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Labor

All articles tagged with #labor

TPS work permits extended at the last minute to shield immigrant workers
immigration14 hours ago

TPS work permits extended at the last minute to shield immigrant workers

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services extended work authorization for hundreds of thousands of immigrants under Temporary Protected Status from Haiti and six other countries just hours before their permits were to expire—Haiti’s extension runs through July 24, while the other six end the following Friday—delaying potential mass unemployment as employers seek relief amid a Supreme Court ruling that could allow broader cancellation of humanitarian protections for up to 1.3 million immigrants. Unions and employers say confusion and terminations are already occurring among TPS workers.

Fed taps Xbox chief for productivity task force amid H-1B backlash
politics17 hours ago

Fed taps Xbox chief for productivity task force amid H-1B backlash

Asha Sharma, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, was named to a Federal Reserve task force on Productivity and Jobs amid backlash over 4,800 layoffs and approvals to hire 2,273 H-1B visa workers. Microsoft says the visa figures are company-wide renewals and not Xbox-specific. Critics argue the move favors foreign labor, while the Fed says the panel will evaluate tools and methods to improve employment and productivity as policymakers reassess approaches.

Executives Face Reality Check as AI Pricing Surges and Labor Savings Fade
technology2 days ago

Executives Face Reality Check as AI Pricing Surges and Labor Savings Fade

A KPMG survey of 2,145 senior executives across 20 countries finds widespread confusion over AI costs, with 29% unsure where AI spending comes from and about a third lacking a plan to deploy AI productively. As usage-based pricing becomes standard, firms must forecast and monitor AI spending, challenging the old hope that AI subsidies would keep costs low. The piece also notes AI is used to discipline labor and justify layoffs or surveillance, and questions whether current AI advances will ever deliver scalable payoffs, especially since the bill is ultimately borne by workers who feel the strain.

PECO strike ends as union wins pension benefits for newer hires
labor3 days ago

PECO strike ends as union wins pension benefits for newer hires

PECO workers ended a three-day strike after a tentative five-year contract that includes pensions and retirement health benefits for newer hires, 4% annual raises for linemen and gas technicians (4 years) plus 4.5% in year five, and 3% per year for call-center staff; the agreement also adds 24-hour overtime notice and upgraded pay. The 1,600-member IBEW Local 614 workforce will vote to ratify, ending PECO’s first strike in its 145-year history amid heat, outages, and widespread restoration efforts. PECO profits reportedly rose after 2025 rate hikes.

Brooke Shields backs Casa Bonita performers as union presses for pay and safety upgrades
business5 days ago

Brooke Shields backs Casa Bonita performers as union presses for pay and safety upgrades

Brooke Shields is backing about 80 Casa Bonita performers who unionized with Actors’ Equity to demand higher pay and stronger safety protections amid allegations of hypothermia, chlorine toxicity, sexual harassment, and security gaps. Performers earn $21–$26/hour, less than servers who recently received raises, while management has offered only a small wage increase and has not commented on ongoing negotiations. Actors’ Equity has filed multiple NLRB complaints alleging retaliation and failure to bargain, and Parker and Stone have largely remained silent as their Denver venue faces ongoing labor disputes.

Philly-area PECO workers strike amid heat wave after stalled contract talks
business6 days ago

Philly-area PECO workers strike amid heat wave after stalled contract talks

About 1,600 PECO workers represented by IBEW Local 614 walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after negotiations failed to produce a contract, launching a strike during a holiday weekend and ongoing heat wave. The union seeks wages aligned with industry standards, a universal pension, retirement medical benefits, and a unified contract; PECO says it has offered a market-competitive package with nearly a 20% wage increase over five years and enhanced benefits, and a federal mediator has been assigned though the union has not agreed to participate. Both sides say they will continue talks to reach a fair agreement, with PECO maintaining operations through contingency plans.

Real Voices, Real Work: Sex Workers Challenge TV's Portrayals
entertainment10 days ago

Real Voices, Real Work: Sex Workers Challenge TV's Portrayals

Sex workers critique recent on-screen depictions (Euphoria, Margo's Got Money Troubles, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed) for glamorizing or stereotyping the work, stressing the real labor behind content creation—from building brands and managing clients to navigating banking and taxes—while debunking myths of easy money; they welcome the spotlight for sparking conversation but want authentic portrayals shaped by real workers to reduce stigma.

Rockstar staff push for union recognition as GTA VI looms
labor10 days ago

Rockstar staff push for union recognition as GTA VI looms

Rockstar Games workers have filed for voluntary recognition by the IWGB Game Workers Union, claiming a significant cross-site majority and seeking pay transparency, flexible scheduling, and reduced crunch; the move follows past layoffs accused of union busting, a September tribunal on those firings, and ahead of GTA VI’s November 19 launch at a $79.99 starting price, with Take-Two saying it will discuss with the union as industry-wide unionization efforts grow.

politics10 days ago

Thompson bill opens temporary status path for undocumented farm workers with U.S. farm experience

House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson proposed the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, expanding the H-2A guest-worker program and allowing some undocumented workers who have already worked in U.S. agriculture to apply for temporary legal status, with waivers for certain immigration violations if they meet visa requirements. The plan aims to address farmworker shortages and aligns with dairy and other labor-intensive sectors, but is expected to draw opposition from immigration hawks and labor unions.

Mass. workforce faces hit as Haitian TPS protections end
money-power-inequality11 days ago

Mass. workforce faces hit as Haitian TPS protections end

More than 10,000 Haitian workers in Massachusetts will lose Temporary Protected Status after the Supreme Court ruling, with roughly 1,500 of them in nursing facilities. The loss could devastate key industries, worsen labor shortages, and ripple through health care and transportation. Massachusetts relies on immigrants to sustain its workforce—MassINC/Boston Indicators projects net international migration could fall far short of the 60,000 needed annually, potentially dropping to about 29,000 and risking economic contraction and longer wait lists in care facilities unless protections or alternatives are enacted.

AI, Costs, and the Rebooted Engels’ Pause
technology12 days ago

AI, Costs, and the Rebooted Engels’ Pause

AI’s economic impact may rely more on price-driven demand rationalization and investment in capacity than on an immediate productivity surge: frontier models fetch higher prices to fund capex, potentially unlocking new use cases, but Engels’ Pause warns living standards could lag as capital captures a larger share of gains. The main risks to the AI boom are sociopolitical—labor wage pressure and diverted non-AI investment—pointing to a gradual path to broad productivity gains rather than a sudden explosion.