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North American Edition
4th October 2024
 
THE HOT STORY
Law firm parental leave bias claims must go to jury
Law firm Jones Day will have to defend its family leave policy at trial against claims from married ex-associates who say it is discriminatory and violates District of Columbia law, a federal court has said. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia modified the docket in the suit by Mark Savignac and Julia Sheketoff. It said that Jones Day’s bid for summary judgment was denied on the husband's interference claim under D.C.'s Family and Medical Leave Act. The original order issued last month, and a related docket entry for the court's temporarily sealed opinion, had indicated that the leave interference claim couldn't advance to trial. Savignac and Sheketoff sued Jones Day in 2019, alleging that the firm's parental leave policy for newborns discriminated against biological fathers by affording male employees eight weeks less time off for the birth of a child than female employees could use. They couple also said Jones Day retaliated for complaining about the gender inequity, including by dismissing Savignac two weeks after the birth of their son and three business days after the couple emailed the firm to  complain about its policy.
LEGAL
Amazon faces labor board complaint over 'joint employment' of drivers
Amazon has been accused by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of illegally refusing to negotiate with a union representing drivers employed by Battle Tested Strategies (BTS). The NLRB's complaint asserts that Amazon is a "joint employer" of these drivers and employed illegal tactics to suppress union activities at a facility in Palmdale, California. Following their unionization last year, BTS drivers became the first Amazon delivery contractors to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said: “This decision brings us one step closer to getting Amazon workers the pay, working conditions, and contracts they deserve." The case will be heard by an administrative judge in Los Angeles. In other Amazon news, the company is planning to hire 250,000 transportation and warehouse workers this holiday shopping season, the same number as last year, the company said on Thursday. "Although there is an anticipated increase in the demand and the volume, we feel like the 250,000 is the right number to continue to grow and advance with our operations," explained Amazon vice president Sandy Gordon. 
Dockworkers strike suspended until January
The International Longshoremen's Association, representing 45,000 U.S. dockworkers, has agreed to suspend a three-day strike until January 15th to allow for contract negotiations. The union will resume work immediately, and a tentative wage increase agreement has been reached, raising the offer from 50% to 62% over six years. However, details remain undisclosed, and any wage increase must be ratified by union members. The strike, which began after the expiration of the previous contract, was prompted by disputes over pay and automation at 36 ports from Maine to Texas. "With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it's gonna hold," said President Joe Biden. Until January 15th, workers will operate under the old contract, which expired on September 30th.
WORKFORCE
New jobless claims inched higher last week
The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week rose by 6,000 in the seven days to September 28th, according to the Labor Department, confirming that layoffs remain surprisingly low even though many companies have pulled the plug on hiring. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast new claims to total 220,000. The four-week moving average of new applications fell to 224,250, while continuing claims were essentially unchanged at 1.83m. New jobless claims fell in 28 of the 53 states and territories that report the figures to the federal government, while 25 showed relatively small increases. Hurricane Helene-afflicted Georgia and Florida saw the largest declines, and North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee had smaller decreases. “The hurricane effect will reverse going forward, as people thrown out of work by storm damage will likely push up the tally for a few weeks," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Santander U.S. Capital Markets. His sentiment was echoed by Thomas Simons, U.S. economist at Jefferies LLC, who said there is nothing "particularly worrisome" about the latest figures, which were released ahead later today of the September jobs report.
ECONOMY
U.S. services sector moves further into expansionary territory
U.S. service providers expanded in September at the fastest pace since February 2023. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s index of services advanced 3.4 points to 54.9 last month, taking it further away from the 50-mark separating expansion from contraction. The gauge of new orders leapt by more than six points, a sign of healthy demand for services. By contrast, the employment index edged down, suggesting some weakness in the sector’s jobs market. Twelve industries reported growth over the month, led by real estate, corporate services, and accommodation & food services. Only five reported contraction, including agriculture, fishing and wholesale trade. Relatedly, the S&P Global U.S. PMI Composite was revised lower to 54 in September from the preliminary estimate of 54.4 and August's reading of 54.6. "Encouragingly, inflows of new business in the service sector grew at a rate only marginally shy of August’s 27-month high," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Lower interest rates have already been reported by survey contributors as having buoyed demand, notably for financial services which, alongside healthcare, remains an especially strong performing sector."
