According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Postal Service violated federal law by pressuring managers to approve employees’ requests for time off last year to campaign for Hilary Clinton. While federal workers can use their time to off to campaign or donate to candidates, by directing managers to approve the time off even though they may be understaffed, the Postal Service showed a workplace bias toward Clinton and other Democrats endorsed by the union. Some of these facts came to light at a recent legislative hearing, and the union responded it would submit its own statement to the House Committee to “address the legitimacy and accuracy of some of the data and statements from the investigation and the hearing.”
According to research from Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research, 25% of American jobs are at risk of being outsourced and 50% could be replaced by automation. The research found the most replaceable jobs are often the lowest-paying, and the Americans most at risk of automation earned an average of $38,000 per year. Conversely, there was no clear relationship between income level and jobs most likely to be outsourced. The researchers predicted these job losses would cause “social and political unease.”
According to research from the BBC, only 1/3 of the BBC’s top-paid stars are women and a much smaller fraction are minority. The research showed that the top-paid male TV personalities earn more than the top-paid female TV personalities. While the BBC argues it is more diverse than other broadcasting channels, some Members of Parliament disagree and argue the BBC is still “an old boys network.”
Daily News & Commentary
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May 9
Philadelphia City Council unanimously passes the POWER Act; thousands of federal worker layoffs at the Department of Interior expected; the University of Oregon student workers union reach a tentative agreement, ending 10-day strike
May 8
Court upholds DOL farmworker protections; Fifth Circuit rejects Amazon appeal; NJTransit navigates negotiations and potential strike.
May 7
U.S. Department of Labor announces termination of mental health and child care benefits for its employees; SEIU pursues challenge of NLRB's 2020 joint employer rule in the D.C. Circuit; Columbia University lays off 180 researchers
May 6
HHS canceled a scheduled bargaining session with the FDA's largest workers union; members of 1199SEIU voted out longtime union president George Gresham in rare leadership upset.
May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]