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This bill could make the four-day workweek a reality


Taylor Telford, (c) 2023, The Washington Post

Wed, March 8, 2023 

The movement for a four-day workweek is gaining ground.

Dozens of U.K. companies just wrapped up the biggest pilot program to date, with more than 90 percent of firms saying they wouldn't go back to working five days a week. States and municipalities across the United States are considering ways to encourage more employers to give it a go.

And last week, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) reintroduced a bill in the House that would make the 32-hour workweek a national standard and lower threshold triggering overtime compensation for most employees.

The previous iteration of the bill did not get a hearing in committee last year and could have a tough path to floor time in a Republican-controlled House. But Takano is enthusiastic about its potential to help American workers. The bill has been endorsed by 4 Day Week Global, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

"Workers across the nation are collectively reimagining their relationship to labor - and our laws need to follow suit," Takano said in a statement introducing the bill. "We have before us the opportunity to make common sense changes to work standards passed down from a different era."

Takano talked with The Washington Post about the push to reform the workweek and why it matters. Here are five questions posed, and his answers, lightly edited.

Q: Where did the motivation for this bill come from?

A: My staff and I had discussed introducing legislation in 2020 or 2021, but I delayed introduction of the bill because there was a lot of distraction, because of covid. I just felt that the country was anxious about what was going on with adapting to the reality of the pandemic, and I wanted to make sure I introduced the bill at a decent time.

During the pandemic, the United States saw over a million of our fellow countrymen and women die. We became more conscious about the finitude we all have, and we saw a Great Resignation occur, especially among service workers in the restaurant industry. People began to get serious about what they really wanted to do in life, and people had more flexibility in their jobs. People like it and still want it.

Q: Is this the right time to rethink the workweek?

The post-pandemic moment is still a moment of openness to change, and until now we haven't really considered this kind of change seriously.

But the four-day workweek is something that's been introduced before: [former president] Richard M. Nixon, when he was a vice-presidential candidate, even said he thought this was something that was going to be inevitable. And this was two decades after the 40-hour workweek was codified into law.

What I'm finding is that there is consistent and sustained interest in this reform. It's not going away. When I've traveled to other advanced economies and labor workforces, this workforce issue of more flexibility and a better work life balance, it's a trend happening in other countries not just in the United States. It's going to take this collective reform among advanced economies to make this a reality.

Q: What are the benefits of a shorter workweek?

A: We've undergone tremendous technological change over the past few decades which has created more productive workers, but that productivity has not translated into better working conditions or hours in terms of the time people have to themselves.

As a society we can definitely make these decisions to change that work life balance and improve that work life balance so that health and happiness can all be increased without reducing how productive we are.

Q: What are the barriers to making the 32-hour workweek a reality?

A: Our biggest barrier is going to be: "How do we make sure we move to lesser hours but not less compensation? How is that going to work?"

I think it's very possible to say, if you're a coder working for a tech firm that's in AI or whatever - it's an intellectual occupation. I think people can get that increasing the number of hours you work doesn't necessarily increase your output. You can wrack your brain only for so long, and you could be open to the possibility that more time to yourself can equate to somebody who's just as productive.

Less obvious is how, if you have a production line, you're probably going to have to increase the number of people you have, if you don't want to pay overtime. How is it that we'll find a wage or compensation equilibrium that allows for 32 hours of work to be equivalent in pay to the 40 hours that were once worked?

How we make that shift in terms of hourly workers is a challenge, but I believe it can be done. I believe there are pathways to having that happen. One key factor is - besides working on the adjustment of the overtime rule, which is what my bill does - we also have to pay attention to the ability of workers to unionize to bargain for higher wages.

This reform has to coincide with other kinds of reforms so that we are moving compensation in the right direction.

Q: Would this expand access to flexible work?

A: The 32-hour workweek discussion is already occurring in certain sectors of the economy. It's occurring in the tech space. The California San Francisco Bay Area is seeing waves of interest. Panasonic went to a 32-hour workweek. Kickstarter is a company that has explored this and one of their executives is a cheerleader for this whole movement.

What we need to examine is how this can become the norm across the various workforces in America. Now of course, across sectors the ability to be that flexible is just not going to the be the same if you're someone who has to show up and punch the clock and be a carpenter or to be plumber. These are the sorts of things we need to engage with in a public debate and that's what my legislation will definitely do.

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Brazil's new Indigenous affairs chief sets sights on illegal gold



Ramon SAHMKOW
Wed, March 8, 2023 


Joenia Wapichana is used to charting new territory: the first Indigenous woman to earn a law degree in Brazil, she was also the first elected to Congress.

But she faces one of her biggest challenges yet in her new job as the first native person to lead Brazil's Indigenous affairs agency, FUNAI, which she said was dismantled for the past four years under far-right then-president Jair Bolsonaro.

The feisty 49-year-old is the first to admit she faces a daunting to-do list, starting with the issue that thrust her into the spotlight almost from the day she took office last month: rampant illegal gold mining on protected Indigenous reservations.

