U.S. Economy Added 206,000 Jobs in June
U.S. employers added 206,000 jobs in June as hiring held steady despite persistent inflation and high interest rates, according to a July 5 report from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had predicted an increase of 195,000 jobs prior to the release of the report.
The overall employment picture, however, was mixed at best as job gains for April and May were revised down by a combined 111,000 and the private sector added a disappointing 136,000 jobs in June (vs. 193,000 in May).
Also, the unemployment rate, calculated from a separate survey of households, rose from 4% to 4.1%, the highest percentage since November 2021.
The largest job increases were in government sectors, which added 70,000 jobs in June. At the same time, healthcare added 49,000 jobs, lower than the average monthly gain of 64,000 over the last 12 months.
Sweden: New Law Lets Parents Transfer Parental Leave to Grandparents
According to the Associated Press, Sweden has launched a new law that allows grandparents to step in and get paid parental leave while taking care of their grandchildren for up to three months of a child’s first year.
Under the law, parents can transfer some of their parental leave allowance to the child’s grandparents. A parent couple can transfer a maximum of 45 days to others while a single parent can transfer 90 days, according to the Social Insurance Agency, a government agency that administers the social insurance system.
In Sweden, parental benefits are paid out for 480 days, or about 16 months, per child. Out of that total, the compensation for 390 days is calculated based on a person’s full income, while for the remaining 90 days, people get a fixed amount of 180 kronor ($17) per day.
Microsoft Will Pay $14.4 Million to Settle Discrimination Claims
As reported by CNBC, Microsoft is paying $14.4 million to settle a case in California over allegations the company retaliated against employees who had taken legally protected time off.
California’s Civil Rights Department announced the proposed settlement on July 3. After approval by a state judge, almost all of the money will go to California workers who took parental leave, family care-taking leave or disability leave from 2017 to the present, and who decide to participate in the settlement.
According to the complaint, Microsoft doesn’t do enough to stop managers from considering protected leave when assessing an employee’s “impact,” a factor that’s involved in the calculation of annual bonuses, promotions, stock awards and merit increases.
As part of the settlement, Microsoft will provide training to direct and second-level managers of staff members in California and to HR employees who deal with their bonuses and merit increases.
According to court documents, Microsoft employs approximately 6,700 people in California out of its total workforce of 221,000.
Some Disney Workers to Vote on Strike
As reported by The Guardian, three trade unions representing 14,000 “cast members” at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels in California announced that an unfair labor practice strike vote would be held next week amid negotiations over a new union contract.
Union leaders accused The Walt Disney Company of “unlawful discipline and intimidation and surveillance” of union members employed at the specified properties. Talks over a new contract began in April. The following month, the unions filed unfair labor practice charges over cast members not being allowed to wear union buttons at work. The current union contract expired on June 16, with strike authorization votes expected to be released on July 20.
Workers are also fighting for significant wage increases. The current minimum wage under the living wage law in Anaheim, California, is currently $19.90 an hour, which has raised workers’ wages from the $18 an hour they were paid under the expired contract.
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