Some 400 members from dozens of Minnesota unions—backed by more than 1,000 e-mails and phone calls—helped score a victory for working families last week. They jammed a state House hearing room in opposition to a bill that called for a wage freeze for state employees, elimination of vital parts of the state’s Public Employment Labor …
Minnesota Union Members Rally Against Anti-Worker Bill Read More »
The new year started with better but not great news on the jobs front. The latest figures from the U.S. Department of Labor released this morning show that unemployment dropped from 9.8 percent in November to 9.4 percent in December. Even with the expected holiday season hires, only 103,000 net new jobs were created last …
Jobless Rate Falls, But Job Creation Falls Short of What Nation Needs Read More »
The 17-year-old Michigan factory worker who was the inspiration for the iconic World War II Rosie the Riveter, “We Can Do It” poster, died Dec. 26 in Lansing, Mich. Geraldine Doyle was 86. According to a Washington Post obituary, Doyle was on the job in a metal factory just a few weeks after graduating from high …
Inspiration for World War II Rosie the Riveter Dies Read More »
In the latest round of stepped-up inspections of mines with a history of safety and health violations and other issues, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in November issued 250 citations and other actions at 22 mines. The new special impact inspections began after the April coal mine explosion at the Massey Energy Co.’s Upper …
MSHA Safety Crackdown on Troubled Mines Continues Read More »
Most workers have seen notices about their right to a minimum wage or safe workplace posted in the company break room or elsewhere on the job. Employers are required to post those notices by federal law. But there is no requirement for employers to post any sort of notice about workers’ rights under the National …
Proposed NLRB Rule Requires Employers to Post Workers’ Rights Read More »
In a continued crackdown on coal mines with histories of serious safety and health violations, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued notices that 13 mines will be placed in a special stepped-safety enforcement program unless mine owners begin immediate corrective actions. The mines were notified earlier this month that they were on the verge …
Last night’s election, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters today in a conference call, “was about jobs, plain and simple. It was a mandate to fix the economy and create jobs. But here’s what it wasn’t”: It wasn’t a mandate for the policies most Republicans campaigned on. An election night survey of voters in 100 …
In the past decade, more than 5 million manufacturing jobs and 850,000 information sector jobs have disappeared—many of which have been shipped overseas. This outsourcing is encouraged by faulty trade and tax policies that corporate executives use to boost record-breaking profits and outrageous and obscene executive salaries. But finding out specific information on specific companies …
Job Tracker: Outsourcers Can Run, But Now They Can’t Hide Read More »
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s July ruling that a proposed state constitutional amendment that sought to restrict how workers can vote in union representation elections was unconstitutional. Not surprisingly, it’s being pushed by opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act. But that hasn’t stopped Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and the Republican-controlled …
Ignoring Courts, Arizona Gov. and Legislature Move Anti-Union Measure Read More »
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that workers who blow the whistle on safety violations and other unlawful practices “play an important role in assuring compliance with federal laws.” But, say workplace safety advocates, too many times workers don’t speak up about safety and health problems on the job because they fear retaliation from …
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.
