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 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.
May 7
DOL drops litigation of Biden-era overtime rule; EEOC sues NYT for discrimination against white male employee; New Jersey finalizes employee classification rule.