Jobs for the Future (JFF)’s Post

The U.S. Department of Labor introduced a Final Rule set to take effect on March 11, 2024, concerning the Classification of Employees or Independent Contractors under the FLSA. This rule involves a six-factor assessment to determine worker classification, potentially requiring businesses to reassess their employees. The factors considered include profit potential, investments, job relationship duration, control, job integration, and skills. For HR Support in understanding the 2024 DOL Independent Contractor Final Rule, refer to our latest newsletter for more information and reach out to our team of enthusiastic HR specialists ready to support you! https://lnkd.in/ehM7PFBA #career #HR #hrnews

New research from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies highlights critical strategies to improve job quality for Black workers in sector partnership programs. https://lnkd.in/g7-iNyPc Sector partnerships are collaborations among multiple employers in the same industry, along with educational institutions, community organizations, unions, and training providers. These partnerships aim to develop workers' skills and place them in in-demand jobs within specific industries. Key findings include: • Sector partnerships can increase earnings for Black workers, but racial disparities persist • Only 1 of 6 states studied (California) reports outcome data by race for these programs • Job quality standards are essential but inconsistently implemented across states • Recommendations include: - Dedicated federal funding for sector partnerships - Codifying job quality standards in workforce laws - Expanding data reporting requirements by race - Implementing a national tracking system for these programs The study examined sector partnerships in California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas, offering valuable insights for policymakers and workforce leaders across the country. As the nation's premier Black think tank, the Joint Center continues to produce vital research to inform policies that advance equitable economic opportunities for Black workers. GLUE encourages all policy makers and influencers to follow their work. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires states to implement sector partnerships, but effectiveness varies. What sector partnerships are working well in your city? How are they addressing the needs of Black workers? #WorkforceDevelopment #RacialEquity #PolicyResearch #SectorPartnerships Author, Justin Nalley, MPA, is a senior policy analyst for the Workforce Policy Program at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Studies like this make me proud to come from a tradition of Black Nationalism, which emphasizes self-reliance and building for ourselves (do-4-self). Rather than depending on employers, our focus has always been on becoming the employers, creating opportunities not only for ourselves but also for others. Most people, based on very strategic tactics, don't know the organization I was mostly involved with (Nuwaubian Nation), being more familiar with movements led by people like Marcus Garvey or areas like Black Wall Street. I stand on my argument that movements like ours can only exist in a capitalist system. #capitalism #workforce #research #studies

I always appreciate the quality content from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the oldest and most prestigious Black think tank in the nation. Check out their issue brief on sector partnership programs and the Black workforce. What institutions are leading workforce efforts in your city? #workforce #thinktank #sectorpartnership #breakingsilos #leadership #blackleadership #policy #practice #solutions

For #BlackHistoryMonth, we want to pay tribute to Hattie Canty, the resilient labor activist who challenged and changed the norms. Her story reminds us that leadership is not about the title; it's about making a difference. Black History In the Workplace: ✊🏽 Hattie Canty was a labor activist known for being one of the most outstanding strike leaders in U.S. history. She was primarily a stay-at-home mom with ten children, but when her husband died in 1975, she worked as a maid at a Las Vegas hotel - a hotel unionized with Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union Local 226. ✊🏽 For decades, Canty was very active in the union. In 1990, she was elected president of the Culinary Workers Union. She was the first Black woman and room attendant ever to hold the office. ✊🏽 During her tenure as president, the Culinary Workers Union had one of the most extended strikes in U.S. history. In 1991, 550 hospitality workers at the Vegas Frontier Hotel walked off their jobs to protest unfair wages and treatment. For six years, four months, and ten days between 1991 and 1998, no striker ever crossed the picket line. ✊🏽 The strike was a victory for the workers. The hotel was sold to another business owner, who promised to restore the workers to their jobs, honor the union contract, and provide back pay. 💡Want to learn more about creating healthy and inclusive workplaces? Contact our team to discuss our workplace wellness training and assessments. https://bit.ly/4brpa3I #TheLadipoGroup #ManagingWell #HattieCanty #Leadership #LaborRights #WorkplaceEquality #Diversity #Inclusion

