It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
Alaska voters deciding a hard-fought race for the state’s only U.S. House seat, election issues
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska voters were deciding Tuesday a hard-fought race for the state’s only U.S. House seat that could help decide control of that chamber. They were also choosing whether to repeal the state’s system of open primaries and ranked choice general elections just four years after opting to give that system a go.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola sought to fend off GOP efforts to wrest back the seat held for 49 years by Republican Rep. Don Young, who died in 2022. Peltola’s main challenger was Republican Nick Begich, who is from a family of prominent Democrats and was among the opponents she defeated in special and regular elections two years ago when Peltola, who is Yup’ik, became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress.
In addition to the repeal initiative, the ballot included a measure that would raise the state’s minimum wage and require paid sick leave for many employees, a measure opposed by groups including several chambers of commerce and a seafood processors association. Fifty of the Legislature’s 60 seats were up for election, too, with control of the state House and Senate up for grabs. The closely divided House has struggled to organize following the last three election cycles. In Alaska, lawmakers don’t always organize according to party.
In Alaska’s marquee House race, Peltola tried to distance herself from presidential politics, declining to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and dismissing any weight an endorsement from her might carry anyway in a state that last went for a Democratic presidential nominee in 1964. She cast herself as someone willing to work across party lines and played up her role in getting the Biden administration to approve the massive Willow oil project, which enjoys broad political support in Alaska.
Begich, whose grandfather, the late Democrat Nick Begich, held the seat before Young, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump following his showing in the primary.
Trump’s initial pick, Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, bowed to pressure from Republicans seeking to consolidate behind one candidate following her third-place finish in the primary and dropped out. Alaska’s open primaries allow the top four vote-getters to advance. The initial fourth place finisher, Republican Matthew Salisbury, also quit, leaving Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe and Eric Hafner, a Democrat with no apparent ties to the state who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for threatening authorities and others in New Jersey, on the ballot.
Begich, the founder of a software development company, sought to cast Peltola as ineffective in stopping actions taken by the Biden administration that limited resource development in a state dependent upon it, including the decision to cancel leases issued for oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Alaska is one of just two states that has adopted ranked voting — and would be the first to repeal it if the ballot initiative succeeds. In 2020, Alaskans in a narrow vote opted to scrap party primaries in favor of open primaries and ranked vote general elections. Most registered voters in Alaska aren’t affiliated with a party, and the new system was cast as a way to provide voters with more choice and to bring moderation to the election process. Critics, however, called it confusing.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican and Trump critic who has been at odds with party leaders, appeared in an ad in support of keeping open primaries and ranked voting.
Opponents of the system succeeded in getting enough signatures to qualify the repeal measure for the ballot — and withstood a monthslong legal fight to keep it on the ballot. Begich was among those who supported the repeal, and the state Republican Party also has endorsed repeal efforts.
59% of Boeing machinists vote to accept company's latest contract offer, ending strike
Boeing machinists agree to new contract, ending weeks-long strike
Nov. 4, 2024 UPI The Boeing logo hangs from the Boeing Building, international headquarters in Chicago on March 31, 2011. One of Boeing's key unions voted to approve a new contract on Monday. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of striking Boeing machinists voted Monday to ratify a new contract, ending their seven-week work stoppage.
In a statement, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said its members approved to ratify the contract by 59%.
Workers can return to work as early as the first shift Wednesday, it said.
"Working people know what it's like when a company overreaches and takes away more than is fair," Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, and Brandon Bryant, president of IAM District W24, said in a joint statement.
"Through this strike and the resulting victory, frontline workers at Boeing have done their part to begin rebalancing the scales in favor of the middle class -- and in doing so, we hope to inspire other workers in our industry and beyond to continue standing up for justice at work."
The contract includes a 38% pay increase over the course of the four-year contract but does not include the pension change the union had demanded.
The pay increase is better than the 25% the union turned down before going on strike nearly two months ago, but only slightly better than the 35% the 33,000-member union had turned down in the last vote on Oct. 24.
"This agreement represents a new standard in the aerospace industry -- one that sends a clear statement that aerospace jobs must be middle class careers in which workers can thrive," Brian Bryant, IAM international president, said late Monday following the vote.
"This agreement reflects the positive results of workers sticking together, participating in workplace democracy and demonstrating solidarity with each other and with the community during a necessary and effective strike."
Members voted through 7 p.m. PST on Monday, with the announcement of the tally made late Monday night.
Pro-union President Joe Biden issued a statement congratulating both sides on "coming to an agreement that reflects the hard work and sacrifices" made by the workers.
"Over the last four years, we've shown collective bargaining works. Good contracts benefit workers, businesses and consumers -- and are key to growing the American economy from the middle out and the bottom up," he said.
The machinist's average pay, according to Boeing, will be $119,309 by the end of the offered contract. Many of the union workers in the Seattle area, where most of the airplanes are made, had complained about inflation and the rising cost of living in the area.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat who represents Washington's 7th District, which includes most of Seattle, had voiced support for the striking during the work stoppage.
Following the announcement late Monday, she remarked in a statement on Boeing's history on building the middle class in her city and how this contract "is a promising sign that the new leadership is committed to returning to that role as a business that is contributing to our region, state and country's well-being for current and future generations."
The strike crippled Boeing's union factories.
The plant closures because of the strike left hundreds of Spirit AeroSystems employees furloughed while Boeing has laid off 17,000 others. It has also delayed the debut of its 777X widebody airplane until 2026.
Boeing union approves contract, ending over 7-week strike
By AFP November 5, 2024 People look on as the Boeing Machinist union tallies votes on the latest Boeing contract offer at the District Lodge 751 Union Hall in Seattle, Washington on November 4, 2024 - Copyright AFP Jason Redmond
Jason REDMOND with John BIERS in New York
Striking workers at Boeing approved a new contract proposal on Monday, ending a more than seven-week stoppage that had cost the beleaguered aviation giant billions.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 said it had ratified the offer by a vote of 59 percent after rejecting two prior offers.
