Your tax dollars at work, especially if you live in Wisconsin:
Palermo’s Pizza, where workers have been on strike since June 1 protesting unfair labor practices, has received some $26 million in local, state and federal funds since 2005. The majority of funds were earmarked for job creation and economic development. But a new report from the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research finds little evidence Palermo's has kept its word. [...]
The WEDC requires that employers pay at least $10.88 an hour to qualify for job creation tax credits. Even that is below the $14.06 that is considered the family-sustaining wage for the Menomonee Valley area where the plant is located and most of its workers live.
While the WEDC report didn’t provide the information to verify Palermo’s wage claims, an examination of pay stubs from 55 recent employees shows an average wage of just $10.55 an hour, with half earning less than $10 an hour.
A fair day's wage
- Looks like public attention works on Walmart in at least one way: the retail giant issued a memo telling store managers to obey the law when it comes to retaliating against workers who went on strike recently.
- Another study shows that a shortage of skilled workers isn't to blame for high unemployment:
The study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) says manufacturers may have openings they can't fill, but it's not because workers aren't out there. It's because companies are being too selective about who they hire and are unwilling to pay a competitive wage.
The report acknowledges a mild skills gap. U.S. manufacturers could use an additional 80,000 to 100,000 highly skilled employees — less than 1% of all factory workers and less than 8% of highly skilled workers, the study says. Workers in highest demand are welders, machinists and mechanics.
State and local legislation meets the War on Education
Miscellaneous
- Las Vegas unions have been fighting Sheldon Adelson for a long time. Now they're fighting his millions in the presidential election.