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☆ Red, blue, and green: US voters elected minimum wage increases
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Minimum wage hikes passed in two red states, and one voted against pay cuts for tipped workers. Economic concerns, like inflation, might drive voters to support pay increases despite party lines. It's happened before: In 2020, Florida voters wholeheartedly embraced Trump — and voted to hike the minimum wage to $15 by 2026. AdvertisementGeorgetown University Professor Jason Brennan told BI that it isn't strange many Americans who vote Republican also vote for a higher minimum wage. Did you vote for Trump and a higher minimum wage?

Persons: —, Donald Trump ., Trump, trounce Kamala Harris, It's, Yannet Lathrop, David Cooper, Lathrop, Cooper, he'd, JD Vance cosponsored, Jason Brennan, Brennan, they're Organizations: Service, Republican, Trump —, National Employment Law, Research Network, Institute, GOP, Georgetown, Trump Locations: Donald Trump . In Missouri, Alaska, Arizona, Florida

☆ Golden Opportunity to Boost Job, Labor Market: Raise the Minimum Wage
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for 15 years. Given the situation, here's an idea: Why not raise the federal minimum wage right now? Getting anything done legislatively is always a challenge, especially in an election year, but polls indicate a higher minimum wage is broadly popular. AdvertisementOnce the minimum wage gets so high that it starts to cause a bunch of job loss, that's a problem. If a higher minimum wage lifts millions of people out of poverty, that's incredible.

Persons: it's, Yannet Lathrop, California's, It's, Jacob Vigdor, Vigdor, Justin Wiltshire, Michael Reich, David Neumark, shouldn't, we've, they've, Emily Stewart Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment, New York Times, Congressional, University of Washington, University of Victoria, UC Berkeley's Center, Dynamics, University of California, Business Locations: Nebraska, Florida, Washington ,, Washington, West, Wisconsin, Iowa, Mississippi, South Carolina, Seattle, California, British Columbia, New York, Irvine, America, Wiltshire

☆ The number of low-wage U.S. workers is dropping—but 23% still make less than $17/hr
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"As they continue to annually increase their minimum wages, the number of low-wage workers does go down," says Henderson. Similarly, many states hiked their tipped minimum wages — or did away with a tipped minimum altogether. 53% of tipped wage workers earn less than $17 per hourAll that said, there are still nearly 40 million workers making less than $17 per hour. Nationwide, more than half, 53% of tipped wage workers earn less than $17 per hour, according to the report. A third, 33% of Latin or Hispanic workers and 32% of Black workers earn less than $17 per hour, compared to 21% of white workers, according to the report.

Persons: Kaitlyn Henderson, Henderson, Workers aren't, Judy Conti Organizations: Federal, Health, Education, Labor, Pensions, " Workers, Oxfam, Workers, Institute, National Employment Law, Bureau, National Women's Law, BLS, Agriculture, National Center, Farmworker Health, Census Bureau Locations: New York City, Washington, Maine, Oregon, EPI, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, North Carolina, Mexico, West Virginia

☆ A million more U.S. workers can now get overtime pay: 'Most employers absolutely do want to get this right'
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On July 1, more than a million workers became eligible for overtime pay. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established a 40-hour workweek with certain workers eligible for overtime pay of 1.5 times their regular wage if they work past the 40-hour mark. Before the rule change on July 1, only around 15% of salaried workers were eligible for overtime pay. Up until July 1, salaried workers making $684 per week, or $35,568 per year, or more were exempt from getting overtime pay. Before the rule change, some workers making less than $107,432 per year could also qualify for overtime pay, though the parameters for qualifying are a little bit different from those given to low-wage workers.

