BossFeed Briefing for June 7, 2022. The Wednesday before last marked two years since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Last Monday was the 8th anniversary of the Seattle City Council approving a $15/hr minimum wage. Last Wednesday was the first day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. This Friday is the 59th anniversary of President JFK signing the Equal Pay Act into law—but women still make 82 cents for every dollar men are paid. This Sunday marks 28 years since the death of Philip Vera Cruz, Filipino American labor leader, organizer, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union.
Three things to know this week:
Seattle gig workers won the PayUp ordinance to ensure they’re paid at least minimum wage after expenses with tips on top, flexibility, and transparency protections. National and local media took notice of the landmark victory, including Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and The Seattle Times.
At least 9 people detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma are on hunger strike to protest appalling conditions at the privately-run immigration detention facility. They’re demanding improved COVID precautions, better cleaning of the facility, more nutritious food, and jobs that pay at least minimum wage.
Sheep herders across the Western United States sued the Western Range Association (WRA), a ranching trade group, for operating as a cartel to suppress their wages. Herders must apply for work through the WRA, which then assigns them to ranches, leaving workers with no room for negotiation.
Two things to ask:
Is Clint Eastwood their consultant? The Starbucks Board of Directors places a literal empty chair at meetings to “represent the perspectives of…employees”. According to CEO Howard Schultz, the practice is real and “not some metaphor”.
Pretty sure you can’t trademark that? Walmart released a Juneteenth ice cream flavor to “celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope”, complete with a Trademark symbol next to the word ‘Juneteenth’ on the package. The company later apologized, stating it was reviewing its product line-up and that “a few items caused concern for some of our customers.”
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
In a piece for In These Times, Asha Banerjee outlines how the Supreme Court’s likely upcoming decision to overturn federal abortion rights would be an economic catastrophe for millions of women, and would fall hardest on low-income women of color. Twenty six states around the country have “trigger” laws in place which would outright or effectively ban abortion as soon as the Supreme Court ruling comes down—the same states, Banerjee notes, with the strictest anti-union laws, lowest minimum wages, most limited Medicaid benefits, and highest incarceration rates. Studies have shown the drastic economic consequences women face when government denies access to an abortion, which include a higher chance of living in poverty years into the future, a lower likelihood of being employed full-time, and increased levels of debt. Banerjee argues that many women of color — already trapped in poverty by oppressive economic policymaking — will bear the greatest consequences of abortion bans, too, because such laws are just “one more piece in a sustained project of economic subjugation and disempowerment.”
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!