BossFeed Briefing for May 10, 2021. Last Tuesday, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that they’re getting a divorce, which will redistribute many billions of dollars in wealth. Also last Tuesday, Governor Inslee officially signed into law the capital gains tax on extraordinary profits. Last Wednesday, President Biden announced that the United States supports waiving intellectual property rules for COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to increase access to vaccines around the world. Tomorrow is the 127th anniversary of a strike led by Pullman Railcar workers in 1894, setting off a nationwide strike wave involving 250K+ workers in 27 states. Sunday marks 42 years since the death of labor organizer A. Phillip Randolph.
Three things to know this week:
Dancers leading the Strippers Are Workers campaign released an open letter to lawmakers this week. They’re taking on harmful laws rooted in the stigma against sex work and calling for new protections like anti-discrimination policies, limits on the fees clubs charge them to work, and other worker-led labor standards.
Health inspectors have shut down the popular Flowers Restaurant in Seattle’s University District for repeated COVID-19 safety violations. When Seattle-King County Public Health officials dropped in recently to investigate complaints, they found a crowded bar where management failed to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing.
Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier has vetoed an ordinance to require hazard pay for grocery workers, which the Pierce County Council approved earlier in the week. State health officials recently moved Pierce County back to Phase 2 of WA’s reopening plan after COVID case numbers and hospitalizations surged.
Two things to ask:
Why not even more yacht? Jeff Bezos’ 400 foot sailing yacht comes with its own smaller “support'' yacht, which he commissioned to include a helipad for additional air support. History buffs may be reminded of the time just before the French revolution when the royal family commissioned a hall of mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.
Are they bored of their daily grind? Elite coffee drinkers can now purchase this artisanal coffee grinder for $1495, so long as they’re willing to grind their beans by hand. Automatic coffee grinders cost around $20 and also successfully grind coffee beans for the purposes of brewing coffee.
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
Seattle restaurant owner Eric Rivera took to Twitter to push back against the idea that workers are somehow mysteriously unwilling to return to the restaurant industry. His thread offers some important context that should accompany any story about restaurants struggling to hire workers. The entire thread is well worth a read, but here’s the bottom line: “Restaurants that laid people off right at the beginning of the pandemic are now ramping up hiring and not realizing that people don't want to be abandoned again. Also, lots of service workers died."
Read this far?
Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!