Persons: Judy Conti, Conti, Here's, DOL, Jessica Looman Organizations: Labor, Department of Labor, National Employment Law, Labor Department, Fair Labor Locations: DOL

☆ How a criminal record affects your chances of being hired
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In fact, for many if not most jobs, there are no legal prohibitions on hiring those with criminal records. And when a criminal record of any kind turns up, that can kill a person’s chances, regardless of how well-qualified they may be for a position, either because an employer has a high aversion to risk or a bias against those with a record, Love said. Or the paperwork and time required to get approval for someone with a criminal record may be such that an employer simply decides to look at candidates without a record. “Sometimes people believe they are required to turn my clients down because of a criminal conviction. That law provides for eligible conviction records to be automatically “sealed,” meaning they should no longer show up on employer background checks.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, he’d, ”, Margaret Love, aren’t, Love, Beth Avery, Avery, Sabina Crocette, Crocette, ” Crocette, Jason Hoge, Hoge, ‘ I’m, ” Hoge, Wes Moore Organizations: New, New York CNN, Employment Opportunity Commission, of Columbia, National Employment Law, Economic, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Legal, Western, Employers, Whites, New York’s, Criminal, Services, Maryland Gov Locations: New York, United States, NELP, San Francisco, California , New York, Blacks

☆ Opinion | She Helped Wage the Fight for $15. Where Will Labor Go After Her?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The disappointment is that Henry didn’t manage to increase membership in her own union. In fact, S.E.I.U.’s membership fell to under 1.9 million now from about 2.1 million when she took office. Those workers at McDonald’s, Burger King and other chains who are enjoying higher pay aren’t paying dues to any conventional union. It continues to claim “about” two million members. But in a filing with the Department of Labor in March, the union stated that it had 1,845,500 members, of which 30,015 were retired.

Persons: Mary Kay Henry, Henry, ”, Henry didn’t, Burger King Organizations: Service Employees International Union, National Employment, Department of Labor Locations: United States, McDonald’s

☆ A flurry of new rules from the Biden administration attempt to ban noncompetes, boost overtime pay, and increase refunds for delayed flights
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Biden administration this week pushed out a slate of rules it says are meant to boost competitiveness and put more money into workers' pockets. There are already challenges to at least one of the rules — but together they could land overtime pay for millions more workers, ban noncompetes that prevent workers from moving into jobs in similar industries, and help people get automatic refunds for delayed or canceled flights. More workers eligible for overtime payUnder the Department of Labor's new rule, many workers who make under $43,888 will be eligible for overtime pay effective July 1. A ban on noncompetes that keep workers from taking new jobsPerhaps the most sweeping action for workers came from the Federal Trade Commission, which finalized a rule to ban noncompetes in most cases. Will a ban on noncompetes, new overtime thresholds, or airline refunds affect your life?

Persons: —, Biden, Lael Brainard, That's, it's, Judy Conti, Pete Buttigieg, Brainard, Aaron, Ryan, John Smith, Suzanne Clark, Jeremy Merkelson, Davis Wright Tremaine, Merkelson, Elizabeth Wilkins, Wilkins Organizations: Service, Business, National Economic Council, Department of, National Employment Law, of Transportation, Federal Trade Commission, . Upjohn Institute, Employment Research, of Commerce, Texas Association of Business, Federal Trade, Chamber of Commerce, FTC

☆ Labor Department's new independent contractor rule could help workers recover lost wages—here's how
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Independent workers make up about 45% of the U.S. workforce, according to a 2023 report by MBO Partners, a platform dedicated to their needs. That's more than 72 million Americans altogether, with nearly 30 million of them working independently full-time. This misclassification could lead to a loss in income, ineligibility for state and federal unemployment systems and so on. Nearly 10% of independent contractors make less than $7.25 per hour, according to the National Employment Law Project. A new rule change under the Fair Labor Standards Act, set to take effect on March 11, is aimed at curbing this misclassification.

