– Slate
In recent years, the nationwide Fight for $15 movement has succeeded in persuading several states and cities to raise their hourly minimum wages well above the federal minimum of $7.25. But the effort to ensure a living wage for workers may be headed for a serious setback in the U.S. Supreme Court. Depending on how they rule in a case set for argument next week, the justices could make it much more difficult for millions of workers to secure even the meager wages guaranteed by existing federal law.
Back at Full Strength, Supreme Court Faces a Momentous Term
– The New York Times
The Supreme Court, which was short-handed and slumbering for more than a year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, returned to the bench on Monday with a far-reaching docket that renews its central role in American life. The new term is studded with major cases likely to provoke sharp conflicts, outlined here.
Inspired or Frustrated, Women Go to Work for Themselves
– The New York Times
An increasing number of women are starting businesses as a way to take control of their careers. Female entrepreneurship is on the rise in part because gender equality efforts in the workplace to address issues like the salary gap and advancement to positions on corporate boards have stalled. Meanwhile, two-thirds of female entrepreneurs feel they have broken through the glass ceiling but feel their challenges to achieving success are more considerable than those of their male counterparts. How do we solve this problem?
Is the Rise of Contract Workers Killing Upward Mobility?
– Knowledge@Wharton
They appear when you need them, go away when you don’t, and there’s always a long line of replacements ready to step in. Contract workers are in wide use today, and it’s easy to see why: The short-term financial gains are simply too alluring to pass up, says Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli. If we are in fact in the process of solidifying two distinct classes of workers — one employee in which firms invest, and another that is in a sense more disposable — what are we as a society losing?