Newly inaugurated leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ordered a police and army crackdown to wrest back control of the country's largest reservation, the Yanomami territory, from illegal miners, who are accused of poisoning the water with mercury, destroying the rainforest, raping and killing inhabitants, and triggering a humanitarian crisis.

But it is proving difficult for federal authorities to stop the boom in illegal gold, Wapichana said in an interview with AFP at her office in Brasilia.

"Brazil still doesn't have a way to curb the illegal gold trade," she said.

The government response "is very fragile," she added.

- Rampant abuse -

At least 30 percent of the gold mined in Brazil is irregular in origin, according to a recent study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Under Brazilian law, gold dealers are allowed to make a declaration "in good faith" that their product was legally mined -- a system that leads to rampant abuse, according to experts.

The system "is still very immature," said Wapichana, who often wears a traditional headdress of bright feathers.

Her resources to fight the problem are limited: FUNAI's budget is 600 million reais (about $120 million) this year, the majority of which is for administrative costs.

Just one-sixth will remain for key functions such as establishing new Indigenous reservations and policing existing ones.

Wapichana wants at least double that.

She is hoping to get financing from the Amazon Fund, an internationally backed program to protect the world's biggest rainforest.

When Lula took office in January, donor countries revived the fund, which was suspended under Bolsonaro in response to a surge in deforestation.

Wapichana is also hoping to tap funds negotiated at UN climate talks to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change -- though that will take time.

"Indigenous peoples' contribution to combatting the effects of climate change needs to be compensated," Wapichana said.

Numerous studies have found Indigenous peoples play a crucial role in slowing global warming by protecting the world's carbon-absorbing forests.

- 'Part of this country' -

Wapichana inherited a FUNAI in crisis, after four years of controversy under Bolsonaro.

Indigenous leaders accuse the ex-president of appointing hostile officials to lead the very agency that was supposed to protect Brazil's 800,000 native people.

As president, Bolsonaro (2019-2022) pushed to open protected Indigenous lands to mining. Illegal gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon rose sharply on his watch, destroying a record 125 square kilometers (48 square miles) of forest in 2021, according to satellite monitoring by the national space agency.

Bolsonaro also made good on his vow to ensure that "not a single centimeter" of new Indigenous reservations were allowed.

Lula has promised to resume creating new Indigenous reservations, which currently cover 13.75 percent of the nation's territory.

Bolsonaro "encouraged land invasions, denied our rights and contributed to discrimination against Indigenous peoples, who suffered persecution and criminalization," Wapichana said.

She says it her mission to undo that damage.

She faces a tough job but Wapichana is used to blazing trails.

"This is a country where Indigenous women are seen as submissive domestic workers," she said.

"I'm here to say: 'We're part of this country, and we want to sit at the table as equals.'"

rsr/jhb/dw

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Dispute Over Mysterious Saudi Jewelry Worth $3 Million Haunts Bolsonaro


Wed, March 8, 2023

(Bloomberg) -- A dispute over $3 million worth of jewelry allegedly from Saudi Arabia is set to present another headache for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro when he returns home from his US vacation.

Brazil’s national comptroller on Tuesday started probing the case, which involves a cache of jewelry — including a diamond necklace, earrings and a watch made by the Swiss brand Chopard. Bolsonaro’s former Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque confirmed over the weekend that his delegation brought the items into the country — now run by leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — as a gift from the Saudi government to Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle, without declaring them to customs agents.

The country’s federal police also launched an investigation at the request of the justice ministry.

The case came to public attention on March 3 when newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported that Brazilian customs officials seized jewelry found inside a suitcase carried by an aide to Albuquerque as they returned from an official trip to the Middle East last October. Brazilian law requires travelers to declare goods worth more than $1,000 for tax purposes, but Albuquerque’s team failed to do so.

Public outrage has been growing in Brazil as details of the case emerge. Brazilian officials aren’t allowed to keep most valuable gifts they receive, and have to place them in public collections maintained by the state. The investigation will seek to discover whether Bolsonaro or his associates were attempting to smuggle the jewelry into Brazil, and if they sought to shield the gift from entering the president’s official collection, which would make it government property, according to the justice ministry. Potential money laundering crimes will also be considered, according to Justice Minister Flavio Dino.

(Tweet translation: “Federal police launches inquiry to investigate attempt by Bolsonaro government to bring jewelry worth millions into the country without declaring it to customs”)

Bolsonaro on March 4 denied wrongdoing, telling a gathering of conservatives in the US that he neither asked for nor received the gift. Michelle Bolsonaro said on social media that she didn’t know about the jewels. Albuquerque said he didn’t know what the boxes his team brought into Brazil contained. An official with the Saudi Foreign Ministry reached by Bloomberg News said Riyadh is investigating the reports and gathering all the facts and plans to issue a formal statement soon.

Retrieval Attempts

Officials from Bolsonaro’s government attempted to retrieve the jewelry at least eight times between October 2021 and December 2022, when his term came to an end, according to Estado. Brazilian authorities are currently holding the jewels in a safe box, its customs agency said in a statement.

Federal police are investigating another case from the same trip, when a man entered Brazil with jewelry also made by Chopard. He was not stopped by customs and the box of items was eventually delivered to the presidency, according to Estado.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer in Brazil on Tuesday said the president has acted according to the law, declaring all the gifts intended for personal use he received during trips abroad.

