discrimination

Low-Wage Workers Hit Hardest by Workplace Injuries, Illnesses

It’s a double whammy for low-wage workers when they get hurt or fall ill on the job. First, they lose pay because the vast majority (more than 80%) of low-wage workers do not have any paid sick leave to take time off to recover. Second, not only does the pay check shrink, but because of …

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Women Haven’t Gained A Larger Share Of Corporate Board Seats In Seven Years

In addition to grappling with a persistent pay gap, working women also have to deal with extreme difficulty ascending to powerful corporate positions, according to a report by the research organization Catalyst. As Bryce Covert explained at The Nation: Women held just over 14 percent of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies this year and …

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What You Need To Know About The Michigan GOP’s ‘Right-To-Work’ Assault On Workers

On Thursday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) backtrackedon his commitment to avoid so-called “right-to-work” legislation and by the end of the day, both the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan state Senate had introduced and passed separate bills aimed at the state’s union workforce. Michigan Republicans claim the state needs the measure to stay …

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Labor Board Deals Blow to Fired Immigrant Strikers in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN—The union campaign at Palermo’s Pizza in Milwaukee.—which offers a test case in integrating labor, immigrant and community-based organizing—was dealt a painful blow last week by the regional National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB told both sides it would not find the company’s mass firing of immigrant strikers to be illegal, would not protect other …

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Affirmative Action Ban in State Constitution Violates US Constitution (8-7)

Michigan voters adopted a state constitutional amendment that prohibits “all sex- and race-based preferences in public education, public employment, and public contracting.” The 6th Circuit (8-7) held this provision – as it relates to education – violates the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Univ of Michigan (6th Cir 11/15/2012) …

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A Discussion on Granting Back Pay to Undocumented Workers under the NLRA and the IRCA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a Cornell ILR Alumni Reception on September 20, 2012, I asked NLRB Chairman Mark Pearce, the keynote speaker, about the nearly six-year deliberation and unusual concurrence in Mezonos Maven Bakery, where the NLRB ultimately reversed an Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ) 2006 decision granting back pay to undocumented workers under the NLRA.  …

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81 Percent Of Moms Without High School Diplomas Also Have No Paid Maternity Leave

The average American woman who never got her high school diploma makes about $365 a week. That means, if she works every single week from January 1 through December 31, she’ll earn a total of $20,540 a year. But if that woman’s expecting a child, she is going to have to take some time off. …

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NLRB Chairman: New Penalties Needed for Union-Busting of Undocumented Workers

NEW YORK CITY—National Labor Relations Board Chairman Mark Pearce says his agency could pursue new remedies to punish employers who retaliate against undocumented immigrants for organizing. Last year Pearce interpreted a 2002 Supreme Court decision to rule out back pay as a remedy in such cases, limiting the NLRB’s options of financial penalties. Interviewed Friday by Working …

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Pesticide Threat Looms Large Over Farmworker Families

No matter how good your next meal tastes, it’s likely it made society ill. A new analysis by the Pesticide Action Network North America (PAN) draws a disturbing connection between pesticides in our food system and serious health problems among women and children. The report reviews empirical research linking agricultural chemicals to birth defects, neurological disorders, childhood cancers and reproductive problems. …

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A Bill to Make Employers Less Mean to Pregnant Women

Whatever our political conflicts, we can generally agree that we should treat pregnant women nicely. We don’t hesitate to help them carry their groceries or give them a seat on the bus. Yet when pregnancy comes up as a political issue, lawmakers are far more fixated on what an expecting mom’s womb is doing, rather …

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Madeline Messa

Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.