Judge blocks new Labor Department rule to expand overtime pay for millions
Trade groups argued the move would harm businesses and lead to costs that would potentially force employers to cut jobs or limit their workers’ hours.
Wages
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$18 starting wage touted to employers as a big plus
The Indianapolis Airport Authority, National Bank of Indianapolis and Mays Chemical Co. are three of 24 local employers participating in the Good Wages Initiative launched April 25 by not-for-profit EmployIndy.
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Amazon staff reject union in Alabama, lean toward it in New York City
If a majority of Amazon workers votes yes in either Bessemer or Staten Island, it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company’s history.
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McDonald’s raising U.S. workers’ pay in company-owned stores
The fast-food giant is also encouraging its franchisees—which make up 95% of its restaurant base—to boost pay.
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Exotic dancers raise veil on job-classification issue
Two lawsuits filed against Indianapolis strip clubs are putting a spotlight on an increasingly common question: When is an independent contractor really an employee?
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Articles
Amazon boosts warehouse worker pay by at least $1.50 an hour
Employees will start receiving Prime, Amazon’s speedy shipping and video subscription service, as part of their compensation beginning early next year, the company said.
Labor costs remain high for small businesses, but report shows wage growth slowing for some
The Paychex Small Business Employment Watch found hourly earnings growth for workers at firms with 50 employees or less dropped below 3% for the first time since January 2021.
Paychecks grew more slowly in second quarter, Labor Department says
Higher wages and benefits are good for employees, but slower pay growth will likely reassure Federal Reserve officials that inflation is steadily falling back to their 2% target.
Labor Department wants Indy health care owner held in contempt on overtime issues
The Labor Department filed a complaint this week in U.S. District Court against the owner of eight Indianapolis-area health care services companies, saying an estimated 700 employees might have been shortchanged by his practices.
Appeals court says some NCAA athletes might qualify as employees under federal wage laws
The court, in the latest challenge to the Indianapolis-based NCAA’s long-held notion of “amateurism” in college sports, said a test should be developed to differentiate between students who play college sports for fun and those whose effort “crosses the legal line into work.”
Waffle House raises worker pay after strikes, pressure from labor organizers
Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers III said wage increases will be paid for by higher menu prices. There are more than a dozen Waffle House locations in Indianapolis and surrounding communities.
Parts of economy are better under Biden, but many voters aren’t seeing improvement
Despite rising wages, voters as a group lost spending power during 2021 and 2022 due to inflation and high interest rates, and are still facing an uphill battle.
Majority of wages in Indiana’s counties lag national average
Private employees in all but one Indiana county make less than the national average wage, according to an analysis of employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. wage growth slowed in the final quarter of 2022
Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew at a healthy but more gradual pace in the final three months of 2022, the third straight slowdown that could help reassure the Federal Reserve that wage gains won’t fuel higher inflation.
Government workers feel inflation’s pinch as wages lag
Government workers—teachers, firefighters, sanitation workers, bus drivers, city government employees—who make up more than 15% of the U.S. workforce, have seen their wages lag significantly behind those employed by private industry over the past year.
U.S. wage increases show signs of peaking in welcome sign for Federal Reserve
After handing out hefty salary increases over the past year, companies are now becoming more cautious with their cash over concern further big payouts will eat into profits, according to staffing companies, business owners and recent surveys.
When moms out-earn their husbands, they gain more housework, study says
The study used research from the Institute of Family Studies and examined the relationship between spousal income and division of housework from more than 6,000 dual-income, heterosexual married couples between 1999 and 2017.
Target seeks to lure workers in some areas with pay of up to $24 an hour
When Target first announced in 2017 it would pay $15 an hour by 2020, it was one of the first major retailers to do so. But during the pandemic, a number of rivals like Best Buy followed suit, with some surpassing Target.
U.S. jobless rate sinks to 3.9% as many more people find jobs
Wages also rose sharply, a sign that companies are competing fiercely to fill their open jobs. A record-high wave of quitting, as many workers seek better jobs, is also fueling pay raises.
Companies predicted to give biggest raises since 2008
Americans are in line for their biggest wage increase in more than a decade, according to a report released Wednesday, as companies struggle against a tight labor market and high inflation.
Council committee advances inflation wage change, paid parental leave
An Indianapolis City-County Council committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance a plan allowing public employees’ wages to rise with inflation, as work continues on the city’s first public pay scale change in more than a decade.
Worried about inflation? Check paystubs, not just pump price
In terms of inflation, which is the bogeyman for investors right now, a big and sustained gain in wages would be even more dangerous than the price spikes already seen for oil and other commodities.
U.S. wages, benefits jump as economy reopens
The figures suggest that as the economy rapidly reopens, businesses are already providing higher pay and benefits to pull workers back into the job market.
Better-than-expected Indiana outlook brings calls for bigger education boost
Indiana educators on Thursday called for a bigger school funding boost to help improve the state’s lagging teacher pay, as new projections showed state tax collections are expected to bounce back stronger than expected from the pandemic recession.