The move will send some 33,000 Seattle-area employees back to work and restore operations at two major assembly plants at a time when Boeing is trying to recover from multiple setbacks.
The contract includes a 38 percent wage hike, a $12,000 signing bonus and provisions to lift employer contributions to a 401K retirement plan and contain health care costs.
But the contract does not restore Boeing’s former pension plan that had been sought by older workers.
Jon Holden, head of the Seattle union, described the agreement as a win for workers who were determined to make up for more than a decade of stagnant wages from prior negotiations that had enraged many rank-and-file workers.
“The strike will end and now it’s our job to get back to work and start building the airplanes, increase the rates and bring this company back to financial success,” Holden said at a news conference.
Holden described the contract as “rebalancing the scales in favor of the middle class” after earlier concessions to the company, according to an IAM press release.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg welcomed the ratification, adding that management and workers must work together as “part of the same team,” according to a statement released by the company.
“We will only move forward by listening and working together,” Ortberg said. “There is much work ahead to return to the excellence that made Boeing an iconic company.”
The news was also cheered by President Joe Biden, who congratulated the union on the wage hike and provisions that “improves workers’ ability to retire with dignity,” according to a statement released by the White House.
“Good contracts benefit workers, businesses, and consumers — and are key to growing the American economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” Biden said.
Boeing staff can return as soon as November 6 and must be back on the job by November 12, the IAM said on social media platform X.
– Turnaround mode –
The strike had exacerbated Boeing’s already precarious outlook after a January incident in which a fuselage panel blew out mid-flight on a 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines.
There were no major injuries, but the episode plunged Boeing back into crisis after two earlier fatal MAX crashes, with US air safety regulators limiting production output until the company got its house in order.
In March, Boeing announced a management shakeup that included the exit of CEO Dave Calhoun, who was replaced in August by former Rockwell Collins chief Ortberg.
Ortberg has cautioned that a turnaround at Boeing would take time given travails that also include major cost management problems in defense contracts and problem-filled space missions.
In October, as Boeing reported a whopping $6.2 billion quarterly loss, Ortberg described the need for a “fundamental culture change” at Boeing and said he was reviewing the company’s portfolio with an eye towards shrinking its mission in order to restore excellence.
Bu the IAM strike had threatened turnaround efforts under the new CEO.
Jo-Ellen Pozner, an associate professor at Santa Clara University’s business school, had warned ahead of the vote that another rejection by IAM workers could have plunged the company into deeper crisis.
But with the contract now ratified, “there is a way forward,” she said.
The IAM strike had been driven by worker exasperation after more than a decade of near stagnant pay — a problem exacerbated by higher inflation in recent years and higher living costs in the Seattle region, a growing tech hub.
The strike recently surpassed the 2023 United Auto Workers strike against Detroit carmakers to become the costliest in the 21st Century, according to Anderson Economic Group, which estimated the total economic hit at $11.6 billion.
Boeing factory strike ends as workers vote to accept contract
A strike by 33,000 Boeing factory workers is coming to an end. Union machinists voted on Monday to accept the company’s latest contract offer, which includes a 38% pay raise over four years.
IAM District 751 president Jon Holden greets union members after announcing they voted to accept a new contract offer from Boeing, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at their union hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Joe Perry, who has worked for Boeing for 38 years, waits for the results of the union vote on a new contract offer from Boeing, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at IAM District 751 Union Hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) A volunteer sorts votes on a new contract offer from Boeing, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the IAM District 751 Union Hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
BY DAVID KOENIG, LINDSEY WASSON AND HANNAH SCHOENBAUM November 5, 2024
SEATTLE (AP) — Factory workers at Boeing voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash.
Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company’s fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote. The deal includes a 38% wage increase over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses.
However, Boeing refused to meet strikers’ demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.
The contract’s ratification on the eve of Election Day cleared the way for a major U.S. manufacturer and government contractor to restart Pacific Northwest assembly lines that the walkout idled for 53 days. Bank of America analysts estimated last month that Boeing was losing about $50 million a day during the now-ended strike, which did not affect a nonunion plant in South Carolina where the company makes 787s.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a message to employees that he was pleased to have reached an agreement.
“While the past few months have been difficult for all of us, we are all part of the same team,” Ortberg said. “We will only move forward by listening and working together. There is much work ahead to return to the excellence that made Boeing an iconic company.”
According to the union, the 33,000 workers it represents can return to work as soon as Wednesday or as late as Nov. 12. Ortberg has said it might take “a couple of weeks” to resume production in part because some workers might need retraining.
The average annual pay of Boeing machinists is currently $75,608 and eventually will rise to $119,309 under the new contract, according to the company. The union said the compounded value of the promised pay raise would amount to an increase of more than 43% over the life of the agreement.
“It’s time for us to come together. This is a victory,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden told members while announcing the tally late Monday. “You stood strong and you stood tall and you won.”
Reactions were mixed even among union members who voted to accept the contract.
Although she voted “yes,” Seattle-based calibration specialist Eep Bolaño said the outcome was “most certainly not a victory.” Bolaño said she and her fellow workers made a wise but infuriating choice to accept the offer.
“We were threatened by a company that was crippled, dying, bleeding on the ground, and us as one of the biggest unions in the country couldn’t even extract two-thirds of our demands from them. This is humiliating,” she said.
For other workers like William Gardiner, a lab lead in calibration services, the revised offer was a cause for celebration.
“I’m extremely pumped over this vote,” said Gardiner, who has worked for Boeing for 13 years. “We didn’t fix everything — that’s OK. Overall, it’s a very positive contract.”
