Private bus routes that inspired rowdy protests around Silicon Valley in recent years will now deliver some shared prosperity in that booming but divided region. Drivers on the routes are seeing their wages and benefits increase dramatically thanks to unionization and contract negotiations.
The latest progress comes from a contract ratified Sunday by drivers from Compass Transportation, one of several bus companies that tech giants like Google and Facebook hire to ferry their highly paid workforce to and from the office. Compass drivers’ hourly wages will rise across the board, locking in significant raises that tech giants who rely on the buses had begun extending to drivers earlier this year in response to critical scrutiny of how the routes operated.
The Republican presidential candidates will gather Wednesday night in
Boulder, Colorado for their third debate. While the first two debates
touched on a variety of topics but were heavily dominated by big
personalities and standard conservative arguments, this third debate will force the candidates to discuss the economy in more depth.
The topic may be harder for some than others. Donald Trump and Ben
Carson can talk about how they would create jobs, but neither has ever
held political office or pushed for a specific economic agenda. Others,
like the current and former governors, will have to contend with how
their economic policies hurt their own states.
Pedro started getting worried when his hands were so swollen he needed a larger size of plastic gloves.
Pedro (which is not his real name) would arrive at the chicken
processing plant for Tyson in North Carolina at 5 p.m. to clock in for
the second shift. For the next three hours, he says he wouldn’t get a
single break from breaking down slaughtered and defeathered chickens,
cutting the shoulders and pulling out the tenders, until he was allowed
to take a half-hour lunch at 8 p.m. Then it was back to the line until
all of the chickens were processed, sometimes at 5 or 6 in the morning.
On Tuesday, Pope Francis will begin his visit to the United States
with an arrival in Washington, D.C. And hundreds of Americans who work
in the Capitol building plan to greet him by striking over their low
pay.
On Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) will become the first governor to call for a $15 minimum wage across his entire state.
A wage hike would need to be passed by the state legislature, where
the state senate is Republican-controlled. But if his proposal were to
become reality, that would give New York the country’s highest state
minimum wage. A $15 minimum wage is also under consideration in Oregon, and California voters may weigh in on that wage level next year. New York’s minimum wage is currently $8.75 an hour and will rise to $9 by next year.
On Monday, many Americans — although not everyone, given that paid holidays aren’t guaranteed— will have the day off to celebrate Labor Day, often synonymous with barbecues and beach getaways.
President Barack Obama will announce an executive order
on Monday that will require all federal contractors to grant at least
seven days of paid sick leave. He will also urge Congress to pass the
Healthy Families Act, sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The bill
was introduced in the House of Representatives in March 2013, but hasn’t
moved since being referred to the Subcommittee on Workplace Protections
in April 2013. It would require all companies with more than 15
employees to allow at least seven days of paid sick leave.
On Monday, many Americans — although not everyone, given that paid holidays aren’t guaranteed— will have the day off to celebrate Labor Day, often synonymous with barbecues and beach getaways.