Yet the probe will create another potential legal headache for the right-wing leader who left Brazil in late December, just days before Lula took office.

Bolsonaro is already facing investigations into whether he attempted to plan a coup with some of his closest allies, some of whom have been arrested. Authorities are probing his unproven claims about the integrity of Brazil’s electoral system in a meeting with foreign ambassadors. He is also under scrutiny over whether he incited the Jan. 8 insurrection attempt in which his supporters raided Brazil’s congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace in an effort to topple the Lula government.

Bolsonaro has said he will return to Brazil in March to lead the conservative opposition to his leftist rival. His wife was scheduled to launch those efforts this week with a political trip sponsored by Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party. But the party suspended the plan after the scandal broke.

Lula’s government has said that Bolsonaro should come home and face the various court cases involving him, and set an informal deadline for him to do so by April. Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and one of the former president’s sons, said on Tuesday that his father would return on March 15. But he corrected himself minutes later, saying the date isn’t set yet.

Bolsonaro has not faced formal charges in any of the cases against him.

--With assistance from Sam Dagher.

Probe into Bolsonaro jewelry scandal could delay his return to Brazil - sources


Brazil's President and candidate for re-election Jair Bolsonaro attends a news conference at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia

Tue, March 7, 2023

RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) -A criminal probe into former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's alleged efforts to illegally bring $3.2 million of jewelry into the country could further delay his return from the United States, sources tied to Bolsonaro told Reuters on Tuesday.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino on Monday ordered police to investigate the case. Bolsonaro is in self-imposed exile in the United States after losing his re-election bid last year.

Luxury jewelry gifted to Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government was seized by customs officials at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in October 2021.

Brazilians are allowed to bring in $1,000 of goods or gifts and pay hefty taxes for anything over that value.

The Bolsonaro administration unsuccessfully tried to recover the jewelry multiple times through government officials, according to local media.

The episode is further complicated, the sources said, by a series of letters from officials in Bolsonaro's government asking for the jewelry to be released. One was sent on the eve of his departure for the United States two days before his term ended in December, they said.

Bolsonaro has said he plans to return to Brazil this month to lead the opposition and defend himself against accusations that he instigated the Jan. 8 riots in Brasilia, in which his supporters stormed government buildings. He has also indicated plans to run again for president in 2026.

Bolsonaro lost the Oct. 30 election to his leftist rival President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. For months ahead of the vote, he had cast baseless doubts on the electoral system, creating a potent force of election deniers.

Bolsonaro, who began his self-exile in Florida, has been seen greeting supporters, eating at fast food restaurants and addressing conservative meetings. He has been unwilling to put a firm date on his return.

He entered the United States on a visa reserved for heads of state and other government officials, then applied for a six-month tourist visa. Since he no longer holds public office, he is more vulnerable to court-ordered measures such as search and seizure warrants.

His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, said earlier on Wednesday his father would return on March 15, but quickly deleted the post.

"I'm sorry for the previous post, I might be missing him a lot," he tweeted, adding date was "likely but still unconfirmed."

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito in Brasilia and Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Chizu Nomiyama and Richard Chang)

Brazil's Lula says judiciary should force businesses to pay equal salaries




Ceremony to mark the International Women's Day at Planalto Palace in Brasilia

Wed, March 8, 2023

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The Brazilian judiciary should work on compelling businesses to pay equal wages for men and women in the same roles, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday.

In an event marking International Women's Day, Lula also presented a bill to promote wage equality between women and men, among other measures directed toward women.

The president said the bill, which needs to be submitted to congress for approval, would make paying equal wages mandatory, "so that... no one will earn less just because they are a woman."

"Whoever works in the same post, with the same abilities, has the right to earn the same salary," Lula added.

In a later Twitter post, Lula said the bill also includes measures encouraging greater wage transparency.

Companies that fail to comply with the law will be subject to a fine 10 times the highest monthly salary the company pays, according to planning and budget minister Simone Tebet.

Tebet added that the bill also allows judges to rule wage differences on basis of gender be immediately rectified when proven.

(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Josie Kao)

Mexico vows not to budge on US corn dispute


Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his regularly scheduled morning press conference, decorated with an image of Francisco "Pancho" Villa, a general in the Mexican Revolution, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

 (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 

Tue, March 7, 2023

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president vowed Tuesday not to back down in a dispute with the United States over a potential ban on imports of genetically modified corn.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office announced Monday it had called for consultations with Mexico over proposed rules that would ban GM corn for human consumption. Mexico has said it could eventually ban it for animal feed as well.

Mexico argues that GM corn could somehow harm the health of those who consume animals raised on it, though it has not yet presented any proof of such ill effects.

Mexico had previously appeared eager to avoid a major showdown with the United States on the corn issue. On Tuesday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said consultations continued, but suggested Mexico would still seek to implement some form of ban.

“We still have a month,” López Obrador said of the talks. “If there is no agreement, we'll go to a panel,” he said, referring to the dispute resolution mechanism under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, known as the USMCA.

