Dayton chides "extremists" in daycare union suit DFL Governor Mark Dayton is blaming "right-wing extremists" for the lawsuits being heard in federal court Thursday aimed at stopping the unionization of state-subsidized child care providers.July 18, 2013
How the jobless rate is measured and compiled Every month, someone telephones or knocks on the door of 76,000 households around the nation - including 1,700 in Minnesota to gather information for the The Current Population Survey. It's used to glean information about the job situation of working-age Americans.July 18, 2013
Temporary jobs becoming a permanent fixture in US Hiring is exploding in the one corner of the U.S. economy where few want to be hired: temporary work. From Wal-Mart to General Motors to PepsiCo, companies are increasingly turning to temps and to a much larger universe of freelancers, contract workers and consultants. Combined, these workers number nearly 17 million people who have only tenuous ties to the companies that pay them -- about 12 percent of everyone with a job.July 7, 2013
Observers gloomy about Minnesota Orchestra's future The start of July marks ten months for the Minnesota Orchestra lockout, with no end in sight for the musicians, management and audience. Many opinions are swirling in the classical world about what's happening at the orchestra. Few predict sweetness and light, but rather a gloomy outcome.July 3, 2013
Talks resume to end San Francisco strike that stymied commute As San Francisco Bay Area commuters crammed onto ferries and sat in rush hour traffic, rail workers and transit officials resumed contract talks Tuesday to end a two-day strike that has caused chaotic commutes and, according to businesses, is costing the region millions of dollars.July 3, 2013
SF Bay Area transit more crowded with train strike San Francisco Bay area commuters sweated in crowded buses, shivered on loaded ferries or inched through crowded freeway traffic on Monday after hundreds of train workers demanding higher wages went on strike and the region's heavily used rail system ground to a halt.July 1, 2013
High-tech gains get disabled people into workforce A rising number of disabled people are increasingly able to find and keep jobs because of new technologies specifically aimed at helping them better communicate or complete tasks.June 24, 2013
American auto industry about to go on hiring spree The auto industry is about to go on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to build the next generation of vehicles. The new employees will be part of a larger, busier workforce. From coast to coast, the industry is in top gear.June 9, 2013
Want more time off? Some employers let you buy it Want more time off work to hang out at the beach? Need a little cash and have vacation days to spare? Some companies allow their employees to buy and sell vacation time, a perk that gives workers more flexibility in managing their time off.June 9, 2013
With data gleaned from workers, companies hope to improve bottom line If you have taken an "employee engagement" survey lately, you have plenty of company. Employers are increasingly studying their workers to search for clues about how to improve business performance. They are also deploying more powerful software tools to find patterns that would go unnoticed otherwise.June 3, 2013