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COVID-19

Brown Offers Best Practice Advice During Pandemic

Many businesses in varied industries, along with organizations such as the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, turned to Nellie Brown for guidance on adjusting practices and policies during the pandemic.
Restaurant worker wearing a face mask holds an "Open" sign
Brown Offers Best Practice Advice During Pandemic

Disability Studies Applied in NYC

ILR credit internships at OPEN DOORS also help students gain professional experience in the arts, grassroots organizing and justice initiatives.
Group of people in NYC holding a night vigil holding signs that say, "Nursing Home Lives Matter".
Disability Studies Applied in NYC

Reconciling Social Rights and Economic Development

International organizations must improve coordination with each other to help governments recover from COVID-19, says Assistant Professor Desiree LeClercq.
Covid covering a purple world globe
Reconciling Social Rights and Economic Development

Help wanted: Here, there, everywhere

The Courier
While some employers blame unemployment benefits for the for dearth of people willing to work, senior economics advisor Erica Groshen states that the shortage isn’t linked to benefits but to numerous other factors, including underlying health conditions and lack of child care.
Help wanted: Here, there, everywhere

Can My Boss Force Me Not to Wear a Face Mask at Work?

Wall Street Journal
Wendy Strobel Gower, program director at the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, says, “It comes down to: Does your company have an obligation to follow the guidance of federal and also state and local authorities?”
Can My Boss Force Me Not to Wear a Face Mask at Work?

State Economies Hit the Most by Coronavirus

Wallet Hub
As Americans worry about their financial future due to the economic damage from the coronavirus, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts, including ILR Professor Philipp Kircher, to offer guidance.
Image depicting a declining economy due to Covid
State Economies Hit the Most by Coronavirus

Construction, leisure & hospitality jobs rebound in March

The Real Deal
U.S. job postings through mid-March were 2 percent lower than before the pandemic, New York state’s declined 13.7 percent over the same period, Russell Weaver said.
Construction, leisure & hospitality jobs rebound in March

916,000 Jobs Added in March

US News and World Report
The jobs recovery faces a slow return to full employment – stretching out at least two years and probably more like four or five, Erica Groshen said.
916,000 Jobs Added in March

After Covid, Should Companies Rehire Ex-Employees?

Wall Street Journal
Researchers led by JR Keller find that rehired employees outperformed new hires when the rehires returned to the same manager, and when working in one of two kinds of jobs: those that required building and maintaining interpersonal relationships with others in the organization, and those that required higher administrative coordination.
After Covid, Should Companies Rehire Ex-Employees?

Amazon Covid-19 Lawsuit Spotlights State Regulatory Power

Bloomberg Law
Nellie Brown, an industrial hygienist and director of the workplace health and safety program for The Worker Institute, says New York enacted protections for nail salon workers to prevent them from inhaling toxic fumes.
Amazon Covid-19 Lawsuit Spotlights State Regulatory Power

Feeling all sorts of stress

cortlandstandard.net
Associate Professor Vanessa Bohns discusses worker burnout, exacerbated by the pandemic and its duration, working from home and no change of scenery.
Feeling all sorts of stress

Commentary: Why we need a project labor agreement on Interstate 81

syracuse.com
In this opinion piece, the author references Fred Kotler’s 2009 research paper entitled, “Project Labor Agreements in New York State: In the Public Interest.”
Commentary: Why we need a project labor agreement on Interstate 81

US companies using pandemic as a tool to break unions, workers claim

The Guardian
Following economic recessions in the US, lockouts occur more frequently as disputes over wages and benefits became more intense. Dean Alex Colvin provides context for why this happens.
US companies using pandemic as a tool to break unions, workers claim

Why it's hard for people of colour to be themselves at work

BBC News
According to Courtney McCluney, working from home has meant that code-switching – the way marginalized people adjust their behavior, appearance and language to avoid negative stereotypes – has evolved to changing physical spaces to become ‘whiter.’
Why it's hard for people of colour to be themselves at work