“Because this is a very important issue for us,” the president said, adding “it is the health of our people.”

“No treaty in the world allows people to sell merchandise that damages health,” he said.

The U.S. trade representative’s office said the ban could “threaten to disrupt billions of dollars in agricultural trade.”

Mexico is the leading importer of U.S. corn, most of which is genetically modified. Almost all is fed to cattle, pigs and chickens in Mexico, which doesn’t grow enough feed corn to supply itself.

Mexico had previously softened its stance, but refused to completely drop talk of any ban.

In February, Mexico’s Economy Department issued new rules that dropped the date for substituting imports of GM feed corn. Some imported corn is also ground into meal for use in corn chips or other snacks.

Under a previous version of the rules, some U.S. growers worried a GM feed corn ban could happen as soon as 2024 or 2025.

While the date was dropped, the language remained in the rules about eventually substituting GM corn, something that could cause prices for meat to skyrocket in Mexico, where inflation is already high.

U.S. farmers have worried about the potential loss of the single biggest export market for U.S. corn. Mexico has been importing GM feed corn from the U.S. for years, buying about $3 billion worth annually.

The new rules still say Mexican authorities will carry out “the gradual substitution” of GM feed and milled corn, but sets no date for doing so and says potential health issues will be the subject of study by Mexican experts “with health authorities from other countries.”

Mexico was where corn was first domesticated starting around 9,000 years ago, and in order to protect its native varieties, the country will still ban imports of GM seed corn.

Mexico will also prohibit the use of GM corn for direct human consumption, which in Mexico consists mainly of fresh white corn and white corn tortilla flour. Mexico has no need to import white corn from the United States, where most corn is yellow or sweet corn.

Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment



Train Derailment Florida

This photo provided by the Manatee County Government shows a derailed freight train operated by Seminole Gulf Railway near Bradenton, Fla., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Officials in Florida are keeping a watchful eye on a train car carrying 30,000 gallons (113,562 liters) of propane that tipped over in a derailment in an industrial area near Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. (Steve Litschauer/Manatee County Government via AP)

JOSH FUNK
Wed, March 8, 2023 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads announced a number of steps Wednesday that they are taking to improve safety in the wake of last month’s fiery Ohio derailment, but it’s not clear if their actions will be enough to satisfy regulators and members of Congress who are pushing for changes.

Many of the proposals from the Association of American Railroads trade group focus on strengthening the network of trackside detectors that railroads use to spot problems before they can cause derailments. The railroads plan to do this by installing 1,000 more of the detectors nationwide and tweaking the way railroads use the data from them.

Norfolk Southern, the railroad responsible for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border, proposed similar changes earlier this week, but the Federal Railroad Administration responded saying the company wasn't doing nearly enough.

And several members of Congress — led by Ohio's two senators — have proposed a sweeping package of rail reforms that go well beyond what the industry is proposing. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also urged the railroads to make immediate changes.

Federal regulators didn't immediately respond Wednesday to questions about the industry's proposals. Congress plans to scrutinize Norfolk Southern's safety record and its response to the Ohio derailment at a Senate hearing Thursday morning that will also examine the reforms Ohio's senators proposed. Two federal agencies also announced broad investigations into Norfolk Southern's safety record Tuesday.

Overall, railroads are proud of their safety record, which reflects a decline in derailments over the past several years, and they like to tout the statistic that 99.9% of all hazardous materials shipments railroads handle reach their destinations safely. Still, there were 1,049 derailments nationwide last year — and the East Palestine one showed how even a single mishap involving hazardous materials can be disastrous.

“Rail is indisputably the safest way to move dangerous commodities,” AAR President Ian Jefferies said. “Yet we fully appreciate that these data do not comfort the residents of East Palestine and that public trust must be restored through action."

The major freight railroads — which include Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Canadian National — said they will tighten up the spacing between the hot-bearing detectors to ensure they average no more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) apart along the main routes they use to transport hazardous chemicals. Currently, there are no federal rules on those detectors, which can be spaced up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) apart in places, though most of them are much closer together.

Rail safety expert Allan Zarembski said the existing network of detectors was already quite effective and allowed only a handful of derailments every year related to overheating bearings. But these changes will undoubtedly catch even more of these problems, said the University of Delaware professor who leads the railroad engineering and safety program there.

Zarembski said he believes these changes are likely to be “pretty effective.”

The railroads said they will also commit to stopping and inspecting any train that has a bearing that registers more than 170 degrees above the outside temperature. That’s in line with the standards Norfolk Southern already uses.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said the Norfolk Southern crew received a warning about an overheating bearing just before the derailment but wasn’t able to stop the train before 38 cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, jumped off the tracks and caught fire. About half the town of East Palestine — about 2,500 residents — had to evacuate a couple days later because officials were worried that five of the cars carrying vinyl chloride might explode. They then released the chemical and burned it off.

In addition to stopping trains anytime a bearing exceeds 170 degrees, the railroads also analyze the data from sensors all across their networks to identify problems even before a bearing hits that threshold. The trade group said all the major railroads plan to discuss ways to improve that analysis by the end of March.

