Former intern at ‘Charlie Rose’ sues, alleging wage law violations
A former unpaid intern for the “Charlie Rose” show has filed a lawsuit against Mr. Rose and his production company, accusing them of violating New York State wage laws by not paying the show’s interns for the work they performed.
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/former-intern-at-charlie-rose-sues-alleging-wage-law-violations/
Are Homeless Hotspots entitled to minimum wage?
According to the New York Times, BBH Labs, a unit of international marketing agency BBH, recruited 13 people from a local homeless shelter to serve as human 4G wireless hotspots at the conference as part of its Homeless Hotspots project. The “volunteers” were provided with mobile wi-fi devices, business cards and personalized t-shirts stating “I’m [Name], a 4G Hotspot.” Many have questioned whether BBH violated the FLSA by only paying its program participants $20 per day instead of the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. So, did it?
http://www.wagehourinsights.com/independent-contractors/are-homeless-hotspots-entitled-to-minimum-wage/
REPORT: 1-in-4 workers now plans on working past 65, up from 1-in-10 in 1991
A new study released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) shows that worker confidence in their retirement as at an all-time low. The recession left many unable to save money and many more too worried about keeping their current jobs to even think about the future.
http://wepartypatriots.com/wp/2012/03/14/report-1-in-4-workers-now-plans-on-working-past-65-up-from-1-in-10-in-1991/
Three in 10 workers say workplace not psychologically safe
Companies around the globe have work to do to improve worker satisfaction because three in 10 employees say their workplace is not psychologically safe and healthy, according to a new poll. Whether it is due to stress, interpersonal conflict, frustration, lack of feedback or promotion, 27 percent of workers in 24 countries said they are not happy with the psychological aspects of their work environment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/us-work-mentalhealth-idUSBRE82D0LF20120314
Bring back the 40-hour work week
If you’re lucky enough to have a job right now, you’re probably doing everything possible to hold onto it. If the boss asks you to work 50 hours, you work 55. It’s been this way for so long that most American workers don’t realize that for most of the 20th century, the broad consensus among American business leaders was that working people more than 40 hours a week was stupid, wasteful, dangerous and expensive — and the most telling sign of dangerously incompetent management to boot.
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/bring_back_the_40_hour_work_week/
Work hours, sleep, and safety
National Sleep Awareness Week might have been last week, but many of us are feeling the importance of shuteye this week, as we struggle to drag ourselves out of bed at what feels like an inappropriate hour. While Daylight Saving Time may get the blame for sleepiness this week, though, there are important year-round factors that cause fatigue.
http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2012/03/sleep_and_safety.php
Company fires truck driver for taking emergency bathroom break—while supporting a union
The attempt by port truck drivers working in Southern California for the Australian-owned Toll Group to join a union has reached the retaliatory firings stage: Xiomara Perez, one of only two women among the 75 truck drivers working for Toll in Southern California, was fired on March 9 for having taken an emergency bathroom break days earlier. It is illegal for a company to fire a worker for trying to join a union, but it happens all the time.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/14/1074324/-Company-fires-truck-driver-for-taking-emergency-bathroom-break-while-supporting-a-union
Wheat Growers to pay $812k fine in worker death
The Wheat Growers grain and agronomy cooperative in the Dakotas will pay an $812k federal fine in connection with the death of an employee at the group’s McLaughlin, S.D., facility about two years ago. Wheat Growers reached the settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the December 2009 death of 52-year-old Steven Lee of McLaughlin, who was suffocated by sunflower seeds in a grain silo.
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/apArticle/id/D9TGA5P80/