Persons: Sally Dworak, Fisher, Samantha Sanders Organizations: MBO Partners, National Employment Law, Economic, Institute, Fair Labor Locations: NELP

☆ Pay Thousands to Quit Your Job? Some Employers Say So.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mandating a financial penalty if a contract is broken, as in Vidal’s case, has a long history in contract law, but it is relatively new in employment contracts. A typical stay-or-pay clause is called a training-repayment-agreement provision (TRAP), which stipulates that the cost of on-the-job training will be borne by the employee. Nevertheless, Harris says, it’s hard to know how many workers are subject to these contracts, because employment contracts are often private. She had to wait tables for a while but eventually got an offer with Ameriflight, a Texas-based cargo carrier. and FedEx have routes around the country, they still rely on smaller carriers to fly the connecting routes from, say, Lansing to Detroit.

Persons: “, ” Seligman, ”, Jonathan Harris, Harris, — Harris, Kate Fredericks, Fredericks Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, First Circuit, National Employment, Private, Loyola Marymount, Ameriflight, FedEx Locations: Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Texas, Lansing, Detroit, Puerto Rico

☆ The US minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. What that means for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Efforts to raise federal minimum pay have fallen flatHowever, despite numerous efforts, raising the federal minimum wage above $7.25 an hour has been unsuccessful. Lagging the rising cost of livingIn many ways, the federal minimum wage seems like a relic of the past. Recent wage gains could be lostThe actual economic impact of a federal minimum wage increase is heavily debated. “The new conventional wisdom is that at least a moderate minimum wage increase has minimal effects on employment,” Reich told CNN. “But this new paper says that a really big minimum wage increase actually increases employment.”

Persons: Ken Rose, he’s, ” Rose, Sandy, ”, Michael Reich, Biden’s, ” Yannet Lathrop, Lathrop, Alex Wong, hasn’t, Rose, “, ” Ken Rose, Ken Rose Joe Bishop, ” Bishop, Reich, ” Reich Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Tiburon Fine, CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic, Institute, Dynamics, University of California, Democrats, National Employment, U.S, Capitol, United Auto Workers, United, Walmart, Costco, Starbucks, Tiburon, Congressional Locations: Sandy , Utah, American, Berkeley, Washington ,, United States, Amazon, Utah, Louisville , Kentucky, Louisville, Jefferson County , Kentucky

☆ Climate change adds workplace costs and hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The 57-year-old's death in hospital was announced in late August - just as his trade union was ratifying a deal with UPS on improved heat protections. In a statement to local media, UPS (UPS.N) said it was cooperating with the authorities as they investigated the cause of death. "We train our people to recognize the symptoms of heat stress, and we respond immediately to any request for help," it said. Many European and other usually temperate countries still have no laws establishing maximum work temperatures. "Climate change is such a paradigm shift that all of us need to rethink these legacy economic assumptions," said NELP's Christman.

Persons: patchily, Chris Begley, Halshka Graczyk, Graczyk, Chaya, Anastasia Christman, Owen Tudor, Tudor, Jerome Volle, NELP's, David Stanway, Catherine Evans Organizations: UPS, Teamsters, International Labour Organization, Chiang Mai University, . Occupational Health, Safety Authority, Employment Law, International Trade Union Confederation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Texas, Paris, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Singapore

☆ If you make less than $55,000, the Labor Department wants you to start getting overtime pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Department of Labor proposed a new rule that would update who's eligible for overtime. Currently, workers making under about $36,000 can get extra pay for extra hours. One study found that some firms give out fake manager titles to try and avoid paying their workers overtime. That means a sizable chunk would be eligible for overtime pay under the new $1,059 weekly threshold. It's not the first time that a Democratic administration has targeted the overtime threshold.

Persons: Judy Conti, Conti, they're, Julie Su, I've, Barack Obama Organizations: of Labor, Service, Biden, Department of, National Employment Law, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Democratic Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Democrats want to make the minimum wage $17 an hour and give nearly 28 million workers a raise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Bernie Sanders, alongside other progressives, is again trying to raise the federal minimum wage. He's introducing legislation to bring the federal minimum to $17 by 2028; currently, it's $7.25. However, past attempts to raise the minimum wage have been stymied by Republicans and moderate Democrats. Under the latest version of the Raise the Wage Act, the federal minimum would climb to $17 by 2028. "The President shares Congressional Democrats' commitment to put workers first and supports increasing the minimum wage.