The railroads said they also plan to train about 20,000 first responders nationwide this year to deal with hazardous materials incidents. As part of that, Norfolk Southern announced plans Wednesday to build a new regional training center in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine praised the effort.

“The derailment in East Palestine made clear that ensuring first responders are prepared for disasters involving hazardous materials is vitally important to the safety of communities,” DeWine said. “Often, first responders are volunteers, and their need to have the most up-to-date training and equipment is vitally important."

CLAD IN RED  HANDMAIDS OUTFITS

Israeli women form human chains to protest planned judicial overhaul



 

Women clad in red lined the popular Tel Aviv beach-front promenade, clapping and chanting "democracy."

Women form a human chain as part of a demonstration against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul and to mark International Women's Day, in Tel Aviv

Wed, March 8, 2023 
By Emily Rose

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - To mark International Women's Day, thousands of Israeli women formed human chains on Wednesday to protest the right-wing Israeli government's planned judicial overhaul that would drastically limit the powers of the courts.

Several sectors of Israeli society have joined in weekly protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to limit the Supreme Court's ability to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in appointing judges.

The women's group joined the ongoing protests dressed clad in red, lining the popular Tel Aviv beach-front promenade, clapping and chanting "democracy." Demonstrators at previous women's protests have dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets, mimicking the popular Handmaid's Tale television show and novel which depicts a dystopian reality whereby a brutal ultra-religious regime have stripped women of their rights.

"It's supposed to be a happy day that we celebrate our rights but now we need to protest again," protestor Moran Katzenstein told Reuters at a demonstration in Jerusalem. "We all wear red and we show that we are drawing a red line and we will not allow this government to harm our rights."

Waving signs that read "harming women's rights, not on our shift" and "women's struggle," protesters demonstrated against the legislation, which Netanyahu proposed with his right-wing and religious allies last month.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said a compromise in the government's judicial overhaul plan could be imminent, but opposition leader Benny Gantz told Reuters at the women's demonstration in Tel Aviv that they would not negotiate until the legislation is halted.

"Agreements can be reached, compromise on democracy we cannot reached," Gantz said.

"We feel that every step of this reform is going to hurt women and take women's rights back," said Adi Agasi-Shafir in Tel Aviv.

"We are going to be deprived of all the rights and achievements that we managed to get so far, it's really dangerous and we're not willing to accept that," Agasi-Shafir said.

(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Josie Kao)

Israeli protests disrupt visit by US defense secretary


United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reads a statement following a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. Austin said Wednesday, March 8, that America’s defense partnership with Egypt is an “essential pillar” of Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)


JOSEF FEDERMAN
Wed, March 8, 2023 
JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was forced to change the schedule of a planned visit to Israel due to anti-government protests that are expected to paralyze traffic across the country, U.S. and Israeli officials said Wednesday.

Austin was scheduled to arrive early Thursday from Egypt for a one-day visit to Israel, a close American ally. But instead of meeting Israeli officials in Jerusalem or at the Defense Ministry in central Tel Aviv, his meetings will be held at a factory near Israel’s international airport.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the country's judiciary. More demonstrations are planned Thursday, with roads expected to be blocked and authorities warning of possible disruptions at the airport.

Netanyahu's allies say the legal overhaul is needed to curb the influence of unelected judges. His opponents say the changes will concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and push the country toward authoritarian rule. They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, is motivated by a personal grudge and has a conflict of interest.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the change in location had come at the request of the Israeli Defense Ministry and referred further questions to Israel.

A senior U.S. defense official said Israeli officials have expressed concerns about planned protests near the Israeli Defense Ministry — which is located near the epicenter of the protests. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly, said the U.S. supports the right to hold nonviolent protests and that Austin is prepared to meet his Israeli hosts wherever they prefer.

An Israeli official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media, confirmed the decision.

Austin is scheduled to meet Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

___

AP correspondent Tara Copp reported from Washington.

Explainer-Why Japan's 'shunto' spring wage talks matter



Tue, March 7, 2023 
By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara

TOKYO (Reuters) - Every March, management of major Japanese firms meet with unions for wage talks across industries that set the tone for employees' pay in the new fiscal year.

The precedent set at the "shunto" spring wage talks also influences wages at smaller firms that employ seven out of 10 Japanese workers and supply big manufacturers.

The outcome will have a huge influence on how soon the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could end ultra-low interest rates, as steady wage hikes are crucial to kick-starting domestic demand and keeping inflation sustainably around its 2% target.

Here is an overview of the wage negotiations: and why they are important.

HOW IS PAY DECIDED IN JAPAN?

In around March of each year, companies and union negotiate pay for the fiscal year beginning in April of that year.

The practice, known as "shunto," began in 1956 when Japan's postwar economy was booming. Unions demanded improvement in wages and job conditions by resorting to strikes in big cities.

The talks peaked in 1974 with a record 33% rise in pay. The increases fell below 3% after Japan slipped into deflation and prolonged economic stagnation in the 1990s.

Unionists have long since turned cooperative, rather than combative, working with management on the shared objective of job security rather than higher pay.

The focus on job security, rather than higher pay, is blamed for keeping Japan's wage growth stagnant.

