As workers head back to their jobs, they are navigating the new workplace safety reality of operating in a global pandemic. Labor organizers say the protections against catching the novel coronavirus on the job are insufficient at many workplaces, and lack enforcement. They allege that California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as […]
Category: Labor
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Labor, Transportation
Ride-Hail Drivers Protest for Labor Protections
Drivers for Uber and Lyft staged a car caravan and rally outside Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s home last week to protest their classification as contractors despite a California law, AB5, which the state says defines such drivers as employees. “It’s personal for me, it’s personal for all these drivers, because our lives are directly affected […]
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Essential Workers, Labor
Postal Workers Rally for Stimulus Support
The United States Postal Service is running out of money — the agency requested $75 billion in emergency funding in April, saying it would be out of money by September. Lower demand for its services and the health impacts of the pandemic have hit the agency hard, and legislators had planned to give the postal […]
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Economy & Business, Housing, Labor, Renters at Risk
Renters Face Growing Debt Burden
The coronavirus pandemic has cost millions their jobs, and that means many tenants haven’t been able to pay rent, landlords have had trouble making mortgage payments and other bills are also stacking up. Debts can be sold to collections agencies, and even keep renters from accessing affordable housing.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Food Systems, Health, Labor
Outbreaks Among Food Supply Chain Workers Reflect Crowded Conditions
An estimated 3 million people work on farms in the United States every year to raise and harvest the nation’s produce. The meat and poultry industry is estimated to employ another half million. Working conditions in both industries tend to be harsh, and many workers have limited access to health care to begin with.
Posted inCoronavirus, Labor
Weekly Unemployment Payouts in State Skyrocket to Record $4.4 Billion
California doled out a record $4.4 billion in jobless benefits last week, more than triple the amount it paid out the previous week, data from the state’s Employment Development Department shows. In the week ending April 25, the state disbursed $1.4 billion in benefit payments.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Housing, Labor
Rental Relief Programs See Requests Surge From Newly Jobless
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Nonprofits that serve people who need emergency help with their rent are seeing requests surge from a new class of clients — those who were previously financially secure but have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. But red tape is complicating their efforts to help the newly jobless, the groups say.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Economy & Business, Labor
Stanford Volunteers Developing Financial Support Hub
A group of Stanford-affiliated volunteers has set out to develop a tool to make accessing financial support, whether public or private, easier. The project, called Healthier Finance, is part of Stanford’s COVID-19 Response Innovation Lab, in which volunteers from a broad range of disciplines including medicine, business and media hope to collaborate to create technology and systems that are needed during the pandemic.
Posted inCoronavirus, Labor, Transportation
Cable Car Bells Silenced as Crews Focus on Maintenance in Pandemic
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At San Francisco’s cable car barn on Mason Street, the large looms of wire that power one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions used to produce a loud, uninterrupted whirring. Now, the building’s interior is so quiet it’s unnerving.
Posted inCoronavirus, Government & Politics, Labor
Labor Groups Push to Expand Worker Protections Amid COVID-19 Crisis
One side effect of the coronavirus crisis appears to be labor unrest across the country. In California, political leaders and union advocates are pushing for new labor protections and expanded workplace rights in response to the pandemic’s impacts on workers and the economy.