Labor/Economics

[Libertas]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careers ... ar-AAQhbqV

‘I can’t imagine the day when I’m not paying.’ Black women are being crushed by the student debt crisis — and demanding action



Kendra Brooks arrived at John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Philadelphia’s Center City, the downtown corridor bustling with shops and office towers, with a single goal in mind.

[Number6]

i use Amazon all the time. It makes for a good yellow pages. (remember them?)

Say you're looking for a widget. Go to Amazon and do the search. Up pops 2 pages of widgets. Pick the widget of your liking. Now what you're looking for is the "ships from" and "sold by". Copy and paste "the sold" by on google and whalla ...... you get their web page. Buy from them.

I use Amazon when I can't find what I need at local stores. The latest items I've bought haven't been carried by any of the stores I usually go to and can't find a store online close to me that sells it. I recently bought a bowling ball spinner on Amazon to clean and sand my bowling balls and it wasn't available at the local pro shops. I prefer to buy at a local shop because it means I don't have to wait for delivery and I'd rather give my business to locals whenever possible.

[Number6]

Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions agreed on a four-year contract covering nearly 50,000 health care employees in 22 local unions.

A tentative deal was reached Saturday between Kaiser Permanente and union leaders that will prevent a strike by thousands of nurses and other health care workers who were planning to hit the picket line Monday at Kaiser facilities across Southern California and beyond.

According to the union, the tentative deal includes:

Guaranteed across-the-board wage increases each year through 2025.
No reductions to family medical and dental coverage.
Maintaining generous retirement income benefits and employer- subsidized retiree medical.
Introduction of the Alliance Bonus Plan, which provides annual payouts for achieving new mutually agreed-upon objectives to address affordability.
Opportunities for career growth and advancement.

Roughly 21,000 members of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, including registered nurses, pharmacists, midwives, physical and occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others, had been scheduled to begin an open-ended strike in Southern California. They were to be joined in Southern California by about 7,400 members of United Steelworkers and by 3,400 members of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals.

The major point of contention in the talks was over what the union called the company's proposed two-tiered wage system, an effort by Kaiser to balance wages in some markets where the health provider claims workers are being paid far above market rates.
CBS8

For the record, I don't get my medical care from Kaiser Permanente so I wouldn't have been affected if they went on strike. However, healthcare workers is the one sector I don't want a strike to happen because the ones most hurt aren't the corporation, the union, or the workers but the patients. Had the strike happened, I would have morally backed the unions.

[ap215]

Florida police union endorses Gov. DeSantis for reelection next year

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been one of police officers’ most enthusiastic advocates since the George Floyd murder prompted nationwide protests over police violence.

Now the Florida Police Benevolent Association, representing 30,000 law and corrections officers, has returned the favor, endorsing the Republican governor for reelection next year.

https://floridaphoenix.com/blog/florida ... next-year/

[Motor City]

Yes, The Minimum Wage Was Intended To Be A Living Wage

....Through the legislation, the newly-created National Recovery Administration (NRA) was given the mandate to establish minimum wage rates through cooperation with private firms. Five years later, Roosevelt would sign the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, thereby creating the first standardized federal minimum wage.

Roosevelt did not mince words when speaking about why he supported minimum wage laws. In Roosevelt's own words, "t seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country." Roosevelt additionally clarified that "...by living wages[,] I mean more than a bare subsistence level– I mean the wages of decent living."


Roosevelt's reason for supporting and presiding over the creation of a federal minimum wage was clear: The minimum wage was intended to allow all workers to achieve a decent standard of living. Roosevelt added, in equally explicit terms, the goal of the federal minimum wage as created by NIRA was to transform workers' "starvation wages and starvation employment [in]to living wages and sustained employment".

The demand for minimum wage laws to improve workers' livelihoods had become common throughout much of the international labor movement decades prior to the passage of NIRA. These campaigns shared a common goal: Rectifying the fact that far too many workers were being paid too little to lead a decent livelihood......

thread
https://twitter.com/aidan_smx/status/14 ... 2988242946

I don’t think most people really grasp how low the federal minimum wage ($7.25) is.

If you get charged $20 for a late fee, that’s almost three times the minimum wage.

If you get an overdraft fee of $30, that’s over four hours (half a standard workday) of minimum wage labor.

[Drak]

The Associated Press
@AP · 50m
BREAKING: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the seventh straight week to a pandemic low 268,000. U.S. jobless claims dipped by 1,000 last week from the week before, the Labor Department reported. http://apne.ws/HMNQUpn

[Drak]

The government dramatically underestimated job growth this summer

Initial reports underestimated job growth by a cumulative 626,000 over four months

In the most recent four months with revisions, June through September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported it underestimated job growth by a cumulative 626,000 jobs — that’s the largest underestimate of any other comparable period, going back to 1979. If those revisions were themselves a jobs report, they’d be an absolute blockbuster.

