LABOR
Workers at federal health care call centers strike in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA – Since 2014, Katherine Charles has worked as a customer service representative for the federal contractor Maximus, answering telephone calls related to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. But Monday morning, she stood marching outside Maximus’ offices in the Hillsborough County, Florida town of Riverview east of Tampa, joining dozens of her […]
States see record low unemployment across the U.S.
Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]
How long is too long for the VEC?
By Lisa D. Dance The pandemic is “officially” over. But, like thousands of other people in Virginia, I’m still waiting to receive my full unemployment benefits from the pandemic. I’m lucky; I can cover my bills. I worry about the people who can’t pay theirs and have waited over a year for the unemployment benefits […]
Virginia is battleground in baristas’ organizing fight
The biggest morale boost for Richmond Starbucks barista Tyler Hofmann is when customers make up names like “union solidarity” to identify their orders. “It gets printed out and [employees] have to call out union stuff in the café,” he said. That opens up an opportunity for discussion about workers’ ongoing grievances against the specialty coffee […]
Fairfax must stop undervaluing its workforce
By Norman Hall As Fairfax County continues its yearly budget ritual and holds public hearings on April 11-13, workers and citizens alike always look for clues about priorities and a shared vision for the future. For Fairfax County employees like myself, we are often left with a sense of disillusionment and this year is no […]
Youngkin amends bill ending subminimum wage for disabled workers
By Ryan Nadeau / Capital News Service Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently recommended the General Assembly accept an amended version of a bill that ends the practice of paying subminimum wage to certain Virginia workers with disabilities. A certificate exemption under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to determine pay for disabled workers based […]
Third attempt to exempt eyebrow threading technicians from licensing requirements fails
By Janae Blakeney / Capital News Service A bill to help remove licensing requirements for eyebrow threading technicians failed to pass a House committee during the recent General Assembly session. Eyebrow threading is a method to remove facial hair and eyebrows that began millennia ago in Asia, and gained popularity in Western culture. People interested in […]
Tyson still eligible for state incentives for Pittsylvania chicken plant despite Glen Allen closure
Tyson Foods will continue to be eligible for millions in state economic development grants linked to a facility it’s constructing in Pittsylvania County despite its announcement it will close a major plant in Hanover County that will lead to the loss of 692 jobs, said the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. In 2021, former Gov. Ralph […]
Virginia, West Va. Kroger employees allege computer-generated wage theft
Kroger employees in Virginia and West Virginia are pursuing a class-action suit against the grocery giant, alleging that bugs in the company’s new payroll software system cheat them out of their rightful wages. The class-action lawsuit filed in Richmond in January is one of four filed by employees in five states against the country’s largest […]
House panel narrowly backs legislation to lower the minimum wage for minors
Lawmakers narrowly backed a bill to lower the minimum wage for employees under the age of 18 Tuesday, with House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, joining with two Democrats to oppose it. The House Commerce and Energy subcommittee voted 4-3 to recommend approval of a bill from Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, that would require employers […]
In Virginia, ‘patchwork’ of ordinances makes public-sector organizing a maze
Jan. 17 is the date when Prince William County teachers and staff will begin voting on whether to join the growing number of public-sector workers who have maneuvered through Virginia’s maze of collective bargaining ordinances. Thirty-seven percent of U.S. workers employed by state and local governments belong to a union, compared to only 7% of […]
Child poverty rates highest in states that haven’t raised minimum wage
Of the 20 states that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates say that’s a sign that there’s an urgent need for lawmakers to […]