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Jobless claims rise; but numbers still looking much better
CNN/Money reports: “Jobless claims rise to 366,000 in latest week.”
366,000 new unemployment claims in week ended Nov. 8, compared with revised reading of 353,000 prior week.
“Most economists consider new claims below the 400,000 threshold as a sign of an improving labor market, and last week was the sixth consecutive week of jobless claims below [...]
Preview of arguments in reverse-discrimination age case at Supreme Court
Warren Richey of the Christian Science Monitor has a good summary of the issues and arguments in this important age discrimination case in this story: “Age bias: Does it apply to the young?”
“The Age Discrimination in Employment Act outlaws discrimination against employees because of their age.”
“Seems simple enough. But is it illegal when the [...]
Majority of employees want different job
Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer writes:
“Survey: employees overworked, stressed out, fed up.”
“[M]ore than eight in 10 workers plan to look for a new job when the economy heats up.”
A number of factors causing this attitude are discussed, as well as several references to interviews with overworked, overstressed individuals.
“The most recent job report from the [...]
More analysis of labor market statistics
Mark Gongloff of cnn/money writes:“Is 6% as good as it gets?”
Good analysis of the mixed bag outlook for employment, worth reading in full.
Highlights include:
Many economists believe unemployment, now 6 %, could go as low as 5 % without causing wages to grow too fast, putting upward pressure on inflation.
“A little perspective is in [...]
Developments in California strikes
Findlaw (AP) reports: “Union, SoCal Supermarket Negotiators Talk.”
Union representatives and three supermarket chains met with a federal mediator — their first negotiations in nearly a month — to try to end the strike involving 70,000 grocery clerks in Southern California.
“In California’s other major labor dispute, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority met for 2 1/2-hours Monday to [...]
Disclosure of financial records during collective bargaining: the fine line between "can’t" and "won’t" or "don’t want to"
Lakeland Bus Lines, Inc. v. NLRB (D.C. Cir. 11/04/03) doesn’t make new law, but it contains a good summary and illustration of the law on an important bargaining question: at what point is an employer obligated to disclose financial records?
The basic rule, summarized in this case, was established in NLRB v. Truitt Mfg. Co., 351 [...]
More on McDonald’s
The Workforce Week e-newsletter (subscribe here) reports another aspect of the “Mcjobs” controversy (see this post):
According to a company spokesperson, “the term McJOBS–using capital letters–refers to the company’s training program for mentally and physically challenged people.”
How many companies even have such a program?
And a friend of mine mentioned they are also big on providing [...]
Pain and employee productivity — interesting study
USATODAY.com reports: “Worker pain costs more than $60 billion a year, study finds.”
“Headaches, back pain, arthritis and other muscle and joint pain cost the nation’s employers more than $60 billion a year in lost productivity, a study has found.”
“Most of those costs are from sub-par job performance as a result of the pain rather than [...]
More on Wal-Mart
New York Times now reports:“Wal-Mart Faces Class-Action Suit.”
The case I reported earlier today has now been merged into a much bigger class action with some interesting legal theories.
“Lawyers filed a class-action suit against Wal-Mart yesterday in New Jersey, saying it violated federal racketeering laws by conspiring with cleaning contractors to cheat immigrant janitors out of [...]
Long article on diversity in Christian Science Monitor
Stacy A. Teicher of the Christian Science Monitor wrote this interesting story:“The draw of diversity; Companies are quick to tout diverse staffing. But that doesn’t guarantee a bottom-line boost.”
“It’s almost a corporate mantra: Diversity is good for business. Many companies recruit with that mantra in mind. They devote meetings to it and tout it in [...]
Story on trend to self-employment — will it continue as employment picks up?
St. Louis Post Dispatch covered the Dallas Morning News on this story by Victor Godinez: “Freelancing may be replacing the traditional lifetime job.”
“The rising cost of supporting a full-time work force, diminishing worker-employer loyalty and the proliferation of technology are contributing to what may be a permanent shift away from the traditional employment model.”
“While [...]
Wal-Mart back in the headlines for suit by undocumented aliens
CNN reports: “Suit claims undocumented Wal-Mart workers denied benefits.” - Nov. 10, 2003
“An attorney representing nine undocumented immigrants who worked as janitors at Wal-Mart said Monday he has filed suit against the retail giant, charging it and its contractors with discrimination.”
“Attorney Gilbert Garcia said the suit alleges Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, knew the [...]
Nonemployee union representatives may enter construction site despite opposition of property owner
In Wolgast Corp. v. NLRB (6th Cir. Nov. 3, 2003), the Sixth Circuit enforced an NLRB order finding that a property owner committed an unfair labor practice by barring union representatives from accessing a construction jobsite.
The court rejected arguments based on the nonemployee status of the representatives, who sought entry for primary representation purposes, [...]
Interest arbitration in LA transit strike: a bad idea
CNN.com (AP) reports: “L.A. mayor asks for arbitrator in strike.”
“Mayor James Hahn urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to let an arbitrator take over negotiations after union mechanics overwhelmingly rejected the MTA’s final contract offer, continuing a paralyzing three-week strike.”
“Union leaders have offered to end the strike immediately if the agency agrees to settle the [...]
Burger flippers get no respect these days
BBC NEWS reports: “McDonald’s anger over McJob entry.”
“McDonald’s has expressed its outrage over how the latest Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary describes job prospects at the US fast-food giant. In its latest edition, the dictionary defines the term McJob as ‘low-paying and dead-end work’.”
“McDonald’s CEO Jim Cantalupo dismissed the term as ‘an inaccurate description of restaurant [...]
