| | | | |  | | By Eleanor Mueller | With help from Ximena Bustillo
| | | FIRST IN SHIFT: The American Federation of Teachers plans to form an affiliation with the American Association of University Professors to become the largest higher education alliance in the U.S. By the numbers: With AFT representing 270,000 higher education workers in its collective bargaining and AAUP representing 44,000, the affiliation would unite more than 300,000 faculty, graduate assistants and others. Eleven thousand of those are members of both unions already. How'd we get here? The AAUP governing council voted unanimously Sunday to recommend ratification of the affiliation to its June biennial meeting. The AFT Executive Council did likewise. If the AAUP's delegate assembly approves the affiliation in June, the unions will work together to advance their mutual agenda. That includes pushing for more investment in higher education; ending employment of low-cost contingent faculty; and canceling student debt, among other things. "The AFT and AAUP are coming together to unleash the purpose, promise and possibilities of higher education in America," AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. "The idea of the university is to encourage and defend the free exchange of intellectual labor because all scholarship and teaching creates value — whether it is social, economic or cultural." "To make sure colleges are not just the province of the rich, we need to fight for the right of every student to have an affordable education and to ensure every academic worker — from adjunct teacher to lecturer, to tenured professor — a workplace with the autonomy, respect, compensation and career stability they deserve." GOOD MORNING. It's Monday , March 7. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on employment and immigration news. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to emueller@politico.com and nniedzwiadek@politico.com. Follow us on Twitter at @eleanor_mueller and @nickniedz.
| | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION ON THE WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN: Join Women Rule editor Elizabeth Ralph for a panel discussion on the future for Afghan women. Guests include Hawa Haidari, a member of the Female Tactical Platoon; Cindy McCain, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture; Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the U.S.; and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Learn how female Afghan veterans are planning their futures, what the women still in Afghanistan face, and what the U.S. can do to help. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories.
| | | ZELENSKYY'S PLEA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked lawmakers over the weekend to do more to end the war on his country — including the establishment of a no-fly zone, additional direct aid and a ban on oil imports from Russia, our Andrew Desiderio reports. "The Biden administration has resisted banning Russian oil imports, despite growing bipartisan support for the idea. White House officials have said implementing an embargo would reduce the global supply of oil and likely lead to higher gas prices for Americans. The U.S. got 3 percent of its oil imports from Russia in 2021, according to the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers."
| | | DOJ LOOKING INTO EMPLOYMENT AT CHICKEN COMPANIES: The Justice Department has started a civil antitrust probe to examine if an information exchange between chicken companies contributed to keeping wages lower for workers, The Wall Street Journal's Patrick Thomas and Brent Kendall report. The move "adds to the scrutiny that U.S. meat processors are facing from the government and their workers. The department has put at least some companies on legal notice that they must preserve documents."
| | | STALLED WAGE GROWTH ONLY BLIP ON FEBRUARY JOBS REPORT: The Labor Department reported Friday that wage growth slowed slightly in February amid an otherwise strong jobs report. "Private-sector average hourly earnings rose a seasonally adjusted 5.1 percent in February from the previous year, cooler than the 5.5 percent gain in January," The Wall Street Journal's David Harrison reports. "Four of the past five months have seen annual wage gains exceed 5 percent. By contrast, wages rose an average of 3.2 percent a year in the two years to February 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.S. economy. "Wage increases were particularly strong in industries that have seen a surge in demand as the effect of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 fades. Retail workers saw wages rise 7.1 percent, up from 5.8 percent in January. And transportation and warehousing wages were up 7.7 percent versus 7.1 percent in January." "Pay for leisure and hospitality workers — which include those employed at bars, restaurants and hotels — was up 11.2 percent on the year, down from 12.6 percent in January. The sector has seen some of the fastest wage growth in the recovery from the pandemic. But that growth has eased slightly over the past two months." GENDER PAY GAP PERSISTS: New Census Bureau data shows a continued disparity in the median annual income of men and women in the U.S. workforce, The Hill's Adam Barnes reports. "The gendered difference in median earnings among U.S. workers employed full-time last year was around $10,000, with men earning a median income of $53,554, according to data from Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey (ACS)." "Several states and territories, including Wyoming, Washington, D.C., and Utah, have a gendered wage disparity of more than $15,000. Meanwhile, workers in Puerto Rico experienced no significant gender difference in pay while earning lowest median wages in the U.S." MORE WORKPLACE NEWS: " Activision's Work Environment, Alleged Sexual Harassment Contributed to Employee's Death, Says New Lawsuit," from The Wall Street Journal AND: "Google, Apple, Twitter Reveal Return to Office Policies," from CNET
| | | PORTS EXPECT NO DELAY FROM ILWU'S RUSSIA BAN: The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said last week its members would refuse to load or unload any Russian vessel or cargo. "With this action in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we send a strong message that we unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion," said ILWU International President Willie Adams. Port officials expect no delay stemming from the announcement. "Trade with Russia is negligible," Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement to Morning Shift. "Less than two-tenths of 1 percent of all cargo at the Port of Los Angeles emanates to or from Russia." MLB, PLAYERS UNION RESTART TALKS: Representatives from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met Sunday in New York to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement after earlier attempts fell through, The New York Post's Mike Puma reports. "A significant sticking point remains the competitive balance tax. MLB has proposed a threshold for next season of $220 million. The union has sought a threshold north of $240 million. Last year's figure was $210 million." MINNEAPOLIS, ST. PAUL TEACHER UNIONS CONTINUE TALKS: The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and the St. Paul Federation of Educators are still on course for a potential strike that could start as early as Tuesday, MPR News' Elizabeth Shockman reports. Around the clock: The district said in an email to families that it was "meeting with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers day and night to reach an agreement." MORE UNION NEWS: "Max Scherzer Is Baseball's $350 Million Union Activist," from The Wall Street Journal AND: "Amazon Launches Brutal Crackdown at Staten Island Warehouse Ahead of Union Vote," from The Daily Beast
| | | OREGON CLEARS FARMWORKER OVERTIME BILL: Oregon state lawmakers have joined seven other states in passing legislation that would provide farmworkers with overtime pay like those in other industries. On Thursday, the legislature advanced a measure to Gov. Kate Brown's desk that would begin the phase-in process for higher pay rates. Brown is expected to sign the bill. How it works: The bill includes a 5-year phase in for overtime pay that begins next year. Between 2023 and 2025, overtime pay would kick in for workers at 55 hours a week. From 2025-2027, the threshold for overtime pay would drop to 48 hours, and ultimately 40 hours per week in 2027. Only California, Washington, Hawaii, New York, Minnesota, Maryland and Colorado have passed some form of farmworker overtime pay requirements. Colorado also finalized its rulemaking process in February, after the legislature approved overtime protections last session but punted the specifics to the state Labor and Employment Department.
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