- Department of Labor Issues New AI and Worker Well-Being Guidance
- Stellantis, 3M Call Workers Back to the Office
- Campbell Soup Lawsuit Claims Company Penalizes Smokers
- Equal Pay Champion Lilly Ledbetter Dies at 86
- Boeing Machinists Reject Labor Contract, Strike Continues
- Poll: For Many, Insight on Sports Surpasses that for Retirement Status
Department of Labor Issues New AI and Worker Well-Being Guidance
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new guidance and best practices on artificial intelligence (AI) to serve as a “roadmap” for developers and employers.
Published on Oct. 16, “Artificial Intelligence and Worker Well-Being: Principles and Best Practices for Developers and Employers” expands upon guidance released in May that focused on eight AI principles:
- Centering worker empowerment. Workers and their representatives, especially those from underserved communities, should be informed of and have genuine input in the design, development, testing, training, use and oversight of AI systems for use in the workplace.
- Ethically developing AI. AI systems should be designed, developed and trained in a way that protects workers.
- Establishing AI governance and human oversight. Organizations should have clear governance systems, procedures, human oversight and evaluation processes for AI systems for use in the workplace.
- Ensuring transparency in AI use. Employers should be transparent with workers and job seekers about the AI systems being used in the workplace.
- Protecting labor and employment rights. AI systems should not violate or undermine workers’ rights and protections toward unionization, health and safety, wages and hours worked, and anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation.
- Using AI to enable workers. AI systems should assist, complement and enable workers, and improve job quality.
- Supporting workers impacted by AI. Employers should support or upskill workers during job transitions related to AI.
- Ensuring responsible use of worker data. Workers’ data collected, used or created by AI systems should be limited in scope and location, used only to support legitimate business aims, and protected and handled responsibly.
While the DOL’s latest guidance re-emphasizes that the eight principles are not binding on employers, employers should already be cognizant of the practices suggested in the document, according to labor and employment law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.
Stellantis, 3M Call Workers Back to the Office
Automaker Stellantis and industrial giant 3M are the latest businesses to call employees back to the office.
As reported by Bloomberg, Sellantis NV, the maker of Jeep and Fiat vehicles, wants select staff members in the office three days a week, on average — a major change from its previous 70% remote-work policy.
Earlier this year, Stellantis asked its auto engineers to work in the office more frequently. The company is now widening the scope to include all research and development teams and several other roles, according to chief human resources office Xavier Chereau.
Bloomberg also reported 3M is calling select managers back to the office.
The company, which has 85,000 employees globally, will expect but not require those at the director level and above to come into an office Tuesday through Thursday each week, which the company has deemed “collaboration days,” a 3M spokesperson confirmed. For those below the director rank, the new policy is voluntary.
The new rules start in November at 3M’s Maplewood, Minnesota, headquarters for employees who live within 50 miles of the office and will expand globally over time in line with local labor laws, the spokesperson said.
For the past three years, desk-based workers had the freedom to work remotely for the most part in consultation with their managers, under a policy dubbed “Work Your Way.”
Campbell Soup Lawsuit Claims Company Penalizes Smokers
According to BenefitsPro, Campbell Soup Co. has been hit with a class-action lawsuit in New Jersey federal court, claiming it wrongly charges employees extra for health insurance if they use tobacco products.
Campbell Soup reportedly charges an extra $12.50 per week, or $650 per year, for insurance to those who use cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco. The company also charges tobacco users higher premiums for voluntary life and disability insurance.
According to the lawsuit, requiring workers who smoke to pay more for health insurance violates the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by unfairly targeting employees because of their health status.
The suit added that tobacco surcharges are only lawful if they adhere to ERISA regulations mandating that extra fees are part of a wellness program that meets strict criteria. These programs must promote health and must provide a “reasonable alternative standard” for those who can’t meet the initial health requirement, such as participating in a smoking cessation program to avoid the surcharge, the suit claims.
According to the complaint, Campbell Soup does not satisfy the requirements for an alternative standard.
Boeing Machinists Reject Labor Contract, Strike Continues
As reported by CNBC, Boeing machinists voted on Oct. 23 against a new labor deal that included 35% wage increases over four years, extending a more than five-week strike that has halted most of the company’s aircraft production, which is centered in the Seattle area.
Sixty-four percent of the voters rejected the contract, which also included a $7,000 ratification bonus, increased 401(k) contributions and other changes. A simple majority was needed for the contract to pass, according to CNBC.
Boeing’s more than 32,000 machinists in the Puget Sound area, in Oregon and in other locations walked off the job on Sept. 13 after voting down a previous tentative agreement that proposed raises of 25%. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union had originally sought wage increases of 40%. It is the machinists’ first strike since 2008.
Equal Pay Champion Lilly Ledbetter Dies at 86
As reported by the Associated Press, Lilly Ledbetter, a former Alabama factory manager whose lawsuit against her employer made her an icon of the equal pay movement and led to landmark wage discrimination legislation, died Oct. 12 at the age of 86.
Ledbetter’s discovery that she was earning less than her male counterparts for doing the same job at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Alabama led to her lawsuit, which ultimately failed when the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that she had filed her complaint too late.
Two years later, President Barack Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gave workers the right to sue within 180 days of receiving each discriminatory paycheck, not just the first one.
Poll: For Many, Insight on Sports Surpasses that for Retirement Status
A new survey by investment management firm T. Rowe Price revealed 51% of American sports fans are more likely to know their favorite sports team’s record than how much they have saved for retirement. Additionally, 64% of surveyed Americans believe they started thinking about retirement later than they should have, and nearly 40% feel they’re behind and catching up with their retirement goals but feel pressure to do more. Thirteen percent say they have yet to start saving for retirement. The findings were released in conjunction with National Retirement Security Week (Oct. 20-26).
While the poll found most U.S. adults (85%) may not be fully secure in how they reach their retirement goals, their intentions are good. About 80% of Americans still in the workforce thought about their retirement in some way. In fact, 37% feel the strategy of saving a set amount each month would make them more secure in their ability to retire.
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