BossFeed Briefing for April 10, 2017. Last Tuesday was Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year it takes for the median woman worker to earn what the median male worker earned in the previous year. Last Friday the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. May Day is exactly three weeks from today.
Three things to know this week:
A year after filing a discrimination complaint, the US Women’s Soccer team won a new contract which improves pay and offers travel benefits equal to what the men’s team receives. And the US Women’s Hockey team won the world championship just weeks after a boycott forced that sport’s governing body to concede to their demands as well.
Giant magazine publisher Condé Nast is offering freelancers the option to get paid more quickly… if they accept a “discount” on their paycheck. The company calls this “accelerated payment option” an “enhancement.”
The City of Malibu removed a sign which declared it a Sanctuary City and added “Cheap gardeners and nannies make Malibu great.” The City Council of the wealthy California jurisdiction had in fact voted 3-2 to pass a sanctuary city ordinance, but the City Manager called the official-looking road sign “an unfortunate prank.”
Two things to ask:
What’s the opposite of Nostradamus? Soon after SeaTac voters passed a $15 living wage in 2013, the Seattle Times editorialized that we should “forget about anyone building another hotel in the city of SeaTac.” Last week the Puget Sound Business Journal wrote “SeaTac’s $15 minimum wage isn’t slowing down real estate projects”.
Do you already think your boss micromanages you? A few companies are experimenting with implanting employees with small chips, similar to those routinely used to identify pets. The chips can track workers daily movements, and are described as a convenient way to replace key fobs and other such devices.
And one thing that’s worth a closer look:
In a clarifying survey of research about the causes of the gender wage gap, Bridget Ansel of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth shows both that 1) male-dominated occupations are paid better than female-dominated occupations, even when they demand the same recognized skill or education level, and 2) as more women enter a field of work, pay in that field declines. The research is rich, compelling, and absolutely worth a closer look.
Read this far?
Consider yourself briefed, boss.
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The BossFeed Briefing is our look at the world of work, wages, and inequality.