By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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No Snow Days for Low-Wage Workers (AJAM)
Most low-wage workers don't have the option of missing work during snowstorms, writes E. Tammy Kim, and may risk being fired if lack of public transit prevents them from getting there.
A massive disruption like a blizzard hits low-wage employees hardest, said Amy Traub, senior policy analyst at liberal think tank Demos. “There is no working from home if you’re a sales associate or if you’re a cashier. If they can’t get to work because of weather, you miss a paycheck. If the store closes early or works with a skeleton staff, you miss a paycheck.”
Some states and municipalities battling the storm — Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York City and Jersey City, N.J. — require employers to provide paid time off. But laws typically do not apply to very small businesses; nor do they cover missed work due to lack of child care or a shutdown in public transit. “There’s no recourse if [the boss] says, ‘Come here or you’re fired,’ unless you have a union contract,” Traub said.
Follow below the fold for more.
Supreme Court Rules Against Retirees in Union Health Benefits Case (NYT)
Adam Liptak reports on the Court's decision in M&G Polymers USA v. Tackett, which holds that a contract that doesn't specify whether retiree health benefits are for life shouldn't be assumed to do so.
The Dark Side of ‘Sharing Economy’ Jobs (WaPo)
Catherine Rampell points out that companies like Uber are shifting much of the risk inherent in their businesses to workers who are defined as independent contractors and lack protection.
A Staggeringly Lopsided Economic Recovery (The Nation)
Zoë Carpenter looks at a new study from the Economic Policy Institute about the 1 percent's gains during the recovery, which shows that group captured at least half of growth in most states.
Why de Blasio Was Right to Take on Criminal Justice Reform (Slate)
Jamelle Bouie says that since excessive policing caused economic problems, like job loss, in communities of color, Mayor de Blasio's criminal justice reform has also served as economic populism.
New on Next New Deal
Did Ending Unemployment Insurance Extensions Really Create 1.8 Million Jobs?
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal says probably not, because the study making this claim has problematic models and technique, as well as "noisy" confusing data.
