Rollback of FL child labor laws? Kids could work more than 30 hours a week during the school year
A controversial measure in the Legislature that would remove restrictions on work hours for 16 and 17-year-olds sparked concerns from members of the public Wednesday, saying teens could potentially be harmed by the changes.
The proposal by Tampa Bay area Republican Rep. Linda Chaney (HB 49) would allow 16 and 17-year olds to work more than 30 hours a week during the school year and allow for fewer mandatory work breaks.
“Employers consider the entry level work of teens like jobs in hospitality, grocery and retail to be ‘invisible curriculum’ that teaches them the soft skills that bolsters candidates for future opportunities,” Chaney told lawmakers in introducing the legislation. “HR mangers say Gen X’ers lack career readiness skills, reducing their employment opportunities. These skills are learned as teens in their entry level positions, if they so choose.”
The proposal was approved on a party-line vote on Wednesday in the House Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee, and is just one committee stop away from making it to the House floor for final approval. (The state Senate also would have to approve the measure, as would Gov. Ron DeSantis.)
Unionization Rate Dropped to New Low in 2023 by Natham Bomey
January 23, 2024
Introduction:
(Axios) The share of American workers who are members of a union hit a new low in 2023 — it's now 1 in 10 — though the total number of unionized employees rose slightly.
Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say unions throttle progress in the workplace.
Driving the news: 10% of the workforce was part of a union in 2023, down from 10.1% in 2022 and a high of 20.1% in 1983, the first year the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported comparable figures.
• 14.4 million workers were union members in 2023, up from 14.3 million in 2022 — but the percentage fell because the workforce grew at a faster rate than union membership.
United Auto Workers Endorse Biden January 24, 2024
Introduction:
(ABC via MSN) President Joe Biden received a key 2024 endorsement on Wednesday from the United Auto Workers, with the union's president using the occasion to savage Biden's likely general election opponent, Donald Trump.
Shawn Fain announced UAW's support for Biden's reelection bid at their biannual conference in Washington, D.C.
"I know there's some people that want to ignore this election," Fain said. "They don't want to have anything to do with politics. Other people want to argue endlessly about the latest headline or scandal or stupid quote. Elections aren't about just taking your best friend for the job or the candidate who makes you feel good. Elections are about power."
The backing of the Michigan-based UAW, with more than 400,000 members, could give Biden an edge in a key battleground state that has helped determine the last two political elections. He won Michigan by about 150,000 votes in 2020; Trump won it by about 10,000 votes four years earlier.
Biden also won the group’s endorsement in 2020, and it backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016.
Strike at the Eiffel Tower Closes One of the World's Most Popular Monuments by Oleg Cetinic - Associated Press
February , 2024
Introduction:
(ABC) PARIS -- Visitors to the Eiffel Tower were turned away on Monday because of a strike over poor financial management at one of the world’s most-visited sites.
A sign was posted at the entrance in English, saying: “Due to a strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed. We apologize.”
The hugely popular 330-meter (1083-foot) landmark in central Paris has seen soaring visitor numbers in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics in the French capital.
Tourists planning to visit the Eiffel Tower on Monday were warned of disruptions in multiple languages on its website. Visitors were advised to check the website before heading to the monument or to postpone their trip. Electronic ticket owners were told to check their inboxes beforehand.
The landmark's operator also said on its website that visits to the Eiffel Tower will be disrupted on Tuesday.
21 Starbucks Stores Plan To Form Unions In 1-Day Blitz
By Dave Jamieson
Feb 20, 2024, 07:03 AM EST
Starbucks baristas from 21 stores around the country told the company Tuesday that they plan to organize, potentially adding hundreds of new members to a union campaign that’s battling the coffee chain for first contracts.
The union, Workers United, said it is the largest group of Starbucks stores to go public with their organizing plans in a single day since the effort began in Western New York in 2021. The 21 locations are scattered across 14 states from coast to coast.
Workers sent a joint letter to the company’s CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, demanding “higher wages, fair and consistent scheduling, improved benefits, and a safe and dignified workplace.” “We have been met with higher and higher expectations without being given the resources to meet them,” they wrote.
A Starbucks spokesperson said that although the company believes a “direct relationship as partners is core to our culture,” it would respect employees’ right to organize and intends to negotiate first contracts with unionized stores this year.
