Labor & Economic News - Institute for Research on Labor & Employment Library

S.F. hotel workers authorize strike

2009-10-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

S.F. hotel workers authorize strike
The union representing 9,000 hospitality workers voted to authorize a strike Thursday as negotiations to renew a contract governing more than 60 San Francisco hotels remain stalled over how to pay for health care coverage.

4-day workweek brings unexpected bonus

2009-10-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

4-day workweek brings unexpected bonus
Utah's experiment with a shorter week has paid off in ways the state didn't even anticipate.

Public Pensions and Saving Souls

2009-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Public Pensions and Saving Souls
Many public pension funds are now taking the lead on exploring this new avenue for investment. In August a consultant called Pension Consulting Alliance (PCA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) for infrastructure investment management services on behalf of its public pension fund clients.

Case For a Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment in 2010 Is Weak

2009-10-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Case For a Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment in 2010 Is Weak
Under current law, there will be no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in Social Security in 2010 — the first time that has happened since automatic cost-of-living adjustments began in 1975. Several bills before Congress would grant a special increase in Social Security payments for 2010. The inflation data, however, do not support an increase: overall consumer prices have fallen significantly in the past year and are not expected to return to their earlier peak until …

Teachers benefit from job-saving stimulus spending

2009-10-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Teachers benefit from job-saving stimulus spending
Teachers appear to have benefited most from the effort to save jobs with the $787 billion recovery package, which sent billions of dollars to states that were on the verge of ordering heavy layoffs in education. The national data on the impact of President...

Ford, UAW agree to tentative deal on contract

2009-10-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ford, UAW agree to tentative deal on contract
Union leaders from Ford's factories voted Tuesday to recommend that members approve a deal to lower the automaker's labor costs to match those of its Detroit rivals. The deal, which runs until 2011, gives workers a bonus if they ratify the agreement and...

As Other Nations Rebound, Spaniards Mired In Crisis

2009-10-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

As Other Nations Rebound, Spaniards Mired In Crisis
NPR audio
As the recession appears to level out in many countries, Spain's economy continues to slide. The 19 percent unemployment rate is getting worse, and mainstay industries are all suffering. Experts worry that as the rest of Europe recovers and interest rates rise, the many Spaniards already deep in debt will sink deeper.

Dairy Farmers Hit Harder By Recession

2009-10-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Dairy Farmers Hit Harder By Recession
NPR audio
Farmers are especially susceptible to dips in the economy, and this recession has been particularly bad for the dairy industry. We hear from John Stulp, Colorado's commissioner of agriculture, about his state's dairies. And host Liane Hansen speaks to Jim Docheff, a fourth-generation dairy farmer who declared bankruptcy last spring.

Jobless Mom Takes Her Act To The Blogosphere

2009-10-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Jobless Mom Takes Her Act To The Blogosphere
NPR audio
Being unemployed can be a lonely and challenging experience. But blogger Jayne Lytel is proof of an exception. Lytel is founder of GirlOnTheBrink.com, where she blogs under the pseudonym Ann Powers. The online community was recently featured in The Washington Post Magazine, as reported by Ylan Mui. Lytel talks about her transparency and how her "real" life compares to the more fun and eccentric personality of her cyber alter ego.

Hispanic Farmers Fight To Sue USDA

2009-10-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hispanic Farmers Fight To Sue USDA
NPR audio
Hispanic and black farmers say for years the Agriculture Department failed to investigate their claims of discrimination. But while black farmers successfully sued the department and walked away with $1 billion, Hispanic farmers say they have been denied their chance at a similar class-action suit.

Six Unemployed People For Every Opening

2009-10-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Six Unemployed People For Every Opening
NPR audio
On the last business day of August, the number of job openings in the U.S. was just under 2.4 million. The number of unemployed people hit 14.9 million that month, then climbed to 15.1 million in September. That means there about six unemployed people for every available job.

Union hopes to organize Long Beach hotel workers

2009-10-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Union hopes to organize Long Beach hotel workers
A campaign called Hope for Housekeepers focuses on Hyatt, Hilton and others, locally as well as nationally. After a day's work cleaning one hotel room after another, Maria Valdivia says she's often too fatigued to play with her three children once she gets home.

California's last auto plant to close, reports say

2009-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

California's last auto plant to close, reports say
Toyota's joint venture with General Motors in Fremont in the Bay Area, which employs about 4,700, has been operating at far under capacity and is to be shut down in March.

LAX simulator puts trainees in the hot seat

2009-08-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

LAX simulator puts trainees in the hot seat
For 15 minutes on Wednesday, I stood theoretically in the tower at Los Angeles International Airport and learned a little about how it feels to be...

L.A. Unified OKs pay incentives for some administrators

2009-08-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

L.A. Unified OKs pay incentives for some administrators
The Los Angeles Unified School District has instituted a pay incentive program for high-level administrators, a move that is largely symbolic now...

2009-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

California's unemployment rate hits record high
California's jobless rate reached a fresh post-World War II high in July, climbing to 11.9%, a sobering reminder that though the nation's deep downturn may be nearing its end, the state's employment woes are far from over.

BART, unions reach tentative deal

2009-08-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

BART, unions reach tentative deal

A 27-hour bargaining session finally led to a tentative contract between BART and three of its five unions Friday

Farmworkers sue state for failing to enforce heat protection laws

2009-07-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Farmworkers sue state for failing to enforce heat protection laws

The state has failed to protect farmworkers from heat illness and death, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California charged in a lawsuit ...

Toronto gets tentative deal to end garbage strike

2009-07-28T10:41:00.001-07:00

Toronto gets tentative deal to end garbage strike

Canada's biggest city reached tentative deals on Monday to settle a strike by municipal workers that halted garbage pickup, closed daycare centers and left public pools dry for more than a month.

South Africa gold miners agree pay deal, avert strike

2009-07-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

South Africa gold miners agree pay deal, avert strike

South Africa's biggest union agreed a wage deal with gold and coal producers on Tuesday, averting a strike in the crucial mining industry and easing political pressure on President Jacob Zuma.

Toyota to end Fremont's NUMMI with GM

2009-07-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Toyota to end Fremont's NUMMI with GM

Toyota Motor Corp. has decided it will dissolve its stake in the NUMMI auto factory it operated here with General Motors Corp., leaving union officials at the plant dismayed and disappointed.

Are Health Care Costs a Burden for Older Americans?

2009-07-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Are Health Care Costs a Burden for Older Americans?
Although Medicare covers nearly all Americans age 65 and older, premiums, cost shares, and holes in the benefit package raise concerns about seniors' ability to pay for their health care. This brief, based on newly released data, shows that Medicare Part D, introduced in 2006 to cover prescription drugs, helped reduce out-of-pocket costs. The majority of older adults devoted less than one-eighth of their incomes to health care in 2006. However, nearly half of low-income seniors spent more than 20 percent of their 2006 incomes on health care. Medical costs for seniors should figure into the health-reform debate.

Anniversary of a dark day

2009-07-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Anniversary of a dark day
Sunday was the 75th anniversary of a day blood ran in the streets of San Francisco - a day of wild rioting on the waterfront that left two men dead...

Teenagers face fierce competition for jobs

2009-07-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Teenagers face fierce competition for jobs
Amber Medina has been looking for a job for five months, ever since her father, a metal worker, was laid off and her mom began struggling to support the family of seven on her $15-an-hour job.

GM plans to quit Nummi plant

2009-06-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

GM plans to quit Nummi plant
General Motors plans to quit a joint venture with Toyota to make cars at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. in Fremont, ...