Free Republic

Southwest Airlines’ CEO said the company will not fire employees who do not get the COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 9 following a Biden administration mandate that was announced last month for federal contractors. In a statement to news outlets Friday, the Dallas-based carrier confirmed to Fox News it does not want to “lose any employee” over President Joe Biden’s mandate, adding that firing a worker over the vaccine “makes no sense.” It came a day after Southwest CEO Gary Kelly made a similar announcement during an earnings call. “This is an evolving process working with the government in terms of...

* Seven in 10 tech workers are considering quitting in the next year, per a new survey of 1,200 people. * Their top reasons included working hours, limited career progression, and toxic work environments. * The labor shortage continues to cause havoc across multiple industries.Seventy-two percent of US tech workers are considering quitting their jobs in the next 12 months, according to a new survey from learning software firm TalentLMS and Workable.About four in ten of the 1,200 IT, software, and tech workers surveyed said that limited career progression made them think about leaving their jobs.Other common reasons for considering...

Labor flexes its muscle as leverage tips from employers to workersNew York Workers are saying enough is enough. And many of them are either hitting the picket lines or quitting their jobs as a result. The changing dynamics of the US labor market, which has put employees rather than employers in the driver's seat in a way not seen for decades, is allowing unions to flex their muscle. Already on strike are 10,000 workers at John Deere (DE), who hit the picket lines early Thursday after rejecting a tentative deal which would have improved wages and benefits. They joined 1,400...

Department will seek to monitor vital signs, “psychosocial information." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking proposals for a new system that will allow it to track the biometric data of its workers in order to monitor their physical and mental well-being. DHS said in a call for proposals this week that it is looking to “find innovative technological solutions that will improve the overall health and wellness of those consistently placed in high-stress and dangerous conditions” under DHS employment. “DHS is seeking capabilities that not only promote intervention action when necessary, but preemptively and in real-time optimize DHS...

Brief: • Retail workers in August walked out on their jobs at one of the highest rates in the nation, with a total 721,000 quitting that month, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. • Their quit rate — which the Labor Department in its release said “can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs” — was 4.7% in August, a high since April. In the wider labor market, the overall quitting rate rose to a series high 2.9%, while the rate of layoffs and discharges was little changed at 0.9%,...

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) says he is moving forward with a proposal to pay city workers in bitcoin. During an interview on Bloomberg Technology on Tuesday, Suarez said the city is will request a proposal this month to allow employees to get paid in bitcoin, and even allow residents to pay fees and even taxes in bitcoin if the county allows. Suarez said it was a “major priority” for him as he wants to differentiate the city as a “crypto capital of the United States or of the world.”

SEATTLE — (AP) — The Boeing Co. has told employees they must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or possibly be fired. The Seattle Times reports the deadline for workers at the aerospace giant is Dec. 8. “Compliance with these requirements is a condition of employment,” states a Boeing internal presentation from Tuesday viewed by the newspaper. “Employees who are unable to meet these requirements ... may be released from the company.” Employees can request exemptions “due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief.” Any employee granted such an exemption will have to “undergo frequent testing for COVID-19” and be ready...

Coal supply shortages in Asia and Europe are pushing prices for the dirtiest fossil fuel to record highs and have become a challenge for US suppliers due to a shortage of miners, according to Bloomberg. For the last three and a half decades, the number of coal mining jobs in the US has collapsed from 180,000 to 42,500 in August. The industry remains 9,500 miners short from pre-COVID times. With coal prices worldwide screaming to all-time highs ahead of winter as China and Europe scramble for supplies, the US coal industry is failing to find new miners willing to do...

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has reportedly told employees who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus that they could face termination. In an internal email obtained by Politico, the DNC’s Chief Operations Officer Monica Guardiola said that unvaccinated workers could face “termination” if they have not obtained legal exemption for the jab. The policy goes into effect when in-person work begins at DNC headquarters, the outlet reported.

The unprecedented employment crisis that we are watching unfold around the globe is so bizarre that it could have been pulled straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone. For the very first time in recorded history, there is an extremely severe shortage of workers in nations all over the planet. When this shortage first started to emerge earlier this year, I thought that it was very strange, because 2020 had been a year when we had seen unemployment absolutely skyrocket in the U.S. and other western nations.In fact, somewhere around 70 million Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits...