WHY ARE COMPANIES UNDER PRESSURE?

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" stimulus policies helped boost corporate profits, but failed to prod firms to trickle down the benefits to households via wage hikes.

Incumbent premier Fumio Kishida wants to change this under his flagship "new capitalism" policies that seek to distribute wealth more broadly among the population through higher pay.

He has called on companies to achieve wage hikes that exceed the pace of inflation to help households weather rising living costs brought by a spike in fuel and raw material prices.

Aside from such political pressure, companies also need to offer higher pay to retain talent and hire young workers as Japan's rapidly aging population intensifies a labour crunch.

WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE WAGE TALKS?

Some of Japan's biggest firms have already promised large pay hikes including auto giant Toyota and fashion brand Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing.

Analysts expect big firms to offer wage hikes of around 3% in wage talks, which would be the fastest pace of increase since 1997 when Japan was on the cusp of deflation. That would follow a 2.2% increase in 2022, which was the first hike in four years.

Such hikes would meet Kishida's calls for companies to offer annual wage hikes of 3% but miss an ambitious goal of a 5% pay increase demanded by Japan's labour umbrella Rengo.

WILL WAGES KEEP RISING?

The key for the economy will be how much companies will raise base pay, which are across-the-board and permanent payments that provide the basis of future allowances like retirement and pensions.

Wary of increasing fixed costs, many Japanese firms long compensated employees with one-off bonus payments in good times rather than raising base pay.

As Japan slid into deflation in the late 1990s, management and unionists agreed to no base-pay hikes for more than a decade through 2013.

Kishida has approached Japan's union umbrella Rengo in prodding firms to hike base pay. Rengo is demanding a 5% pay hike that includes a base pay rise of 3%, which many analysts see as too ambitious for many firms to swallow.

Of the 2.85% wage hike projected by economists in a January poll, 1.08% is comprised by base pay hikes and another 1.78% increase in additional salary based on seniority.

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara; Editing by Sam Holmes)


Japan's workers eye bumper pay hike in closely watched union talks

Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara
Tue, March 7, 2023 at 11:22 PM MST·4 min read


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Major wage talk outcomes due on March 15

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Big firms to offer average pay rise of 2.85% - poll

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Meagre rise in base pay casts doubt on outlook for future gains

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Uncertainty on wage outlook may keep BOJ from early exit

(Adds govt plan for talks with firms, unions in 5th paragraph)

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara

TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - Japan's big companies are expected to deliver the largest pay rise in 26 years in next week's "shunto" wage negotiations, offering policymakers hope the country might finally emerge from its deflationary doldrums.

But the expected average salary hike of around 3% will likely include just a 1% increase in base pay, casting doubt on whether Japan can achieve the kind of sustained wage gains the central bank sees as key to stably hitting its 2% inflation target.


The outcome of "shunto" wage talks with unions, many of which conclude on March 15, will be crucial to how soon the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could end its bond yield control policy under incoming governor Kazuo Ueda.

It will also test Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's flagship "new capitalism" policy that aims to more widely distribute wealth among households by prodding firms to hike pay.

The government is preparing to hold a meeting with business and union executives on March 15, the first to be held in about eight years, its top spokesperson said on Wednesday in a sign of the focus Kishida is putting on achieving wage hikes.

Hopes are running high that Japan, which has seen wages stagnate for nearly three decades, will finally see change as companies face pressure to beat a labour crunch and compensate employees for inflation running well above the BOJ's target.

World's largest car maker Toyota accepted a union demand for the biggest base salary growth in 20 years, while gaming giant Nintendo plans to lift base pay by 10%.

Big firms will offer on average pay rises of 2.85% for the financial year beginning in April, which would be the fastest pace of increase since 1997, a survey by the Japan Economic Research Center (JERC) showed in January.

The gain will comprise a 1.08% rise in base pay and a 1.78% increase in additional salary based on seniority, it said.

Such hikes would meet Kishida's calls for companies to offer annual wage hikes of 3%, but miss an ambitious goal of a 5% pay increase demanded by Japan's labour umbrella Rengo.

Some analysts doubt whether smaller firms can follow suit, as stubbornly high raw material costs erode their margin.

More than 70% of small firms have no plan to raise wages, according to a January poll by the Jonan Shinkin Bank and the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper.

There is also uncertainty on whether companies will keep hiking wages as much next year and beyond.

After hitting a nearly 42-year high of 4.3% in January, core consumer inflation in Japan's capital Tokyo - a leading indicator of nationwide trends - slowed to 3.3% in February.

The BOJ expects core consumer inflation to slow back below its 2% target towards the year-end, which will take some pressure off firms to keep hiking pay next year.

"Certainly, wages are expected to swing upward considerably in this year's spring wage talks, but this will be very transitory," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi, who is now executive economist at Nomura Research Institute.

"A virtuous cycle between wages and prices is unlikely," he said of the chance Japan can achieve a combination of rising prices and higher wages - a condition the BOJ sees crucial in heading for an exit from its ultra-loose policy.

