Workforce
State and local governments face a tight labor market and a competitive disadvantage with the private sector. But salaries aren’t the only issue, with cities, counties and states all grappling with training, retention, remote work and increased union activity.
Half the state's D.A. offices can't hire enough attorneys, with some vacancies remaining open for years.
People with criminal records just want to work, and they can be good employees. There’s a lot that governments could do to enable this untapped workforce.
Republican lawmakers and business groups argue that the state’s economy is suffering from too many people collecting unemployment benefits instead of working. But the effort could remove a financial safety net.
A labor union has alleged that its members were harassed, ostracized and deprived of clean restrooms by officials after exposing the city’s illegitimate practices. The city has said it is committed to rooting out corruption.
Half of public-sector workers are considering leaving their jobs. Unions have stepped up their role in retention and recruitment, but the ongoing lack of normalcy remains a serious challenge.
A federal appeals court upheld a union-backed law that bars state government officials from dissuading their employees from joining unions or paying union fees. The 2017 law was challenged with freedom of speech violation claims.
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a guidance letter to state unemployment agencies stating they should expand jobless waivers to thousands of people and absolve those who received overpayments due to state error.
The bill allows workers at businesses of 26 or more employees to take up to two weeks paid time off to recover from the disease or address COVID-related responsibilities, and will be retroactive to Jan. 1 and expire on Sept. 30.
The city’s recently appointed Racial Equity Initiative leader was the subject of a criminal investigation regarding substantial unemployment fraud claims that occurred while she headed Ohio’s jobs department.
Seven months after the decision was made, thousands of residents do not yet know that they will be able to keep the overpaid jobless aid, thanks to antiquated technology that continues to hobble the unemployment agency.
Not only would offshore wind farms bring economic opportunities to southern Louisiana, they would also propel the state towards its 2050 climate goals. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to begin leasing Gulf waters by 2025.
Since the surge began in December, some smaller law enforcement agencies have been forced to increase overtime, reduce services and reroute non-emergency calls to online portals.
The Ohio city’s police dispatchers union has filed an unfair labor practice charge regarding a recent installation of a camera in the dispatch center’s work area, which the union compares to a “spy camera.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield terminated 250 employees earlier this month for not complying with the company’s vaccination deadline. But some employees felt they were wrongfully fired after being denied a religious exemption.
Prior to the pandemic, the state had more people working from home and better Internet access than average, but as remote work becomes increasingly permanent, workers continue to migrate and impact local communities.
Public health, social work and public works employees under SEIU Local 521 will walk off the job on Jan. 25 in response to poor-faith bargaining. Council officials expect the strike to delay or entirely shut down some departmental operations.
Legislation that would have enacted minimum standards for wages, working hours and work conditions across the fast food industry fell short of passing the state Assembly last year by just three votes. Some hope the bill becomes law during this year's legislative session.
If 25 percent to 30 percent of fully paid working days remain at home, that could have implications from how to use buildings to employee diversity in the office, from commuting considerations to who gets promoted.
The relative success of remote work has proved that in many cases government staff are just as, if not more, productive when they work away from the office. More agile structures like holacracy might be ones to model.
The Department of General Services will relinquish approximately 767,000 square feet of office space as many state departments continue with remote work. The state expects to save about $22.5 million annually.
The Department of Job and Family Services hired five companies to contract call center workers to better handle the mass of pandemic-related unemployment claims. Some call center workers were initially paid $59 an hour.
The average remote workers shifted two of their working hours outside of the traditional 9-to-6 weekday schedule and worked more hours than pre-pandemic.
From paid sick leave to corporate discrimination, lawmakers are enacting policies to balance businesses’ economic revitalization with ensuring worker safety as the coronavirus continues to spread across the state.
To address the persistent worker shortage, some lawmakers have suggested job training programs, increased affordable housing and child-care access and cutting taxes, but it is unknown which, if any, will be the final solution.
Elaine Howle was the longest-serving auditor in state history and known for her determination to be detailed and independent. The job posting for her replacement will close later this month.
An appeals court in Boston will determine if the Maine governor violated an inmate’s 14th Amendment rights when she ordered the Department of Corrections to seize COVID-19-induced unemployment benefits.
Confusion and misinformation have made it difficult to gauge the impact of the omicron variant on the economy and work. Data that tracks unemployment rates since the start of the pandemic provides a rough guide.
Illinois and seven other states want the federal government to reinstate a pause on interest rates for loans used to pay unemployment benefits in the beginning of the pandemic. If left unpaid for a year, Illinois could owe $100 million in interest.
After the successful shift to remote work for many government agencies in 2021, the public sector has begun to weigh the benefits of hybrid work environments and reassess hiring practices.
State and local governments have billions to invest in recovery and equity. Emphasis on diversity and purpose-driven jobs could get them the workers they need to make the most of a historic opportunity.
The paid family and medical leave legislation that passed more than two years ago with bipartisan support will miss its Jan. 2023 launch date. Residents could lose out on $453 million of paid leave benefits.
