Weekend News and Commentary: May 17-18

The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times report that Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed minimum wage increase that would have been the world’s highest. Swiss trade unions were seeking a minimum hourly wage of $24.65 in an effort to ensure fair salaries for workers in the lowest-paid sectors, such as retail. Switzerland currently has no national minimum wage. 

The Los Angeles Times reports that organized labor groups across Brazil have begun a series of strikes and protests for higher pay and better working conditions as the World Cup nears. Associations of police officers, teachers, transportation workers, public employees, security guards, homeless people, and political activists alike are engaging in these demonstrations. 

The Associated Press reports that Connecticut has the largest part-time labor force. The percentage of those working fewer than 35 hours weekly now comprises 22.2% of Connecticut’s employment, outpacing the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. 

The Washington Post reports that D.C. Public Schools have reached a tentative collective-bargaining agreement with the Council of School Officers, the union representing principals, assistant principals, business managers, master educators, and other non-teachers who work in schools.