Markets are rife with speculation the BOJ will end its unpopular bond yield control policy soon after Ueda - chosen by Kishida to become next BOJ chief - takes the helm in April.

Uncertainty over the sustainability of wage hikes could prod the BOJ to go slow in dialing back stimulus, some analysts say.

Speaking in parliament, Ueda said he was mindful of the demerits of prolonged easing. But he added the recent cost-push inflation must shift to one backed by solid wage growth for the central bank to end ultra-low interest rates.

"The average pace of wage gains consistent with 2% inflation would be around 3%. If wage gains stably exceed 3%, the BOJ may need to overhaul its monetary framework," said Hisashi Yamada, senior economist at Japan Research Institute.

"But there's a chance this year's wage hike could prove temporary. The BOJ will probably wait until next year in doing anything radical, such as ending its bond yield control policy." (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara; Editing by Sam Holmes)

Michigan House approves repeal of state's right-to-work law


Democratic state Reps., from left, Denise Mentzer, Matt Koleszar, Joey Andrews, Jaime Churches and Dylan Wegela, listen as testimony is given during a House Labor Committee meeting, Wednesday, March 8 , 2023, in Lansing, Mich., on repealing the state's right-to-work law and restoring prevailing wages. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti) 

JOEY CAPPELLETTI
Wed, March 8, 2023

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's Democratic-led House approved legislation Wednesday that would repeal the state's “right-to-work” law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse.

Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, has been a top priority for Democrats since they took full control of the state government this year.

“This bill is not about making history. It is about restoring the rights of workers from whose work we’ve all benefited,” Rep. Jim Haadsma, a Battle Creek Democrat, said on the House floor prior to the vote.

Supporters of the repeal, who poured into the gallery above the House chambers, cheered loudly as the legislation passed along party lines late Wednesday. Legislation restoring the state’s prevailing wage law, which requires contractors hired for state projects to pay union-level wages, was also approved by the House.

Both bills will need to pass the state Senate before being sent to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for final approval.

A $1 million appropriation was attached to both bills prior to the House vote that Republican House Leader Matt Hall said would make them “referendum-proof.” Michigan law says the “power of referendums” does not extend to bills with appropriations attached.

Whitmer previously wrote in a government accountability plan that if “a non-appropriations bill has a dollar amount added to circumvent the people’s right to a referendum," she would veto it.

The House Labor Committee advanced the repeal, in addition to the legislation that would restore the state's prevailing wage law, early Wednesday as supporters and opponents of the bills packed the main committee room and three overflow areas. The committee allowed just over an hour of testimony, predominately from supporters of the repeal, before voting to advance the bills.

“We don't want the government telling two private parties what they can agree to in negotiations,” said Jonathan Byrd, president of the South Central Michigan AFL-CIO. “That is what right-to-work does.”

Whitmer commended the committee for putting “Michigan workers first,” saying in a statement that “working people should always have basic freedoms in the workplace without interference from the government.”

House Republicans argued in the committee that the public showed its support of right-to-work when voters rejected a 2012 constitutional amendment that aimed to protect the right to organize and bargain collectively. They also complained that the bills were being rushed through and that more debate was needed.

Haadsma, who chairs the House Labor Committee, said the committee “had to accomplish this today so we can accomplish this by spring break,” referring to the Legislature's two-week break that begins March 23.

When the Legislature passed the right-to-work legislation in 2012, thousands of union supporters descended on the Capitol to protest. The law dealt a devastating blow to organized labor in a state that had played an important role in the growth of the U.S. labor movement, though unions have lost significant power in the region over the past decade.

The year before, neighboring Wisconsin under Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed all-but ending collective bargaining for most public workers. It sent off weeks of protests that grew to as large as 100,000 people and led Democratic state senators to leave the state in a failed attempt to stop the bill’s passage.

Four years later, after he had said he wouldn’t go after union rights of private sector workers, Walker signed a right-to-work law for Wisconsin.

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work



Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press
Wed, March 8, 2023 

Michigan House Democrats passed legislation Wednesday night over GOP objections to deliver on a key promise to union activists: repealing the state's right-to-work law.

The law, established by Republicans in 2012, allows workers in unionized jobs to opt out of paying union dues and fees. Michigan — a state steeped in labor history — could become the first state in nearly 60 years to ditch its right-to-work law.

"It has done nothing but hurt hardworking Michiganders," said bill sponsor state Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park. "It has allowed people who don't pay union dues to take advantage of union benefits."

Democrats championed their bills to repeal the law as a boon for workers' rights that would strengthen unions and help reverse wealth inequality. "It gives union members their power back," said state Rep. Jim Haadsma, D-Battle Creek, who chairs the House Labor Committee. "It restores balance in negotiations."

Republican lawmakers countered that the legislation will harm Michigan's economic competitiveness and make unions less responsive to workers' needs.

"This is about forcing Michigan workers to join a union," said House Minority Leader Matt Hall, R-Kalamazoo. "If a union is providing the value, then people will join."

More:Planned repeal of right-to-work law puts Michigan on national stage

More:After years of shrinkage, Michigan state government employment is growing again

The legislation — House Bill 4004 and House Bill 4005 — both passed by a one-vote margin with all Democrats sticking together to support the measures.

