Today's News & Commentary — October 3, 2016
The Cleveland police union has decided to endorse Donald Trump—an unusual step for the union, which doesn’t normally endorse a candidate. The president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association is a big Trump supporter and helped push the vote, which passed 216-68. Many in the force, however, worried that the endorsement would erode the relationship between police officers and minority communities. The initial vote whether or not to have an endorsement vote passed by only one vote: 25-24.
The New Haven fire union has asked the Connecticut labor board to bar the city’s Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Rick Fontana, from any “fire-related duties” until the union’s complaint against Fontana is decided upon. Fontana, the union claims, is doing the work of firefighters—responding to calls, putting out fires, and even wearing a uniform—but isn’t a firefighter himself anymore. This interference is endangering the current firefighters, according to the union, which also filed a complaint with Connecticut’s OSHA.
Keep an eye out for the Department of Labor’s employment report, slated to come out this Friday. The number of jobs added is expected to be higher than last month, showing the economic rebound that may lead the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
The new ride-hailing competitor Juno is being written about again—this time in the New Yorker. As we noted yesterday, the company promises better treatment of drivers, taking a lower commission and offering its drivers restricted stock units. (To qualify for stock, drivers have to drive 120 hours a month for 24 out of 30 months.) The New Yorker article takes a closer look into Juno’s culture and features—and how this might not be enough to overcome the behemoth that is Uber.
Speaking of Uber, the Boston Globe has a piece on the company’s collaboration with the North Shore Community College to help fill a gap in public transportation coverage. The hope is that “strong demand for the Uber service could persuade the MBTA to bring back bus service.” BuzzFeed News also has coverage of Uber’s partnerships—this time with suburbs. The city administrator Summit, New Jersey made a deal with Uber to subsidize rides from the local train station in order to avoid spending money on a new parking lot.
