American cities are going wild as Amazon looks for a place to build its second headquarters and employ 50,000 people. Tucson businessmen sent a 21-foot cactus to Jeff Bezos’ office. Philadelphia and Tulsa have expressed openness to modifying their tax codes. Canadian cities, meanwhile, highlight their more stable political environment and looser immigration policy. Contemplating local impacts, the Cary, North Carolina News & Observer notes that enticements have not been necessary to attract Amazon projects in the past; does this new competition among cities amount to ‘corporate welfare’?
Retail firms that usually hire temporary workers for fall and winter are facing low unemployment and competition from e-commerce firms. Target will try to attract workers by raising the lowest wage to $11 per hour. Walmart plans to avoid hiring temporary store employees by assigning more hours to its regular employees. In general, Walmart regards 34 hours per week — the threshold above which more employee benefits would be required — as full-time work. Anecdotes suggest that employees will welcome additional hours.
The first woman ever to complete the Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course graduated yesterday. She will soon lead a platoon of 40 in a service that has been much criticized for its misogyny. Infantry roles have only been open to women since April 2016. A New York Times op-ed analogizes the contemporary debate around mixed-gender units and leadership to the recent debate around repeal of Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell. The op-ed quotes a RAND study finding that “performance of a group influences its cohesion more than cohesion influences performance.”
Management-side attorney William Emanuel was confirmed yesterday as the NLRB’s fifth member. (We wrote about Emanuel’s confirmation hearing here.) The Board now comprises three Republicans and two Democrats and is expected to reverse changes made by the Obama NLRB.
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August 29
Trump fires regulator in charge of reviewing railroad mergers; fired Fed Governor sues Trump asserting unlawful termination; and Trump attacks more federal sector unions.
August 28
contested election for UAW at Kentucky battery plant; NLRB down to one member; public approval of unions remains high.
August 27
The U.S. Department of Justice welcomes new hires and forces reassignments in the Civil Rights Division; the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments in Brown v. Alaska Airlines Inc.; and Amazon violates federal labor law at its air cargo facility in Kentucky.
August 26
Park employees at Yosemite vote to unionize; Philadelphia teachers reach tentative three-year agreement; a new report finds California’s union coverage remains steady even as national union density declines.
August 25
Consequences of SpaceX decision, AI may undermine white-collar overtime exemptions, Sixth Circuit heightens standard for client harassment.
August 24
HHS cancels union contracts, the California Supreme Court rules on minimum wage violations, and jobless claims rise