Labor | Manufacturing.net

Russell Stover Cutting, Adding Jobs

The chocolates maker plans to close some facilities and stores nationwide, but the expected loss of about 400 jobs will be offset by new jobs from expansion elsewhere.

ABB Cuts 113 Jobs at Transformer Plant

It works out to about 25% of the workforce.

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Labor Dept. Clarifies 'Joint Employer'

The issue mostly affects franchise businesses, but also firms that have outsourced services such as cleaning and maintenance.

In this Oct. 3, 2019 file photo, completed Boeing 737 MAX fuselages, made at Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, KS, sit covered in tarps near the factory.

Boeing Supplier to Cut 2,800 Jobs in KS

Tied to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, the layoffs threaten to hurt a state economy that's been solid for months.

In this Oct. 1, 2019 file photo, Gabriel Picon, right, talks with a representative from GameStop during a job fair at Dolphin Mall in Miami.

US Adds 145K Jobs; Unemployment at 3.5%

Manufacturing companies added just 46,000 jobs in all of 2019.

Picnic's pizza-making robot makes a pizza at a food vendor's booth during the CES tech show, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas.

CES: Pizza from Robots

The robot, which resembles an assembly line, can churn out 300 12-inch pies in an hour.

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More Men Are Taking Female-Dominated Jobs

Men who enter female-dominated jobs experience, on average, a 4% wage increase and significant boosts to the prestige of their job relative to their previous job.

In this July 11, 2012, file photo, John Arensmeyer, CEO of the advocacy group Small Business Majority, poses for a portrait at the Small Business Majority office in Washington. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, known as the SECURE Act, won final congressional approval in the Senate last month and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. One of the bill's features makes it easier for small businesses to band together to offer 401(k) and other retirement plans.“ Most small businesses simply don’t have the funds or staff to offer and manage retirement plans,” said Arensmeyer.

Law Boosts Retirement Options

Only half the workers in companies with fewer than 50 employees have access to retirement benefits

In this June 14, 2006 file photo are U-Haul trucks sit on a dealer lot in Des Moines, Iowa. U-Haul has a New Year's resolution: cut down on hiring people who smoke. The moving company said that it won't hire nicotine users in the 21 states where it is legal to do so, saying that it wants to ensure a 'healthier workforce.' The new policy will start Feb. 1, 2020. and won't apply to those hired before then.

U-Haul Won't Hire Some Smokers

Those hired in the 21 states that legally allow nicotine will need to agree to be screened for nicotine use in the future.

In this July 18, 2019 file photo, speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi joins fellow Democrats and activists seeking better pay as the House approved legislation to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade — to $15 an hour, at the Capitol in Washington.

2020 Brings Higher Labor Costs for Small Biz

As of Jan. 1, there are higher minimum wages in a quarter of the states, and new federal overtime rules, along with several regional factors.

In this Dec. 17 photo, an Amazon robot sends a package down a chute, transporting packages from workers to chutes that are organized by zip code, at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, AZ. The tech giant is still rolling out new models descended from the Kiva line, including the Pegasus, a squarish vehicle with a conveyor belt on top that can be found working the early-morning shift at a warehouse in the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear.

Warehouse Workers Adapting to Robots

There are growing concerns that keeping up with the pace of the latest warehouse productivity technology is taking a toll on human workers' health, safety and morale.

GM Blames Strike for EV Delay

A spokesperson told Motor Trend that GM representatives were unwilling to cross picket lines.

In this April 9, 2018 file photo a cashier rings up a purchase at a store in Salem, NH.

Businesses Facing New Overtime Rules

The jobs most likely to be affected are shift supervisors or assistant managers at restaurants, retailers and manufacturing companies.

More Mfg Workers Have Degrees

40 percent of manufacturing workers reportedly now possess a college degree, compared to 20 percent in the early 1990s.

