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What I've Been Reading This Week


About an hour ago, the Labor Department released the jobs report which showed that fewer jobs have been added in the past month than had been predicted.  (There had been predictions of job growth of 160,000 rather than the 145,000 that was reported earlier this morning.)  What does this mean?  Well we could go twenty different directions but for the sake of argument, there appears to be somewhat of a slowing of the economy (in part because of trade concerns with China) yet there are still enough jobs to keep up with population growth.

One of the other key takeaways from the job report was the reference to the unemployment rate remaining at 3.5%, a 50 year low.  It should come as no surprise that this is a favorable time for workers in the country given the rather plentiful number of jobs (especially for some hourly workers), which has resulted in many employers taking steps to recruit (and retain) workers.  An article I highlighted below about efforts by Taco Bell to bring in the crem de la creme during this tight labor market is somewhat eye opening, yet should not be overly surprising, given the fight for good workers in the service industry.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Not So Fast: Some Federal Workers Are Not Covered By the New Paid Parental Leave Law

Well this is unfortunate, to say the least.  Eric Yoder at The Washington Post wrote an article recently in which he pointed out that although a bill was signed which extended paid parental leave to federal workers, it turns out that many federal workers were mistakenly not covered.  Some readers are likely wondering how that is the case.  Let us take a closer look, shall we?  In broad terms, the language of the bill which provided for paid leave amended Title 5 which is the standard set of civil service laws that covers personnel policies (including leave.)  However, some occupations and agencies fall under other sections of the law, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (Title 49) and medical personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs (Title 38).  As a result, they were not included in the covered federal employees that would have the right to use this newly granted paid leave. While Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz attempted to remedy this shortcoming by using a shortcut procedure to broaden the paid family leave benefits, that effort is currently pending in the Senate.  With the upcoming election, if this news takes hold, I would expect to see increased pressure on those in Congress to ensure that those federal workers that are currently excluded from the benefits of paid family leave are eventually included.


Changes in Laws Across the Country Alter Hiring Practices

Alonzo Martinez at Forbes wrote an article on Monday in which he noted that because of a host of new laws across the country in recent years (especially last year), that has forced employers to alter their hiring practices.  Whether it is New Mexico's Criminal Offender Employment Act (which mirror ban the box legislation), the Colorado Chance to Compete Act (again, which mirrors ban the box legislation), pay equity laws, or New Jersey's Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act (which prevents employers from taking adverse employment actions against a medical marijuana user if the action is based solely on the employee's status as a medical marijuana patient), many employers are having to change course and create new hiring practice policies to comply with these laws.  While it is never too late to ensure compliance with these new laws, employers would be wise to review the relevant laws that have gone into effect in their state/city/county, and make sure their hiring practices do not run afoul of these laws.


Now Hiring: Taco Bell General Managers With $100,000 Salaries & Paid Sick Leave

Yesterday, it was reported that Taco Bell has started offering twenty four hours of paid sick leave to its workers at all of its corporate owned restaurants as of January 1st.  As USA Today noted in its article yesterday, later this year, Taco Bell will begin paying some of its general managers $100,000 (up from the current rate of $50,000 - $80,000.)  While fast food has been an industry heavily targeted by the Fight for $15 movement and labor advocates, this news should be seen as a step in the right direction.  The question now turns to whether other fast food companies will follow suit?

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