David Parker: Alcoa closure sounds alarm
In the late Nineties, Professor Geoffrey Blainey published the history of the first 30 years of Alcoa of Australia’s story called White Gold. It was a true account of the …
unions
Labor deal in flux as Newsom revisits SB 525, the $25 minimum health wage
By Don Thompson | KFF Health News Gov. Gavin Newsom is revisiting California’s phase-in of a nation-leading $25 minimum wage for health workers in the face of a projected $38 …
5% pay hike for CSU faculty, librarians, coaches not ‘viable,’ union says
Cal State University said Tuesday, Jan. 9 that all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches will receive a 5% pay increase, effective Jan. 31. The increase — which will be …
Gabriel Attal, 34, becomes France’s youngest ever prime minister
Gabriel Attal promised to be bold and act fast to help the middle class weather the rising cost of living, after President Emmanuel Macron, seeking to breathe new life into …
Pope Francis calls for ban on ‘despicable’ surrogacy births
Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global …
Rooftop-solar industry blames Newsom, PG&E as Bay Area businesses struggle
Bay Area rooftop-solar businesses are reeling from a statewide change that gutted compensation for homeowners returning surplus power to the electrical grid, causing applications for new solar to plunge to …
Vatican tries to calm bishops over blessings for same-sex couples
The Vatican on Thursday moved to calm Catholic bishops in some countries who have reacted negatively to last month’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, telling them that the measure …
California labor laws’ unintended consequences
When federal government and state governments passed laws governing wages, working hours and other workplace conditions prior to World War II, agricultural labor was exempted. Many years later, after the …
Former USC players testify in labor case
LOS ANGELES — The sheer definition of control rested on the broad shoulders of one Brandon Outlaw, a man who had recorded all of two tackles across two uneventful seasons …
Pope Francis says priests can bless same-sex couples, under certain conditions
Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s love and …