Why are companies all over the world suddenly desperate for workers? In my entire life I have never seen anything like this. When the labor shortage started in the United States, a lot of people blamed overly generous government handouts, but that doesn’t explain why the exact same thing is happening in nation after nation all over the globe. There aren’t enough factory workers, there aren’t enough truck drivers, there aren’t enough port workers, there aren’t enough employees to properly staff our stores, and the shortage of doctors and nurses is becoming a major crisis in some areas. During normal...

During a press conference held on August 23, 2021 President Joe Biden announced the FDA's approval of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. During this press conference President Biden issued the following statements: "We’ve hit another milestone, a key milestone in our nation’s fight against COVID. Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, announced it has fully concluded it’s a thorough, independent, scientific review. After a strict process, the FDA has reaffirmed its findings that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and the FDA has given its full and final approval. So let me say this loudly and clearly, if you’re...

More than 2.9 million Americans are still on traditional state unemployment benefits as the number of people seeking weekly new claims appear to have settled at a level higher than previously hoped, the feds said Thursday. Continuing claims fell by 366,000 from just over 3.26 million the week before, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department. That figure stood at almost 16 million at the same time last year, in the thick of the pandemic. Continuing claims have fallen significantly since peaks seen in 2020, but the figure remains about twice as high as pre-pandemic levels.

Motherboard spoke to economists and historians about why fast food and retail workers around the country are suddenly quitting en masse. Something remarkable is happening in fast food establishments, retail stores, and restaurants across America. You may have seen photos of it go viral. You may have even experienced it in real life if you've dined at a Chili's or Applebee's and the hostess apologizes for extra-long wait times. “WE ALL QUIT, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE,” disgruntled employees posted in giant letters on a sign outside a Burger King in Lincoln, Nebraska earlier this month.

The current Democratic Party’s demagoguery is unparalleled in human history. Their invective towards Republicans is unconscionable. Deplorable is the nicest word they use when describing the GOP or conservatives. They must portray Republicans as monsters. They are bereft of ideas. But the Republican Party led the way on improving the lot of minorities, women, and the working class. Consider the following—facts about the GOP not ordinarily available in the media or schools: Police Reform. A big topic now, it was the GOP that led the way 90 years ago. The first attempt to reform law enforcement in the United States...

California will reopen and do away with virtually all mask and social distancing requirements for vaccinated people in less than two weeks, in accordance with the CDC’s May 13 guidelines. But employment regulators in the Golden State are not ready to abandon the safety protocols by June 15 — a move that is angering some business groups. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board said Thursday it was exploring new rules that would only allow workers to take off their masks if everyone in the room was fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The rules could remain in effect until next...

The Fed has created trillions out of thin air to boost the speculative wealth of Wall Street, but it can't print experienced workers willing to work for low wages. The Federal Reserve is reassuring us daily that inflation is temporary, but allow me to assure you that wage inflation is just getting started and will accelerate rapidly. As I noted yesterday, the Fed can create currency out of thin and funnel it to financiers, but the Fed can't create experienced, motivated workers out of thin air or entrepreneurs with the chops to launch and sustain real-world enterprises. Let's start with...

The recent wage hike doesn’t apply to 95 percent of workers at franchise restaurants. Detroit and Flint workers will join McDonald’s employees in 15 other cities in a walkout next week. McDonald’s is boosting the hourly wages for some of its workers, joining a number of fast-food chains nationwide lifting pay as jobs go unfilled. But employees in Detroit and other cities across the nation say they’re still moving forward with a planned strike on Wednesday, May 19, pointing out that the pay raises will only impact a small portion of McDonald’s-owned restaurants. The McDonald’s wage announcement this week follows...

The growth of small businesses in the U.S. was held back in April because small businesses could not find enough workers, the National Federation of Independent Businesss said Tuesday. “Small business owners are seeing a growth in sales but are stunted by not having enough workers,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Finding qualified employees remains the biggest challenge for small businesses and is slowing economic growth. Owners are raising compensation, offering bonuses and benefits to attract the right employees.”

As more and more states start easing pandemic restrictions, restaurants large and small are grappling with a widespread problem: hiring employees. Owners and managers from New York, California, Washington, and Chicago told The Epoch Times hiring woes have become a nightmare amid a litany of other challenges like indoor occupancy rules. They say the federal unemployment bonuses handed out during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic incentivized people to stay home instead of working.