Today’s News & Commentary — June 2, 2017

British Airways’ cabin crew have announced they will hold a four-day strike later this month. This strike comes on the heels of an IT meltdown prompting the airline to strand 75,000 passengers at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick. The crew is striking over inferior pay and conditions, will walk out on June 16 over what they term “poverty pay” at the airline.

According to the New York Times, a workers’ advocacy group released a report accusing Walmart of violating the ADA, FMLA and other workplace laws.The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 and claims Walmart systematically refuses to accept doctors’ notes, penalizes workers who need to take off to care for family members, and punishes employees for other lawful absences. This same group has argued in a lawsuit filed last month, and in an earlier complaint with the EEOC, that Walmart, the U.S.’s largest employer routinely discriminates against pregnant workers.

According to data from the Department of Labor, 138,000 jobs were added in the month of May. Economists had expected a gain of about 185,000. The unemployment rate reached its lowest point since 2001, however Marketwatch attributes this decline to people leaving the workforce rather than an increase in the number of employed Americans. In light of these numbers and other factors, economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise benchmark interest rates when it meets on June 13 and 14.