Late last week the House Republican Study Committee rolled out its political equivalent of Joan Rivers — something old that’s been “freshened up” many times. In this case, it’s the RSC’s list of spending cuts, which was unveiled with great fanfare despite containing nothing new of interest. What’s troubling is it indicates that some Republicans prefer to spend precious legislative time on their pet peeves instead of focusing on the nation’s top issue: jobs. (more)
During this past election cycle, labor unions invested over $200 million in support of Democrat candidates. Much of that money came from four of the country’s largest unions: the AFL-CIO and SEIU’s combined contribution was $88 million, AFSCME added $91 million and the National Education Association $40 million. This money was donated to Democrat candidates in hopes of helping them maintain a majority in the House. These hopes were crushed on November 2nd when the Republicans took back control of the House with a resounding win. This loss has effectively ended the unions’ dream of getting the Employee Free Choice Act (card check) enacted in the near future. (more)
Earlier this year everyone was talking about the “tickling” episode in Congress. From Capitol Hill to the water coolers on Main Street, “tickling” was the topic. Now, people are wondering what really caused the ouster of Hewlett Packard’s CEO. (more)
At a time when workers’ pay and benefits have stagnated, federal employees’ average compensation has grown to more than double what private sector workers earn, a USA TODAY analysis finds. (more)
The sweeping financial reform bill that President Obama signed into law last month included one key provision that has gone largely under the radar. According to Section 748 of the bill –entitled “COMMODITY WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES AND PROTECTION” — employees at financial institutions and businesses on Wall Street can now be awarded large sums of money by the federal government in return for informing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of internal fraud and abuse. (more)
Focus on the Family has cut its workforce by nearly half since 2002. (more)
Public sector unions have a crucial interest in the expansion of government, spending, and by extension, interest in laws that inhibit the free movement of workers and capital. Organized labor has become the antithesis of worker freedom, throwing millions of dollars against candidates and ballot measures that foster choice and competition. More subliminally, public sector unions’ constant advocacy for bigger government crowds out the private sector and erodes states’ free market principles. (more)
The unemployment rate across 39 states and the District fell in June, but this is far from good news. Instead, it reflects renewed pessimism about the economy as employers put the brakes on hiring and people stopped looking for work. (more)
As teacher layoffs ripple across Georgia, the cuts mean financial stress among thousands of households, but also trouble for the larger economy. (more)
While the American economy staggers out of recession, a new report shows that there’s at least one boomtown where people are raking in the dough and living large: Washington, D.C. (more)
Four members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights have sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to remove a section from the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, which would impose racial and gender quotas on financial institutions. (more)
The limitations imposed by the role of the states in the U.S. unemployment insurance system are the reason why a majority of workers are not protected and why even insured workers receive inadequate protection. Steven Attewell writes: “Our reconstruction of the unemployment insurance system should start from three basic principles. First, unemployment is a national problem for our single, national economy, and requires a nation-wide system to respond to it. Second, in order to protect the entire workforce from the sudden shock of wage loss and the economy from the sudden shock of consumer spending collapse, all workers need to be inside the system, contributing and protected. Third, unemployment benefits should be set at a sufficient level to keep individuals and families from falling into poverty and should be automatically extended in periods of economic decline in job losses, when normal expectations that people can find new jobs no longer apply.” (more)
If a recently filed medical marijuana lawsuit reaches the Michigan Court of Appeals or state Supreme Court, it could produce a precedent-setting decision that impacts employers and patients, whose jobs may be at risk even when legally using the drug. (more)
Two Census Bureau managers from a Brooklyn field office were fired after their bosses found they faked household surveys to meet deadlines, the Daily News learned. (more)
Employers in the Washington-Baltimore region offered part-time workers better perks this year, such as paid days off, in lieu of creating full-time positions, according to an annual survey of human resources officials to be released Tuesday. (more)
Everything about Debrahlee Lorenzana is hot. Even her name sizzles. At five-foot-six and 125 pounds, with soft eyes and flawless bronze skin, she is J.Lo curves meets Jessica Simpson rack meets Audrey Hepburn elegance—a head-turning beauty. (more)
The National Safety Council has estimated that in 2007, Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) participants saved more than $300 million in private sector injury costs, not to mention the pain avoided. They also saved the government more than $59 million by avoiding injuries. When employers make the significant commitment to safety required by VPP, it allows OSHA to focus its resources where they are most needed. Adding 35 additional inspectors at OSHA won’t do much to improve workplace safety, but a nationwide effort like VPP actually builds cohesive relationships between federal regulators and employers – if it’s allowed to keep working. (more)
A freelance videographer who worked on programming for the Orlando-based Golf Channel says he was harassed and ultimately fired after reporting that his co-workers smoked pot on the job. (more)
Washington (AP) – The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly in the United States last week as heavy snows led to higher layoffs. (more)
The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would heavily favor government contractors that implement policies designed by organized labor. (more)
