Only a rich guy who’s never had to worry about money or career prospects could ridicule unpaid interns who realize they were taken advantage of.

CNN’s highly paid anchor Anderson Cooper brushes aside labor laws and tells people who were treated like slave labor in the entertainment industry to suck it up.

Cooper is talking about two unpaid interns who worked for free on the very profitable movie, “Black Swan.” The pair decided to sue the producers because they feel they should have been paid. (more…)

If an employee walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, is he or she screwed if an employer doesn’t treat them like a duck?

In the world of employee misclassification, the answer is yes.

Lots of you are working your tails off for employers and if you’re doing it as an independent contractor or temp but are really acting like a full time employee you could be eligible for benefits, overtime and even unemployment if the company decides they don’t need your services any more. Not to mention lost taxes that employers would be paying if you were called an employee.

While many of you may think this is a small workplace problem, think again. As many as 30 percent of employers misclassify workers; and the practice cost the government an estimated $34.7 billion between 1996 and 2004, according to the Department of Labor.

Also, a story in today’s Wall Street Journal included a small business human resources expert who called the problem “rampant.” Davis Lewis, president of OperationsInc, an HR and consulting firm, estimated that most of his clients have at least one employee who was misclassified as an independent contractor.

The federal government is aware of the problem and has been cracking down on the practice, spending $25 million in its 2011 budget on the effort, much to the chagrin of Corporate America.

So, how do you know if you’re misclassified? (more…)

If you’ve paid attention to the news following Steve Jobs announcement that he was retiring from Apple, you would have thought he was some sort of divine being. But is everyone overlooking his less than saintly deeds?

The Wall Street Journal wrote following Jobs departure news:

Every generation produces a few individuals whose will to restructure the world in their own image is so powerful that they seem to distort reality itself. They change the world, not always for the better—and that in the U.S. they often choose to pursue entrepreneurship and industry rather than politics is one of the uncelebrated blessings of American capitalism.

Mr. Jobs—who emerged from an uncertain childhood brilliant, charismatic and charged with an ambition that would make most mortals blush—is one of those figures, a fact recognized even before he reached adulthood.

PC Magazine asked:

What event could top an earthquake and a hurricane? Steve Jobs stepping down as Apple’s chief executive, of course.

And one publication’s headline about Jobs departure actually was:

Steve Jobs Retirement Causes Earthquakes, Rain and Hurricanes

Yes the guy revolutionized the technology we use today, but the narrative about his stewardship of Apple is missing some pretty bad stuff when it comes to labor pratices.

Apple’s operations in China, where most of the company’s products are now made, have been described as sweatshops. These facilities are so bad that last year at least 17 employees there killed themselves. But for some reason, Apple, and Jobs in particular, get a pass. If Walmart, Nike, Mattel or any other company had such skeletons in its operations’ closet, would the media and consumers be this kind? (more…)

Another profitable company with well-compensated executives wants its employees to give a little.

So it should be no surprise that there’s an unusual event going on right now — a massive strike by workers. About 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike this week because contract negotiations have stalled.

I say the event unusual because strikes in the country have been on the decline for years. The number of major U.S. strikes, including those involving 1,000 workers or more, fell to just five in 2009, the lowest level since 1947, when the Department of Labor first began tracking the data.

“The bottom line is that unions know the strike weapon just doesn’t work that well anymore, especially in a tough economy,” said Phillip Wilson, president of the Labor Relations Institute.

But for some reason, Verizon’s workers think it can work, or maybe they’re just so frustrated they don’t know what else to do. You see, the company is quite profitable right now but company officials say they still need major concessions from employees. It’s a familiar story many workers have heard before, especially during this downturn. Workers are seeing their pay and benefits cut, in addition to ongoing furloughs without pay, but all the while the top dogs keep padding their bank accounts.

In the case of Verizon, the top six executives at the company pocketed about $45 million in compensation last year. When you compare that to average wages at the firm for the rank and file that seems pretty extreme during tough economic times. Software engineers at the company, who are not unionized, make about $87,000, and customer service reps, many of which are unionized get $16.64 on average, according to Glassdoor.com.

Executives at Verizon make 20 times more than their top-paid employees, and nearly 60 times more than what their lowest paid workers bring in.

The pay gap between employees and executives has been growing for years now across all industries, but companies still want to extract more and more from the rank and file.

What if there was a company that limited how much more the head honchos could make compared to the little guys and gals? Am I crazy to even suggest this? Did I not have enough coffee this morning? Turns out, there is one such company. (more…)

On May 6, a group of worker advocates in Hong Kong released a report on factories in China where Apple’s iPhones and iPods, and Hewlett Packard’s laptops are made, and the findings were pretty damning. Alas, if anyone noticed the report, three workers may be alive today.

The owner of the facilities Foxconn had come under fire last year for the 14-plus suicides committed by employees of the company. The problem of workers flinging themselves off of stairwells at the plant because of the horrible working conditions was so bad the company installed nets to keep employees from jumping off upper levels.

Foxconn had promised to make things better but a group called Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior in Hong Kong decided to keep an eye on whether things would really change, hence the report. In additional to finding a continuation of tough working conditions, including forced overtime and crummy wages, the researchers discovered an ominous problem. (more…)

Maybe you’re pondering ordering a bouquet of flowers for your beloved mother, or you’re planning on bringing her a big box of truffles this Sunday. I say, forget it, especially if you’re a boss of women.

