pay – Cincy Link

More states roll out pay transparency laws

cincylink — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 04:28:06 +0000

More states are requiring pay transparency in 2023. California and Washington now require employers to add pay ranges on job postings.

Colorado was the first state to implement the law in 2021.

The rollout in Colorado came with some setbacks. Some employers began excluding the state so they wouldn't have to post the salary.

Appcast labor economist Andrew Flowers believes it will be harder for employers to continue that practice as more states pass pay transparency laws.

"Can you have California excluded? Can you have new york excluded? As we enter this new phase in 2023, his employer effect of kind of swimming around the rock, so to speak, I think it's going to be kind of diminished," he said.

Flowers claims pay transparency laws are blowing up traditional recruiting.

Appcast, a job advertising platform, compared Colorado and Utah the year before and after Colorado's law went into effect.

It found Colorado had about 8% fewer job postings. However, it had 1.5% higher labor force participation.

"The self-sorting is changing the hiring funnel for recruiters so that applicants go down, we find. But, the quality of the applicants goes way up," Flower said.

There are laws in other states that require some salary disclosure. However, that usually happens during the hiring process or if a candidate asks for the information.

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Cash for the vax? These states and cities are offering to pay kids if they get vaccinated

cincylink — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 04:30:11 +0000

Millions of children in America became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week. And some officials are sweetening the deal by including them in various incentive programs.In New York City, children can claim $100 if they get their first dose of Pfizer's vaccine at city-operated vaccine site. Alternatively, they can get tickets to city attractions such as the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. The incentive program was already available to other New Yorkers who got vaccinated."We really want kids to take advantage, families take advantage of that," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. "Everyone could use a little more money around the holidays. But, most importantly, we want our kids and our families to be safe."In Chicago, health officials are also offering $100 gift cards for children ages five to 11 when they get the shots at Chicago Public Health events or clinics, officials said.Plus, the Chicago school district — one of the largest in the nation — is closing on November 12 for Vaccination Awareness Day to make it easier for students to get their shots."It is rare that we make a late change to the school calendar, but we see this as an important investment in the future of this school year and the health and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families," Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez said in a message to parents.The perks come after the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on Tuesday cleared children as young as 5 for smaller vaccination doses, making most Americans eligible for the shots.In Texas, San Antonio officials announced that parents and guardians who help their children get vaccinated at a public health clinic may claim a $100 gift card for H-E-B grocery stores. And in neighboring Louisiana, officials said the 5-11 age group could soon also claim $100.In Minnesota, officials launched the "Kids Deserve a Shot" program intended to bolster vaccine numbers among those ages 12 and 17, officials said. The state is offering a $200 visa card as well as the opportunity to enter a raffle for a $100,000 college scholarship or a Minnesota experience prize package.However, it's unclear if the various incentives will help bolster the vaccine numbers.A study published last month in JAMA Health Forum found that incentive lotteries organized by 19 states did not seem to work.However, the researchers speculated that lotteries may be less enticing than actual cash for vaccines.A survey in May from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 47% of people who say they want to "wait and see" before being vaccinated said paid time off to get it would make them more likely to do so, and 39% said a financial incentive of $200 from their employer would work.Overall, the U.S. has fully vaccinated more than 58% of the total population as of Thursday, according to CDC data.

Millions of children in America became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week. And some officials are sweetening the deal by including them in various incentive programs.

In New York City, children can claim $100 if they get their first dose of Pfizer's vaccine at city-operated vaccine site. Alternatively, they can get tickets to city attractions such as the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. The incentive program was already available to other New Yorkers who got vaccinated.

"We really want kids to take advantage, families take advantage of that," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. "Everyone could use a little more money around the holidays. But, most importantly, we want our kids and our families to be safe."

In Chicago, health officials are also offering $100 gift cards for children ages five to 11 when they get the shots at Chicago Public Health events or clinics, officials said.

Plus, the Chicago school district — one of the largest in the nation — is closing on November 12 for Vaccination Awareness Day to make it easier for students to get their shots.

"It is rare that we make a late change to the school calendar, but we see this as an important investment in the future of this school year and the health and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families," Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez said in a message to parents.

The perks come after the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on Tuesday cleared children as young as 5 for smaller vaccination doses, making most Americans eligible for the shots.

In Texas, San Antonio officials announced that parents and guardians who help their children get vaccinated at a public health clinic may claim a $100 gift card for H-E-B grocery stores. And in neighboring Louisiana, officials said the 5-11 age group could soon also claim $100.

In Minnesota, officials launched the "Kids Deserve a Shot" program intended to bolster vaccine numbers among those ages 12 and 17, officials said. The state is offering a $200 visa card as well as the opportunity to enter a raffle for a $100,000 college scholarship or a Minnesota experience prize package.

However, it's unclear if the various incentives will help bolster the vaccine numbers.

A study published last month in JAMA Health Forum found that incentive lotteries organized by 19 states did not seem to work.

However, the researchers speculated that lotteries may be less enticing than actual cash for vaccines.