Persons: Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Michael Douglas, Gordon Gekko, Hakeem Jeffries, It's, Democrats —, Biden, Michael Kikukawa, Pramila Jayapal, Jayapal, Frances Holmes, Holmes Organizations: Republicans, Service, Democratic, Senate, Democrats, Institute, Workers, National Employment Law, Congress, White, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Oxfam America, Busch Locations: Wall, Silicon, St Louis , Missouri

☆ Noncompete clauses 'chill' worker rights and are usually illegal, NLRB lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Noncompete clauses likely violate federal labor law, NLRB's general counsel wrote Tuesday. Criticism from across the aisleWorker advocates have long maintained that noncompete clauses are an unjust infringement on liberty that reduces employees' earning potential. But noncompete clauses have also attracted critics on the right. The criticism from both sides of the political spectrum comes as noncompete clauses have expanded from high-salary workers in fields such as technology and finance to lower-wage professions, such as fast food. That proposed rule, which will be subject to a legal challenge if and when it is finalized, came after the White House encouraged the commission to tackle noncompete clauses, framing them as a barrier to healthy competition and wage growth.

Persons: NLRB's, —, Joe Biden, Jennifer Abruzzo, Biden, Najah Farley, John Lettieri, Insider's Juliana Kaplan Organizations: Workers, Service, Companies, National Labor Relations Board, National Labor Relations Act, Worker, National Employment Law, American Enterprise Institute, Federal Trade Commission, House Locations: Abruzzo, California , Massachusetts, Illinois

☆ Misclassifying employees as gig workers creates 'a race to the bottom' for businesses, Biden's top labor and antitrust regulators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Businesses have an incentive to misclassify workers as contractors to undermine their competitors, according to the DOJ Antitrust Division. It's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those called "gig workers" — freelancers, contractors, on-call workers, and temp agency workers, who for decades have increasingly replaced full-time employees as independent contractors. Not so for gig workers. In 2018, 20% of workers were contract workers, and 65% of part-time workers and over half of contract workers went without benefits, according to NPR. "Our goals are the same," Abruzzo said, as NLRB and DOJ Antitrust want to end "misclassification and employment structures that cause vertical constraints on competition."

Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing a bill on Thursday to raise the minimum wage to $17 an hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25, and it's remained unchanged since 2008. Sanders has long pushed for a higher federal minimum wage, although he's been more recently stymied by centrist Democrats. Scott said in a statement at the time that even before the pandemic, "the $7.25 federal minimum wage was economically and morally indefensible." Mandating a $15 minimum wage would put many of them out of business."

☆ Hard work just doesn't pay like it used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today's workers, especially gig workers, don't have the security that hard work once promised. Fueling the pessimism about hard work might be that Americans have "been doing nothing but hard work for the last two decades," Jennifer Klein, a Yale labor historian, told Insider. Blame the rise of gig work for hard work not paying offThough Americans work fewer hours now than they have in years past, they're working harder than ever. As a result, "people have experienced hard work and intensified work, but in very, very unpleasant and not particularly rewarding terms," she added. However, deregulation of employment and the dismantling of the New Deal structures of fair work have decoupled hard work and security, Klein said.

☆ You’re Now a ‘Manager.’ Forget About Overtime Pay.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Noam Scheiber | More About Noam Scheiber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“There were shortages of people who had kids at home,” said Catherine Ruckelshaus, the general counsel of the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group. “I would almost say there’s never been a time when those workers are more empowered,” he said. (Pay for all workers grew much faster than pay for managers from 2019 to 2021, though pay for managers grew slightly faster last year.) Experts say the denial of overtime pay is part of a broader strategy to drive down labor costs in recent decades by staffing stores with as few workers as possible. If an employee did not show up for an afternoon shift, she typically had to stay late to cover.

