With unemployment still a large problem in Oregon and the United States as a whole, many Americans are desperate for any work they can possibly find. Many people take to the Internet to use convenient online job searches and applications. Unfortunately, scammers have realized how to take advantage of online job seekers by soliciting money… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Current Affairs
A-Rod Filing Suit against MLB
One of the most high-profile labor disputes in the news recently is between star third baseman for the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez, and Major League Baseball. Rodriguez has long been under investigation for using performance-enhancing drugs in violation of league policies and rules. The MLB investigators claimed that Rodriguez was part of the Biogenesis… Read More
An About-face Vote Keeps Boeing In Washington
Boeing is still working to establish its 777X production location, but has made significant step forward with the most recent labor vote. Near the end of last year, Washington’s machinists’ union voted against Boeing’s proposed contract. The union’s members were strongly opposed to the changes in their retirement benefit plans. The proposed contract would have… Read More
Wal-Mart Contractor to Pay $4.7 Million for Wage Theft
Over 500 Schneider Logistics employees became part of a lawsuit against the company for underpayment and denial of rest and meal breaks. Schneider Logistics operates warehouses for Wal-Mart products, including Wal-Mart’s largest warehouse on the West Coast. The Claim According to the Los Angeles Times article, the employees filed their lawsuit in March of 2012… Read More
Winter Storm Preparations Lead to Salt Death
A man working at International Salt near Philadelphia was crushed to death under a 100-foot pile of rock salt. The man was apparently moving the salt at one of the company’s salt storage facilities in preparation for the most recent winter storm, the “Polar Vortex.” While moving the salt, a portion of the giant 100-foot… Read More
FAMILY Act Introduced in Congress
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) currently gives eligible employees the right to take up to 12 weeks of leave from work per year for certain reasons without fear of losing their jobs. Valid reasons include pregnancy, childbirth, adoption of a child, serious medical conditions, caring for a loved one with a serious medical… Read More
More Developments in ACA Employer Lawsuits
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that every health insurance plan, including plans provided by employers, offer preventive health services with no cost sharing. For the purposes of the new law, the Department of Health and Human Services defined appropriate preventive benefits for women to include the entire range of FDA approved contraceptive methods. This… Read More
Union "No" Could Lead Boeing To Go
Boeing recently presented a new contract that would have Seattle aircraft manufacturer buildings its new 777X airplanes at union-represented Seattle plants. Despite having moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001, Boeing has been an airline manufacturing mainstay in Seattle since the early 1900s. So the company felt fairly secure in the prospects of its newly… Read More
15% Of Young People Not Working Or Going To School
When people think about a better economic future, they generally think about more education or working their way to higher paying or better employment. There are anecdotes for both paths. On the one hand there are the well-educated people who get the better jobs or the well-trained people who can command better hourly wages. On… Read More
Wal-Mart and McDonald's Fuel the Living Wage Debate Again (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the recent controversy surrounding a holiday food drive Wal-mart held for its own underpaid employees. The food drive for needy employees seemed to acknowledge that the retail giant does not pay its workers a living wage. The term living wage is different from minimum wage. Minimum… Read More