NEWSEMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT

This post was authored by Change.org petition creator and Target employee Anthony Hardwick. In November, 2011, Anthony launched a viral Change.org petition asking his employer to "Save Thanksgiving" and push the "Black Friday" opening from midnight on Thanksgiving to 5 a.m. the following morning. 

It's fitting that while I write a blog post about Gregg Steinhafel and the NRF'S trumped up Black Friday data, three Target Christmas ads blast me with manufactured cheer. In one of the ads a woman says good bye to her relatives after Thanksgiving dinner (must not be a Target employee) when she turns around her house is magically transforming itself for Christmas automatically. This ad more than any other sums up Target's feeling on the issue of Thanksgiving; its a holiday best ushered out the door with the in laws while the fun holiday where you get stuff takes over your life against your will.

In keeping with the best psychological warfare retailers keep repeating their party line, Christmas is about buying stuff, buying stuff, buying stuff. The average Americans affinity for Thanksgiving is a speed bump for that drive for shareholders demands of higher year to year profit margins. Failure to whip revenue skyward is an unacceptable outcome and as such the nervous decision makers at the top of the retail giants push aside anything that gets in the way, even if that means shoving families apart during the holidays.

On the surface it appears their efforts are proving successful. However when we dig deeper into the numbers provided by the National Retail Federation (please read propaganda arm of big box retailers) we see that in all actuality the feet through the door isn't nearly as impressive when actual sales are taken into account. Shouting from the rooftops a 6.6% increase in retail traffic doesn't convey the anemic sales conversion rate, a true indicator of shoppers parting ways with their hard earned money. Marshall Cohen of NDP estimates the conversion to be around 20%.  There is no doubt that there were more people showing up for the stores midnight and earlier openings, but those bodies were not shelling out the dough for what many consumers deemed less than thrilling "deals."

The reality on the floor was that gawkers showed up to see what the hub bub was and after seeing the grade A breed of crazy, opted to get out of the brick and mortars before the next pepper spraying or parking lot shooting occurred. These folks logged on to their computers accounting for over 4% of the actual sales. The result was a meager 2.8% increase in revenue over last years sales. Given the hype over the midnight open its no surprise the retailers got a little bump, and if I may Target, you are very welcome. Let's all admit that the various petitions and resulting press coverage did more for the midnight open than all the big box ad departments combined, though I'm certain Rick and I shouldn't hold our breath for a compensation check from our respective employers.  But why all the deception about sales figures?

Simple, the CEO's know they made a bad call on the earlier opens. The reset for shoppers was non-existent. After the initial pop the brick and mortar stores had seas of on the clock employees standing around looking at each other saying "we gave up Thanksgiving for this?" Factor in labor and store operations overhead and all of the sudden that 2.8% is nonexistent.

Add in the fact that most team members I spoke with couldn't remember a sale that included add on merchandise, meaning those who did buy stuff only bought what was on sale. When those two hundred dollar televisions were gone so were the shoppers.

Where did those shoppers go? All indicators are that they went to small business' on Saturday or if the preliminary figures hold up they went online on Monday. This is not good news for the boxes. If there is one thing the collapse of Borders has taught us its that the internet is a harbinger of doom for those silly and ignorant enough to ignore its allure.

Despite my towering rhetoric this is not an ideal situation for me. Despite my lack of faith in the brass at the top of my corporation of employment, I am not cheering for Target's demise. After all their paycheck keeps my lights on and if the VPs in Minneapolis drive Target off a cliff with their hubris then it'll be a little darker in Hardwick manor.

The answer is simple. Take a step back from all this Black Friday madness, save on over head with normal business hours on Black Friday, then offer unbeatable prices on the accessory attachments to coincide with real honest to god deals.  On top of that, institute a legitimate time off request system for existing employees and hire seasonal help. This cuts overhead in that you don't pay higher wages to existing employees because you're paying new team members the base rate of pay. Is it a sure fire solution, no, but it's better than trumping up some questionable data and hoping no one notices the reality of the situation.

Here's hoping big box retailers listen better to this idea than they did our Change.org petitions. Only time will tell.

