LABOR, ECONOMY & THE CLIMATE - page 37

A group of economists studying the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) have concluded that the sweeping trade agreement will have a net negative impact on the US economy. Economic researchers with Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute said Monday that widely cited projections claiming the TPP will boost economic activity in the US are “based on unrealistic assumptions.” Instead, the economists noted, the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal will likely lead to the loss of 448,000 jobs from the US workforce, while lowering GDP by more… Keep Reading

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved of increased protections for corporate whistleblowers. The panel marked up the proposal as an amendment to a bill that itself would grant companies more power to sue alleged trade secret thieves in federal court. Authored by the committee’s chair and its ranking member, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the amendment would seek to explicitly prevent bosses from retaliating against whistleblowers by filing litigation against them with powers that would be expanded under the broader legislation. Drafted… Keep Reading

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Education have alleged that DeVry University illegally deceived students by lying about graduates’ employment prospects. The FTC filed a lawsuit at a US District Court in California on Wednesday against the for-profit college, while the Department of Education informed the institution that its applicants might no longer be eligible for federal financial assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act—a lucrative subsidy to corporate higher educators. FTC Chair Edith Ramirez told reporters in a conference call… Keep Reading

It turns out that some of the country’s most exalted legal minds also have to deal with people getting mad online. The second most influential court in the country is slated to decide whether it “likes” a National Labor Relations Board ruling that found workers can’t be fired for some social media posts critical of bosses. The US Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington DC is expected on Thursday to consider the case, according to Reuters. The dispute was brought by three terminated San Francisco-based employees,… Keep Reading

The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that deals struck on Capitol Hill since the end of the summer will see the federal deficit in 2016 rise by $130 billion. The current projected fiscal shortfall for this year is now expected to be $544 billion, up from $439 billion in 2015. “That increase is largely attributable to legislation enacted since August—in particular, the retroactive extension of a number of provisions that reduce corporate and individual income taxes,” CBO said. It noted that the deal, which lifted… Keep Reading

President Obama’s executive order protecting four million undocumented immigrants from deportation will be reviewed this year by the Supreme Court, the body’s justices announced Tuesday. The high court agreed to hear the White House’s appeal of a November 2015 decision by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling upheld a District Judge’s move to enjoin the so-called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—first issued in 2012, and expanded in November 2014. The Presidential decree was challenged in February 2015 by state officials from Texas and 25 other… Keep Reading

One of the largest liberal groups in the country endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president on Tuesday, after announcing that the democratic socialist garnered the support of nearly 80 percent of its membership. MoveOn.org, which boasts a membership of 8 million, described the results of their internal democratic process that led to the endorsement as “overwhelming.” Sanders collected a “record-setting” 78.6 percent of the 340,000 votes cast by the group’s rank-and-file. The organization reported the win was “the largest total and widest margin in… Keep Reading