U.S. Department of Labor
Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule
Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation. The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers compensate full-time workers in management, administrative, or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change […]
Consumers seeing relief in some food prices as inflation continues to slow
Consumers are getting some relief from higher prices as core inflation, which excludes food and energy, continues to show signs of cooling — an encouraging sign for the U.S. economy, according to economists. The Department of Labor’s report on Thursday showed the consumer price index rose 0.2% in July, in line with expectations, and 3.2% […]
VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects
Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first […]
U.S. House Democrats push for congressional hearing on child labor violations
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee are urging Republican Chair Virginia Foxx of North Carolina to hold a hearing this month on the uptick in child labor violations. Democratic Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the ranking member of the committee, and Alma Adams of North Carolina, the ranking member […]
At a McDonald’s in Kentucky, 10-year-olds worked past midnight, Department of Labor finds
WASHINGTON — Children as young as 10 were found working past midnight at a McDonald’s restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. Department of Labor said in announcing numerous civil penalties levied on fast-food franchises. As part of an investigation into federal child labor law violations in the Southeast, the Department of Labor said that three […]
Kids at work: States try to ease child labor laws at behest of industry
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in 11 states have either passed or introduced laws to roll back child labor laws — a push that’s come from industry trade organizations and mostly conservative legislators as businesses scramble for low-wage workers. In the past two years, those states have moved to extend working hours for children, eliminate work permit […]
Biden nominees for education and labor posts approved by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON—Miguel Cardona was one step closer to leading the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee moved his nomination to the full Senate for a vote. The panel voted 17-5. Senators also voted 18-4 to advance the nomination of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to serve as secretary […]
Report: Millions of NC workers excluded from federal paid sick days protections as COVID-19 spreads
Millions of North Carolina workers, especially women and workers of color, still lack federally guaranteed paid sick days protections as COVID-19 spreads, despite recent federal action to slow the spread of the pandemic. As a result, significant swaths of the North Carolina workforce are forced to choose to between earning their paycheck and keeping themselves, […]
Farm labor union again suing U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of tobacco workers
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee, a labor union representing 10,000 agricultural workers in North Carolina and the Midwest, is again suing the U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of tobacco farm workers. On Thursday the committee and lawyers from the legal non-profit Public Citizen will file a claim in federal court to compel the release […]
Trump’s pick for labor secretary questioned gay rights in 1985 article
Senators ask son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia about past opposition to LGBTQ equality WASHINGTON — When Eugene Scalia was a fourth-year English major at the University of Virginia in 1985, he penned an article for the student paper about gay rights. In it, he referred to a lesbian couple that had visited […]
Trump administration threatens overtime protections for low-wage workers; 290,000 in NC would lose out
Raise your hand if you are paid on a salary basis and that salary is more than $23,660 per year but less than $47,476 per year. If your hand is up, then you might* be one of the unlucky people who should be getting paid overtime pursuant to a rule revised by the U.S. Department […]
Revenge of the robber barons continues: Trump’s disastrous “anti-family, anti-worker, anti-jobs” pick for Labor Secretary
The disastrous line-up for the Trump junta just keeps getting worse and worse. Yesterday’s selection of fast food boss/reactionary plutocrat Andrew Puzder to head, of all things, the Department of Labor is the latest example. Reporter Deirdre Fulton has a nice, if depressing, summary of responses from worker advocates for the website Common Dreams that includes […]