It’s more important than ever to celebrate those who improve the mechanisms of government. And we need to give them the kind of learning opportunities to enable them to have even more of an impact.
It’s not enough for public and private employers to simply drop college degree requirements. State governments have a crucial role in matching workers and employers based on consistently defined competencies.
Nearly half of all Americans now live in a jurisdiction where it’s legal to smoke weed. But for some workers, including bus drivers and train operators, drug-testing protocols make legalization irrelevant.
The state opened the school year with 3,584 teaching vacancies, almost a 20 percent drop from the previous year, but many of the new hires are less qualified. There’s been a 51 percent decrease in the last decade in traditional teacher preparation program enrollment.
The state Assembly voted 53-14 to give employees on strike access to state unemployment insurance benefits, despite concerns about an indebted and poorly structured fund. The Senate will consider the bill next.
The gap between wage growth and inflation was at its widest in the third quarter of 2022, but, since May, pay has been rising faster than inflation. However, workers’ wages aren’t set to recover their loss of purchasing power until the end of next year.
State Sen. Lena Gonzalez has introduced legislation that would give workers at least five days of mandated sick pay every year. It is estimated that unscheduled absenteeism costs employers about $3,600 annually for each hourly employee.
At the end of the month, some $24 billion in government aid for child-care providers will run out, threatening the spots for 3.2 million children. The upheaval may force parents, especially women, to reduce work hours.
Labor organizer Jane McAlevey has advice for how workers can continue to demand more of employers and union leaders, but there are still obstacles to overcome before gains can be made.
In 2021, roughly half of all Latino, Black and Native American workers earned $10,000 or more below the state’s median per capita income, and 54 percent of workers in the state earning $32,239 or less were female.
Though officials have pushed job training and career readiness programs, the lack of child care, affordable housing or mental health services prevents people from joining the workforce.
The San Juan County, Wash., Council voted unanimously to transition to a 32-hour work week for approximately 70 percent of the county’s workforce without decreasing the employees’ pay. The move raises wage rates while avoiding a possible tax increase.
Municipal strikes have been rare for decades, but union activity in California suggest they might be making a comeback. Blame it on inflation and staff shortages.
California is one of the few states that requires farmworkers working in the heat to have shade, water and rest, but those rules are often not followed. Additionally, 39 percent of workers reported having problems keeping their own homes cool.
Charter, the parent company of the area’s cable and broadband provider Spectrum, will cover 100 percent of tuition costs for workers pursuing a high school diploma, undergraduate or associate degree and some certificate programs.
Data from cities, counties and states reveals the roles they have the toughest time filling (and they’re not just in cybersecurity). Here are some of their innovative approaches to navigating these workforce shortages.
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