http://www.mail.com/subjects/15008-labor-issues.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/15008-labor-issues.html http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html HONG KONG (AP) — Flight attendants at Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways are threatening to withhold food, alcohol and even smiles from passengers during the Christmas holidays over a pay dispute, a union official said Thursday. Cabin staff at the airline, which has a reputation for top-notch service, voted at a union meeting this week in favor of i... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html 2012-12-13T14:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761466-broadway-faces-potential-holiday-labor-headache.html NEW YORK (AP) — The union representing hundreds of Broadway theater cleaners, porters, elevator operators and bathroom attendants voted Wednesday to authorize its leaders to call a strike if a new contract isn't approved by the end of the month, potentially throwing a wrench into a busy holiday season. Members of the 250-person 32BJ union voted during a n... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761466-broadway-faces-potential-holiday-labor-headache.html 2012-12-13T00:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761584-fed-links-interest-rates-to-65-pct-unemployment.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it plans to keep interest rates ultra-low even after unemployment falls close to a normal level — which it thinks could take three more years. For the first time, the Fed made clear to investors and consumers that it will link its actions to specific economic markers. As long as inflation remains t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761584-fed-links-interest-rates-to-65-pct-unemployment.html 2012-12-12T23:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Now that Michigan has become a right-to-work state, unions in this stronghold of organized labor confront a new and urgent problem: convincing members to continue paying for their services instead of taking them for free. Brushing aside protests from thousands of labor supporters, the Republican-controlled state House approved measur... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html 2012-12-12T22:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761858-fed-projects-high-unemployment-3-years.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve projects the unemployment rate will stay elevated until late 2015, suggesting it will keep short-term interest rates low for the next three years. The latest economic forecasts released Wednesday after the Fed's final meeting of the year were little changed from September. But they coincided with a new communication s... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761858-fed-projects-high-unemployment-3-years.html 2012-12-12T20:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760382-mich-right-to-work-despite-protests.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In a dizzyingly short time span, Republicans have converted Michigan from a seemingly impregnable fortress of organized labor into a right-to-work state, leaving outgunned Democrats and union activists with little recourse but to shake their fists and seek retribution at the ballot box. The state House swiftly approved two bills redu... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760382-mich-right-to-work-despite-protests.html 2012-12-12T16:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1759538-why-efforts-to-factory-fires-failed.html About a year and a half before a fire at a clothing factory in Bangladesh killed 112 people in November, executives from Wal-Mart, Gap and other big retailers met nearby to discuss ways to prevent the unsafe working conditions that have made such tragedies common. Representatives from a dozen of the world's largest retailers and fashion labels gathered wi... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1759538-why-efforts-to-factory-fires-failed.html 2012-12-11T21:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1759354-tunisian-national-strike-averted-deal.html TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's government has reached an agreement with the country's leading labor union to avoid a nationwide strike over economic woes and power disputes. Government spokesman Ridha Kazdaghli told The Associated Press that the agreement was reached Tuesday after daylong negotiations. He would not give details. The deputy head of the UG... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:23:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1759354-tunisian-national-strike-averted-deal.html 2012-12-11T20:23:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757598-mich-house-approves-right-to-work-limiting-unions.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan House approved the first of two right-to-work bills Tuesday that would weaken union power in the historical labor stronghold as hundreds of protesters rallied at the Capitol. The Republican-dominated chamber passed a measure dealing with public-sector workers 58-51 as protesters shouted "shame on you" from the gallery an... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757598-mich-house-approves-right-to-work-limiting-unions.html 2012-12-11T16:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1758188-english-soccer-to-tackle-racism-with-education.html LONDON (AP) — All professional soccer players and managers in England and newcomers from abroad will have cultural lessons regarding discrimination as part of proposals to fight racism. The move is part of the reaction by the Professional Footballers' Association to government pleas for more to be done to stop discrimination. They follow two recent high-p... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1758188-english-soccer-to-tackle-racism-with-education.html 2012-12-11T13:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1757664-spains-iberia-unions-cancel-pre-christmas-strikes.html MADRID (AP) — Labor unions representing a majority of workers in Spain's Iberia airline have called off six days of strikes they had planned to stage before the Christmas holiday period to protest the company's plan to lay off 4,500 workers. The General Workers Union, Spain's largest, said Tuesday the unions cancelled the stoppages so as not to upset trav... