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Home » Archives by category » US news (Page 3)
As a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?
01/10/2021 Comments Off on As a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?FacebookAs a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?Pressure grows on social network after US senators challenge Instagram over impact of app on children’s mental health Dan Milmo Global technology editorSat 2 Oct 2021 01.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 2 Oct 2021 05.28 EDTUS lawmakers have left Facebook in no doubt this week that revelations about the impact of its Instagram app on teen mental health have further damaged the company’s reputation. The Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said the social network was “indefensibly delinquent” in its behaviour and had “chosen growth over children’s mental health”, after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Facebook’s internal research had flagged concerns that its photo-sharing app was damaging the wellbeing of young users.The pressure on Facebook is likely to increase on Sunday when a whistleblower appears on US TV to claim that the company is lying to the public and investors about the effectiveness of its attempts to remove hate, violence and misinformation from its platforms.The whistleblower, who has submitted thousands of internal documents to the US financial regulator, will then appear at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.The WSJ report and the whistleblower’s appearance take place against a backdrop of active attempts to rein in the power of Facebook and other tech companies. Here are some of the proposals being considered for regulating Facebook.A break-upThe US competition watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission, has lodged a lawsuit demanding that …
Continue reading …Wave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeks
01/10/2021 Comments Off on Wave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeksUS unionsWave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeksFrom healthcare to Hollywood, workers are demanding higher wages, fighting cuts and seeking better safety and conditions Michael SainatoFri 1 Oct 2021 04.30 EDTLast modified on Fri 1 Oct 2021 04.32 EDTTens of thousands of workers around the US could go on strike in the coming weeks in what would be the largest wave of labor unrest since a series of teacher strikes in 2018 and 2019, which won major victories and gave the American labor movement a significant boost.The unrest spans a huge range of industries from healthcare to Hollywood and academia, and is largely focused on higher wages, fighting cuts and better working and safety conditions, especially in light of Covid-19.‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemRead moreIt also plays out against a backdrop of an economy bouncing back from the torrid experience of widespread economic shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, but one that is still marked by profound inequality.However, the pandemic is also seen as potentially providing a shot in the arm for US labor unions by increasing bargaining power amid increased union drives and labor shortages in some industries.About 24,000 nurses and other healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in California represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals will vote on a strike authorization from 1 …
Continue reading …United Airlines set to fire nearly 600 workers for defying vaccine mandate
29/09/2021 Comments Off on United Airlines set to fire nearly 600 workers for defying vaccine mandateUnited AirlinesUnited Airlines set to fire nearly 600 workers for defying vaccine mandateThe company said it would start the process of firing 593 employees who decided not to get vaccinated R …
Continue reading …Facebook ‘overpaid in data settlement to avoid naming Zuckerberg’
24/09/2021 Comments Off on Facebook ‘overpaid in data settlement to avoid naming Zuckerberg’Mark ZuckerbergFacebook ‘overpaid in data settlement to avoid naming Zuckerberg’Lawsuit alleges settlement in Cambridge Analytica case driven by desire to protect founder Dan Milmo Global technology editorFri 24 Sep 2021 11.12 EDTLast modified on Fri 24 Sep 2021 11.39 EDTFacebook paid $4.9bn more than necessary to the US Federal Trade Commission in a settlement over the Cambridge Analytica scandal in order to protect Mark Zuckerberg, a lawsuit has claimed.The lawsuit alleges that the size of the $5bn settlement was driven by a desire to protect Facebook’s founder and chief executive from being named in the FTC complaint.Facebook was fined by the FTC in 2019 for “deceiving” users about its ability to keep personal information private, after a year-long investigation into the Cambridge Analytica data breach, where a UK analysis firm harvested millions of Facebook profiles of US voters.“Zuckerberg, [chief operating officer Sheryl] Sandberg, and other Facebook directors agreed to authorise a multibillion settlement with the FTC as an express quid pro quo to protect Zuckerberg from being named in the FTC’s complaint, made subject to personal liability, or even required to sit for a deposition,” said the shareholder lawsuit filed in Delaware last month but made public this week.The suit quotes a commissioner on the FTC, Rohit Chopra, who said the government “essentially traded getting more money, so that an individual did not have to submit to sworn testimony and I just think that’s fundamentally wrong”.The lawsuit claims that the settlement …
Continue reading …‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor system
24/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemGoogle‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemContracted workers doing the same jobs for less pay and no job security are exposing the tech company’s workplace inequalities Michael SainatoFri 24 Sep 2021 06.00 EDTLast modified on Fri 24 Sep 2021 06.01 EDTBen Gwin works for Google Shopping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though he is technically a temporary worker at the tech giant, Gwin and 65 of his colleagues are now represented by the United Steelworkers union.The group of workers ratified their first union contract in July after two years at the bargaining table with their contractor, HCL America Inc. The contract victory was historic in an industry that has aggressively opposed union drives, especially among temp and contracted employees.Workers have characterized temp positions in the tech industry as a shadow, second-tier workforce who are drastically underpaid compared with direct employees doing the same or similar work and are often lured into the positions with the implication they could eventually be offered a permanent position directly with the company.By seeking to unionize these positions, many of these workers are hoping to improve their circumstances.“It’s a race to the bottom,” said Gwin. “That was one of the union-busting talking points. They claimed, ‘if you negotiate for better pay, someone else is going to come in and take this contract and pay less fees.’”Gwin said he and his co-workers all work in various capacities for Google Shopping, alongside workers directly …
Continue reading …‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoff
23/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoffBusiness‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistics firm’s spinoffUS-based XPO Logistics has boomed during the pandemic but its reorganisation is causing concern Michael SainatoThu 23 Sep 2021 12.08 EDTLast modified on Thu 23 Sep 2021 12.38 EDTThe pandemic has been a boon to XPO Logistics, the transport giant that delivers the goods for a global companies including retailers from Asos and Walmart. It reported record revenues of $5bn (£3.6bn) last quarter as it helped to ship everything from washing machines to frozen fruit around the world.To make the most of the boom, the US-based multinational has just completed the process of dividing itself in two, with the warehouse and e-commerce arm becoming a separately listed corporation called GXO Logistics. But the road ahead does not look trouble-free. Union leaders in the UK and US are sounding the alarm, pointing to the “dark legacy” of a corporate culture they fear will taint the reorganised businesses.In the UK, where the company delivers an estimated 40% of the beer consumed in British pubs, the trucking division narrowly avoided a strike last month over a below-inflation pay offer, which was later increased. While XPO accepted £100m from the government’s job support scheme during the pandemic, its furloughed workers effectively took a pay cut, because the scheme covers 80% of wages and managers rejected requests to top-up the final 20%.Disputes were further inflamed by XPO’s decision in May to override objections from shareholders …
Continue reading …A record number of cargo ships are stuck outside LA. What’s happening?