Union leaders had endorsed the latest proposal, saying they thought they had gotten all they could though negotiations and the strike. Along with the wage increase, the new contract gives each worker a $12,000 ratification bonus and retains a performance bonus the company wanted to eliminate.
“It is time for our members to lock in these gains and confidently declare victory,” the local union district said before the vote. “We believe asking members to stay on strike longer wouldn’t be right as we have achieved so much success.”
President Joe Biden congratulated the machinists and Boeing for coming to an agreement that he said supports fairness in the workplace and improves workers’ ability to retire with dignity. The contract, he said, is important for Boeing’s future as “a critical part of America’s aerospace sector.”
Biden’s acting labor secretary, Julie Su, intervened in the negotiations several times, including when Boeing made its latest offer last week.
A continuing strike would have plunged Boeing into further financial peril and uncertainty. Last month, Ortberg announced plans to lay off about 17,000 people and a stock sale to prevent the company’s credit rating from being cut to junk status.
The strike began Sept. 13 with an overwhelming 94.6% rejection of the company’s offer to raise pay by 25% over four years — far less than the union’s original demand for 40% wage increases over three years.
Machinists voted down another offer — 35% raises over four years, and still no revival of pensions — on Oct. 23, the same day that Boeing reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion.
The contract rejections reflected bitterness that built up after union concessions and small pay increases over the past decade.
The labor standoff — the first strike by Boeing machinists since an eight-week walkout in 2008 — was the latest setback in a volatile year for the aerospace giant. The 2008 strike lasted eight weeks and cost the company about $100 million daily in deferred revenue. A 1995 strike lasted 10 weeks.
Boeing came under several federal investigations this year after a door plug blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Federal regulators put limits on Boeing airplane production that they said would last until they felt confident about manufacturing safety at the company.
The door-plug incident renewed concerns about the safety of the 737 Max. Two of the planes had crashed less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. The CEO at the time, whose efforts to fix the company failed, announced in March that he would step down. In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving regulators who approved the 737 Max.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday’s vote puts Boeing’s future back on more solid footing.
“Washington is home to the world’s most skilled aerospace workers, and they understandably took a stand for the respect and compensation they deserve,” Inslee said in a statement congratulating the workers.
What next for Moldova after pro-Europe president's win?
Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu was the clear winner in Sunday's runoff election amid ongoing allegations of Russian interference. She now pledges to accelerate reform and consolidate democratization.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu (pictured here with a large bouquet of white roses) won Sunday's presidential election runoff
Image: Vadim Ghirda/AP/dpa/picture alliance
It was an election day like no other in Europe's recent history.
For one thing, there were systematic bomb threats against polling stations, which had to be temporarily closed.
Moreover, Moldovan police are investigating allegations that Russia organized numerous flights to bring voters from Russia to Turkey and other countries so they could cast their vote in embassies and consulates there. Nerve-wracking vote count
After a nail-biting 90-minute count, the unofficial result was announced shortly after midnight.
In the end, the outcome was crystal clear: Moldova's incumbent president, Maia Sandu, who would like to see her country join the EU and is pushing for radical reforms, won the election with about 55% of the vote.
Turnout in Sunday's presidential election runoff reached record levels by Moldovan standards
Image: Vladislav Culiomza/REUTERS
Her challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who was removed from office because of corruption allegations and who had the backing of the country's pro-Russian parties, bagged about 45% of the vote.
Turnout on Sunday stood at about 52% — a record for the Republic of Moldova, especially when one considers how difficult it is for many voters to cast their vote: Some of the country's estimated 2.8 million inhabitants live in the separatist pro-Russian region of Transnistria, while hundreds of thousands live elsewhere in Europe.
Manipulation failed despite massive interference
In short, Russia's widespread attempts in recent weeks and months to interfere in polls in Moldova and shape their outcomes failed. The country's pro-European path is secure for the time being.
However, it is likely that without Russia's hybrid attack on the recent elections and referendum, the result for Maia Sandu would have been even more decisive.
Police have said that a massive amount of votes were bought in the referendum and first round of the presidential election two weeks ago. 'Today, you have saved Moldova!'
Before midnight, Maia Sandu appeared before her supporters at the headquarters of the party she herself founded, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). She was cheered and celebrated as the winner.
The relief and joy was written all over Maia Sandu's face on Sunday evening after it became clear that she had won the election
Image: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP
After midnight, already completely hoarse, Sandu spoke to the country and the press. Her acceptance speech was very emotional.
"Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books," she declared. "Freedom, truth and justice have prevailed."
Sandu also addressed Moldovans living abroad: "You are incredible," she said. "You have shown that your heart is in our country."
Self-critical remarks
Several times in her speech, the reelected president said that she had heard the critical voices and "the voice of those who voted differently."
At one point, she switched from Romanian, the official language of Moldova, to Russian, and said that regardless of their ethnicity and language, all citizens in the country want to "live in peace, prosperity and in a democracy and united society."
Sandu repeated her serious allegations of fraud from the first round of the election and the campaign of the past two weeks. She said that there had been an "unprecedented assault" on the country, an attempt to buy votes with dirty money and "interference by foreign forces and criminal groups."
'Thieves want to buy our votes and our country, but the power of the people is infinitely stronger than all their machinations,' Sandu told local media after casting her vote on SundayImage: Vladislav Culiomza/REUTERS
She was also critical of herself, noting that the speed of reform had so far been inadequate and saying: "We must speed up the implementation of reforms and consolidate our democracy." Cabinet reshuffle expected very soon
Both the president and the government she supports are under enormous pressure to deliver. Expectations across the country are very high.
Despite the fact that Sandu has long had a reputation for being incorruptible, a woman of integrity and a determined reformer, as president, she has limited power.
Parliamentary elections are due to take place in Moldova in 2025. If the government of Prime Minister Dorin Recean, a Sandu ally, does not come up with better social policies and more judicial and anti-corruption reforms, the country's pro-European path could be at risk.
