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.
Daily News & Commentary
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March 13
Republican Senators urge changes on OSHA heat standard; OpenAI and building trades announce partnership on data center construction; forced labor investigations could lead to new tariffs
March 12
EPA terminates contract with second-largest union; Florida advances bill restricting public sector unions; Trump administration seeks Supreme Court assistance in TPS termination.
March 11
The partial government shutdown results in TSA agents losing their first full paycheck; the Fifth Circuit upholds the certification of a class of former United Airline workers who were placed on unpaid leave for declining to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons during the pandemic; and an academic group files a lawsuit against the State Department over a policy that revokes and denies visas to noncitizens for their work in fact-checking and content moderation.
March 10
Court rules Kari Lake unlawfully led USAGM, voiding mass layoffs; Florida Senate passes bill tightening union recertification rules; Fifth Circuit revives whistleblower suit against Lockheed Martin.
March 9
6th Circuit rejects Cemex, Board may overrule precedents with two members.
March 8
In today’s news and commentary, a weak jobs report, the NIH decides it will no longer recognize a research fellows’ union, and WNBA contract talks continue to stall as season approaches. On Friday, the Labor Department reported that employers cut 92,000 jobs in February while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.4 percent. A loss […]