Labor

Sep 5, 2010 San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Mike Cassidy column (San Jose Mercury News) This Labor Day it's 12.3 percent. Today layoffs have become the background noise amid the daily business buzz. Profitable companies, companies sitting on piles of cash, regularly lay off workers to increase profits and grow the piles of cash larger. A few thousand people here, a few thousand there.    more...  
Sep 4, 2010 U.S. private hiring shows slight uptick in August (The Sacramento Bee) But the market rallied on news this week of improved manufacturing activity, and Friday's job report gave investors added confidence.    more...  
Sep 4, 2010 Initiative to suspend state climate law gets $1 million (The Sacramento Bee) ...oil companies Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE:VLO) and Tesoro Corp. (NYSE:TSO) On Thursday, Tesoro also donated $1 million to the Yes on 23 Committee, bringing its total contributions to about $1.5 million. Overall, the committee has raised more than $8.2 million, with nearly half, or about $4...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Koch firm donates $1 million to campaign to suspend climate change law (The Sacramento Bee) Flint Hills is now the third largest backer of Proposition 23, behind Texas-based oil companies Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE:VLO) and Tesoro Corp. (NYSE:TSO) On Thursday, Tesoro also donated $1 million to the Yes on 23 Committee, bringing its total contributions to about $1.5 million. Overall, the...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Wonkbook: White House considers payroll tax holiday; House libs against Social Security cuts; 25% were unemployed during recession (Washington Post) Whatever else the fiscal commission does, it seems likely to come out with some package of reforms for the stories social insurance program. But Republicans aren't very interested in raising payroll taxes, and House liberals have now announced their unified opposition to anything that includes...    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Virginia's unemployment overpayments (Washington Post) But what clearly is fraudulent is continuing to collect payments even after you've been hired somewhere. And granted, Virginia looks good compared with a state like Louisiana -- which overpaid 42 percent of benefits.But a misspent $166 million? Not great, Virginia, not great.Paige Winfield...    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 EDITORIAL (San Jose Mercury News) On Tuesday, we got a charade of a debate on Republican and Democratic proposals that everybody knew would fail to win two-thirds approval. It happens because newer teachers often predominate at these schools, so the remedy, requiring that the schools absorb layoffs at no more than the district...    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 Ask The Experts: Can I deduct taxes on second house?:: (The Sacramento Bee) By Claudia Buck Aug. 30, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune News Service delivered by Newstex) -- Do I pay taxes for household workers? Can I take a deduction for a second home used by family? You are not required to withhold federal income tax from wages you pay to a household employee, unless your...    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 The week ahead (The Sacramento Bee) Sacramento City Unified's lawyers are expected to call former school board trustee and current City Council candidate Jay Schenirer to the stand today. Schenirer began his testimony at 3:14 p.m. Tuesday, before the case went dark the rest of the week. Under PARS, employees who qualify would be...    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 California still hiring, but work force number stays flat (The Sacramento Bee) ...employees) as have retired," said Lynelle Jolley, spokeswoman for the Department of Personnel Administration, noting that 18,000 state workers have taken their pensions in the past year and a half. Michael Shires, a political scientist and state budget expert at Pepperdine University, said...    more...  
Aug 29, 2010 Five years after Katrina, its victims remain blown away by the storm (San Jose Mercury News) Since the Saints' emotional 31-17 victory over Indianapolis, Melancon has watched the game every other day. Their home in the Ninth Ward was flooded and later torn down, part of $81.2 billion in property losses in the region -- making Katrina the costliest storm in U.S. history. They now have...    more...  
Aug 27, 2010 Grief counseling requests rise in wake of state worker suicides (The Sacramento Bee) And I promise I will." Reasons for increase uncertain The counseling call data don't necessarily provide an accurate accounting of state worker suicides. Arnold Schwarzenegger responded by ordering furloughs two days per month in February 2009 and then adding a third day in July of that year....    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 Wonkbook: Bernanke expected to announce policy; risky bets allowed; SEC empowers shareholders (Washington Post) Meanwhile, despite FinReg, banks will still be allowed to make risky bets that could destabilize the economy at large. Simpson, who turns 79 next week, should resign or be fired. It did not, however, lead to an explosion in corporate investment.    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 The Sacramento Bee, Calif., Jon Ortiz column (The Sacramento Bee) Jon Ortiz Aug. 26, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The chart travels with Gov. They don't force messy choices about whom to cut and where. Such decisions are really tough in a recession when demand for state services grows. The Employment Development Department,...    more...  
Aug 24, 2010 85,000 lost health insurance in Sacramento area, UCLA study finds (The Sacramento Bee) Without health insurance, she relied on Sacramento County's primary care clinic for medical care to ease the pain from an ailing back. Nonprofit community clinics are also carrying a heavier load, according to Marty Keale, executive director of the Capitol Community Health Network, a coalition...    more...  
Aug 23, 2010 CalPERS loan just latest budget-balancing gimmick (The Sacramento Bee) The idea fell flat when the deal ran into legal problems, adding to the state's deficit. In other cases, the state has borrowed heavily to help solve its budget problems. Senate Democrats previously wanted to shed about $3 billion to $4 billion in annual costs by making counties more responsible...    more...  
Aug 23, 2010 Lay off workers, pay more taxes. Reverse. Repeat. (Washington Post) Paige Winfield CunninghamLay off workers, pay more taxes. When these companies close their doors, they leave behind laid-off workers -- and their compensation needs. As the unemployment fund is drained, it triggers higher unemployment taxes on businesses.    more...  
Aug 23, 2010 EDITORIAL (San Jose Mercury News) In 2009, 40 percent of cleantech venture capital went to California, where some 12,000 companies are working on ways that could help businesses and consumers reduce energy consumption. The big tech companies -- including Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple -- oppose Proposition 23, as do green...    more...  
Aug 23, 2010 The Sacramento Bee, Calif., Dan Walters column (The Sacramento Bee) ...decree. The rules have immense effects on workers' benefits, employers' costs, insurers' profits and the incomes of workers' comp lawyers and medical care and rehabilitation providers. As a perennial political issue with high-dollar impacts, it supports a clutch of lobbyists who specialize...    more...  
Aug 23, 2010 '''You are not this situation': Advice for long-term jobless (The Sacramento Bee) Despite numerous applications, his job search has netted just three in-person interviews. I'll get another job in six months,' " said a weary-sounding Mathis. He rents a small, one-bedroom home in Placerville.    more...