Labor

Biden administration mandates two-person crews on freight trains

The new rules from the Federal Railroad Administration come after nearly a dozen states passed similar requirements in the last decade.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Is the deal with the NBA Milwaukee Bucks a model for city development projects?

The community benefits agreement that the Bucks owners signed for $250 million in state aid to build the Fiserv Forum included provisions allowing arena workers to freely unionize. It has turned their low-wage, insecure work into sustainable jobs, according to a new report.

  • By Erik Gunn, Wisconsin Examiner

It’s time for local policymakers to cement the Biden administration’s workforce gains

COMMENTARY | By adopting strong job quality standards for government spending, state and local policymakers can improve residents’ quality of life and support a strong, stable workforce for generations to come.

  • By Karla Walter

How one city is bridging the gender gap in construction jobs

Rochester, Minnesota, launched its Equity in the Built Environment program in 2023 that looks to educate and train women for jobs in construction, project management, interior design, and other careers.

  • By Jessica Kutz  , The 19th

Workers are dying from extreme heat. Why aren’t there laws to protect them?

In the absence of federal protections, some states have attempted to pass their own regulations after experiencing worker fatalities during record-breaking heat waves.

  • By Jana Cholakovska and Nate Rosenfield, Grist

What are strike funds? A labor-management relations expert explains

Despite setting labor standards, most states do not provide unemployment insurance compensation to striking workers. As a result, unions often help workers pay for essentials while they negotiate with their employers.

  • By Raymond Gibney Jr., The Conversation

Many states decline to require water breaks for outdoor workers in extreme heat

Summer is here and so is the heat. But states are doing little to protect outdoor workers. Over the past decade, nearly 400 U.S. workers have died of heat exposure.

  • By Barbara Barrett, Stateline

Some States May Be Barring the Door to Unemployment Benefits

Nine states are requiring unemployment insurance applicants to verify their identity before submitting applications.

  • By Natalie Alms

Legislative Staffs Are Pushing to Unionize

Since Oregon successfully unionized in 2021, statehouse employees in half a dozen states have also sought to organize.

  • By Kyle Chouinard

State & Local Roundup: Cranking Up Workforce Development Programs

Plus: A governor moves to rein in remote work. City workers go on strike. A semiconductor factory announcement. And more news you can use from across the country.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

As His First Order of Business, a New Governor Drops College Degree Requirements for State Jobs

The executive order from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro–affecting 65,000 jobs–came on his first full day in office.

  • By Justin Sweitzer

New US Industrial Policy Creates Incentives for High-quality Jobs

COMMENTARY | The last few years have been big for federal industrial policy, funneling billions into industries that have historically been union-friendly and well paying. Here's how those laws can change the labor market for the better.

  • By Joseph Peck , Urban Institute
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How ARPA Funding Has Improved the Labor Market

COMMENTARY | Pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan Act has helped reduce unemployment, improve pay and offer much needed child care services for working families.

  • By Donald Cohen

The Case for Expanding Industrial Policy to Cover Service Jobs

A Harvard professor has a proposal for how government economic development investments could be shifted to better meet workforce and employer needs in the coming years.

  • By Molly Bolan

Worker Rights Are Getting a Major Shake Up

COMMENTARY | California’s Fast Recovery Act gives low-wage workers a seat at the table with franchisees, corporations and the government to help set industry-wide labor standards, creating a model for others to follow.

  • By David Madland

New York Legislative Staffers Optimistic About Union

After going public with their campaign in July, organizers say momentum has continued to grow.

  • By Rebecca C. Lewis

California's Sweeping New Labor Law for the Fast-Food Industry

It creates a path to mandate wages up to $22 an hour, among other provisions. Advocates who backed the first-in-the-nation effort say they plan to push for similar legislation in other states.

  • By Daniela Altimari

New Index Ranks Best and Worst States for Workers

Researchers looked at over two dozen types of policies in all 50 states as part of their analysis.

  • By Molly Bolan

Inflation Pushes Minimum Wages Higher in Some States

Minimum wages will increase in 13 states and Washington, D.C., next year due to inflation.

  • By Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Despite New Funding, Infrastructure Jobs Prove Tough to Fill

Projects can't get built without the right workers, but a National League of Cities analysis shows how hiring for infrastructure jobs can be time consuming compared to other fields. NLC also offers tips for how governments can help to ease the problem.

  • By Molly Bolan

The States That Saw Unemployment Rise or Fall in July

Fourteen states saw significant drops in unemployment, according to new federal data, as the Biden administration touted a record-high number of states with jobless rates at or below 3%.

  • By Bill Lucia