A cabinet reshuffle is expected in the near future. It is likely that a number of ministers will be replaced. Geopolitical election
Commentators on Moldovan public television all agreed that Sunday's election had been a geopolitical one in which Moldova had to decide between Russia and the prospect of a future in a democratic Europe.
The other candidate in Sunday's runoff was former prosecutor-general Alexandr Stoianoglo (pictured here)Image: Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo/picture alliance
Most also agreed that there had been "unprecedented criminal activities" against the country.
"Russia and Ilan Shor's criminal group invested a sum equivalent to 1% of our gross domestic product to influence this election. There was phenomenal pressure and an enormous amount of disinformation and manipulation," said Valeriu Pasa, chairman of the civil society organization Watchdog.
Pasa went on to say that "our government and our country now have many lessons to learn [...] in the judiciary, in the fight against corruption, and in the way we deal with society and above all pensioners — a particularly large number of whom are susceptible to disinformation."
He insisted that "kid gloves cannot be used in the fight against con men like Shor. Vigorous action is needed." A stark warning to Moldova's European partners
Israeli-born Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor is seen as one of the ringleaders in what is known in Moldova as the "theft of the century," when about a billion euros was stolen from three Moldovan banks between 2012 and 2014. Shor fled to Israel before he was due to begin his 15-year prison sentence. He now lives in Russia.
Police accuse convicted fugitive Israeli-born Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor (pictured here) of being heavily involved in an alleged Russian-backed vote-buying schemeImage: Alexey Filippov/SNA/IMAGO
The Moldovan Police suspect him of working with the Russian secret services to run a large-scale sophisticated vote-buying scheme in the run-up to the recent polls. It is estimated that up to 300,000 votes were bought.
Writer Nicolae Negru said that Russia had used Moldova to test such experimental methods of manipulation, stressing that it is now important to ask how a fraud on this scale was not prevented by the authorities, despite the fact that they had long been aware of it.
Political scientist Iulian Groza of the Moldovan Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) said that the scale of the manipulation and "Russia's sophisticated tools" must not be underestimated.
"Russia will not stop, neither in our country nor elsewhere in Europe," said Groza. "The recent practices and experience in our country must give all our European partners food for thought."
This article was originally published in German and adapted by Aingeal Flanagan.
German firms tested 4-day workweek — here's the outcome
Insa Wrede
DW
A few dozen German companies have allowed their staff to work four days a week without cutting their wages accordingly. The trial showed promising gains, but are they sustainable across the economy?
Working less, feeling better, and even being more productive sounds like hitting the jackpot for firms and their staff
For six months, and closely watched by researchers from Münster University in Germany, the volunteer companies allowed their employees to work fewer hours without reducing their salaries. The pilot run was initiated by Berlin-based management consultancy, Intraprenör, in collaboration with the nonprofit organization 4 Day Week Global (4DWG).
Achieving the same output with fewer hours and the same pay requires greater productivity. Initially, this might imply more stress and a heavier workload — but does it have to be that way?
To objectively assess the effects of reduced working hours, researchers did more than just conduct surveys and interviews. They also analyzed hair samples to gauge stress levels and used fitness trackers to collect physiological data like heart rate, activity level, and sleep quality.
Julia Backmann, the scientific lead of the pilot study, says employees generally felt better with fewer hours and remained just as productive as they were with a five-day week, and, in some cases, were even more productive.
Participants reported significant improvements in mental and physical health, she told DW, and showed less stress and burnout symptoms, as confirmed by data from smartwatches tracking daily stress minutes.
A shorter workweek is conducive to health, at least in the short term, experts sayImage: Khakimullin Aleksandr D9/Zoonar/picture alliance
According to Backmann's findings, two out of three employees reported fewer distractions because processes were optimized. Over half of the companies redesigned their meetings to make them less frequent and shorter, while one in four companies adopted new digital tools to boost efficiency.
"The potential of shorter working hours seems to be stifled by complex processes, too many meetings, and low digitalization," said Carsten Meier from Intraprenör. Surprises regarding health and environmental impact
The study has also shown that participants were more physically active during the 4-day workweek, and they slept an average of 38 minutes more per week than those in the five-day control group. However, monthly sick days only dropped slightly, a statistically insignificant difference compared to the same period a year ago.
Marika Platz from Münster University, who analyzed the data, said she was surprised at the number of sick days because similar studies in other countries showed a significant reduction.
Another surprise, she told DW, was the lack of environmental benefits from reduced working hours during the German test as other countries reported a positive impact from offices that could be shut down completely for one day, and fewer commutes to work that resulted in higher energy savings. The reason for this was probably that some German employees took advantage of the long weekends to travel, she said, which reduced any potential energy savings.
In many professions, a shorter workweek doesn't create productivity gainsImage: picture alliance/dpa
Flawed data from a skewed test?
A closer look at the design of the study, however, might raise some doubt about how useful the findings are.
Two companies voluntarily dropped out in the course of the six months, and two others had to be excluded from the evaluation. Of the remaining 41 participating companies, only about a third reduced weekly working hours by an entire day.
Around 20% reduced hours by between 11% and 19% per day, while about half cut work time by less than 10%, or roughly four hours per week. So, in total only in 85% of the cases did employees get a full day off.
The limited number of participating companies also makes the study hardly representative of Germany and its more than 3 million registered firms. This has been because the project struggled to find enough interested employers since it was first mooted two years ago, said Marika Platz, because part-time work is already relatively common in Germany.
Labor market expert Enzo Weber is skeptical about the pilot project, saying that companies participating in such trials are generally already positive toward the 4-day workweek, making them an unrepresentative sample of the economy.
