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What I've Been Reading This Week


Tough to say what was the bigger development recently:  Paid sick leave for those working federal contracts or an increase in the minimum wage rate in Palo Alto.  Both will likely have major implications going forward, not just for those workers directly impacted, but for other cities and states that might now follow suit. 

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


Minimum Wage Becomes Focal Point of Vice Presidential Debate

This past Tuesday, Governor Mike Pence and Senator Tim Kaine met for the first (and only) vice presidential debate.  During the 90 minute debate, Senator Kaine was quick to raise the topic of minimum wage and point out differences between the two tickets (namely that the Democrats have advocated for a $15/hour wage rate while the Republicans have seemed to suggest workers are already being paid too much).   Fox 29 has a good look at the topic and how arguments played out.  Worth a quick review, even for those who did watch the debate.


DOL Finalizes New Paid Sick Leave Rule For Contractors Working With Federal Government

Last week, it was announced that he Department of a labor had finalized a new rule that will require businesses to provide paid sick leave to its employees that are working on contracts with the federal government.  As Slate indicates, these workers will have the opportunity to earn up to 7 paid sick days per year...a move that could impact nearly 600,000 workers.  Well worth a review for those interested in paid sick leave developments.


Palo Alto Approves Minimum Wage Hike

A recent article posted by Palo Alto Online notes that the city recently approved a minimum wage hike for hourly workers from the current hourly wage rate of $11 to $15/hour by 2019.  Although the City Council voted unanimously to raise the minimum wage rate to $15/hour, the Council chose not to stick to a prior plan that would have raised the minimum wage rate to $15/hour by 2018.  Regardless, this is a major development that will likely trigger surrounding cities to raise their minimum wage rates as well.  Stay tuned.


Airline Labor Unions Flock to Hillary Clinton

To the surprise of few, many labor unions in the country have chosen to back Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for President.  Ted Reed over at TheStreet has a great look at why airline labor unions in particular have gravitated to Hillary Clinton this election cycle.  For those unfamiliar with the background between these unions and Clinton, look no further than the work she did on the Family Medical Leave Act to ensure pilots and stewardesses qualified.  I do not think these unions would have endorsed Trump, but Clinton's prior work on their behalf certainly did not hurt her in any regard.

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