In order to prevent furloughs and layoffs, Southwest Airlines on Monday announced that it has asked unions to agree to pay cuts through 2021, as the industry struggles to stem losses from the global pandemic in the absence of more federal aid. About 83% of roughly 61,000 Southwest employees is represented by unions. The airline also announced 10% cut for non-union staff until 1 Jan, 2022, hopefully when the normal services will be resumed.
According to the recent study published on the state of working parents by Cleo on 24 Sept, 2020, it was found that working parents lose significant amount of time during work hours, experience increased stress, and make adjustments to their schedules. The study also noted that women shoulder a larger amount of responsibility for caregiving. The study also pointed that women lose about 49% more time as compared to men and about 61% of women admitted that they felt responsible for the majority of caregiving in their partnership.
According to the lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) dated 23 Sept, 2020, it was revealed that an Indiana Subway franchisee had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it refused to recruit an applicant with a hearing impairment. The lawsuit alleged that Ranrae Inc. – the company that owns and operates the store in Bloomington, Indiana had refused to hire the qualified applicant for one of the positions because of the applicant’s ‘hearing’ and ‘speaking’ concerns. The lawsuit had requested back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and a permanent injunction to curtail future recruitment discriminations.
In a recent lawsuit settlement claims, UnitedHealth Group Inc and Express Scripts Holdings have resolved the lawsuits that claimed that their pursuit of rebates and other discounts on the allergy injection EpiPen have increased the prices of medication. This in turn has violated the fiduciary duties under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
In the final jobs report before the November elections, the Labor Department revealed that nonfarm payrolls had risen by a lower than expected 661,000 in September and the unemployment rate was about 7.9%. According to the report economists who were surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting a gain of 800,000 in payrolls and with the drop in the unemployment rate to 8.2% from 8.4% in August. The payrolls miss is cited largely to a drop in government hiring with at-home schooling continued.
According to the report released by Unum – the employee benefits provider – it was revealed that numerous employers were concerned about the mental health of their employees amid the pandemic. However, these concerns were increased with the beginning of the school year. The report was released on 21 Sept, 2020 and it explored challenges facing employers and how the use of accommodations can support employees.
The rippling effects of pandemic are felt by the US Airlines. The federal airlines aid ending on Sept. 30, the airlines are preparing for 30,000 more job cuts. Airline executives of top-notch US airlines including CEOs of American, United, Southwest and JetBlue have been trying their best to persuade both lawmakers and Trump officials to provide additional aid to avoid job cuts but to no avail. The terms of $25 billion in federal airline aid prohibited job cuts until Oct 1, 2020.
In a recent report published by Harvard Business Review Analytics Services and sponsored by Verizon, it was found that the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation at numerous organizations. This in turn has created a need to blend virtual work and the work that required an employee to be physically present at the office. The report featuring about 1,080 global business leaders stated that about 86% of respondents agreed with the statement – "the digital workplace must coexist with the physical workplace for the foreseeable future."
The effects of global pandemic are visible not only on travel industry but also on the theme parks. The forced prolong closures at Disney’s California-based theme parks and limited attendance at the parks that were open to the public has made the company to take some tough decisions. The decision included laying off 28,000 employees across its various parks, experiences, and consumer products division. While Disney had been able to open its theme parks in Florida, Paris, Shanghai, Japan, and Hong Kong, California-based theme parks have remained shut throughout the lockdown.
According to a recent survey conducted by McKinsey, it was found that about 83% of employers responded that their organizations will recruit more individuals for health and safety roles as offices reopen. The jobs will also include roles in ‘on-site distancing/sanitizing’ and ‘workforce safety and health,’ The survey report was released on 23 Sept, 2020. The report also concluded that while remote work is here to stay it will not be for everyone or for every work day.
According to a US Department of Labor administrative law judge passed the statement that Oracle did not engage in any intentional compensation discrimination. The ruling came out on 22 Sept, 2020 thus ending a lawsuit that was first filed in 2017. Oracle was sued by the US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). OFCCP had alleged that the federal contractor engaged in discriminatory pay practices that had costed black, Asian, and female employees about $400 million in lost wages over a roughly four-year period.
The recent controversy surrounding Nikola founder Trevor Milton revealed sexual assault allegations. According to the lawsuits filed by two different women accused the 38-year-old billionaire of sexual abuse when they were both 15-years old. The accusations, which stretched more than 15 years ago, came in the wake of Milton’s resignation as executive chairman of Nikola on 21 Sept, 2020 post short seller Hindenburg Research released a damning report that had detailed fraud allegations.
In an internal memorandum shared by the bank with the staff, it was revealed that JPMorgan Chase & Co has informed its thousands of workers across the consumer unit that they could work from home until next year. According to the announcement, the directives will be applicable to most of JPMorgan’s US-based employees in the consumer unit and will exclude branch workers and some in operations.
In a recent announcement by McDonald’s, it revealed its plans to improve equity in skills training for youth and in order to do so it is planning to expand its Passport to Success (PTS) Explorer digital curriculum and make it reach up to 100,000 through non-profits, community organizations and post-secondary institutions which support diverse communities. The announcement was made on 21 Sept, 2020. The curriculum has been prepared in partnership with the International Youth Foundation and will teach communication skills, self-awareness, and management skills in addition to guidance on building healthy relationships and conflict management.
According to the recent announcement made on 21 Sept, 2020 it was revealed that a new initiative was launched by a group of economists, academics, and business leaders that was led by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The initiative will seek to create new methods of financing for training, which will prepare employees to meet current and future skills gaps.
In a recent development related to sexual misconduct lawsuit, Alphabet – the parent company of Google – had reached a settlement with shareholders in a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged sexual misconduct mishandling and cover-up by executives that included former chief legal officer David Drummond. The company also announced that it will eradicate mandatory arbitration and also limit Google’s use of non-disclosure agreements. The company will also prohibit Google from ‘offering severance to any employee, including a senior executive, terminated for sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or retaliation.’
In a recent announcement made by the Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready) to help retrain unemployed Virginia residents for ‘high-demand jobs,’ the initiative has partnered with Bank of America. With the partnership, the candidates post achieving credentials at one of the Virginia Community College System’s 23 colleges will be granted opportunities to interview with VA Ready’s partners including Bank of America. The program will be aligned with the rising demand jobs in fields like tech, healthcare, and manufacturing.
In a recent development related to family and medical leave, California Governor Gavin Newsom had signed SB-1383 into law on 17, Sept, 2020 – a move that allowed a significant expansion of employee entitlement to family and medical leave. According to the Newsom’s office it was estimated that about six million additional workers in the state would have access to job-protected leave. According to the law, the employers with five or more employees should grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave during any 12-month period. The law will become effective from 1, Jan, 2021.
In an internal announcement made by Google it was announced that Google will match student loans up to $2,500 annually as a new company will benefit for full-time employees starting from 2021. The move came amid a ‘student loan debt crisis.’ According to the organization’s benefits head John Casey, they will tap Black employee resource groups for the initiative. Casey added that the burden of student loans weigh heavily of the student loans weighs disproportionately on communities of color and women.
According to the announcement made by Randstad US – the staffing and consulting firm – it was revealed that as the busy season is on the horizon for various companies, the firm will be hiring more than 14,000 seasonal jobs across the country. The firm also announced that there will be virtual career fairs in coordination with the local Randstad nationwide starting from 21 Sept to 25 Sept, 2020.
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