In addition, the researcher at the University of Regensburg and the Institute for Employment Research in Germany, told DW the project's productivity gains may not be due to shorter hours alone, as processes and organizational structures were also modified.
Weber also believes the positive results might not be sustainable due to the increased work compression that will likely come at the expense of employees' social, communicative, and creative aspects. "The effects often don't manifest immediately but rather in the medium term," Weber said, noting that those studies generally cover only a relatively short period of six months.
According to Steffen Kampeter, CEO of Germany's Employers Association BDA, companies that operate in international markets consciously chose not to participate in the trial. He also questions the productivity gains, arguing that "a four-day week with full pay is just a significant wage increase, which most companies cannot afford."
4-day workweek bottom line
Of those 41 companies that have participated in the trial, more than 70% said they were planning to continue with the project. Some said they would extend the trial phase, while others are considering implementing reduced hours directly.
Study director Backmann stressed, however, that the study was not about advocating for a blanket rollout of the 4-day workweek across all sectors, but rather exploring "an innovative work-time model and its effects."
And Carsten Meier from the Intraprenör consultancy added that the positive results of the trial cannot be "automatically translated" into similar gains for every company in Germany.
This article was originally written in German.
UK
Torfaen housing association joins four-day working week trial
Elizabeth Birt Tue 5 November 2024 Bron Afon has started a four-day working week trial
(Image: TOM WEST BEEHIVE PHOTOGRAPHY)
A Torfaen housing association has joined a UK-wide four-day working week trial.
Bron Afon, based in Cwmbran, is one of 17 companies participating in the six-month trial.
The trial, which started on Monday, involves around 1,000 workers testing either a four-day week, a shorter working week, or a nine-day fortnight.
Most of the companies, including Bron Afon, are trialling a four-day week with no loss of pay for workers.
Unji Mathur, executive director of people, change, and technology at Bron Afon, said: "The wellbeing of our colleagues is a priority for us and the four-day week encourages teams to think creatively about how we use our time.
"We’ve already learnt so much about the art of the possible and I’m sure there will be more to learn during our pilot.
"Our customers are and always will be our top priority and we remain committed to delivering great customer service."
The trial is being run by the 4 Day Week Campaign, flexible working consultancy Timewise, and with research support from University of Cambridge, Boston College, and The Autonomy Institute.
The results will be presented to the new Labour Government in summer 2025.
Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: "We don't have to just imagine a four-day week anymore - because it's already a reality for hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of workers in the UK.
"With 50 per cent more free time and no loss in pay, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives.
"We look forward to presenting the results of this latest trial to the new Labour Government next summer."
Claire Campbell, CEO of Timewise, said: "It’s great to see a wide range of employers participating in this latest trial.
"Many have frontline staff, and the pilots provide an opportunity to think creatively about how to deliver a five or seven day service whilst offering staff a four-day week.
"We look forward to sharing the results next year, adding to the body of evidence that supporting people with choices about their working lives makes business sense." More than 1,000 employees join latest four-day working week trial
Salma Ouaguira Mon 4 November 2024 More businesses start new four-day week trial to test its effectiveness (PA Wire)
The initiative marks the second phase of the 4 Day Week Campaign, with the latest participants including the Hackney-based Crate brewery and the British Society for Immunology (BSI).
Under the plans, employees work four days per week but retain their full salaries.
Businesses said the trial resulted in an improved work-life balance, reduced stress, and no significant decline in performance. A new six-month experiment involving 17 UK companies and more than 1,000 employees has launched this week (Getty Images)
As the new trial begins, the 4 Day Week Campaign will gather comprehensive data on employee morale, productivity levels, and burnout rates.
The findings will be submitted to the government next summer, with backing from researchers at Cambridge University, the Autonomy Institute, and Boston College in Massachusetts.
The previous Conservative government criticised the changes describing the four-day working week as “part-time work for full-time pay”.
The government did however confirm back in August it would not make the arrangement compulsory, with a spokesperson from the Department for Business and Trade spokesperson saying: “We have no plans to impose a four-day working week on employers or employees.”
Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: “With 50 per cent more free time and no loss in pay, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives.”
Georgia Pearson, people manager at Crate Brewery, is also enthusiastic about participating in the trial, describing it as “groundbreaking” for the hospitality sector.
She said: “Although we’ve never struggled with retention, we recognise the competitive advantage that comes with being ahead of the curve.”
She believes embracing this shift gives the company a competitive edge, enhancing employee satisfaction and retention.
Doug Brown, chief executive of the BSI, echoed this sentiment claiming adopting a four-day week will improve staff work-life balance - making the organisation a more appealing employer. However, he stressed the importance of maintaining high-quality service during this transition.
Some 58 per cent of the public say taking a three-day weekend will be “the normal way of working” by 2030 – with only 22 per cent believing it won’t, according to research by Survation.
A survey last summer revealed approximately six per cent of full-time workers in the UK are already working four-day weeks, suggesting up to 1.5 million employees could now be benefiting from this new approach to work.
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Canada: Three charged over violence at Hindu temple
Canadian police said three people have been arrested after fights broke out outside a Hindu temple in a Toronto suburb. Indian Prime Minister Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau condemned the incident.
Protests were also held outside Brampton's Sikh temple, seen here
Image:
Harold Stiver/Depositphotos/IMAGO
Canadian police in the Toronto suburb of Brampton said on Monday that three men had been charged over a violent scuffle that broke out outside a Hindu temple on Sunday.
Authorities said the men, aged 23, 31 and 43, had been charged with offenses including assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer. "Several acts of unlawfulness continue to be actively investigated," authorities said
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Canada and India after the latter's alleged assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada — home to the second-largest Sikh community in the world.
What happened during the Hindu temple violence in Canada?
On Sunday, Sikh activists appeared to have clashed with Hindu rivals at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in the suburb of Brampton near Toronto.