In an average month before the pandemic, estimates would be revised by a little over 30,000 jobs, or just 0.02 percent of all the jobs in the United States. The recent revisions to the jobs reports have been much larger.

The missing jobs surfaced through revisions to the widely watched non-farm payrolls number that BLS releases each month. The data is considered preliminary until it has been revised twice. The fixes are typically minor, but recent revisions have been big enough to turn a substantial slump into a surprising surge.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... ob-growth/

[Motor City]

We have a sweatshop surplus crises, the shortage isnt of labor its of tolerance of workers well being, safety and basic dignity.

An Inflated Sense of Inflation (w/ Stephanie Kelton)

Friends,

The corporate class, the politicians that they fund, and the media that they own are currently using rising prices to ram an inflation panic down our throats and prevent the Democrats from passing any legislation that will help the American people with their health care, child care, elderly care or education costs. They are falsely using economic trends to argue against popular and necessary policies that they always fight against because those policies might cut into their profits.

To help me untangle the lies around the inflation panic and the so-called “labor shortage,” I asked the brilliant economist Stephanie Kelton to join me on Rumble with Michael Moore. We also discussed why it is foolish for Democrats to place the fate of their agenda in the hands of the Congressional Budget Office, what’s really going on with the economy, and how capitalists attempt to keep a pool of workers chronically unemployed and underemployed and desperate for work.

Stephanie is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Stony Brook University. She was chief economist for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee in 2015 was the senior economic adviser to Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns and served on Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force to craft the progressive aspects of President Biden's agenda. She's the author of "The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy," and has her own Substack newsletter called, “The Lens by Stephanie Kelton.”

[gounion]

That is a very true statement the union back when it was a labor organization instead of a political organization worked and fought hard to make positive changes in the workplace.

My grandfather was a plant superintendent working the night shift at a place like you described and 2 or 3 times a year he would have to rush people to the ER.

Unions have always been labor AND political organizations. They helped craft the Labor Relations Act in the thirties.

This is another blatant lie Glenn tells all the time, even though he knows it's a lie.

[Motor City]

'It's up to companies to fix the labor shortage': Why workers are leaving in record numbers

Palmer believes the mass exodus is coming from a group of people with wiggle room in their finances. These are people, who she says, are able to spend less, so they can work less. She said it will be interesting to see how long people can sustain this lifestyle.

“I think what people thought a lot about during COVID is the work-life balance aspect, which is do I want to work 60 hours a week? Do I want to commute an hour and back? That's an hour out of their life in the morning," Palmer explained.
For millions of Americans, the answer to those questions is no.

conditions

She compared what's happening now to the labor shortage during World War II, when millions of women joined the workforce to stabilize the economy. Now, places are trying to dip into a younger generation by lowering the age requirement to fill positions. But Palmer said there simply aren't enough teenagers to fill the void.

Pope says hey wait a minute

https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/1461695759225552898

Child labor is the exploitation of children. It is the denial of their rights to health, education, harmonious growth, to play, to dream. It means robbing children of their future, and therefore, humanity itself.

“I don't think we’re in a state of panic yet, but unless something turns, I think we may be. I think if companies offer better wages and better benefits we could see something turn,” Palmer said.

Wages and benefits cant fix the toxic sweatshop culture of employers and administrators though.

MoDOT worker remembered as a 'hard worker full of life'

Brooks, 58, and another MoDOT employee, Kaitlyn Anderson, 25, were killed while on the job on Telegraph Road in south St. Louis County. Another co-worker suffered serious injuries.

"When I first heard about it, I couldn't believe anything like that would have happened," said Motley.

Brooks worked at MoDOT for almost nine nears.

"It's just very tragic. Our family's in a state of shock. Lot of crying," said Motley.

Brooks also loved big, family gatherings.

Next week his relatives will especially miss him sitting around the table on Thanksgiving Day.

[Drak]

Chris Murphy
@ChrisMurphyCT

Last week, fewer people filed for unemployment than during any week since…wait for it…1969.

This economy is on fire right now. And yes, when economies grow this big and this fast, price increases can happen. But it’s a symptom of a historically strong economy.

[Motor City]

Feds send 2 medical teams to support Michigan hospitals during COVID surge

The additional staffing teams, with 22 medical personnel each, will support staff at Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, state officials said. The teams, which will include registered nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists, will arrive next week and begin treating patients immediately, providing support for the next 30 days.

“Hospitals are at capacity across the state, particularly in Metro Detroit and West Michigan, and this is taking a tremendous toll on our health care workers,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said. “We are working hard to give them support, but they also need every Michigander to do their part by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status, social distancing and staying home and getting tested if they have symptoms.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) also submitted a request for federal Veterans Affairs hospitals to open beds for civilian transfers, resulting in the John D. Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Detroit opening beds.

because the way that administrators and chamber of commerces and idle money have been attacking grinding away at its employees over the years.

