. The work requirement is a legacy of President Clinton’s Welfare to Work law and applies to able-bodied individuals aged 18-49 without dependents in their homes. Since the 2008 economic crisis, many states have been granted waivers by the Department of Labor, but many waivers expired this month. Food banks in affected states are expecting greater demands on their resources, and some individuals in states with low food security may end up going hungry.
The Wall Street Journal provided an overview of the effects of illegal immigration on GDP and wages as a result of the sharp decrease in migrant workers in the state following passage of its tough immigration law. Economists of all political stripes agree that the state’s economy took a sizable hit as a result of the law. Those favoring stricter immigration laws, however, claimed that the law has led to reduced state expenditures on social services for undocumented workers and their families. They also said that the wages and unemployment numbers for native-born workers in low-skill jobs. Whether this trade-off was ultimately worth it is “the crux of the debate” among the economists.
The January jobs report also reported modest gains in union membership in the South, according to the Institute for Southern Studies. The small increase comes as unions have ramped up their efforts to organize in the traditionally hostile territory. Across thirteen southern states, the numbers grew from 2.2 million workers to 2.4 million workers, a change reflecting an increase from 5.2% to 5.5% of the workforce.
Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken introduced a bill in the senate to curb the use of arbitration agreements in consumer and employment contracts, according to the New York Times. The bill faces a virtually impossible path to enactment due to expected opposition from the business lobby.
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October 14
Census Bureau layoffs, Amazon holiday hiring, and the final settlement in a meat producer wage-fixing lawsuit.
October 13
Texas hotel workers ratify a contract; Pope Leo visits labor leaders; Kaiser lays off over two hundred workers.
October 12
The Trump Administration fires thousands of federal workers; AFGE files a supplemental motion to pause the Administration’s mass firings; Democratic legislators harden their resolve during the government shutdown.
October 10
California bans algorithmic price-fixing; New York City Council passes pay transparency bills; and FEMA questions staff who signed a whistleblowing letter.
October 9
Equity and the Broadway League resume talks amid a looming strike; federal judge lets alcoholism ADA suit proceed; Philadelphia agrees to pay $40,000 to resolve a First Amendment retaliation case.
October 8
In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers; the Second Circuit denies a request from the NFL for an en banc review in the Brian Flores case; and Governor Gavin Newsom signs an agreement to create a pathway for unionization for Uber and Lyft drivers.