skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, April 26, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future; Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump immunity case; court issues restraining order against fracking waste-storage facility; landmark NE agreement takes a proactive approach to CO2 pipeline risks.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Speaker Johnson accuses demonstrating students of getting support from Hamas. TikTok says it'll challenge the ban. And the Supreme Court dives into the gray area between abortion and pregnancy healthcare, and into former President Trump's broad immunity claims.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken, and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

Plans to Make Low-Wage Jobs Better Support For MN Families

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 8, 2015   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota legislators are looking at a package of proposals to improve the economic security of low-income families.

One of the lawmakers behind the legislation says it will include the kind of workplace benefits and protections many middle class employees take for granted.

State Rep. Ryan Winkler says earned sick leave, paid family leave, predictable scheduling and wage-theft protections will help strengthen the vulnerable position of the families of the working poor.

"If you're working, be able to take time off when you're sick, be able to take care of your family without losing your income entirely, to be able to know when you're going to work and to make sure you actually get paid," he says.

Critics are expected to argue that the new rules would slow job growth.

The state Legislature came into session this week.

Supporters say many of the protections will cost employers little or nothing in the long term, and will contribute to a more productive workforce.

Jennifer Munt, a spokeswoman for The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5, says sick leave makes sense when Minnesota's emergency rooms are full of people with the flu.

She says it's cruel, bad for public health and bad for productivity to make people work when they or their children are ill.

"They're not thinking about their work, they're thinking about their kids,” Munt adds. “You need to allow people to stay at home when their kids are sick and when they're sick. That way, they won't be infecting their colleagues or their school classmates."

According to Winkler, employers waste a lot of money on high turnover rates. And he says the vulnerable situations of these working poor families cost the state's safety net programs a huge amount.

He points out the recent boost to the minimum wage showed that helping low-income workers helps the economy as a whole.

And Winkler adds doing more will ease pressure on the safety net and improve the quality of the workforce.

"We have no problem creating jobs in Minnesota,” he stresses. “The challenge we have is creating the kind of jobs that support families."





get more stories like this via email

more stories
The United Nations experts also expressed concern over a Chemours application to expand PFAS production in North Carolina. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

United Nations experts are raising concerns about chemical giants DuPont and Chemours, saying they've violated human rights in North Carolina…


Social Issues

play sound

The long-delayed Farm Bill could benefit Virginia farmers by renewing funding for climate-smart investments, but it's been held up for months in …

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss …


Jane Kleeb is director and founder of Bold Alliance, an umbrella organization of Bold Nebraska, which was instrumental in stopping the Keystone Pipeline. Kleeb is also one of two 2023 Climate Breakthrough Awardees. (Bold Alliance)

Environment

play sound

CO2 pipelines are on the increase in the United States, and like all pipelines, they come with risks. Preparing for those risks is a major focus of …

Environment

play sound

April has been "Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month," but the pests don't know that. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's the …

Legislation to curtail the union membership rights of about 50,000 public school educators in Lousiana has the backing of some business and national conservative groups. (wavebreak3/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Leaders of a teachers' union in Louisiana are voicing concerns about a package of bills they say would have the effect of dissolving labor unions in t…

Health and Wellness

play sound

The 2024 Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Public Conference kicks off Saturday, where industry experts and researchers will share the latest scientific …

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups say more should be done to protect people's health from what they call toxic, radioactive sludge. A court granted a temporary …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021