labor movement

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Why a $15 Minimum Wage Will Be a Disaster

Jordan Weissman doesn't expect Seattle's experiment to go well

(Newser) - Seattle's plan to raise its minimum wage to $15 will be great for economists—the city will become a "gigantic laboratory for one of the most ambitious, and quite possibly misbegotten, labor market experiments in recent memory," observes Jordan Weissmann at Slate . But it probably won't...

Mayor: To Ban GOP From Labor Day Parade, Pay Up

Mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, tells labor council to reimburse city $2K

(Newser) - The mayor of Wausau, Wis., has told the local labor council that it’ll have to reimburse the city as much as $2,000 if it sticks by its decision to ban Republicans from its Labor Day parade . "This is not a political rally, it’s a parade, for...

Feds to Maine Gov: Rehang Mural or Repay Our Money

GOP gov took labor mural down after it was compared to N. Korea propaganda

(Newser) - When Maine Gov. Paul LePage decided to remove a 36-foot mural depicting the state's labor history from the state's Labor Department building, he didn't just tick off union leaders—he ticked off the federal government. The US Labor Department is demanding LePage put the mural back up, or else give...

100 Years Ago Today, Factory Fire Changed America

Deadly blaze at Triangle Shirtwaist site galvanized labor movement

(Newser) - It was 4:40 in the afternoon on Saturday, March 25, 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company was close to closing down for the day in New York City. Someone dropped a still-smoking object onto the factory floor. Within minutes, the eighth, ninth, and 10th floors of the building the company...

White House Blasts Labor for Wasting $10M in Ark.

Attempt to oust Blanche Lincoln was 'pointless'

(Newser) - The White House didn't waste much time harumphing about the labor movement's failed attempt to oust Blanche Lincoln. Ben Smith of Politico says a senior official called with a pointed message: "Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toilet on a pointless exercise. If...

Dem Groups Loyal to Obama Despite Snubs

Prez won't kiss up to activists, but pushes liberal agenda

(Newser) - President Obama is publicly ignoring and even criticizing the liberal interest groups feverishly courted by past presidents. He has chastised the teachers’ union, skipped the State of the Black Union (again), and eschewed fanfare when restoring funding to groups that promote abortion. But activists remain loyal anyway, Politico reports, because...

New Labor Radio Ad Beats Up on Rush
New Labor Radio Ad Beats Up on Rush
Jan 30, 2009 3:00 PM CST

New Labor Radio Ad Beats Up on Rush

Attacks GOP senators, tells them not to side with Limbaugh

(Newser) - A radio ad is making the rounds in Cleveland, Reno, and Philadelphia, slamming the local Republican senator and the apparent leader of the opposition: Rush Limbaugh. The ad, from the labor-backed Americans United for Change, slams House Republicans who “voted with Limbaugh against creating 4 million new American jobs....

Solis Is Cabinet's Lone Progressive
 Solis Is Cabinet's 
 Lone Progressive 
ANALYSIS
Dec 19, 2008 1:39 PM CST

Solis Is Cabinet's Lone Progressive

Obama's Cabinet stocked with moderates—except Solis

(Newser) - Progressives are viewing Barack Obama's ever-so-centrist Cabinet with disappointment, except for the notable pick of union friend Hilda Solis for labor secretary, Politico reports. Solis, a rising star in the House who had been viewed as a potential Speaker, is the daughter of a teamster and a factory worker, and...

Sweatshop Crucifixes Stir Up Unholy Mess for Church

Religious gifts made in appalling conditions

(Newser) - Revelations that crucifixes in their gift shops are made in a Chinese sweatshop has shocked officials at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity Episcopal Church, who removed the crosses from stores, reports Newsday. Young workers at the crucifix factory reportedly work 15-hour days in poor conditions for only 26...

Micky D Gives Migrants a Raise
Micky D Gives
Migrants a Raise
Apr 10, 2007 10:50 AM CDT

Micky D Gives Migrants a Raise

Penny-a-pound increase for tomato pickers sets industry standard

(Newser) - The cent-a-pound increase McDonald's agreed to grant their tomato-picking field hands yesterday may sound like, well, pennies, but it represents a more than 70% raise, the Chicago Tribune reports. And the deal was hailed as paving the way for negotiations between migrant workers and other corporate Goliaths across the country.

10 Stories