This is what momentum looks like. Indeed.com - one of the largest job sites in the world - has decided to block ads that discriminate against the unemployed from appearing on its website. This follows a statement by President Obama on Tuesday that he supports federal legislation protecting the unemployed from being denied jobs simply because they are unemployed.

Kelly Wiedemer, an unemployed business analyst in Colorado, started the campaign after learning that employers were posting job ads on sites like Indeed.com, Monster.com and Careerbuilder excluding unemployed job-seekers from applying. Less than 15 days after Kelly launched her campaign, Indeed.com provided Change.org with the following statement:

“Indeed.com strives to provide the best job search experience for job seekers,”  said Sophie Beaurpere, the company’s Director of Communications.  “Our policy is to exclude job listings that do not comply with federal or local laws related to discriminatory hiring practices as well as job listings that discriminate against the unemployed.”

For more than a week, graphic designers have been waging a campaign targeting the Department of the Interior for economic justice in their profession.

And yes, you read that right. Graphic designers.

It’s not a group of professionals you typically hear from. Designers work independently or in small teams, and often behind the scenes. They create the world around us – from Obama’s campaign logo to the digital animation we watch on the evening news.

For years, the design community has been waging a quiet battle against something called “spec work.” It’s a process by which designers are expected to work for free – designing logos and materials in the hopes of being selected for a job.

The practice of “spec work” has gotten worse in recent years, thanks to design websites like CROWDspring and StockLogos.

Progressive voices scored a major victory for child labor laws. And I'm not talking about the 1920s--I'm talking about last week in Maine.

In a state whose unemployment level is closing in on 8%, the Maine GOP recently decided they'll help get the economy back on track by putting the state's child labor laws on the chopping block.

Two bills, LD 1346 and LD 516, would have rolled back Maine's child labor laws by allowing the state's kids to work longer for less--a lot less. Maine Republicans hoped to permit employers to pay workers under age 20 as little as $5.25 an hour, a full $2.25 below the minimum wage.

Fortunately, organizations like the Maine Women's Lobby are standing up to Republican attacks on child labor laws. And they're winning.

Last week, the Labor Committee voted down the bill that would have allowed employers to pay children below the minimum wage unanimously and without discussion. Committee members had no doubt gotten an earful from Maine Women's Lobby supporters, angry residents and parents.

However, LD 516, the bill that would allow kids to work longer hours during the school year and on school nights, is still alive. The original bill, amended after major push-back, would have allowed kids to work up to 32 hours during the school week.

In its current form, however, LD 516 would still amend Maine child labor laws passed in 1991 by allowing kids to work up to 24 hours a week and until 11pm on school nights. Those laws were passed partially after teachers complained that students who worked long hours outside of school were falling asleep in class, reports the Sun Journal.

LD 516 passed the Senate this week, and soon goes to the House for final approval. Click here to tell Maine Republicans to Stop the Attack on Child Labor Laws!

Photo Credit: InfoPlease

The Madison Hotel is one of those iconic Washington DC spots. Just a few blocks from the White House, it hosts frequent events and conferences, especially for unions, because for decades, the Madison treated its workers well. They always honored their long standing contract with Unite Here local 25, the union that represents 150 workers at the Madison.

But all that changed abruptly when Jamestown Properties purchased the hotel (for a cool $123 million) and brought on property management company Destination Hotels and Resorts.

For the workers, it hasn't been a smooth transition. The new owners introduced themselves to the workers by forcing them to reapply for their jobs. Many of the workers at the Madison have held these jobs for years and were none too happy with the prospect of being unemployed for no good reason.

New Orleans, the city reshaped by Mother Nature, NOLA lovers and hucksters, is a perfect laboratory to demonstrate what works, what doesn't and what is needed in the world of ending homelessness.

Our ever-changing, weather-dependent Southern DisComfort tour travel plans gave us the gift of an unplanned day in the Big Easy, which filled as quickly as the levees on a rainy day.

My HuffPost blogging friend Pat LaMarche and I soon found ourselves transported through a culinary wasteland (west bank of NOLA) into Cafe Hope, a jewel of an effort to give at-risk youth a chance at success by teaching them a trade that opens doors to a hopeful future. Martin Gutierrez, head of Neighborhood and Community Services for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (CCANO), was our affable chauffeur and guide.

