All articles tagged with #labor
Burger King is piloting AI-powered headsets that give real-time coaching to crew members, aiming to improve greetings, order accuracy, upselling, and overall customer interactions as part of a broader move to automate frontline service, while raising questions about privacy and how workers adapt to the tech.
Mexico’s Congress approved a gradual cut from 48 to 40 hours per week by 2030, starting with a two-hour reduction next year, while allowing higher overtime pay to offset the shorter schedule. Rest days stay the same, and the reform awaits two-thirds approval in state legislatures. The measure, backed by the ruling Morena party, targets about 13.4 million workers but drew criticism for not addressing productivity and the large informal sector, with Argentina offering a contrasting approach in the region.
U.S. union membership rose to 14.7 million in 2025 and 16.5 million workers were covered by union contracts—the highest since 2009—despite the Trump administration’s push to roll back bargaining for about 1 million federal workers; density climbed to 11.2%, and public approval for unions remains high (67–71%), signaling renewed organizing over years.
WGA West staff walked off the job and picketed outside the Hollywood guild as the Writers Guild Staff Union pushes for its first contract, accusing management of bad-faith bargaining and surveilling union activity and filing an unfair labor practices charge with the NLRB. The guild says it will bargain in good faith as talks with the AMPTP loom, HQ is closed and events canceled ahead of a March start to MBA negotiations and the May 1 contract expiry.
More than 31,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers, including about 22,000 Southern California nurses, remain on an open-ended strike in its fourth week, disrupting appointments and surgeries across California and Hawaii. The union is demanding a 25% wage increase over four years to address inflation and staffing needs, while Kaiser has proposed a 21.5% raise and argues its large reserves should not be used for payroll. Negotiations have resumed after a stalemate but no deal is near. The dispute also involves Northern California groups such as nurse midwives, nurses anesthetists, and physician assistants, with patients reporting long lines and canceled care.
Health care and social assistance accounted for 95% of the 130,000 jobs added in January, continuing a 2025-driven trend of health-care hiring that buoyed the broader labor market, with hospitals, clinics and nursing homes expanding payrolls while other sectors slowed.
Construction executives say immigration raids on job sites are scaring workers and driving up construction costs, threatening housing supply and Republican gains among Hispanic voters, prompting calls for visa reform and targeted policies to address labor shortages while warning that aggressive enforcement could hurt the GOP politically.
The WNBA union president says substantial work remains to ensure the 2026 season starts on time, signaling ongoing negotiations between players and league management.
Thousands from at least 30 unions gathered in downtown Portland for the 'Labor Against ICE' protest, marching from Elizabeth Caruthers Park toward the ICE building and prompting road closures. Organizers said the turnout was unusually large for a labor action not tied to a strike, arguing immigration enforcement affects workers across Oregon. The demonstration followed national labor actions and related protests in other states, with participants voicing solidarity and concerns about ICE interactions.
Economist Claudia Sahm argues the economy has quietly shifted: hiring remains weak even as unemployment looks tame, immigration and political pressure are reshaping the labor pool, and traditional recession indicators may no longer signal trouble. She urges policymakers to focus on the labor market rather than relying on the Sahm Rule, warning that institutions like the Fed could drift under political pressure. With AI displacement and a leadership change at the Fed adding uncertainty, the usual toolkit for stimulating demand may not fit the current cycle.
President Trump announced he will nominate Brett Matsumoto, a White House economist and veteran staffer, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, filling the post left vacant after he dismissed the prior commissioner following a weak jobs report.
San Francisco joined a nationwide ICE Out Day on Jan. 30, with at least 55 local institutions closing or offering support for strikers, including free coffee, donated profits, or protest logistics. Notable closures include Al Pastor Papi, Donaji, Black Jet Bakery, and the Roxie Theater; Reems planned to stay open but provide coffee, while Clement Street and Green Apple Books offered whistles and profit donations. A Dolores Park rally is set for 1 p.m., and students planned walkouts. Authorities urge those who can’t strike to refrain from purchases or contact officials to oppose DHS funding. The event echoes a broader effort to protest immigration enforcement and its human toll.
The Minneapolis AFL-CIO endorsed a January 23 general strike in protest of ICE operations, calling for solidarity with affected workers and pressuring leaders to address immigration enforcement. The action, tied to a broader “Day of Truth and Freedom,” has sparked solidarity actions in other cities and is being coordinated by regional labor federations and unions nationwide, with further discussion planned to help spread the movement.
New York City braces for large anti-Trump protests Tuesday as tens of thousands of workers are expected to walk off the job to mark the one-year anniversary of President Trump's second inauguration. Organizers say nearly 40,000 RSVP'd for a 2 p.m. Free America protest, with about 800 related events nationwide and NYC gatherings planned at Central Park, Prospect Park, Washington Square Park and Trump Tower, urging participants to wear red, white and blue; students are also encouraged to skip class as part of the action.
Facing misconduct allegations that led to suspensions of two aides for personal travel on official trips, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has the Trump administration’s backing; reports also allege she had an affair with a staffer and drank in her office, according to a New York Post report cited by The Washington Post.