Voters are on track to get the final say over whether Massachusetts businesses should pay a higher minimum wage to tipped employees after the state's highest court on Thursday concluded that a proposed ballot question is properly drafted.
This summer s passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act has received a lot of attention. But last year s infrastructure law is seeing its initial wave of projects move forward, and Minnesota labor leaders say it provides even more opportunities. So far, the federal plan has sent nearly $1 billion to the state for transportation projects, including roads, bridges and public transit. .
North Dakota is looking at ways to stabilize its child-care workforce as parents struggle to find openings. Part of that involves a new initiative that offers incentives to staff at licensed centers in hopes of reducing turnover. A recent report found that the average child-care worker in North Dakota is paid roughly $11 an hour - barely above poverty level for a family of three in a full-time scenario. .
Workers in Michigan won major victories recently as a minimum-wage increase and employer paid sick time program were reinstated by court order. In 2018, petitioners succeeded in placing a minimum-wage increase along with an earned-sick-time provision on the November ballot. In turn, the Michigan Legislature passed the measures in September to avoid a vote on the referendums, then in a lame-duck session in December the Legislature amended the bills, delaying the wage increase and denying the full hourly rate to tipped workers. .