Persons: ”, Catherine Ruckelshaus, “, Ed Egee, there’s, Deirdre Aaron, Ms, Palliser, Panera Organizations: National Employment Law, National Retail Federation, Labor Department

☆ Controversial noncompetes now face a possible ban. But one group never had to worry about them: attorneys
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FTC estimates that about 30 million workers are bound by noncompete agreements across the US. However, an American Bar Association rule has long protected lawyers from being forced to sign the agreements. The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct protects lawyers from being forced to sign noncompetes. The ABA's rule contrasts with a similar rule from the American Medical Association that discourages medical professionals from signing noncompetes, but does not ban them. Earlier this month, recruiters told Insider that doing away with noncompete agreements could lead to another wave of employees leaving for better opportunities, or to start their own businesses.

☆ If you're a gig worker, your boss might be using a technicality to underpay you
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many workers are classified by employers as independent contractors, rather than employees. The Biden administration has proposed a rule making it easier for gig workers to be counted as employees. NELP finds that 10% to 30% of employers — and potentially more — misclassify workers as independent contractors, "which indicates that several million workers nationally may be misclassified." Truck drivers misclassified as independent contractors may lose between $11,076 and $18,053, according to EPI's estimates. The Biden administration is taking aim at misclassification, hoping to crack down on it and offer an easier pathway for independent contractors to be considered employees.

☆ The FTC wants to ban companies from telling their employees they can't work for competitors — and says it'll help workers make $300 billion more a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The FTC wants to ban noncompete agreements, which stop workers from moving to competitors or starting their own similar businesses. Under the FTC's proposed rule, employers wouldn't be able to impose a noncompete, and past ones would be rescinded. FTC Chair Lina Khan said that noncompetes undermine competition and competitive conditions. Under a new proposed rule, the FTC would ban employers from saddling workers with noncompete agreements that prohibit them from working at competitors, or starting similar businesses. In some cases, workers can't start their own businesses similar to the ones they're working in.

☆ Over 8 million workers just got a raise. This map shows the states that raised their minimum wages.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Georgia and Wyoming have state minimum wages below the federal minimum wage. If the federal minimum wage was higher than the state's minimum wage, we noted the federal amount as the last minimum wage paid to employees in the state. The following map shows what year the minimum wage increased and the current minimum wage in every state:Over half the states have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25. California, which has been raising its minimum wage annually over the past few years, saw its minimum wage increase to $15.50 on January 1, 2023. The effects of a minimum wage increaseSome economists and critics of a minimum wage increase argue that a raise would negatively impact employment, but that may not be the case.

☆ These are the states raising minimum wage in 2023 — see the full list and adjusted rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A total of 23 states are hiking minimum wages this year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. See the full list of states and the adjusted rates, below. With the help of activist efforts and legislators, states and cities have been working independently to increase rates as the federal minimum wage stagnates at $7.25 — an amount that hasn't risen in 13 years. While many of the adjusted rates will be effective starting Jan. 1, others come into effect later, according to a report from the National Employment Law Project. Here's the full list of states increasing minimum wage and the new rates coming in 2023, according to NELP data:

☆ Over 8 million workers will get a raise on New Year's as states step in to raise their minimum wages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

8.4 million workers will get a raise on New Year's, according to the Economic Policy Institute. 23 states are set to raise their minimum wages on January 1, due to inflation, legislation, and ballot measures. Many states have raised local minimum wages past the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. States and cities stepping in to raise their minimum wages is not a new phenomenon. A Democratic-controlled House and Senate failed to pass a $15 minimum wage in 2021, and it's been relatively silent ever since.

☆ Congress created an actual safety net for Americans during the last crisis. Don't expect that to happen again.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Congress enhanced unemployment benefits and gave parents monthly checks during the first two years of the pandemic. For Maggie Lopez, a single mother in Texas, the checks meant some breathing room for her and her newborn. The enhanced unemployment had a ripple effect, according to Evermore: People were able to stay home safely. In the case of enhanced unemployment, some states decided to end their participation in federal programs early, leaving many workers in dire straits. After Congress failed to renew a reduced version of the child tax credit at the end of 2021, child poverty once again ticked up.

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