Target to keep stores closed on Thanksgiving for good
“You don’t have to wonder whether this is the last Thanksgiving you’ll spend with family and friends for a while,” Target CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a note to employees.
Workers' rights & well-being
This archive covers documented progress on workers’ rights and well-being — from wage gains and safer workplaces to expanded labor protections and organizing wins. Across 60 articles, these stories report on real policy changes, court rulings, and workplace shifts that improve conditions for workers in the U.S. and around the world. If you follow labor issues, this is where the evidence of progress lives.
Portugal makes it illegal for your boss to text you after work in ‘game changer’ remote work law
Employers now face penalties for contacting workers outside of office hours. Companies will also have to help pay for expenses incurred by remote working.
Private prison operator must pay inmates minimum wage for work, U.S. federal jury rules
The court found that GEO Group, a private prison operator that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA, is violating the state’s minimum wage laws by paying its workers $1 per day.
Costco raised its minimum wage to $17 an hour
Costco has around 180,000 US employees, and 90% of them work hourly. Costco’s new starting wage puts the chain $2/hr above Amazon, Target, and other top retailers’ minimum wage, and $5/hr above Walmart.
Amazon to cover 100% of college tuition for U.S. hourly employees
Amazon will offer to pay 100% of college tuition for its 750,000 U.S. hourly employees. The e-commerce giant is following the lead of other large U.S. companies that are dangling similar perk in a tight job market.
Scotland joins growing global movement towards a four-day workweek
Scotland plans to launch a trial four-day workweek. Workers will have their hours reduced by 20%, but won’t suffer any loss in compensation.
China steps in to regulate brutal ‘996’ work culture
Many workers in China currently work more than 300 hours a month, far exceeding legal limits. Now, the Chinese government is stepping in to curb these abusive practices.
Walgreens becomes newest member of the $15 an hour club
The $15 increase, which applies to both full- and part-time workers, will be phased in and completed by November 2022.
For first time, average pay for supermarket and restaurant workers in the U.S. tops $15 an hour
Overall, nearly 80 percent of U.S. workers now earn at least $15 an hour, up from 60 percent in 2014. Job sites and recruiting firms say many job seekers won’t even consider jobs that pay less than $15 anymore.
Target to pay 100% of college tuition and textbooks
With the move, Target joins other retailers and restaurant chains — including Walmart, Chipotle, and Starbucks — that have programs that help employees pay for college.