Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start to summer. But for young jobseekers, there is nothing to celebrate. American retailers that have traditionally staffed up in summers are closing at an unprecedented rate. More than 3,500 stores have closed already this year, with at least 10 well-known retail chains filing for bankruptcy protection. These include RadioShack, Payless Shoes, and Rue21, which plan to close more than […]

These are difficult times for the American labor movement. Only 6.4% of the private workforce is unionized, an all-time low. Although dues still put an estimated $9 billion a year into union coffers, according to federal filings, increasing that figure depends on recruitment. Hence the New York City Council’s proposal, expected to come up for vote on Wednesday, that would allow hard-to-organize fast-food workers to […]

Young job seekers in California have unwanted Christmas presents left under the tree: A series of minimum wage hikes given by state and local legislators that will reduce job opportunities in the new year. Unfortunately, these gifts don’t come with a return policy. On New Year’s Day, the minimum wage rises in 12 California cities as well as in the state as a whole. Cupertino, Los […]

Berkeley currently is entertaining a proposal to match its neighbors in San Jose and San Francisco with a $10-or-higher hourly minimum wage. Wisely, Mayor Tom Bates offered the modest caveat that such an increase also should account for the tip income earned by restaurant employees such as waiters and waitresses. A loose coalition of labor organizers and academics has offered a barrage of misinformation in an […]

A small percentage of Milwaukee's fast-food workforce walked off the job this week, demanding a greater than 100% increase in the minimum wage — to $15 an hour from Wisconsin's current $7.25 an hour. Though the strikers have targeted fast-food chain restaurants, their real battle isn't with restaurant management at all; it's with the restaurant's price-conscious customers. And if the workers get their way with a […]

An organization called Respect DC has called for retail giant Wal-Mart to pay its employees a “living wage” if they want to locate in the District. Our neighbors to the north of Eastern Avenue have gone a step further; a coalition of labor unions and advocacy groups have launched a “Raise Maryland” campaign to convince that state’s legislature to create a statewide minimum of “living wage” […]