The best thing you can do to honor old mom is don’t demote, fire or otherwise treat the pregnant women you employ in a negative fashion just because they’re pregnant. Would you have wanted someone to do that to your mom when you were in her belly?

Did you know pregnancy discrimination is on the rise folks? Well it is, and it’s showing no signs of improvement. It’s unclear what’s driving it but no matter what is, it’s a sad commentary on how we view motherhood in the country. (more…)

Feb. 4, 2009: An Eyewitness News investigation reveals that air traffic control towers in New York and New Jersey may be dangerously understaffed.

March 21, 2007: Air-traffic control towers at small and medium airports have been routinely understaffed with only one person on a shift, a violation of federal aviation rules, a government investigator said Tuesday.

Sept. 23, 2006: The recent tragic event crash of a commuter jet in Kentucky shined an uncomfortable spotlight on the U.S. air traffic control system… Controllers in Houston and across the country are now facing unprecedented staffing and scheduling pressures. We have a depleted work force watching record air traffic at grueling intervals in our city, and one terrible incident was all it took for us to look each other in the eyes and say, “We need answers about staffing and scheduling before safety suffers in Houston.”

If you’re scratching your head over all the latest reports about air traffic controllers nodding off at work, you shouldn’t be. All you have to do is read the endless stories like the ones above that are easy to find. Understaffing and long hours have plagued the industry for a while now and have only gotten worse during the Great Recession.

Many control towers across the country have been hurting for workers, and guess what the Federal Aviation Administration finally did yesterday, other than kick out the FAA chief? The agency finally announced it will be adding staff to 27 towers nationally. Helloooooooo. What took so long?

The understaffing at government agencies and throughout Corporate America has led to a lot of overworked, yet still, productive U.S. workers, and they’re tired. And air traffic controllers aren’t the only one snoozing. (more…)

There was a “STILL ANGRY” caption under a Navy vet on The Sean Hannity Show last night, but it turned out the veteran, who was fighting for the rights of our military, wasn’t angry at all. The only one angry was Hannity.

The interview was a perfect example of a TV host disregarding workers and trying to stir the political pot.

It all happened when Wayne Tunick, a Navy vet from Virginia, attended a town hall meeting last week held by his congressman, Democrat Jim Moran. Tunick was upset Congress was potentially going to shut down the government over the budget because that would mean thousands of military personnel wouldn’t get paid.

Tunick and Moran had a heated exchange, including Moran telling the vet to sit down. Well, this was all caught on tape.

This is perfect fodder for people in the media lately. They are looking for any videos where they can show how unreasonable politicians, typically on the side they don’t agree with, can be.

But Tunick disappointed Hannity, firstly because he kept saying he thought Moran was an honorable man, and just wanted to shine light on the tragedy that would happen if military folks were sacrificed for political points. The second disappointment for Hannity came when Tunick refused to play the politicians-are-screwing-us game.

Here’s how it went down. (more…)

Corporate America has become addicted to temporary workers. They just love you guys. So much so, they’re spending all day with you and ignoring their full-time workforce family.

You offer the immediate high they need even though they may be trashed the next day when they realize not giving workers permanent jobs could ultimately do a number employee morale and the future success of a company.

The latest poll on the growing use of temporary contract workers comes from Right Management, a career management company that’s part of ManpowerGroup.

“As many as 41% of employers have used more independent contractors over the past two years,” the survey found.

The researchers offer a bunch of corporate mumbo-jumbo for why this is happening.

“All companies are re-examining their talent management practices in order to align their workforce with their business strategy,” said Michael Haid, Right Management’s Senior Vice President for talent management. “This has required a behavioral shift that includes the greater flexibility afforded by independent contractors.”

Oh, my head hurts after that.

In reality my friends, it’s all about the money. (more…)

We all know people like Warren Buffett, the bagillionaire from Omaha, will never file for unemployment. I use him as an example only because he’s the latest rich guy in the news who’s making headlines for thinking he’s above us all and above ethical behavior.

But you could say the same for any number of corporate titans and politicians who are now deciding the economic fates of millions of jobless people in the United States. Despite rising profits, businesses aren’t hiring in any big way; and despite a continued job market, politicians are focusing on killing unions and cutting jobless benefits instead of actually trying to grow jobs.

The individuals at the top of business and government have lost touch with the little guys and gals. Maybe they think we’re all lazy bastards because we don’t sit atop fortunes, but what ever the reason, it’s a recipe for economic disaster for the middle class.

State after state is announcing plans to cut unemployment insurance benefits, and that’s horrible news for so many Americans who have been unable to find work even as the economy starts to turn around. Michigan, New Jersey, Missouri, and Florida are among the states that chopped benefits. According to a UPI story, Florida lawmakers:

voted to cut unemployment benefits, making them the most meager — and some say punishing — in the country. It would also force an unemployed worker to accept a job that pays at least minimum wage after 19 weeks on benefits, and cut off benefits to the jobless worker if s/he refuses to undergo a skills review.

Today the government reported that the jobless rate dropped to 8.8 percent in March but (more…)