Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s budget proposal, taxes on ride share companies would increase by 15 cents per ride in 2018 and by 5 cents more per ride in 2019. This move comes in part due to advocacy by taxi companies, but ride share would remain the less expensive option in many cases. The proposed increase is projected to generate an additional $16 million for the Chicago Transit Authority in 2018, and an additional $5 million in 2019. The Emanuel administration estimates that the ride share apps have cost the city and nearby local governments $40 million in lost revenue.
Online job postings for bilingual workers more than doubled between 2010 and 2015, reports the Boston Globe, amid other indicators that language ability is increasingly important to employers. Though highly skilled jobs grew more quickly, the majority of bilingual jobs don’t require a bachelors degree
Demand is also acute for professionals with expertise in artificial intelligence, who are being courted by both Silicon Valley and the auto industry. Typical salaries are between $300,000 and $500,000 per year, and many are drawn away from academia. Observing the fruits of their work, the Wall Street Journal euphemistically reports that artificial intelligence will allow–and is already allowing–firms to cut labor costs and free up humans to do more complex work.
Middle-aged Americans’ health is declining and life expectancies are stalling, reports the Boston Globe. Nonetheless, almost one in five Americans is still working in their early 70s. In retirement, the Washington Post observes that paying for college tuition for a grandchild can present a significant challenge. A rising number of children are being raised by their grandparents.
Daily News & Commentary
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December 12
OH vetoes bill weakening child labor protections; UT repeals public-sector bargaining ban; SCOTUS takes up case on post-arbitration award jurisdiction
December 11
House forces a vote on the “Protect America’s Workforce Act;” arguments on Trump’s executive order nullifying collective bargaining rights; and Penn State file a petition to form a union.
December 8
Private payrolls fall; NYC Council overrides mayoral veto on pay data; workers sue Starbucks.
December 7
Philadelphia transit workers indicate that a strike is imminent; a federal judge temporarily blocks State Department layoffs; and Virginia lawmakers consider legislation to repeal the state’s “right to work” law.
December 5
Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros., Gen Z men are the most pro-union generation in history, and lawmakers introduce the “No Robot Bosses Act.”
December 4
Unionized journalists win arbitration concerning AI, Starbucks challenges two NLRB rulings in the Fifth Circuit, and Philadelphia transit workers resume contract negotiations.