Clips circulated on social media showed people carrying flags of the Khalistani separatist movement. It was unclear who instigated the violence.
"Khalistan" refers to a separatist movement seeking an independent state for Sikhs from Indian territory.
Videos showed people attacking each other with flagpoles and throwing punches. Isolated fights also broke out at the site.
Police also said they were aware of a video of an off-duty police officer participating in a demonstration. The officer has since been suspended.
The North America-based activist group Sikhs for Justice said the incident was an "unprovoked violent attack on peaceful pro-Khalistan demonstrators." They said they were peacefully protesting outside the temple against the presence of Indian diplomats inside the temple premises.
Police said there were demonstrations at several locations in the region.
India and Canada condemn violence
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the incident on Sunday, saying the "acts of violence" were unacceptable.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first comments on Monday after the Indian Foreign Ministry said "extremists and separatists" were behind the incident.
"I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats," Modi said in a post on X.
India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also condemned the attack on Tuesday as he spoke to reporters during a visit to Australia.
"What happened at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning," he said.
Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have dipped recently after Canada accused the Indian government of orchestrating the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, a Khalistan activist who is a Canadian citizen.
Last week, the Canadian government accused Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah of being involved in the plot.
The Canadian authorities have maintained that they have shared the relevant evidence with the Indian authorities. However, the Indian government has repeatedly denied this claim and called the allegations absurd.
Both countries have since expelled each other's diplomats, causing further souring of ties.
Canada is not the only country that has accused the Indian government of plotting an assassination on foreign soil.
The US has also charged a former Indian intelligence officer in the case of a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
Israel hostages forum calls for probe into secrets leak case
Gaza hostages group urges probe after ex-aide to Israeli PM Netanyahu allegedly leaked confidential documents, potentially hindering hostage release efforts. Ex-aide Eliezer Feldstein and three others detained Sunday, sparking opposition calls for Netanyahu’s accountability, which his office denies.
A Gaza hostages campaign group called Monday for an investigation into the alleged leak of confidential documents by an ex-aide to Israel's premier, which may have undermined efforts to secure their release.
A court announced Sunday that Eliezer Feldstein, a former aide to Binjamin Netanyahu, had been detained along with three others for allegedly leaking documents to foreign media.
The case has prompted the opposition to question whether Netanyahu was involved in the leak -- an allegation denied by his office.
"The (hostage) families demand an investigation against all those suspected of sabotage and undermining state security," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
"Such actions, especially during wartime, endanger the hostages, jeopardise their chances of return and abandon them to the risk of being killed by Hamas terrorists."
The forum represents most of the families of the 97 hostages still held in Gaza after they were seized in the unprecedented October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war.
The Israeli military says 34 of them are dead.
"The suspicions suggest that individuals associated with the prime minister acted to carry out one of the greatest frauds in the country's history," the forum said.
"This is a moral low point like no other. It is a severe blow to the remaining trust between the government and its citizens."
Critics have long accused Netanyahu of stalling in truce negotiations and prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners.
Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet and the army launched an investigation into the breach in September after two newspapers, British weekly The Jewish Chronicle and Germany's Bild tabloid, published articles based on the classified military documents.
One article claimed a document had been uncovered showing that then Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar -- later killed by Israel -- and the hostages in Gaza would be smuggled into Egypt through the Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border.
The other was based on what was said to be an internal Hamas leadership memo on Sinwar's strategy to hamper talks towards the liberation of hostages. Cabinet leaks probe
The Israeli court said the release of the documents ran the risk of causing "severe harm to state security".
"As a result, the ability of security bodies to achieve the objective of releasing the hostages, as part of the war goals, could have been compromised," it added.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,206 people on Israeli soil, mostly civilians, according to AFP's count based on official Israeli data, including hostages who died or were killed in captivity in Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 43,341 people, a majority of them civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. The UN considers these figures as reliable.
Meanwhile, late on Monday Netanyahu asked the attorney general to begin investigating other alleged leaks from cabinet meetings during the war.
"Since the beginning of the war, we have witnessed an incessant flood of serious leaks and revelations of state secrets," he said in a leter to the attorney general, which was posted on his Telegram channel.
"Therefore, I am appealing to you to immediately order the investigation of the leaks in general."
(AFP)
Pakistan anti-polio drive struggles against militants, mistrust
Agence France-Presse November 4, 2024 Elite police personnel standing guard as a health worker administers polio drops to a child during a door-to-door polio vaccination drive on the outskirts of Peshawar (Abdul MAJEED/AFP)
Militant attacks and suspicion stemming from misinformation are hampering Pakistan's battle to eradicate polio, but teams of dedicated volunteer health workers are determined to fight on.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the debilitating virus remains endemic, the disease mostly affecting children under five and sometimes causing lifelong paralysis.
Cases in Pakistan are on the rise, with 45 registered so far this year, up from six in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Polio can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine, but in parts of rural Pakistan health workers risk their lives to save others.
Last week seven people including five children were killed when a bomb targeted police traveling to guard vaccine workers. Days earlier two police escorts were gunned down by militants.
"When we hear that a polio vaccination team has been attacked, it deeply saddens us," said health worker Zainab Sultan, 28, as she went door to door in Panam Dehri in northwest Pakistan
"Our responsibility now is to continue our work. Our job is to protect people from disability, to vaccinate children, and to make them healthy members of society."
- False claims -
In the past firebrand clerics falsely claimed the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, forbidding it for consumption by Muslims.
A fake vaccination campaign organized by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Pakistan in 2011 to track Osama bin Laden compounded the mistrust.
More recently, militant groups have shifted to targeting armed police escorts in their campaigns of violence against the state.
Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in attacks since the return of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad claiming hostile groups are now operating from there.
"In our area, nearly half of the parents were initially resistant to the polio vaccine, believing it to be a ploy by the West," said local resident Ehsanullah, who goes by one name.