[Libertas]

Feds send 2 medical teams to support Michigan hospitals during COVID surge



because the way that administrators and chamber of commerces and idle money have been attacking grinding away at its employees over the years.

Good and bad. Good we have an adult who is a decent person in charge (Biden and the govt) helping, if TFG was in charge there would be no help AT ALL!

Bad because we should not have surges.

[Glennfs]

Chris Murphy
@ChrisMurphyCT

Last week, fewer people filed for unemployment than during any week since…wait for it…1969.

This economy is on fire right now. And yes, when economies grow this big and this fast, price increases can happen. But it’s a symptom of a historically strong economy.

What a coincidence the free money stops and people go out and get a job.......amazing

[gounion]

What a coincidence the free money stops and people go out and get a job.......amazing

I still see all kinds of help wanted signs. You said they'd disappear. What happened?

[Drak]

What a coincidence the free money stops and people go out and get a job.......amazing

Free money? You mean, like the trillions of dollars in tax cuts the GOP handed to themselves and their rich buddies? Or the spending like sailors whenever they’re in power? Or the billions and billions of dollars Trump and the GOP kept handing over to farmers because of Trump’s idiotic trade war? Or all the PPE checks/scams the GOP filled out to themselves? That free money?

[ap215]

Amazon workers plan Black Friday strikes

Amazon workers in 20 countries - including the US, UK, and several in the EU - are planning protests and work stoppages on Black Friday.

The shopping-centric day is among Amazon's busiest all year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59419572

[Motor City]

I still see all kinds of help wanted signs. You said they'd disappear. What happened?

The culture needs to change and the idle money used to do all these rotten attacks on workers needs to be re-invested back into the workers well-being. Idling all that money that use to be people's health care and retirement in old age and their standard of living and using it as a weapon to destabilize our society has brought us poverty and suffering and plagues of habit formed cruelty.

You can't fix these things with charm or declarations or what looks like increase in wages and benefits but has conditions attached that make them unattainable.

[Glennfs]

I still see all kinds of help wanted signs. You said they'd disappear. What happened?

They slowly are you kept asking why the unemployment numbers hadn't went down.
Now we know why, it s because they have just started to report the numbers since the free money went away.
I suspect that most Democrats are going to start touting what a great job Biden is doing creating jobs. When in fact the openings have been there all along.
But if you are going to pay people not to work they won't. The $600 minimum people have been collecting is tantamount to a 17 to 18 dollar an hour job. So what we have just went through proves what happens when you have even a slight taste if what progressives want to offer. People stay home and collect the free benefits

[Glennfs]

Unions have always been labor AND political organizations. They helped craft the Labor Relations Act in the thirties.

This is another blatant lie Glenn tells all the time, even though he knows it's a lie.

https://www.dsausa.org/democratic-left/ ... _movement/

I guess you are correct as labor unions history speaks for itself

[gounion]

https://www.dsausa.org/democratic-left/ ... _movement/

I guess you are correct as labor unions history speaks for itself

Just remember that your parents and you profited from a unionized workplace with health care and pension benefits. Yet you hate unions.

[gounion]

They slowly are you kept asking why the unemployment numbers hadn't went down.
Now we know why, it s because they have just started to report the numbers since the free money went away.
I suspect that most Democrats are going to start touting what a great job Biden is doing creating jobs. When in fact the openings have been there all along.
But if you are going to pay people not to work they won't. The $600 minimum people have been collecting is tantamount to a 17 to 18 dollar an hour job. So what we have just went through proves what happens when you have even a slight taste if what progressives want to offer. People stay home and collect the free benefits

Sorry, you promised that as soon as the increased benefits went away, the help wanted signs would disappear. They haven't.

I've been in Vegas, and I've talking to all kinds of workers. This town was shut down. I guess you just expected everyone to starve. But the town isn't back to 100% yet, and still a lot of workers waiting to be called back. I was surprised the services hotels still weren't offering.

[Glennfs]

Sorry, you promised that as soon as the increased benefits went away, the help wanted signs would disappear. They haven't.

I've been in Vegas, and I've talking to all kinds of workers. This town was shut down. I guess you just expected everyone to starve. But the town isn't back to 100% yet, and still a lot of workers waiting to be called back. I was surprised the services hotels still weren't offering.

Unemployment rate is rapidly dropping since the extra unemployment cash has went away. I believe we are back down to under 4.5 pct.

[gounion]

Unemployment rate is rapidly dropping since the extra unemployment cash has went away. I believe we are back down to under 4.5 pct.

Still a lot of help wanted signs. You said they would disappear.

[Motor City]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izcrHJcd_30

Even Bob Dylan