Latest news with #higherwages
Bloomberg
27-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Union Authorizes Strike at Tyson Foods' Beef Plant in Texas
Workers at Tyson Foods Inc. 's beef plant in Amarillo, Texas, have agreed to a strike as they fight for higher wages and accuse the company of unfair labor practices. Members of Teamsters Local 577 voted by a 98% margin to authorize the move, the union said in a statement. The group represents 3,100 workers in slaughtering and processing at the facility, which it says is the largest beef processing plant in the US.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump ally's support for raising the federal minimum wage could set up a wild showdown with the administration
Top Republican threw his support behind raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026 - and it could spark a showdown with President Trump. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, and has not been raised since 2009. Hawley's proposal, called the 'Higher Wages for American Workers Act' is also cosponsored by Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt). 'For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline,' Hawley (R-Mo.) told CBS News. 'One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hard-working Americans every day. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that workers across America benefit from higher wages,'the Missouri senator added. Trump has teased lukewarm ideas about potentially raising the federal minimum wage, acknowledging it's 'pretty low' currently. But he's generally favored a state-led approach to the issue rather than stepping in on a federal level. On the campaign trail last year, Trump championed proposals such as eliminating taxes on tips, as well as on overtime wages. Those campaign promises are presently one step closer to becoming policy realities, as they are provisions included in the budget reconciliation package which passed the U.S. House of Representatives before Memorial Day. It's unclear if Hawley has discussed his legislation with the White House and whether Trump is supportive. The Daily Mail has reached out to his team for comment. Ten states, as well as Washington, D.C., have a minimum wage of over $15. Democrat-led California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington also have the high pay level. Twenty states set their minimum wage at the $7.25 level, 19 of which supported President Donald Trump's reelection last year. In Hawley's home state of Missouri, voters passed a measure last November to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026. It included provision passed by voters that would also institute annual raises to keep minimum wage increases on pace with inflation was later struck down by the Missouri legislature this spring. Hawley's proposal is not the only one in the Senate aimed at raising the federal minimum wage. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation in April to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour by 2030. At the time, Sanders argued that 'the $7.25 an hour minimum wage is a starvation wage. It must be raised to a living wage – at least $17 an hour.' 'In the year 2025, a job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, we can no longer tolerate millions of workers trying to survive on just $10 or $12 an hour. Congress can no longer ignore the needs of the working class of this country. The time to act is now,' Sanders noted in an April press release. Republicans including President Trump are pushing to increase the dollars Americans bring home in their pockets via other methods. Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked about raising the federal minimum wage at his Senate confirmation hearing earlier this year. At the time, Bessent said that he believes 'that the minimum wage is more of a statewide and regional issue' when answering a question posed by Senator Sanders. The libertarian Cato Institute, a D.C. think tank noted in a 2022 policy guide for lawmakers that 'very few studies find that minimum wages boost employment and that a significant minority find no to small employment effects.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Mayor calls on province to intervene in nearly 5-month-long Vancouver Island transit strike
Social Sharing The mayor of North Cowichan, B.C., says it is time for the province to step up and help end a months-long transit strike in his region. Transit operators with Cowichan Valley Transit walked off the job at the beginning of February in a push for higher wages, as well as washroom breaks and places to take them. The action has halted all regular bus services and limited HandyDART rides to people with renal dialysis, cancer treatment or multiple sclerosis appointments. Now, close to five months in, Mayor Rob Douglas says residents are getting frustrated. "People are really starting to feel the pain." Cowichan Valley Transit serves North Cowichan, Duncan, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan and smaller and more rural communities in the Cowichan Valley — an area about 45 kilometres north of Victoria, along Vancouver Island's east coast. It's run by Transdev, a private French company that is contracted by B.C. Transit to operate 10 public transit systems in B.C. Negotiators for Transdev and Unifor locals 114 and 333 reached a deal back in April, but it was overwhelmingly rejected by union members. Employees say they want to shrink the pay gap between transit workers in the Cowichan Valley and those in Victoria — which the union says is a difference of $6.72 an hour. Transdev previously told CBC News that its goal in the negotiations is "finding a resolution that supports our employees while maintaining the long-term sustainability of transit services in the Cowichan Valley." Douglas said the strike is taking a toll on his community. He said he and some of his regional colleagues want the province to intervene, echoing calls made earlier by the union. That could mean forcing the parties to go to arbitration. Even though the transit system is funded publicly, the fact that it's operated privately means the labour dispute is between the employer (Transdev) and the employees. That means both B.C. Transit and the provincial government have been reluctant to step in. B.C. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said she understands the strike has made life difficult for people in the Cowichan Valley. She said the Labour Relations Board is providing mediation services to the union and employer, and that she has urged the parties to make use of that support to find a resolution. She's expecting a progress report from the mediator in the coming days. "So we're looking at what other possibilities there are under the [labour] code to assist the parties, once I've heard back from the mediator," Whiteside told CBC News. She would not say specifically whether she would order binding arbitration. A spokesperson for B.C. Transit said in a statement that the agency "understand[s] the frustration felt by customers, and that the job action is difficult for everyone involved in the region." "Our organization strongly believes in the collective bargaining process and hopes the two sides will reach an agreement soon," the spokesperson said. Douglas said he believes in collective bargaining, too, but that the strike has gone on too long. "It's time for the province to take on a bigger role in helping resolve this," he said.