"There was a lack of awareness," he said. "If this disease is spreading because of our reluctance, we are not just harming ourselves but the entire community."
- Rumors debunked -
From previously being blamed for the mistrust of polio vaccines, some religious leaders -- who wield immense authority in Pakistan -- are now at the forefront of the campaign to convince parents.
"All major religious schools and scholars in Pakistan have debunked the rumors surrounding the polio vaccine," said Imam Tayyab Qureshi.
"Those who attack polio vaccination teams have no connection to Islam or humanity," he said in the provincial capital of Peshawar, where Panam Dehri lies on the outskirts.
For one parent in Panam Dehri, the endorsement by religious chiefs proved pivotal.
"Initially I did not vaccinate my children against polio. Despite everyone's efforts, I refused," said 40-year-old Zulfiqar, who uses one name.
"Later, the Imam of our mosque came to explain the importance of the polio vaccine, telling me that he personally vaccinated his own children and encouraged me to do the same," he said.
"After that, I agreed."
Another impediment can be that parents in impoverished areas use the government's eagerness to vaccine as a bargaining chip, attempting to negotiate investment in water and road projects.
"There are demand-based boycotts and community boycotts that we face," lamented Ayesha Raza, spokeswoman for the government polio eradication campaign.
"Your demands may be very justified, but don't link it to your children's health," she pleads to them.
- Personal battle -
For some health workers, the battle to eradicate polio is more personal.
Hobbling door-to-door in Panam Dehri, polio survivor Ismail Shah's paralyzed leg does not slow his mission.
"I decided in my childhood that when I grew up I would fight against the disease that disabled me," said the 35-year-old.
Shah is among 400,000 volunteers and health workers who spent the past week patiently explaining to families that the oral inoculation -- administered in two doses -- is safe.
Their goal is to protect 45 million children, but it's far from straightforward. When Shah arrived in his patch of 40,000 inhabitants there were more than 1,000 refusals.
"Now, there are only 94 reluctant parents left, and soon I will persuade them as well," he said.
In Motor City, jobs and justice dominate as Detroit voters head to the polls
ON THE GROUND
Detroit, home of the US auto industry, has seen good times and bad. It’s also the most populous city in Michigan, a battleground state in a tight presidential race. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have made several campaign stops in the Motor City, whose residents could well decide who will be the next US president.
Bishop John Drew Sheard captured the mood of his church on the last Sunday before what many Americans call “the most consequential presidential election of a lifetime” on November 5.
“She’s in Detroit! She’s in Detroit! She’s in Detroit! Come on, Detroit!” Sheard cheered as Kamala Harris made her way from the front pew to the pulpit of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ.
When the roar of the congregation subsided, and some of the more excited members of the historic Black church finally took their seats, Harris immediately hit the central theme of her 12-minute address.
Acknowledging a “church that has stood for justice in over a century”, the first multiracial female presidential candidate in US history said she believes the country is “ready to bend the arc of history toward justice”. Advertising
US Vice President Kamala Harris joins the prayers at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit, Michigan, November 3, 2024.
Harris began the final Sunday of the 2024 campaign in Detroit, the most populous city in Michigan, a Midwest battleground state with 15 electoral votes that she needs to defeat her Republican rival Donald Trump.
In the 2016 race, Hillary Clinton lost Michigan to Trump by only 10,700 votes despite pre-election polls consistently showing the Democratic candidate in the lead.
This year, the opinion polls show the two candidates locked in a tight race, with Harris in danger of losing the once reliably Democratic Arab-American vote as anger over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon mount.
Detroit has long been a Democratic stronghold, but 2024 has not been a year to take anything for granted on the campaign trail. Trump has tried to woo Black male voters, auto industry workers as well as business owners, making several trips to Michigan over the past few months.
He has not always succeeded in swaying the city’s residents. Last month, Trump insulted Detroit while campaigning in – Detroit. During an address to the Detroit Economic Club, Trump warned that “our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president”.
His comments drew criticism from local Democratic officials who noted that the city, once infamous for its urban blight and bankruptcy, had turned the economic corner by stabilising its finances, improving services and reviving several neighbourhoods. In a post on X, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was scathing about Trump’s comments. “This guy is calling us ugly and then asking us out on a date,” she noted.
Stepping out of the Greater Emmanuel church after the Sunday service, Sharon Jackson dismissed Trump’s repeated warnings of Harris’s inability to handle the economy.
“If Donald Trump can do it, or thinks he can do it, Kamala should be able to as well. She's got a proven record, look at her history. I think she'll be good for the economy,” said the IT professional.
Sharon Jackson (R) outside Detroit's Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ on November 3, 2024.
Harris’s message of social justice especially resonated with Jackson, who has been attending services at the imposing church at the corner of Schafer and Seven Mile roads for years. “If Donald Trump is in [the White House], the rich are going to get richer, just like he promised. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer or stay where they are. But with a president like Kamala Harris, I think that everybody will benefit from her being in office,” she said. Can’t forget the Motor City
The wheels of the economy in these parts are run by the auto industry, which has earned Detroit its “Motor City” moniker. It’s a beloved nickname, often used by loyal residents and former residents whose families have moved to neighbouring areas, lured by jobs in manufacturing plants and auxiliary businesses linked to the auto industry.
But the term is also redolent of a once glorious past, when Detroit’s car industry turbocharged the American economy, which in turn drove the global economy.
That was before Japanese cars rattled the supremacy of American cars in the 1980s, fueling a panic over the loss of jobs and the decline of “the Big Three” – Ford, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler – all headquartered in Michigan.
Today, the threat comes from China, with the Asian giant grabbing the electric vehicle (EV) market with low-cost manufacturing plants and business deals across the world.