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1757664-spains-iberia-unions-cancel-pre-christmas-strikes.html 2012-12-11T08:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1757604-us-eu-considering-worlds-biggest-free-trade-pact.html WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of battling each other on trade issues, U.S. and European officials are contemplating a dramatic change in direction: joining together in what could be the world's largest free trade pact in an attempt to boost their struggling economies. Discussions are in the most preliminary of stages and there would be significant obstacl... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1757604-us-eu-considering-worlds-biggest-free-trade-pact.html 2012-12-11T07:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756440-solid-evidence-elusive-right-to-work-debate.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder says one reason he supports right-to-work legislation in Michigan is the economic boost a similar law has given Indiana, although officials have provided no conclusive evidence that the policy by itself has drawn new businesses to the state next door. It's an example of the flurry of claims supporters and opponents w... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756440-solid-evidence-elusive-right-to-work-debate.html 2012-12-11T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757090-mexican-leader-proposes-sweeping-education-reform.html MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena Nieto is proposing sweeping reforms to a public education system widely seen as moribund, taking on an iron-fisted union leader who is considered the country's most powerful woman and the main obstacle to change. Flanked by the leaders of Mexico's three major political parties, Pena Nieto said Monday that he would... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757090-mexican-leader-proposes-sweeping-education-reform.html 2012-12-10T22:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755246-german-airport-security-workers-stage-strike.html BERLIN (AP) — A German union has called security personnel at airports around the country — including Frankfurt, the nation's busiest — out on a several-hour strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. The ver.di service workers' union said members working for private security companies walked off the job early Monday morning and strikes at some sites we... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:43:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755246-german-airport-security-workers-stage-strike.html 2012-12-10T06:43:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754480-unions-vow-political-payback-right-to-work-law.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — With defeat in the Michigan Legislature virtually certain, Democrats and organized labor intend to make enactment of right-to-work laws as uncomfortable as possible for Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican allies while laying the groundwork to seek payback at the polls. Shellshocked opponents of the laws spent the weekend mapping stra... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754480-unions-vow-political-payback-right-to-work-law.html 2012-12-09T23:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1753756-tv-technical-union-strikes-pac-12-networks.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — The union representing freelance technical employees who work on live sporting events for Pac-12 Networks went on strike Saturday. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees wants to establish area standard wages and benefits for the freelancers who work on the network's telecasts. About 100 union members picketed outside ... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 03:54:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1753756-tv-technical-union-strikes-pac-12-networks.html 2012-12-09T03:54:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1752776-democrats-want-jobless-benefits-cliff-deal.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Hovering in the background of the "fiscal cliff" debate is the prospect of 2 million people losing their unemployment benefits four days after Christmas. "This is the real cliff," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. He's been leading the effort to include another extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed in any deal to avert looming tax... Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1752776-democrats-want-jobless-benefits-cliff-deal.html 2012-12-08T14:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750652-us-job-gains-defy-sandy-fears-fiscal-cliff.html WASHINGTON (AP) — It takes more than a superstorm to derail the U.S. job market. Employers added 146,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate dipped to 7.7 percent, a four-year low, the government said Friday. Though modest, the job growth was encouraging because it defied disruptions from Superstorm Sandy and employers' concerns about impending tax... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750652-us-job-gains-defy-sandy-fears-fiscal-cliff.html 2012-12-07T23:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1751558-legal-pot-complicates-drug-free-work-policies.html DENVER (AP) — Pot may be legal, but workers may want to check with their boss first before they grab the pipe or joint during off hours. Businesses in Washington state, where the drug is legal, and Colorado, where it will be by January, are trying to figure out how to deal with employees who use it on their own time and then fail a drug test. ... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1751558-legal-pot-complicates-drug-free-work-policies.html 2012-12-07T21:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1751768-with-election-over-attention-to-jobs-report.