A survey in May from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 47% of people who say they want to "wait and see" before being vaccinated said paid time off to get it would make them more likely to do so, and 39% said a financial incentive of $200 from their employer would work.

Overall, the U.S. has fully vaccinated more than 58% of the total population as of Thursday, according to CDC data.

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Growing number of businesses report having to raise wages

cincylink — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 04:17:48 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. — No matter where you look in the country right now, “Now Hiring” and “Help Wanted” signs are everywhere. They are signals that workers are playing a big role in the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

“We have never seen anything like this before,” said Kishore Kulkarni, an economics professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

He said the tight labor market means businesses have no choice but to pay workers more to get them in the door.

“They have to because right now the ball is in labor's court and they are dictating some terms of what the wages should be,” Kulkarni said.

A new survey from the National Association for Business Economics backs that up.

Their October survey found 58% of businesses reported having to increase workers’ pay, up from 51% from their previous survey in July.

NABE’s Ken Simonson said the number of businesses reporting that was a record in the survey’s nearly 40-year history.

“More companies in the survey had raised wages in the last three months than we had ever seen before in the history of this survey,” said Simonson, who is also the chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

Within that, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports wages are up 4.5% percent this year. Certain industries are seeing bigger jumps, including construction, with wages up 7.1%, and hospitality, where wages are up 11.2%.

So, what does that mean for the debate over minimum wage?

“I think that minimum wage is much less of an issue than it was even two years ago, just before the pandemic hit,” Simonson said. “I'm sure that there are members of Congress who would still like to raise that floor, but I don't think you're going to see companies that have started offering $14 or $16 and bonuses or college tuition, go back to anything like that statutory minimum wage. So, for now, that's not going to be an issue.”

MSU economics professor Kulkarni said rising wages can be a double-edged sword. Employees benefit from making more money, but some things end up costing more.

“The number one concern is how big is inflation going to be,” Kulkarni said.

It’s a labor and wage situation experts believe will eventually sort itself out.

“In about eight to 10 months, this will all calm down,” Kulkarni said, “but this holiday season looks like a season which is unprecedented and that we will have a tremendous demand for labor.”

It is a holiday season for the job market with the potential to look unlike any before.

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Starbucks raising US workers’ pay as union effort looms

cincylink — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 04:08:14 +0000

Starbucks said Wednesday it is raising its U.S. employees' pay and making other changes to improve working conditions in its stores.The Seattle-based coffee giant said all of its U.S. workers will earn at least $15 — and up to $23 — per hour by next summer. In late January, employees with two or more years of service will get a 5% raise, while those with five or more years of service could receive up to a 10% raise. Workers can also get a $200 recruitment bonus to help attract new employees.In a letter to employees, Starbucks' North America President Rossann Williams said the pay raises not only support workers but will enhance recruitment efforts in a challenging labor market. Starbucks said it's the third time in 24 months that it has raised workers' pay.The action comes amid some worker unrest for the company. Employees at three Starbucks stores in Buffalo, New York, are trying to form a union to give them greater leverage on issues like understaffing of stores and worker training. The group, Starbucks Workers United, has filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board seeking union votes. Starbucks, which has no unions at its 8,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., opposes that effort. The company has said it respects workers' right to organize but doesn't believe a union is necessary.On Wednesday, Starbucks said it's redesigning and updating its training guide and adding more training time for workers. It said it also plans to test an app that will let workers sign up for available shifts that fit their schedule.The company said it's also trying ways to streamline prep areas and reduce complexity, including testing new cold beverage stations in its stores. A message seeking comment about Starbucks' wage announcement and other actions was left Wednesday with Starbucks Workers United.

Starbucks said Wednesday it is raising its U.S. employees' pay and making other changes to improve working conditions in its stores.

The Seattle-based coffee giant said all of its U.S. workers will earn at least $15 — and up to $23 — per hour by next summer. In late January, employees with two or more years of service will get a 5% raise, while those with five or more years of service could receive up to a 10% raise. Workers can also get a $200 recruitment bonus to help attract new employees.

In a letter to employees, Starbucks' North America President Rossann Williams said the pay raises not only support workers but will enhance recruitment efforts in a challenging labor market. Starbucks said it's the third time in 24 months that it has raised workers' pay.

The action comes amid some worker unrest for the company. Employees at three Starbucks stores in Buffalo, New York, are trying to form a union to give them greater leverage on issues like understaffing of stores and worker training. The group, Starbucks Workers United, has filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board seeking union votes.

Starbucks, which has no unions at its 8,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., opposes that effort. The company has said it respects workers' right to organize but doesn't believe a union is necessary.

On Wednesday, Starbucks said it's redesigning and updating its training guide and adding more training time for workers. It said it also plans to test an app that will let workers sign up for available shifts that fit their schedule.

The company said it's also trying ways to streamline prep areas and reduce complexity, including testing new cold beverage stations in its stores.

A message seeking comment about Starbucks' wage announcement and other actions was left Wednesday with Starbucks Workers United.

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Walt Disney World: Disney Genie Service launches

cincylink — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:28:50 +0000

What you need to know: Disney Genie Service launches at Walt Disney World