Hospitality industry drives US job losses in December 2020 amid COVID-19 spike

S&P Global
Erica Groshen discusses the slow speed of economic recovery as the leisure and hospitality industry led U.S. job losses in December 2020 amid a surge in coronavirus cases and stricter pandemic restrictions.
Hospitality industry drives US job losses in December 2020 amid COVID-19 spike

Unemployment rate remains at 6.7%, employers cut 140,000 jobs last month

ABC News
Erica Groshen gives a detailed assessment of the most recent Jobs Report, noting that December's data likely reflects the surge in cases after Thanksgiving and the restrictions put in place to quell its spread.
Unemployment rate remains at 6.7%, employers cut 140,000 jobs last month

The U.S. still has 10 million fewer jobs now than before the pandemic

CNBC
Erica Groshen, ILR senior economic advisor, is quoted extensively in this piece about unemployment amid the pandemic.
The U.S. still has 10 million fewer jobs now than before the pandemic

Which essential workers should be prioritized for vaccines?

Marketplace
With limited vaccine doses and a lot of workers considered essential, the jockeying has started over which ones should go to the front of the line. Francine Blau weighs in on the decisions being made.
Which essential workers should be prioritized for vaccines?

The end of the office holiday party - or simply time to get creative?

The Guardian
Whether online or in-person, most office holiday parties look different this year. Brad Bell explains why a virtual gathering is so important for workplace culture.
The end of the office holiday party - or simply time to get creative?

He didn't take covid-19 seriously. Being hospitalized 'made a believer' out of him.

The Washington Post
Social norms have a big impact on decision-making when it comes to people taking Covid-19 precautions. Vanessa Bohns explains how the messaging around the virus affects individuals’ decision making.
He didn't take covid-19 seriously. Being hospitalized 'made a believer' out of him.

Food delivery apps are booming. Their workers are often struggling.

The New York Times
Maria Figueroa, director of labor and policy research at the Worker Institute, describes the hardships food delivery workers are facing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Food delivery apps are booming. Their workers are often struggling.

Need a COVID-19 Nurse? That’ll Be $8,000 a Week

NBC News
Early in the pandemic, hospitals were competing for equipment. Now, they are competing for nurses. Adam Seth Litwin explains how supply and demand for front-line caregivers is affecting less affluent areas.
Need a COVID-19 Nurse? That’ll Be $8,000 a Week

COVID-19 tracker: developer explains tool

wicz fox 40
Information about cases offered alongside information about populations within school district boundaries.
COVID-19 tracker: developer explains tool

Indoor dining in the winter: How safe is it?

localsyr.com
Restauranteurs could consider leaving windows open as an added COVID-19 safety precaution, Nellie Brown says.
Indoor dining in the winter: How safe is it?

'Recession economy' hitting minorities harder than general population

WHCU Radio
Employment inequalities have worsened during the pandemic, according to Russell Weaver.
'Recession economy' hitting minorities harder than general population

The Fed Has a Credibility Issue on Inflation

Bloomberg
Erica Groshen explains in this Bloomberg podcast episode the recent wave of corporate layoffs.
The Fed Has a Credibility Issue on Inflation

Inside CNY's job disaster: What industries fell off a cliff?

syracuse.com
Russell Weaver of ILR’s Buffalo Co-Lab explains what helped manufacturing and construction jobs remain stable during the pandemic.
Inside CNY's job disaster: What industries fell off a cliff?

Locked out of the economy: Unemployed workers face mounting fiscal, emotional stress

WITF
The coronavirus has triggered a steep recession and economists like Erica Groshen are predicting a protracted turnaround, with the potential for a series of economic peaks and valleys.
Locked out of the economy: Unemployed workers face mounting fiscal, emotional stress

New York begins slow job recovery. What the latest data reveals.

Democrat and Chronicle
Russell Weaver, economic geographer at ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, says that on the higher end of the wage scale “you're not seeing the exuberance in hiring, even though you're seeing signs of a recovery.”
New York begins slow job recovery. What the latest data reveals.

Some companies help employees cover costs of working from home

Marketplace
Bradford Bell, professor in strategic human resources, says that there are legal reasons a company may want to spend money on stipends for remote work such as issues around employee health and wellness.
Some companies help employees cover costs of working from home

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