Posted on January 27th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | 1 Comment »
Filed under: ., HR Issues, Labor Law, Politics, The Financial Crisis | 
584,000 jobs.
7.2%.
$700 billion.
The news is full of numbers these days. And most of us who read them (and report them) scan through the figures, or nod our heads at how hard it is to navigate the bureaucratic system of unemployment or get attention for workplace grievances these days, and we sigh collectively over the state of our nation and go on with our lives.
Because, in truth, most of us still have jobs. We may see less movies or buy less clothes, but most of us still pay our rent or mortgage, buy our groceries, live our lives. And the unemployment rate grows on paper or on the TV, but it’s safely contained behind the fence of statistics and macroeconomic analysis.
Then a couple in southern California both lose their jobs, feel ignored by their union, and go home and kill themselves and their five little children.
From the AP:
KABC reported that the man claimed in [a fax to the station] that an administrator rebuffed them when they showed up to work, told them to file a union grievance and said, “You should have blown your brains out.”
The man wrote that they filed a grievance but nothing was done and two days later they were fired, KABC said.
Surely this man had more than the loss of his job affecting his judgment. And a tragedy like this can never be explained or simplified into the logic of motives or purposes.
But I suggest we take the moment to remember that 7.2% is a staggering number of people who want to work but can’t, and there are even more who work for fractions of their former salaries. And every single one of those people is living a very anxious, angry or sad life right now.
My point is this: the DOL’s January jobs report comes out next week. Let it affect you. Internalize the number of people out of work. Be a little nicer, a little more understanding. I’m really not trying to get sentimental. But this is the news without statistics. If you can, find a way to help.
Here, I’ll get you started:
If you are a part of a pro bono program in your area helping the un- or under-employed, or if you know of any worthy charitable employment organizations, post a comment below or send me an email and I will add them to the list.
Posted on January 14th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | No Comments »
Filed under: ., Labor Law |
[Ed. Note: This post is the first in an ongoing series chronicling the new Obama Appointees that could affect labor and employment law and policy.]
We start our series on Obama’s labor leaders with the President-elect’s choice for a position with more workforce influence than anyone but the President himself – Secretary of Labor Nominee Hilda Solis.
Obama’s pick of Solis to head the Department of Labor it is a clear message to the unions that helped elect him, a group worried about whether they still had the President-elect’s ear after the financial woes of the past few months. It is also indicitive of where employment issues are on his list of priorities: high and strong. Designating Solis is like putting an exclamation point on his promises of workforce reform.
Solis is the only member of Congress on the board of a pro-labor organization, and she was a co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act (which will make it much easier for unions to enter workplaces by eliminating the lengthy, secret-ballot election process). Having her at the helm of the DOL should put to rest the recent, markedly verbal, fears of many labor advocates who felt that Obama was primed to let them down once he takes office.
But the DOL does much more than labor relations, of course. What Ms. Solis’s focus and influence will be over the remainder of the employment issues within the Department’s purview is more unclear. The Congresswoman’s website lists labor & employment issues that she has promised to address in the House. They include:
- Expanding unemployment benefits
- Increase the minimum wage (already completed)
- Defending workers’ rights to organize
- Securing Federal Funds for “Green Collar” jobs
- Honoring labor leaders
- Supporting fair trade, not free trade.
- Preventing workplace injustices
- Eliminating corporate corruption
Many of these issues are standard political discourse, and it is still unclear where Solis’s focus will be with regard to the ESA (which includes enforcement of wage and hour and workplace safety laws). But in Solis, with her ties to unions and track record for legislating for employee interests, it seems Obama is pointing to someone he thinks can put some meat on those vague promises working-class Americans have heard for so long.
Critics worry that Solis will sway the DOL toward pro-union activities, when the agency is supposed to be an impartial participant in workforce issues. At her confirmation hearing, Senate Republicans asked Solis about EFCA, and about state “right to work” laws, which prohibit employers from making union membership mandatory. She avoided answering the questions, saying she hasn’t discussed the issues with Obama, and would defer to his policy decisions.
The Congresswoman from California’s 32nd District will take the post when Obama is sworn in later this month, presuming (as most do) that she makes it through the confirmation hearings.
Posted on January 9th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | No Comments »
Filed under: ., HR Issues, Labor Law, The Financial Crisis |
According to Labor Department unemployment numbers released this morning, 524,000 workers lost their jobs last month. That puts the national unemployment rate at 7.2%, the highest its been in 15 years.
While the December numbers were down from November, most analysts believe that the unemployment rate will continue to rise at least through the first half of 2009.
We will update this post with a summary of 2008 labor figures shortly.
