Nearly 300 Nebraska business owners and executives across the state have gone on record in support of ballot Initiative 433, which would gradually raise Nebraska s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Dave Titterington, owner of the Wild Bird Habitat Stores in Lincoln and Omaha, said it is tough enough to find employees in the current marketplace, and even harder if all you can offer is $9 an hour. "When you got child care, you got food to put on the table, you got increased fuel costs for home heating and automobile, how can anybody make it on the minimum wage?" Titterington asked. " .
Wisconsin union leaders say the state is seeing more buzz among organized labor after a decade of anti-union laws hindered regional membership. Construction unions continue their push for protections for nonmembers they said are being exploited. Wisconsin s union membership was down to nearly 8% last year, below the national average. .
The latest research on the "State of Working Pennsylvania" says a tight labor market and new levels of union organizing are offering new opportunities for workers. Pennsylvania s unemployment rate in August was the lowest since June 2000, at 4.2% - and more than six million Pennsylvanians are either working or looking for jobs. Stephen Herzenberg - executive director of Keystone Research Center and co-author of the report - said with smart and worker-friendly policies, the next several years should see a sense of possibility for those workers. .
With the holidays quickly approaching, the U.S. Postal Service is hiring 28,000 seasonal workers in the Keystone State and across the country. The Postal Service also plans to add 1,000 more truck drivers, letter carriers, and processing team members. .