Local efforts to incentivize employment for the most vulnerable workers are being undermined by outdated benefits tests from the federal government
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Posted inOpinion Columns
Zornio: Every weekend should be a three-day weekend
Congress hasn’t redefined the national work week in over 80 years. A 32-hour work week without pay cuts is the next big leap for American labor laws.
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Equity, Health, News
With federal COVID sick leave gone, workers feel pressure to show up at work
By Rae Ellen Bichell, KHN Economists and public health experts alike say paid sick leave is an essential tool — like testing, masks and vaccines — in the effort to prevent COVID-19 infection and keep workplaces safe. Yet the U.S. is in the midst of another COVID holiday season, and federal laws that offered COVID-related paid sick […]
Posted inFood and Restaurants
Supply chain problems — from salsa to sheet metal — are hampering Colorado businesses’ coronavirus recovery
Colorado businesses face increasing costs and lengthy wait times to purchase items ranging from chicken wings to sheet metal as supply chain crunches disrupt markets across the globe.
Posted inBusiness, News
Amazon hiring for 3,000 jobs in Denver; offering $100 to vaccinated hires
NEW YORK — Amazon is seeking to hire 75,000 people across the nation — 3,000 specifically in the Denver metro — in a tight job market and is offering bonuses to attract workers, including $100 for new hires who are already vaccinated for COVID-19. The jobs are for delivery and warehouse workers, who pack and […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Economy, Education, News
Three Colorado college programs aim to help people with disabilities join the workforce. The state is opening doors, too.
GREELEY — On a recent Friday afternoon in Greeley, Brendan Balmes stops by Crabtree Brewing Company for a beer and to say hello to his boss, Jeff Crabtree. The 28-year-old works here as an intern, but the pandemic has put things on hold for now. That does not stop Crabtree from giving Balmes a pop […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: The American dream will fade without public investment in health, education
Even before the pandemic, economic prospects for many Colorado families were dwindling into stagnation. COVID-19 has only further widened the gulf between working families and Colorado’s wealthiest. As our state looks to recover (and recover better than before), new evidence published by the Bell Policy Center supports what we have seen throughout American history — […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Half of state employees don’t think equity, diversity and inclusion are prioritized. Here’s how Colorado is responding.
Colorado surveyed its roughly 30,000 state employees last year and asked if they thought leadership was making workforce equity, diversity and inclusion a priority. Only a little more than half of Colorado’s workers who responded said yes. “That number should be much higher,” said Kara Veitch, the executive director of Colorado Department of Personnel and […]
Posted inCartoons, Opinion
What’d I Miss?: Trickle up economics
Myra has missed 30 years of her life, due to a coma, but has found a new friendship with her young neighbor, Ossie. Together, they both are searching for their place in this world. < Previous | Start from the beginning | More cartoons from The Colorado Sun
Posted inBusiness, Opinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: How your employer uses perks like wellness programs, phones and free food to control your life
Companies offer all sorts of benefits and extras to attract the most favored workers, from health care and stock options to free food. But all those perks come at a price: your freedom. There’s a reason labor historians call these perks “welfare capitalism,” a term that originated to describe company towns and their subsidized housing, […]