labor
Higher education bill would prohibit Ohio staff and employees from striking
A massive higher education bill that would prohibit university staff and employees from striking was introduced last week and is already drawing harsh criticism from labor unions. State Senator Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced Senate Bill 83 which would have wide-ranging effects on colleges and universities around the state. “I would describe the bill as a […]
America is in the middle of a labor mobilization moment
Labor Day 2022 comes smack bang in the middle of what is increasingly looking like a pivotal year in the history of American unions. The summer has seen a steady stream of workforce mobilizations. Employees at Trader Joe’s locations in Massachusetts and Minneapolis both voted to unionize. Meanwhile, restaurant chain Chipotle saw the first of […]
Unions rally for COVID hazard pay after arbitrator sides with the state
On the Ohio Statehouse steps Friday, labor unions rallied for hazard pay after an arbitrator denied the additional wages last month. “Respect your employees. Pay them,” OCSEA president Chris Mabe said. “We held up our end of the bargain. Now it’s time for you to hold up yours.” Mabe’s organization, the Ohio Civil Service Employees […]
Survey: Small business owners worry over inflation, labor shortfalls, supply chain
Ohio’s small business owners counted economic inflation, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions as the issue most concerning to their business, according to a recent survey. Some combination of these currents have caused roughly eight in 10 Ohio business owners to raise prices, according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. […]
U.S. House panel weighs labor law amendment to protect workers from wage theft
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers questioned several labor experts Wednesday before a House Education and Labor panel about how a new bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 would protect workers from wage theft. House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro introduced the bill, H.R. 3712, known as the “Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act […]
States look to community colleges to fill labor gap
By: Caitlin Dewey, Stateline Monique Acosta began the month of March as a pre-K classroom assistant in Arizona, with no credential beside her high school degree. She ended it with a certification in a booming branch of electronics and started applying to entry-level jobs at Boeing. For four hours a day, over 10 days total, […]
Ohio CEOs paid well as employee wages have dipped
Using data from the Ohio Department of Development and Fortune 500 listings, a report from an Ohio policy thinktank found significant pay disparities between state CEOs and their employees. The main finding of the study conducted by Policy Matters Ohio showed the median pay of a chief executive officer in 54 of Ohio’s 100 largest […]
Report: White men earn more in Ohio than any other demographic
It probably doesn't come as a shock that White men earn more in Ohio than women and minorities. But a report released Tuesday shows the disparities are striking. In 2019, the average non-White Ohioan made about 20% less than the average White male in the state. And the average White woman made almost a full third less, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Community Survey data conducted by Scioto Analysis, a Columbus-based economics and public policy firm.
Housing advocate: Worker crunch due to a lot more than federal supplements
Federal unemployment supplements are not the sole reason Ohio employers are having a hard time finding workers, an Ohio housing advocate said Monday. Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this month announced that on June 26 he would end Ohio’s participation in a federal program that provided $300 a week in additional unemployment pay. The money was […]
Ohio House GOP again seeks to weaken prevailing wage law
Twelve House Republicans reignited efforts to rollback Ohio’s prevailing wage law, which requires governments to pay union-scale wages on most construction projects. The lead sponsors, GOP Reps. Craig Riedel and Susan Manchester, presented legislation to a House committee Wednesday that would allow various government entities to opt out from the requirements of Ohio’s prevailing wage […]
Terrence Martin: Lessons for my Black son
In some cultures, when a boy reaches the age of 13, his entire community comes together to acknowledge his coming of age in a ceremony that celebrates the beginning of manhood. I’ve had to teach my 13-year-old son that being perceived as a grown Black man can be dangerous. I am afraid for my son. […]
Landmark labor bill clears U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed landmark pro-labor legislation Thursday that backers said could begin to reverse the country’s decades-long decline in union membership. The bill passed largely along party lines by a vote of 224-194. Ohio’s U.S. Congressional delegation split along party lines with all four Democrats voting in favor and all 12 Republicans […]