WORKPLACE
Chicago EPA workers demand safe drinking water
Hundreds of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees in Chicago are raising concerns about Legionella bacteria and heavy metals in their drinking water. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 704 has filed a complaint, highlighting that many water sources at the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building remain untested. “Based on the sampling that has been done, it is reasonable to believe that a significant number of untested sources are contaminated,” the union said. Although no Legionnaires' disease cases have been reported among employees, Local 704 President Nicole Cantello emphasized the need for immediate action, including shutting down drinking water sources and allowing remote work. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis urged management to prioritize employee safety, while the EPA acknowledged the issue and is coordinating with the General Services Administration to address the contamination.
HYBRID WORKING
Google reaffirms its commitment to hybrid work
Google has reaffirmed its commitment to a hybrid work model, dismissing concerns about a full-time return to the office, as per Amazon's recent decision on the issue. During a town hall meeting, John Casey, Google's vice president of global compensation and benefits, said: "We believe that the current policy strikes a good balance between flexibility and productivity." Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining productivity while working from home. However, some employees, particularly in hardware teams, are required to be in the office four days a week. Google has also tightened its rules regarding in-office attendance, implementing hot-desking and piloting new workspace designs called "neighborhoods."
HEALTH & WELLBEING
How to make workplace well-being programs better
The World Health Organization (WHO) says mental health issues among employees lead to a staggering loss of $1 trillion in productivity annually. The WHO urges employers to implement effective well-being programs to address this growing crisis. However, a U.K. study involving 46,336 employees from 233 organizations found that many common initiatives, such as mindfulness classes and mental health coaching, fail to improve employee well-being. Despite global investments exceeding $60bn in these programs, their impact remains minimal. "Avoiding generic self-help approaches will enhance their overall impact," the WHO report says. To truly benefit employees, well-being initiatives must be tailored, effectively implemented, and focus on promoting flourishing and purpose in life, writes Jolanta Burhe, senior lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin.
INTERNATIONAL
ABC boss apologizes to staff after review finds systemic racism
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s managing director, David Anderson, has apologized to staff who experienced racism at the public broadcaster after “disturbing” details of their treatment were revealed by a review into racism. He has committed the broadcaster to accept in principle all 15 recommendations made in the Listen Loudly, Act Strongly review, which was led by Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke. Janke’s team spoke with 120 current and former ABC employees to hear their experiences of racism at work. Only one participant said they had not personally experienced racism within the organization. The review was precipitated in part by racist treatment of broadcaster Stan Grant on social media. “On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I am sorry for any and all racist behavior and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and Cald [Culturally and Linguistically Diverse] employees, either currently or formerly employed,” the outgoing managing director said. “We all need to do better for our colleagues by preventing or acting on behavior that seeks to discriminate against, bully or demean them. We all need to do better for our colleagues by remaining vigilant against racism or discrimination of any kind in our workplace.”
Filipino workers in Lebanon urge Manila to speed up repatriation
Over 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon are urging the Philippine government for expedited repatriation amid escalating violence from Israeli attacks, which have resulted in over 1,000 casualties. Joanna Concepcion, president of Migrante International, a global alliance of overseas Filipino workers, highlighted the urgent concerns of many Filipinos in Lebanon, saying: “This time, the situation is worrying them and they feel there is nowhere safe anymore.” Legal obstacles and employer permissions complicate their departure, because the Lebanese government has suspended certain operations. Venacio Legaspi from the Department of Migrant Workers assured that efforts for safe repatriation are ongoing, but many workers are calling for mandatory repatriation to ensure their safety. “When will they act? When some people have already died here?” Filipino worker Christine Lao said at a press conference hosted by Migrante International. “I call on all government agencies to pay attention to us . . . After being here for so long, we never considered returning home, but now it has become a matter of life and death. We can no longer hold back.”
CERN staff are accelerators too
Italian president Sergio Mattarella has told researchers at CERN that they are accelerators themselves at a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of the nuclear particle physic lab in Geneva. "To all of you at CERN, to the scientists who are a living part of it, goes the most intense wish for an ever brilliant future," said Mattarella, who is currently serving as the 12th president of Italy since 2015, and as such is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. "You are accelerators yourselves . . . Accelerators of scientific progress, of research for a common good that knows how to look beyond the narrow limits of local interests, projected towards the recognition of a destiny shared by humanity."
OTHER
Treatments that could change trips to the dentist
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the latest discoveries that could transform oral health, including teeth-cleaning micro robots, oral microbiota transplants (transfers of bacteria from the mouth of a healthy donor to a patient), red-light therapy for gums, a gel that rebuilds enamel, and an innovative drug that could regenerate missing teeth. The future embodied in these treatments in the works is getting closer, scientists say. “We are really looking for disruptive technology,” notes Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, co-founding director of the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania.
 


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