Paid sick leave continues to make inroads across the country, even as congressional Republicans put it out of reach for the nation as a whole. This week, the Chicago City Council voted 48-0 to join the 34 other cities, counties, and states with sick leave laws:
The law will benefit about 460,000 workers—42 percent of the city’s private sector workforce—who currently lack paid sick leave. Over three-quarters of those who will benefit are in low-wage jobs earning under $20,000 per year. [...]
The new law lets all employees earn up to five paid sick days per year and roll over up to 20 hours of unused sick time to the next year. Importantly, the ordinance also forbids employers from disciplining their workers for using sick leave and allows workers to use their earned time off to care for loved ones who fall ill or suffer injury.
● The temp industry is the worst. Low pay, dangerous conditions, and discrimination abound. Check out Aerotek, a staffing company co-founded by Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti:
Recruiters would have to turn away qualified white and black applicants in favor of Latino workers, Tate’ said.
“People would come in excited, and then just because the managers see that they’re a certain color, they can’t go to the job,” he said.
One time, Tate’ remembered, he found a seemingly perfect candidate for a forklift position. Over the phone, Tate’ didn’t realize the man was black.
“I brought him in and was talking to him, and then my manager pulled me aside and was just like, ‘OK, well, first thing is he’s too old. And second thing is they have to be a Mexican dude.’ ”
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● Nurses at five Twin Cities hospitals went on strike this week.
● The Supreme Court will hear a case on Obama's appointment power involving the National Labor Relations Board.
● Hotel housekeepers’ wages have fallen dramatically behind the rising prices of hotel rooms.
● How private prisons hurt everyone.
● Latino car wash workers reach $1.65 million settlement for wage theft.