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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

AZ Union Chief: Hard to Be Optimistic This Labor Day

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Friday, September 4, 2009   

Phoenix, AZ - Arizona's top labor leader is having a tough time staying optimistic in light of the latest unemployment figures. A number of reports being released this week aren't producing much hope either. One report released this morning by the Economic Policy Institute predicts national unemployment will continue to rise. It also shows tough times for those who still have jobs, with wages growing less than inflation, reduced benefits and forced time off.

State AFL-CIO director Rebekah Friend says that's a good description of Arizona's situation.

"We are facing job losses and the involuntary-voluntary time off without pay. We're not seeing as much hiring, so, I don't know that for Arizona workers that we've seen the bottom of this yet."

Another study this weekend from the national AFL-CIO paints a bleak picture for younger workers. Friend says many of them are having a tough time paying their bills, regardless of their education.

"When I was growing up, we were told if you go to college you're guaranteed a job. That's proven not to be true. So, there's a real downward pressure on young workers, and they're not getting out of the parents' home to live because they can't afford to buy a home or live on their own."

The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show women about to match the number of men in the workforce because of job losses in historically male occupations. Friend says she's not sure that kind of equality is a good thing.

"I think as we lose the more traditional jobs in manufacturing and construction to overseas countries with lower worker standards and also pay standards, the influx of new jobs is in the service industry and those tend to be lower-paid jobs."

One of the few reasons for optimism this Labor Day, says Friend, is that the job market tends to be cyclical and will eventually rebound. She also believes federal economic stimulus dollars will bring results in the long run. She thinks more women in the workforce could also be a negative if women are forced to get jobs because of their economic situations.

The Economic Policy Institute report is at www.epi.org/publications/entry/the_recessions_hidden_costs/.




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