As reported by the Louisiana
Illuminator, dozens of Dollar
store employees protested Dec. 10 outside a Family Dollar location in New
Orleans, demanding the parent companies of Family Dollar, Dollar
Tree and Dollar General address safety and staffing concerns at their stores.
In
addition to crime and safety
concerns, employees also
said customer service suffers when
there aren’t enough staff on hand. Higher wages would go a long way
toward attracting and retaining workers, they said.
Dollar
store
employees make between $9 and $13 an hour in the New Orleans area, according to
a spokesperson for Step Up Louisiana, a grassroots labor advocacy group that
organized the protest. Protestors called for a $25 hourly
wage.
From
January through July, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
conducted more than 500 inspections at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar locations
and found more than 300 violations. Offenses include blocked access to fire
extinguishers, electrical equipment and exits, boxes stacked unsafely
and merchandise left unsafely on the customer floorspace.
Protesters reported many of the same workplace safety
issues at their stores.
In
a statement to the Illuminator, the
public relations office of Dollar General said: “At Dollar General, we strive to create an
environment where employees can grow their careers, serve their communities
and feel valued and heard. To that end, employees are encouraged to provide
feedback through the several company-provided communication channels. We are
committed to listening to this and other employee feedback and working
collaboratively to address concerns.
Creating and maintaining a safe
and welcoming environment for our store teams and customers is a top priority, and our policies, procedures
and training programs are designed and implemented with this priority in mind.”
Nurses in U.K. Strike for First Time
Nurses
across Britain went on strike Dec.
15 demanding a raise and better
working conditions, according to
the New York Times, the first
such walkout by nurses in the history of the country’s revered National Health
Service (N.H.S).
Nurses
will still be staffing the most vital services, such as intensive care units
and chemotherapy, dialysis, and some pediatric services, but nonurgent medical
attention will be much less available. Hospitals and other health facilities
say that they have tried to manage schedules to ensure the safety of patients
during the action.
The
strike comes as the N.H.S. is in crisis, with declining working conditions for
clinical staff and amid the spillover pressures of the pandemic. There have
been record delays for ambulance response times and a major backlog
for medical procedures, among many other problems.
The
nurse’s union, the Royal College of Nursing, has asked for a 19% raise,
noting that small increases in the past have made it hard to attract and retain
workers. Nurses are leaving the profession at high rates, citing low pay and
staff shortages that force them to work long hours, according to union
representatives.
The
union came to the decision to strike after polling its more than 300,000
members, who make up about a third of the health service’s work force. Nurses
plan to strike again on Dec. 20, while the ambulance service has walkouts
scheduled for Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.
NY
Governor Signs Legislation to
Expand Accommodations for Breastfeeding in the Workplace
New
York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation to expand accommodations for
breastfeeding in the workplace. According
to a statement, legislation
(S.4844-B/A.1236-A) requires all employers in New York to ensure that pumping
spaces are convenient and private, as well as include seating, access to
running water and electricity, and a working space.
It
will also require employers to develop and implement a written policy regarding
employee rights when breastfeeding in the workplace. The new legislation will
ensure that all employees across the state will receive the same basic accommodations
that public employees currently receive.
Currently,
employers must give reasonable break times and make reasonable efforts to
provide a space for employees to pump breast milk, but this standard falls
below the requirements in place for government employees. This legislation will
ensure that all workplaces across the state have safe, clean pumping spaces by
requiring employers to expand accommodations for breastfeeding.
The
new law will also require employers to adopt a policy developed by the New York
State Department of Labor regarding employee rights when breastfeeding in the
workplace. Employers must provide
the written policy to each employee upon hire and annually thereafter, as well
as to employees returning to work after the birth of a child.
“Every nursing mother deserves access to a safe,
hygienic and convenient space to pump in the workplace,” Gov. Hochul said. “By
requiring employers to provide quality accommodations, this legislation
will help employees feel comfortable and respected when breastfeeding.”
Survey: 70% of HR Professionals Say Employer Lacks DEI Framework
As
reported by Benefits Canada, more than two-thirds (70%)
of human resources professionals say their employer lacks a diversity, equity
and inclusion governance framework or has a DEI framework with unclear
accountabilities.
The
survey by McLean & Co. polled about 1,000 HR professionals across the
globe. It found more than half (57%) said
they don’t have a DEI team or dedicated resource. Around a third of respondents said their
organization has a formal (37%) or informal (35%) DEI strategy.
The survey found organizations with a DEI strategy
were nearly twice as likely to report high overall organizational performance
and high social and environmental sustainability. Some 39%
of respondents noted their organizations are offering DEI-specific training for
leaders on foundational DEI concepts and unconscious bias, while others are
offering training around inclusive leadership (29%), anti-racism (20%)
and allyship (19%).
It
also found organizations that leverage competency-based training, including
inclusive leadership, anti-racism and allyship were 40%
more likely to be high performing in DEI compared to those leveraging
awareness-based training.
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