22/09/2021 Comments Off on A record number of cargo ships are stuck outside LA. What’s happening?Los AngelesA record number of cargo ships are stuck outside LA. What’s happening? Port complex of Los Angeles and Long Beach, already the busiest in the US, has seen major traffic this week as imports boom Dani Anguiano@ …
Continue reading …Facebook oversight board to review system that exempts elite users
21/09/2021 Comments Off on Facebook oversight board to review system that exempts elite usersFacebookFacebook oversight board to review system that exempts elite usersThe XCheck program allows some users to be ‘whitelisted’ or allowed to post material that violates the company’s policies G …
Continue reading …‘Pay me my worth’: restaurant workers demand livable wages as industry continues to falter
21/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘Pay me my worth’: restaurant workers demand livable wages as industry continues to falterFood & drink industry ‘Pay me my worth’: restaurant workers demand livable wages as industry continues to falter Low wages and poor working conditions – as well as unruly customers – combine to keep the food service labor shortage going Michael Sainato Tue 21 Sep 2021 05.00 EDT Last modified on Tue 21 Sep 2021 […]
Continue reading …‘Smishing’: the rising threat for business owners that brings scams to smartphones
19/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘Smishing’: the rising threat for business owners that brings scams to smartphonesUS small business‘Smishing’: the rising threat for business owners that brings scams to smartphonesHackers, no longer content with phishing emails, are now sending text messages to entice people to click on fake links Gene Marks@ …
Continue reading …- Celebrating the Resilience of Low-Income Women
- CEOs Get to Retire Comfortably. Workers Like Me Deserve the Same.
- Jobs Increased 339,000 In May, Unemployment Up 0.3% To 3.7%
- The decline of job creation at new establishments
- Contractor faces 2 serious citations after US Department of Labor finds safety failures led to welder’s death at Bonner Bridge demolition project
- Investigation into worker’s severe arm injury finds Cusseta auto parts manufacturer, supplier willfully ignored safety precautions
- ‘It’s a sweat factory’: Instacart workers ready to strike for pay and conditions
- Ships backed up outside US ports pumping out pollutants as they idle
- Privacy fears as Moscow metro rolls out facial recognition pay system
- ‘We are not machines’: Hollywood workers poised to strike for better conditions
- Boeing pilot indicted for allegedly deceiving US regulators over 737 Max
- Ipswich apprentice butcher encourages others to consider industry
- Ipswich apprentice butcher encourages others to consider industry
- Over 10,000 John Deere workers strike over ‘years’ of poor treatment
- Corporations are pledging to be ‘water positive’. What does that mean?
- US Department of Labor investigation of crane collapse, double fatality on Interstate 10 finds Lufkin company failed to assemble crane properly
- For the 6th time in 7 years, federal inspectors find Illinois contractor putting construction workers at risk of industry’s deadliest hazard
- US Department of Labor proposes $83K in fines to healthcare facility for failing to protect workers from coronavirus hazards
- Facebook says it will do more to prevent online hate, harassment
- As U.S. prepares to reopen border, some urge Canada to relax testing requirement
- Biden orders companies to ease supply chain bottlenecks or he’ll ‘call them out’
- What is the ‘new model’ the EU is proposing for Northern Ireland?
- Apple to make 10 million fewer iPhones due to microchip shortage
- US Department of Labor, Mexican Consulate in Boston enter alliance to promote workplace safety, health among New England’s workers
- US Department of Labor sues Austin luxury car dealer that retaliated against employee who raised concerns of coronavirus hazards
- Vaccine hesitant New Yorkers consider leaving the city as mandates take effect
- Carbon emissions ‘will drop just 40% by 2050 with countries’ current pledges’
- House passes bill to raise US debt ceiling through early December
- ‘The stakes couldn’t be higher’: GE urged to invest in green US jobs
- Zellers returns — kind of — but the lowest price isn't quite the law
- Cement makers across world pledge large cut in emissions by 2030
- India faces electricity crisis as coal supplies run critically low
- California justice department to investigate enormous oil spill