Some local ordinances in particular include an exemption for employers that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a union. This “escape clause” is often designed to encourage unionization by making a labor union the potential “low-cost” alternative to new wage mandates, and it raises serious questions about whom these minimum wage laws are actually intended to benefit.
“African Americans appear to be moving once again, but this time primarily to cities, many in the south, the very region they exited in huge numbers during the last century. Increasingly, they, as well as Latino and Asian households seeking a better future, are moving to opportunity cities. Between 2000 and 2013, the African American population of Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Raleigh, Tampa-St. Petersburg and San Antonio all experienced growth of close to 40 percent or higher, well above the average of 27 percent for the 52 metropolitan areas […] For Latinos, now the nation’s largest ethnic minority, nine of the top 13 places are held by cities wholly or partially in the old Confederacy, led by #1 Jacksonville, Florida. Current state projections in Texas indicate that Latinos will outnumber Anglos by 2025. The majority of newcomers to the South, notes a recent Pew study, are classic first-wave immigrants: young, 57 percent foreign born and not well educated; but they see the South as their land of opportunity.”
That, too, has been very successful. More than 600 bills were given the “job killer” epithet over the last 18 years and fewer than 50 made it into law. In some years, none did.
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County dropped Monday for the 21st consecutive day and the 22nd time in 23 days, decreasing a half-cent to $3.756.
The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday retreated from new, more rigorous graduation standards out of concern that huge numbers of students would fail to earn diplomas.
“There’s no well-defined tech sector,” said Jerry Nickelsburg, an economics professor at UCLA. “There’s clearly a large and vibrant technology sector that runs across many traditional sectors in Los Angeles — that is clear. What that translates to in terms of employment and income — that’s a little less clear.”
The incidence of involuntary part-time work surged during the Great Recession and has stayed unusually high during the recovery. This may reflect more labor market slack than is captured by the unemployment rate alone. Analysis across states and over time indicates that a substantial part of the increase is related to the business cycle. However, structural factors such as changes in industry composition, population demographics, and labor costs have also contributed. This suggests that involuntary part-time work may remain significantly above its pre-recession level as the labor market continues to recover.
When China was booming, scrap dealers focused heavily on that market. Ships that carried furniture and other household goods from China to California returned stuffed with old metal and boxes ready to be converted into new products. That traffic has slowed.
Data from the trade consulting group Trade Partnership Worldwide illustrates how the congressional districts with the highest value of exports in 2013 (excluding oil and gas shipments) were places where the number of households earning more than $100,000 a year and the number of college graduates were above the national average–often far above. (See the complete chart.)
Federal Reserve policies launched in a historic economic slump may have exacerbated wealth disparities in the U.S., according to new research from the Philadelphia Fed.
As early as this week, the Labor Department could propose a rule that would raise the current overtime threshold — $23,660 – to as much as $52,000, extending time and a half overtime pay to millions of American workers. The rule has already come under fire from business and Republican opponents who say it will kill jobs and force employers to cut hours for salaried employees.
Broadly speaking, the high level of part-time workers now found in the economy make improvements in the jobless rate look better than it actually is. The unemployment rate, one of the most important indicators of the nation’s economic health, has undergone a rapid decline in recent years. After peaking at nearly 10% in the spring of 2010, it now stands at 5.5%.
U.S. economic growth in the second quarter will be far weaker than previously expected and it will prevent the pace of growth from exceeding last year’s 2.4 percent, according to a forecast by a group of U.S. business economists.
The survey showed 70% of CEOs expect sales to increase in the next six months, down from 80% in the first-quarter survey and the lowest level since 2012. Only 35% plan to increase capital spending, down from 45%, and 34% plan to boost hiring, down from 40%.
Most Americans believe the climate is changing, according to various polls, but double-digit percentages do not. And of those who acknowledge the problem, the number of people who think humans are responsible – or who are alarmed by it – falls much lower. In California, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released last year, an overwhelming eight in 10 people view global warming as a threat to the state’s economy and quality of life, but fewer than half – 49 percent – say it is a very serious problem.