Edward Nasser is a student at Harvard Law School.
Motherhood largely drives the gender pay gap, reports the New York Times. The gap widens most during a woman’s late 20s to mid-30s, when many women have children. Mothers carry a disproportionate share of a family’s labor at home and more likely to give up job opportunities for their husband’s job. Sari Kerr, an economist at Wellesley College, notes that couples often decide that the person who earns less, usually a women, should take on more of the household and childcare burden. But because employers often assume that this will be the case, it is a reason women earn less in the first place.
The state pension system of Puerto Rico, which owes workers $49 billion in benefits, is scheduled to run out of money as soon as July, according to Bloomberg. The impending shortfall pits workers against the Commonwealth’s creditors, primarily hedge funds who own one third of its bonds. Puerto Rico’s federal oversight board anticipates a 10 percent cut in pension benefits, but some workers expect an even larger reduction.
The New York Times offers an in depth look at China’s plan to remake the global economy. Through the initiate, called “One Belt, One Road,” China plans to invest $1 trillion in massive infrastructure projects around the world. China will be exporting not just its goods but also its labor, staffing foreign projects with domestic workers. The country hopes to expand its diplomatic influence at a time when the United States is expected to turn inward and focus on “America first.”
Though President Trump scrapped the Trans-Pacific Partnership on his first day in office, may spend the rest of his term trying to pursue similar deals, reports the Wall Street Journal. The TPP included labor and environmental provisions that the Obama administration hoped would raise standards for workers around the globe.
Daily News & Commentary
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October 14
Eleventh Circuit overturns ERISA exhaustion rule; DHS finalizes removal of automatic renewal for work permits; AFGE challenges SSA over flexible scheduling policy.
October 13
Chicago hotel workers remain on strike; a coalition of Democratic states sues the Labor Department over canceled unemployment insurance grants; the Federal Labor Relations Authority establishes a new mediation framework for federal worker disputes.
October 12
Workers at the Obama Foundation begin organizing; MLB submits its latest collective bargaining agreement proposal; Brigham & Women's nurses postpone strike.
October 11
UAW President Shawn Fain succeeds in his reelection bid, and Spanish unions call for a general strike.
October 9
DHS proposes a $100k fee for the foreign grad employment program; Trump suspends tech company access to green card program; and private equity perpetuates poor working conditions for home care workers.
October 8
NLRB judge finds UPS unlawfully restricted union insignia; Harvard graduate workers authorize second strike; OSHA orders Union Pacific to pay $300,000 in damages in whistleblower case.