If you listen to politicians talk about America’s 14.5 million-person unemployment problem there’s usually a lot said about the seemingly double-jointed powers of tax cuts or government spending.

What you don’t often hear are the words “pre-employment credit screening.”

But, a report released in December by the New York-based nonpartisan research and advocacy organization Demos indicates that credit checks should truly be the topic of many more conversations.

Millions of unemployed Americans may be getting caught in a very serious feedback loop. They can’t find work because of their credit score. But, they can't improve their credit score because they can’t find work.

Tell Congress that its time to help Americans in the deepest financial trouble find the jobs they need.

It seems employers looking to hire everything from shelf stockers to bank tellers, CEOs to child care workers are running credit checks on job applicants.

The theory behind the checks is simple: an employee with a poor credit history – particularly pending debt collection suits -- is under the kind of pressure that makes them prone to participating in fraud, theft, bribery and other ethical lapses on the job.

There is just one problem: there isn’t any evidence to support that idea. In fact, there’s ample evidence that just the opposite is true. It turns out that when employees are deep in debt, they tend to buckle down and work harder according to the Demos report.

Imagine you have been out of work for six or eight months. You've still got bills to pay but without cash coming in, it is likely you're going to let a balance ride on your credit card longer, or be late for a bill here or there. You've been applying for jobs and the gap in your resume looks bad enough, but now you find out that companies are checking your credit score to boot.

It's a vicious cycle, but it doesn't have to be this way.

For most jobs, your credit score is not an important qualification. That's why states are starting to crack down on companies who use credit checks to screen applicants. Hawaii, Illinois, Oregon and Washington have all banned the practice, and Maryland is looking to follow in their footsteps. Maryland State Delegate Kirill Reznik (D-Germantown) just introduced Maryland House Bill 87, the Job Applicant Fairness Act, which would ban employers from using someone's credit score as a criteria for hiring. The act carves out exemptions for financial institutions like Banks and for law-enforcement agencies which are required to run credit checks.

I wish I had better news about the outcome of the UE Local 204's efforts to save workers' jobs in Taunton, Massachusetts.

But the unfortunate truth is that Esterline, the parent company of Taunton's Haskon manufacturing plant, has ultimately quashed the efforts of the UE and its workers to buy the plant's equipment so they could run the operation themselves and keep their jobs.

Esterline closed the Haskon plant recently, doing away with about 100 local jobs - 85 of them union positions - by moving them to a low-wage plant in Mexico and a non-union location in California.

As I wrote last week, the UE had been trying for months to buy up the equipment from Esterline so it could save Haskon workers' jobs. It was an ingenious plan, really, and it had the support of public figures like Rep. Barney Frank, State Sen. Mark Pacheco and the Taunton City Council.

But even though the company didn't want the equipment, Esterline executives refused to work with Haskon workers and the UE so they could buy it. The union requested that the auction be delayed until February 15, which would give the workers the chance to make their case to the State Legislature when it reconvenes in late January, but Esterline refused. The auction was held this past Wednesday, January 19 -- two days before the legislature convened.

Workers at a Jimmy John's franchise in Minneapolis, Minnesota have been in a battle with the owners for the last several months and now they've scored a pretty serious victory.

Back in October the 200 workers (spread across 10 local sandwich shops) lost a labor election to allow the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, better known as the Wobblies) to represent them at the negotiating table by just 2 votes. They would have been the very first fast food workers to be represented by a union.

But they didn't let their close loss stop them. They have continued to fight for their rights on the job, and their determination is paying off.

How? The election they so narrowly lost was not a fair one. The franchise owners shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a union-busting consulting firm and broke the law frequently (including retaliation against union supporters, threatening a wage freeze if the union won, intentionally starting rumors that the union engaged in sabotage). Now the National Labor Relations Board has nullified the election because of those violations.

The decision validates what workers had been complaining about and opens up the door for further negotiations between the franchise owners and its workers. The IWW wants to institute what it calls the "10 Point Program for Justice at Jimmy John's" that would include basic improvements already enjoyed by most workers like: "sick days, improved job security, guaranteed work hours, a reasonable pay increase and regular raises, improved harassment policies, and other basic job benefits."