This undated self-made photo provided by Nancy Glynn shows Glynn, of Manchester, N.H., with her son Hunter. Glynn works for several non-profits, including MomsRising, a group that advocates for paid parental leave and other policies. As a waitress, she belonged to the group least likely to have paid parental leave: Part-time workers.

Most Workers Still Lack Paid Leave

Just 9% of wage earners in the bottom 25% have access to paid family leave.

Florence Widdicombe, 6, poses with a Tesco Christmas card from the same pack as a card she found containing a message from a Chinese prisoner, in London, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The U.K.-based grocery chain Tesco has halted production at a factory in China after a British newspaper said it used forced labor to produce charity Christmas cards. Tesco said Sunday it had stopped production and launched an investigation after the Sunday Times newspaper raised questions about the factory's labor practices.

Girl Finds Message from Forced Laborer in Card

Her father initially thought it was a prank before realizing it was much more serious.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sits for an interview with The Associated Press Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, saying that Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest electronics manufacturer, could still qualify for up to $3 billion in state tax credits in Wisconsin if it makes changes to its deal with the state to reflect current plans for a plant that's under construction. Evers said Thursday. 'If we have a deal that is reflective of what they are doing, it's logical that they will get the credits,' 'But if they don't, that's a whole different deal.'

Foxconn Tax Credits Still Possible

The company could still quality, said Tony Evers, but only if they renegotiate based on the modified scope of their plan.

UNFI Workers End Week-Long Walkout

Hundreds of UNFI workers ended a week-long strike at multiple locations late Wednesday after the company agreed to resume talks with their union.

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Navistar Joins Truckmakers in Slashing Jobs

A glut of big rigs is causing truck orders to crash.

François and his 13-year-old son, Charles, sort stones before taking them to a nearby trading house that buys the ore, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2016.

Tech Giants Named in Child Labor Lawsuit

The lawsuit claims the companies are “aiding and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children” in cobalt mines.

Fired Google Worker Files Complaint

Kathryn Spiers, a security engineer, said Google fired her after she created a pop-up notification for employees to inform them of their labor rights.

In this Feb. 2, 2019, file photo, Chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., also known as Foxconn, Terry Gou delivers a speech during the company's annual carnival for employees in Taipei, Taiwan. A new audit says Wisconsin's economic development agency needs to modify procedures to ensure tax credits aren't awarded for Foxconn Technology Group employees who don't do work in the state. The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau released its findings Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, and it's the second year that the audit has identified this problem.

Audit Faults WI Foxconn Plan

Awarding credits for out-of-state workers is contrary to both state law and the contract with Foxconn, the audit said.

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Google, Facebook Lose 'Top' Workplaces

Employees are changing their tune on what constitutes a top workplace.

Mexico's Treasury Secretary Arturo Herrera, left, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland, second left, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, center, Mexico's top trade negotiator Jesus Seade, second right, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, hold the documents after signing an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement, at the national palace in Mexico City on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Mexico Refutes US 'Inspectors'

Mexican negotiators have said they stood firm in opposition to the idea of letting in foreign inspectors out of sovereignty principles.

This Oct. 17, 2019 file photo shows the exterior of a McDonald's restaurant in Mebane, NC.

Labor Board Rules for McDonald's in Unionization Case

The board said Thursday that it favors a settlement that will require McDonald's franchisees to pay $171,636 to the affected workers.

Apple Accused of Reading Employee’s Texts

What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone... unless you work for Apple, it appears.

In this Sept. 26, 2013, file photo Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota in North America, listens during an interview in New York. After 38 years in number of leadership roles with the company, Lentz is retiring, effective April 1, 2020. Lentz, 64, will step down in April as CEO of Toyota Motor North America, and will be replaced by Tetsuo “Ted” Ogawa, who currently chief operating officer, the company said Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

Toyota NA CEO Jim Lentz to Retire

He steered it through the Great Recession, started and closed the youth-oriented Scion brand and reorganized the company's North American operations.

UAW Ratifies Fiat Chrysler Contract

About 71% of Fiat Chrysler workers voted in favor of the deal.