Workplace Issues Today
Daily News for Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Selected by the Catherwood Library Reference Staff each Monday through Friday, excluding University holidays, WIT is a free alert service, providing abstracts and links to workplace-related news stories covered in the major media. Subscribe to WIT »
Established in 1999, this service also includes a searchable archive.
Some American Airlines unions accept contract
Some American Airlines workers represented by the Transport Workers Union accepted the company's contract offer on Tuesday. The agreements will save 1,300 jobs that were previously slated to be cut. The union said that workers wanted a safety net other than the ruling of the bankruptcy court judge. The airline said that the agreements represented the company's willingness to work with the unions.
See “Some unionized workers accept American Airlines' contract offer,” by Maria Recio, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 16 2012 (SD)
Rewards only work up to a point
According to a new study, financial incentives can help employees achieve more, but only up to a certain point. Once a certain threshold is met, the study found that people begin to respond differently. The study found that people responded to incentives at the beginning, but grew distracted as they continued the task. The study found that the peak performance was somewhere between $0 and $100 in rewards.
See “Big Incentives Can Hinder, Rather Than Help,” by Melissa Korn, The Wall Street Journal, May 16 2012 (SD)
New bill would give visas to high tech workers
A Senator has proposed legislation that would make 55,000 visas available to high-tech workers who have advanced degrees and have studied in the United States. The change would be supported by tech companies who have trouble filling positions in math and science areas. The Senator says that the bill would help spur the economy and increase American competitiveness in technology. Other attempts to reform immigration, like bills aimed at undocumented immigrants who go to college or join the military, have failed in the past few years.
See “Senator seeks expanded visas for foreign high-tech workers,” Chicago Tribune, May 16 2012 (SD)