HB 4004 would repeal right-to-work for public sector workers. A U.S. Supreme Court decision barring public sector unions from requiring employees covered by collective bargaining agreements to pay union dues renders HB 4004 unenforceable. But proponents of the bill want to change Michigan’s labor laws for public employees in the event the court overturns the decision.

HB 4005, meanwhile, would repeal Michigan's right-to-work law for workers in the private sector.

Both bills were modified late Wednesday to include a $1 million appropriation to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to respond to public questions about the legislation and implement it.

The appropriation means that the legislation is not subject to a public referendum in which voters could reject the law. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her first term issued an executive directive promising to veto any legislation "that circumvents the right to a referendum."

The votes took place the same day the House Labor Committee heard testimony on the bills and sent them to the floor for a vote.

Tens of thousands of Michigan workers currently protected by union agreements don't provide any financial support to the union. State Rep. Jimmie Wilson, D-Ypsilanti, said eliminating right-to-work will "repeal the right to freeload."

The share of workers covered by a union declined before Michigan's right-to-work law kicked in and continued to fall in the subsequent years. Most Michigan employees are not covered by unions today. Democrats who supported the bills Wednesday posit stronger unions will secure higher wages and force all employers to keep pace.

Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work

Cyber attack hits Canadian engineering giant with contracts for military bases, power plants


Wed, March 8, 2023 



OTTAWA — A Canadian engineering giant whose work involves critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.

Toronto-based Black & McDonald has so far refused to publicly comment on the cyberattack, while the Department of National Defence and other clients of the company have downplayed any impact or damage.

"Black & McDonald notified OPG that they had experienced a ransomware attack which was unrelated to OPG operations and information," said Ontario Power Generation spokesman Neal Kelly.

"OPG conducted an immediate investigation and found there was no impact to our operations. OPG constantly monitors to ensure the highest levels of cybersecurity.

Experts are nonetheless concerned, saying the attack on Black & McDonald represents a far greater threat to Canada's national security and critical infrastructure than the attack on Canada's largest bookstore chain, Indigo Books & Music Inc.

"This is a different ball game," said David Shipley, CEO of cybersecurity firm Beauceron Security. "If it's tied back to Russia in some way, then we've got some more questions to ask. Other nation-states are stepping up cybercrime groups as well, notably North Korea, but also Iran."

Details about the ransomware attack are scarce, with Black & McDonald refusing even to confirm it happened.

Department of National Defence spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande in a statement said it was first reported to Defence Construction Canada, which handles contracts with outside companies for the support and maintenance of military bases across the country.

"Once DCC was informed of the incident, it blocked all incoming emails from Black & McDonald out of an abundance of caution and conducted business by phone or in person," she said. "Once the contractor restored its email system and informed DCC, email communication resumed."

But while Lamirande confirmed the company reported the cyber breach early last month, she could not comment on the ransomware's origins or what measures the company had taken.

Black & McDonald and its subsidiary Canadian Base Operators have several multimillion-dollar contracts with the Defence Department for the support of Canadian military bases, including one signed in 2020 and valued at $157 million over 10 years.

The company, which has 5,500 employees across Canada and reported more than $1.5 billion in sales last year, also provides engineering and construction services for critical infrastructure projects, including nuclear power plants, airports and with the Toronto Transit Commission.

"We were advised by B & M last week, but no immediate concerns were conveyed," TTC spokesman Stuart Green said in an email, adding: "No impact on the TTC."

Without more information on the nature of the attack and its culprit, Shipley takes such assurances with a grain of salt.

"An absence of evidence that something bad happened doesn't mean something bad didn't happen," he said. "What proof do you have that says this didn't get touched, exfiltrated, et cetera. How are you this confident?"

Until more information is available, Shipley said questions will remain.

Cybersecurity officials inside and outside government have been warning for years about the need to strengthen Canada's cyber defences when it comes to critical infrastructure. The country has already seen the impact of such an attack.

Late last year, hackers accessed the private data of more than 58,000 Newfoundlanders. They also wiped out the information technology systems of the province's largest health authority, forcing officials to cancel thousands of appointments, including cancer care.

The threat of a successful attack isn't just losing information. A growing number of devices used to control nuclear power plants, air-traffic control systems and other infrastructure can be accessed remotely, said Terry Cutler, CEO of cybersecurity firm Cyology Labs.

"So it's very serious because if that data got out, they're going sell it on the dark web," he said. "Cyber criminals will sell it, and maybe state-sponsored actors will buy that stuff. And then from there, they can start building up plans to attack."

Black & McDonald's ties to the Canadian military are also a potential source of concern, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, particularly given current tensions with Russia.

"Some ransomware operations are Russia-based and some are believed to have connections to the Russian government," he said. "This means there's no way to know where the data that they steal may end up or, necessarily, even what the real motive for an attack may be."

There have been reports of other attacks on Canadian defence firms in the past year, though whether there has been an increase is unclear as companies are not normally required to report incidents to the government, let alone the public.

"There's so much secrecy around incidents that's it's hard to tell whether attacks are trending up or trending down," Callow said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press