US CEO pay soars during pandemic
For the majority of the population, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catastrophe on a scale not seen since the Second World War. With a death toll over 586,000 in the US alone, millions of families have lost loved ones, as parents, spouses, siblings, and even children fell ill and succumbed to the virus in a matter of days. Millions more have survived an infection only to face debilitating long-term consequences to their health.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings President & CEO Frank Del Rio, right, joins applause as he rings the New York Stock Exchange opening bell. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
States challenge religious exemption for contractors in hiring, firing
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April 26 (UPI) More than half of U.S. states are battling over a Department of Labor rule expanding a religious exemption for federal contractors from nondiscrimination requirements in hiring and firing.
The rule, which went into effect during the Trump administration, allows contractors to condition employment on adherence to certain religious tenets rather than simply exercising a preference for members of the same faith. In addition, it lets for-profit entities claim the exemption if they present strong evidence that their purpose is substantially religious.
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Fourteen states and the District of Columbia, with New York taking the lead, sued the Labor Department on Jan. 21, the day after President Joe Biden was sworn in, seeking to have the rule rescinded. The same day, two organizations and a labor union that promote equality and diversity in the workplace filed a similar lawsuit
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) hosted their first Unity Rally at Tannehill State Park on Wednesday night for the miners on strike at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood.
The strike started on April 1 after contract negotiations between the company and around 1,100 workers broke down.
The rally started off with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, which were followed by a speech from Larry Spencer, the International Vice President of the UMWA District 20. This battle is not just for the coal miners, Spencer said. It started in our home, but I m telling you if [the company] wins this battle, they re coming after you next. It seems like these companies have just taken a complete change from what we re used to in Alabama. They don t have any concern about the people they say they do, but when you go down there, they want to intimidate; they want to scare you. They want you to take whatever they put out, and you know people don t realize what we go through.
Illinois State University graduate students vote “yes” to strike, union delays until fall
Milner Library, Illinois State University (Photo: Wikipedia)
Workers’ demands include increasing the graduate students’ 9 month stipend above the obscenely low rate of $9,441, full access to health care and dental, and increased protection for international students who are often charged more in fees every semester. The elimination of mandatory administration fees taken from students’ paychecks every semester is also a key demand.
The results of the vote were delayed due to technical problems and the final vote count was not released until last Thursday. Almost immediately after the results of the vote were announced the GWU called for delaying the strike until the fall semester. On Friday, the GWU leadership held an online meeting open to all Teaching Assistant (TAs) to discuss the outcome of the vote. At the meeting, the union revealed to the graduate workers that, in fact, the st
POLITICO
Kids are finally returning to school. But most of them are white.
It’s a key challenge facing Joe Biden as he moves beyond his first months in office, and one the administration insists it is prepared to tackle.
Returning children to the classroom safely is as much of a policy challenge for the Biden White House as it is a political hurdle. | Haven Daley/AP Photo
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President Joe Biden is on the verge of meeting his 100-day pledge to press the majority of American schools into reopening for five days of weekly in-person instruction. But there’s a problem. Most of the kids returning to classes are white.