In the Lead
Weekly News Roundup – February 15 to 19, 2021
Employment and Earnings (02/18/21) The White House has introduced a proposed minimum wage hike. The minimum wage would increase to $15/hour in increments, finalizing in 2025. Though this would be instrumental to workers, especially those brutally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden is doubtful that they will pass in his $1.9TL COVID relief plan, citing the need for bipartisan support. Luckily, this bill can and will continue as a standalone if it does not move forward in the relief [...]
Working Moms are Exhausted – Here’s How We Can Support Them
Working mothers have searched for an equilibrium between caretaking and job responsibilities for far too long. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers had to figure out how to parent, teach, and do the job they were paid to do – all while under the financial and emotional stress of a pandemic. Many women have struggled with the extra burdens, but these strains are not something that can be relieved by mothers alone. The exhaustion and burnout that women [...]
Weekly News Roundup – February 8 to 12, 2021
Legislation Affecting Working Parents (02/12/21) The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released new guidance for reopening schools. This is not the CDC mandating that schools reopen, but them explaining the proper mitigation that can help keep kids and staff safe at school. The CDC warns that schools are lulled into a false sense of security due to low community transmission rates. But there could still be a spread the virus if they don’t enforce mask-wearing and socially distanced classrooms. [...]
What the Child Tax Credit Bill Could Mean for Working Moms
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting school and care center closures compounded a child care crisis already pushing working mothers to the brink. On Monday, February 8, the Biden administration unveiled the Child Tax Credit Bill to provide economic relief for working parents and families. The plan promises at least $3000 per child over the course of the year and will be presented to the House Ways and Means Committee over the coming weeks. The full benefit would be available to [...]
Generation-Based Workforce Management Ultimately Hurts Employers and Employees
Buzzwords like “Millennial” and “Boomer” are frequently used in workforce management discussions. Chandra Childers of IWPR, and a member of the Committee on the Consideration of Generational Issues in Workforce Management and Employment Practices, says that while these attempts at classification are natural, there’s little scientific evidence to back them up. A 2020 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine argues that, rather than relying on overgeneralized generational categories, high road employers should actually be focusing on [...]
Beyond “Leaning In”: New Study on Pay Secrecy Points to the Limits of Existing Anti-Secrecy Laws in Addressing Gender Disparity
In 1979, Lilly Ledbetter started working for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Toward the end of her 19 years there, Ledbetter began to suspect she was paid less than her male colleagues in the same position. An anonymous note confirmed her suspicion, and Ledbetter complained to her supervisor about unfair compensation. Her employer retaliated, so Ledbetter went on to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In 1998, she filed a pay discrimination case against her employer [...]