On the campaign trail, “EV” turned into a major debate, which was seized and manipulated by Trump – until a new billionaire backer, Elon Musk, head of EV maker Tesla, endorsed the Republican candidate.
Trump has described Harris as a “globalist”, telling workers who had lost jobs in the auto and subsidiary industries that the Biden administration’s bid to promote the EV industry was the cause of their economic woes.
The pitch resonated with many unemployed voters. “I’m going with Trump,” revealed Sorwar Khan, an Uber driver who lost his job at a plastics manufacturing company that supplies components and sub-assemblies for automobiles.
“President Joe Biden, I don’t know, ” he said as he zipped past Detroit buildings named after Ford, from offices to cultural centres, museums and libraries. “We trust Trump. Trump says that people like you, if you guys give me one more chance, I will do my best for us people, you know,” added the Bangladesh-born US national. A rally on union lawns
But not all hard-pressed employees and former employees are sold on Trump’s promise to help workers by bringing jobs to America via tariffs on Chinese products.
At a “get out the vote” rally on the lawns of “Solidarity House”, the headquarters of the United Auto Workers (UAW), one of the largest US trade unions, Dynita McCaskill scoffed at Trump’s pro-workers spiel.
“Trump's history has shown him not to be a friend of workers – not workers that look like me,” added the African American labourer with a smile, in a pointed reference to her race. “No, definitely not workers who are in my median income because we are just that to him: Workers. We're not colleagues. We're not people to be considered valuable.”
As the setting sun cast an orange glow on the Detroit River abutting the Solidarity House lawn, several UAW members strode in, wearing “Vote Harris” T-shirts proclaiming, “Trump is a scab,” using the pejorative slang for strikebreakers.
McCaskill and her colleagues at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Detroit have been on strike since September after prolonged union-management negotiations over work contracts failed to yield an agreement.
While most of the T-shirts at the rally displayed a UAW logo, McCaskill proudly sported a Teamsters message, referring to another major national union in the US.
The Teamsters member was at the rally to “support the UAW”, she explained. “The amount of support that we received from the UAW locals in and around Detroit has been absolutely unbelievable,” she explained as a chill evening wind blew in from lakes Erie and Huron, which separate the US from Canada. ‘No one should be left behind’
America’s federal unions have long provided a loyal vote base for the Democratic Party. But while the UAW and the AFL-CIO – the largest federation of US trade unions – have endorsed Harris, the Teamsters declined to endorse any candidate.
Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien shocked the left in July when he addressed the Republican National Convention, where he praised Trump, calling him “one tough SOB”.
Labour experts examining the two candidates’ policy platforms say Harris is consistently pro-union, including her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which Trump opposes.
But the Republican candidate’s rhetoric on “illegal migrants” stealing “American jobs” has found many takers among workers even as their union bosses, in most major US unions, support Harris.
The political differences between rank-and-file members, as well as the political splits between unions do not bother McCaskill. She’s focused on bread-and-butter issues and is committed to organising on a local level.
The Teamsters failure to endorse the Democratic presidential candidate has not dented McCaskill’s loyalty to her union. “We are not a monolith. In any organisation, everyone has a right to believe what they want to believe based on their households. I actually prefer for political decisions to be a personal thing,” she noted.
She also refused to be drawn into the EV debate. “Okay, I work for the refining industry, so I have no interest in electric vehicles. That's the antithesis of what I do,” she chuckled. “But things change, you know. At some point they were riding around in horses with carriages. Things are supposed to change, and I'm comfortable with change. What’s important is the way the change happens. No one should be left behind.”
When asked about how Trump or Harris in the presidency could change her life, McCaskill’s reply revealed the wisdom gained from years of commitment to a cause and her union.
“I understand how politics works, and I understand that whoever sits in that White House doesn't really decide how impactful things are for me. It's the House and the Congress, the Senate. Those folk are the ones who make those decisions,” she said, rattling off the names of Michigan Democratic candidates running in down-ballot races. “There are several of them who are fighting for us, even if they don't believe in the industry that we work in. They're fighting for us because I'm a person, I'm not the refining industry. I'm a person.”
As the Motor City heads to the polls in elections that have stressed people across the US, and in many parts of the world, McCaskill displayed the resilience of her city, perched on a waterway connecting Lakes Huron and Erie, whose fortunes have changed with the economic tides.
“I don't think Kamala Harris winning – and I would like for her to win – will change my life. And I don't think Donald Trump – who I don't want to win – will change my life,” she maintained. “I'm still going to go to work, still going to take care of my family. I'm still going to have responsibilities. I'm still going to be honest, and I'm still going to work on the union.”
Anti-Trump monument pops up commemorating Stormy Daniels' unflattering description Sarah K. Burris November 4, 2024
RAW STORY
The adult film star Stormy Daniels. (AFP Photo/Ethan Miller)
Another statue has popped up to commemorate a major moment in Donald Trump's history: his alleged tryst with adult film star and director Stormy Daniels.
On Monday, the new statue was in the Donald J. Trump State Park in Yorktown Heights, New York.
On Monday, it was a "7 feet wide by 8 feet tall" Trump statue, and on top was "a tiny golden mushroom." Daniels infamously compared a Trump extremity to a mushroom in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel.
Named "The Very Large Donald J. Trump Monument," the tiny mushroom stands atop a large pillar. Bendery said it's clear it "trolls Trump over the size of his manhood."
"Despite this towering statue's impressive heft, The President's former mistress, Stormy Daniels, knowingly slandered the President as having a 'smaller than average' monument and claimed it is an 'unusual' monument similar to 'a mushroom.' She further went on to describe his monument as 'the least impressive I've ever had,'" the plaque reads.
"The circumstances surrounding her statements have been verified by a New York State court of Law," it also reads.
Indeed, Trump's company faced off against several felony counts for attempting to cover up a payoff to Daniels to stay quiet about the affair. He was found guilty on all counts.