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Reaction to the monthly jobs numbers isn't what it used to be. The first unemployment report since President Barack Obama's re-election barely got a mention from the White House and Republicans after Friday's release. Gone was the frenzy of political posturing that followed every release throughout the presidential campaign. ... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1751768-with-election-over-attention-to-jobs-report.html 2012-12-07T20:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1750278-ri-court-hears-arguments-pension-case.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — With billions of dollars and the retirement security of public workers at stake, the legal dispute over Rhode Island's sweeping overhaul of its public pension system heated up Friday as the state asked a judge to dismiss the challenges filed by public-sector unions and retirees. Attorney John Tarantino, the state's lead attorney, t... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1750278-ri-court-hears-arguments-pension-case.html 2012-12-07T18:20:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750676-spains-luxury-parador-hotels-hit-2-day-strike.html MADRID (AP) — Employees at Spain's luxury Parador hotels, which are set in some of the country's most picturesque castles, monasteries and palaces, began a two-day strike on Friday to protest job cuts and possible closures. The hotel group, which opened the first Parador in 1928, said a drop in demand could leave it with accumulated losses of €107 million... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:13:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750676-spains-luxury-parador-hotels-hit-2-day-strike.html 2012-12-07T18:13:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1750502-greeces-biggest-banks-to-join-bond-buyback.html ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's three biggest banks said Friday they would participate in a large bond buyback scheme that aims to chip away at the crisis-hit country's debt load and ensure it continues to get its international bailout loans. The announcements by National Bank of Greece, Eurobank and Alpha Bank came hours before the deadline for private-se... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1750502-greeces-biggest-banks-to-join-bond-buyback.html 2012-12-07T17:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1750286-mich-legislators-defy-unions-right-to-work.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In an audacious flex of political muscle, Republicans in a single day reached the brink of a goal that for years has seemed an all-but-impossible dream: making the labor bastion of Michigan a right-to-work state. The GOP majority used its superior numbers and backing from Gov. Rick Snyder to ramrod legislation through the House and S... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1750286-mich-legislators-defy-unions-right-to-work.html 2012-12-07T14:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750258-superstorm-utility-crews-complain-payroll-delay.html MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — Mike Valaskatgis slept in his National Grid truck for two nights, and then on a cot two more nights before getting a bed in a hotel room during a 10-day visit to New York last month to help in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The Gloucester, Mass., overhead lineman said he logged 18-hour days working in various Long Island neighborh... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1750258-superstorm-utility-crews-complain-payroll-delay.html 2012-12-07T07:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1749306-michigan-gop-approves-to-work-amid-protests.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republicans slammed right-to-work legislation through the Michigan House and Senate Thursday, drawing raucous protests from throngs of stunned union supporters, whose outnumbered Democratic allies were powerless to stop it. Just hours after they were introduced, both chambers approved measures prohibiting private unions from requirin... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 01:22:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1749306-michigan-gop-approves-to-work-amid-protests.html 2012-12-07T01:22:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1749698-ri-to-seek-dismissal-challenge-to-pension-law.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The high-stakes legal dispute over Rhode Island's public retirement overhaul faces a key court date Friday when attorneys for the state will ask a judge to dismiss a challenge from public-sector unions unhappy with the sweeping pension changes. The unions argue the state is reneging on promised benefits and that lawmakers should ha... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1749698-ri-to-seek-dismissal-challenge-to-pension-law.html 2012-12-06T22:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1747846-greek-jobless-rate-up-to-record-26-percent.html ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's unemployment rate rose to a new record of 26 percent in September, underscoring the economic plight in the country as it heads toward a sixth year of recession. The Greek Statistical Authority said Thursday that 1.295 million people — more than one-fourth of the workforce in this nation of 10 million — were recorded as unemp... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1747846-greek-jobless-rate-up-to-record-26-percent.html 2012-12-06T19:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1748400-riots-hint-potential-chaos-tunisias-future.html RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Five days of riots last week in a town in Tunisia's impoverished interior wounded hundreds of people and deepened the rift between the two most powerful forces in this North African country: the moderate Islamist ruling party and the main labor union. With the two at loggerheads, the threat of a nationwide general strike next week co... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1748400-riots-hint-potential-chaos-tunisias-future.html 2012-12-06T14:33:00Z