From the folks who brought you the weekends…

Happy Labor Day. We here at Dating Jesus are taking the day off to commemorate the sacrifices made by early union leaders, and to spend time in thoughtful prayer for latter-day union leaders. Onward and see you tomorrow.

When Portland raised its minimum wage…

…things proceeded pretty much apace. From The Christian Science Monitor:

So far, Portland’s $10.10 wage hasn’t killed jobs, though some restaurants have cut hours. Many workers already earned above the minimum; tipped servers and bar staff make much more during the summer. Portland’s economy is booming and unemployment is below 3 percent. Even Greg Dugal, a prominent lobbyist for restaurant and hotel owners, admits that “the sky has not fallen.” Hinck calls it a “stunning silence” after the heated arguments over its adoption.

Nike’s offering paid leave. Will other companies follow suit?

Last week, Nike employees who work more than 30 hours a week will get full paid leave. The new policy says:

new parents or [people] who are needed to care for sick family members are now eligible to receive eight weeks of paid leave, the world’s biggest sportswear company said on Wednesday.

Birth mothers are now eligible for a minimum of 14 paid weeks of leave, Nike said, with more paid leave allowable if a doctor deems it medically necessary. Previously, birth mothers were allowed a minimum of six weeks paid leave to care for their newborns, said a company spokeswoman.

Fathers, adoptive parents and employees with sick family members had not been allowed paid leave under Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike’s previous policy, but can now take up to eight weeks of paid leave.

The benefit changes apply to Nike employees who have a regular work schedule of 30 or more hours a week. Employees are eligible for the benefit on their first day of work, the company said.

And thanks, Jac, for the link.

The life of a single mother living on minimum wage

See this, at The Chicago Reporter. It’s an eye-opening look at the life of Maria Garcia, 37.

Raising the minimum wage in Calif.

You can read more here, and thanks, Lori, for letting me steal this.

Say “love” with a union label

SONY DSC

Here are some union companies that make things that make Valentine’s Day just a little sweeter.

Enjoy. And will you be my Valentine?

We all are getting screwed

Leftover sent this, an Economic Policy Institute report I missed last week, that looks at the wage gap between men and women. The introduction gives you an idea of what this report found:

…when compared with men, women are still paid less, are more likely to hold low-wage jobs, and are more likely to live in poverty. Gender wage disparities are present at all wage levels and within education categories, occupations, and sectors—sometimes to a grave degree.

But look at the graphic above. No worker’s pay has kept up with productivity. Women feel that the most, but the men aren’t being paid fairly, either. Since 1979, workers’ pay has not been tied to the consistent rise in productivity. So the money is going…where?