The ongoing protests against Bain-owned Sensata Technologies' plan to lay off American workers and move jobs to China led to
three arrests Monday as protesters tried to prevent equipment from being removed from the plant as part of its closing.
"I think a lot of people are scared because of the consequences," said a 16 year-old who was arrested as her soon-to-be-laid-off mother was inside the plant working. "But I believe that this is important."
The workers have been appealing without success to Mitt Romney to help save their jobs; Romney has significant personal investments in the Bain fund that controls Sensata. Not only are they losing their jobs, but:
The workers’ severance package was cut just a few months before Bain-owned Sensata took over the plant — signaling that the company wanted to avoid paying full severance to its employees when it shipped their jobs to China.
They're petitioning to have their severance restored, but so far without success.
A fair day's wage
- Brooklyn grocery store workers who'd been being paid below the minimum wage have gotten a $500,000 settlement, coming to about $9,000 per worker. The good news is these workers, who also unionized and have won pay above the minimum wage, overtime, and time off, got justice. The bad news is how common wage theft is.
- This writing "job" pays "between .009 and .02 per word." Per Gawker's Cord Jefferson:
In Portland, where the living hourly wage is $9.42, according to MIT's living wage calculator, that would mean low-end earners would need to write about 1,047 words per hour to keep their head above water. That's easy, right, professional writers?
Ha ha ha. Yeah, sure.
- More people over 65 are working.
State and local legislation