The Good Jobs Challenge is a strategic initiative that brings American workers and employers together through workforce training systems. The challenge has the potential to increase Black employment; read more to see the strategies we recommend. https://lnkd.in/emUwJ5dJ

From our Executive Director, Jessica Martinez: At National COSH, like all of you, we’re taking a hard look at what this year’s election results mean for our health and safety movement, our communities, and the work we lead. As a proud daughter of immigrant workers, I want you to know this: no matter who holds office, National COSH remains committed to lifting up worker voices and building a future where every workplace is safe. We will continue to hold employers and elected leaders accountable when their actions put workers at risk. Together, we will push forward to eliminate hazards, confront racial and economic inequities, and protect the lives and dignity of workers. Our resolve is strong, our purpose clear - and we’re just getting started. A few thoughts on the work ahead: It’s more clear than ever that we need powerful, resilient voices within our communities to lead the way. This is why our We Rise! Workers’ Leadership Academy will keep empowering  Black and Brown leaders, equipping them with the skills and support to unite their co-workers and push for safer, more just workplaces.  This past year has shown us what’s possible. We’ve seen hard-won progress for protections from extreme heat for workers in California, Maryland and several communities in Arizona. National COSH is committed to building on these victories, seizing every opportunity for workers to secure new and improved safety measures from local and state governments. As a new administration takes office, we’ll advocate for the strongest possible enforcement of current federal safety laws and regulations. And as budget decisions unfold, we’ll be vigilant, ensuring that any proposed changes recognize the rights and well-being of workers and their families. Our principles, our mission, and the needs of the workers we serve haven’t changed. National COSH will continue to advocate, in every way possible, for the working people who sustain our economy.  Your continued support will be crucial as we confront new challenges and opportunities in the years ahead. 

"As we honor the labor movement’s achievements, let us also celebrate the resilience, strength, and leadership of African Americans who have shaped the course of labor history in the United States. Their stories remind us that the fight for justice and equality is ongoing and that every worker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect." Excellent piece on the importance of #LaborDay and honoring the legacy of those who fought, and continue to fight, for justice and equality in our society via Waymaker Journal: https://lnkd.in/eczc-VV7

Did you know that the practice of tipping in the United States has roots in racism and exploitation? In this eye-opening video, I delve into the little-known history of tipping and its impact on service industry workers, particularly Black Americans. Following the Civil War, many employers in the service industry, seeking to avoid paying fair wages to newly freed Black workers, encouraged the practice of tipping. This created a system that disproportionately affected people of color and perpetuated racial disparities in the workforce. Fast forward to today, and the legacy of this problematic history persists. Tipped workers, who are often people of color, still struggle to make ends meet with a federal minimum wage of just $2.13 an hour, forcing them to rely heavily on tips to survive. Through this video, I aim to shed light on the racist history of tipping, its ongoing impact on service industry workers, and the urgent need for change. Join the conversation and share your thoughts on how we can work together to ensure fair wages and respect for all workers, regardless of their race or position. #TippingHistory #FairWages #RacialEquity #ServiceIndustry #aivideo #aicontent #storytelling

On July 10, 1936, the UAW formally joined the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations). The CIO's emphasis on organizing by industry, not by craft, stressed the common interests of workers across job classifications. The strength of this model was that it required overcoming racial divides within the workplace. The CIO ran anti-racist training to facilitate Black and white workers organizing together to fight employers. At its core was the idea that Black and white workers have a common enemy in capitalists and dividing workers by race intends to weaken working-class power. According to historian and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, the CIO was one of the most successful anti-racist efforts in U.S. history. He wrote that because of the CIO, workers “in the steel and automotive industries have been thrown together, Black and white, as fellow workers striving for the same objects. There has been on this account an astonishing spread of interracial tolerance and understanding.” #StandUpUAW