Wednesday, June 24, 2020
PM should retaliate if Trump issues new tariffs: Dias
OTTAWA -- The largest private sector union is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “stand firm” against the prospect of the re-imposition of tariffs on Canadian aluminum from the U.S. administration and says retaliation should be considered if the Americans follow through.
As CTV News has reported, the United States is considering slapping tariffs on aluminum imports coming from Canada, under Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act, unless Canada agrees to restrict its export volumes through quotas.
In a letter to the prime minister, Unifor National President Jerry Dias urges Trudeau to “reject any concessionary demands the U.S. requests of Canada on this matter,” calling the prospect of new tariffs “totally unwarranted.”
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Speaking on behalf of Unifor’s aluminum industry members, Dias goes on to say that the arguments that American steel producers are making to the Trump administration about the need for intervention — including that a surge in Canadian aluminum imports is causing aluminum prices to collapse — are “preposterous and utterly divorced from reality.”
He said that globally, due to COVID-19, demand for metal has “fallen off a cliff,” resulting in declining prices.
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“We must not allow these bullying tactics to succeed. I urge you to stand strong in the face of this misinformation campaign and reject any quotas that would disrupt the Canadian aluminum industry once again and lead to unnecessary layoffs,” Dias said.
The United States hit Canada with steel and aluminum tariffs in May 2018, during negotiations for the new NAFTA deal. The tariffs remained in place for a year, during which time Canada reciprocated with dollar-for-dollar countermeasures on American steel, aluminum, as well as levelling a surtax on other goods.
A year later, Canada and the U.S. issued a joint statement announcing a decision to lift the tariffs, confirming that the two nations also agreed to terminate World Trade Organization litigation Canada launched after slamming the U.S. tariffs as "punitive" and "an affront" to Canada-U.S. relations.
While the U.S. tariffs were in place, Unifor launched a campaign against them, and now Dias is suggesting that “reciprocal measures may be warranted and must be considered” if the U.S. pushes forward with this new trade action against Canada’s aluminum sector.
The agreement to lift tariffs came amid indications that new NAFTA trade talks were moving in a positive direction. That trade agreement has since been ratified by all three countries — Canada, the U.S., and Mexico — and comes into effect on July 1.
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Gilmore
The Courts Say Sex Discrimination Laws Protect Trans People, But Trump May Use Religious Exemptions To Get Around Them
LGBTQ activists may have already won the battle over what sex discrimination laws mean, but now they expect the Trump administration to weaken the laws with religious freedom exemptions.
Paul McLeod BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 24, 2020
BuzzFeed News / Getty Images
The Supreme Court gave LGBTQ activists a historic victory this month in the employment case of Bostock v. Clayton County, but it also may have set up the next major legal battle between civil rights and religious freedom.
The court decision came just days after the Trump administration determined that doctors, hospitals, insurers, and other health providers could deny services to trans people. That move came when the Department of Health and Human Services defined the Affordable Care Act’s ban on discrimination on the basis of sex to not include gender identity, meaning trans people are not protected.
In Bostock, the Supreme Court ruled the exact opposite — that sex discrimination includes gender identity — in the most sweeping decision to protect LGBTQ people in the court’s history.
But it’s what is not included in the decision — the question of how broadly the Trump administration can extend religious exemptions to cut away at antidiscrimination laws — that lawyers expect to be the next major battlefield in LGBTQ rights.
The Trump administration could essentially say that even if refusing service to a trans person is sex discrimination, businesses or health providers could be protected if providing a service violates their religious beliefs.
“The real battleground here is going to be religious freedom attempts,” said Kristen Prata Browde, who sits on the board of the National Trans Bar Association. “People are going to be using religious exemptions as a way (to get around discrimination).”
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On Monday morning, a coalition of legal groups and health clinics sued the Trump administration in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reverse the sex discrimination rule change.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, known as RFRA, allows for exemptions to antidiscrimination laws. It prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it furthers a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive way of doing so.
The Supreme Court nodded at this question but did not resolve it. The Bostock opinion, authored by Neil Gorsuch, said only that RFRA “might” be able to be used to carve out religious exemptions. “Because RFRA operates as a kind of super statute, displacing the normal operation of other federal laws, it might supersede Title VII’s commands in appropriate cases,” the opinion said.
Omar Gonzalez-Pagan of Lambda Legal said the Bostock decision will be a huge help to his group and others in legal cases to extend LGBTQ rights across the country because courts look to similar statutes when it comes to questions of interpretation. Lambda is one of the groups suing over the ACA rule change.
Gonzalez-Pagan described Trump’s healthcare rule change as “eviscerated” by the decision. He said he now expects the administration to react by pushing for sex descrimination exemptions on religious grounds.
“It’s certainly something that they will attempt,” he said. “They will now try to limit it, to carve it out as much as possible.”
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
LGBTQ activists and supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, Oct. 24, 2018.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Supreme Court case and the Trump administration rule change are not directly linked. The rule change redefines the wording of the Affordable Care Act, while the Supreme Court case involved Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pertaining to employment law.
But given the obvious similarities, advocates say they will be citing the Supreme Court ruling in fighting the rule change along with dozens, if not hundreds, of legal cases across the country.
“They might as well change it now because if they don’t, we’re coming for them,” said Prata Browde.
Defenders of the ACA rule change argue that the context is different and that it should not be affected by an unrelated Supreme Court decision.
“Unlike Title VII, which only covers employment, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and its implementing rule covers a large number of contexts,” said Gregory Baylor, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom. “There will almost certainly be litigation over (the rule change), but it is less clear how those disputes will turn out.”
But it is not just progressives who say the Supreme Court ruling will have an impact. In his scathing dissent on Bostock, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned the “gravitational pull” of the ruling is “virtually certain to have far-reaching consequences.”
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He speculated the ruling will be cited in legal cases ranging from healthcare to professional sports. “Today’s decision may have effects that extend well beyond the domain of federal antidiscrimination statutes,” Alito wrote.
Alito included an appendix of well over 100 federal statutes that contain anti–sex descrimination provisions that could be called into question.
The upshot is that while the battle lines will likely change, the legal fights between the Trump administration and LGBTQ groups have no end in sight.
Paul McLeod is a politics reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
Contact Paul McLeod at paul.mcleod@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
LGBTQ activists may have already won the battle over what sex discrimination laws mean, but now they expect the Trump administration to weaken the laws with religious freedom exemptions.
Paul McLeod BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 24, 2020
BuzzFeed News / Getty Images
The Supreme Court gave LGBTQ activists a historic victory this month in the employment case of Bostock v. Clayton County, but it also may have set up the next major legal battle between civil rights and religious freedom.
The court decision came just days after the Trump administration determined that doctors, hospitals, insurers, and other health providers could deny services to trans people. That move came when the Department of Health and Human Services defined the Affordable Care Act’s ban on discrimination on the basis of sex to not include gender identity, meaning trans people are not protected.
In Bostock, the Supreme Court ruled the exact opposite — that sex discrimination includes gender identity — in the most sweeping decision to protect LGBTQ people in the court’s history.
But it’s what is not included in the decision — the question of how broadly the Trump administration can extend religious exemptions to cut away at antidiscrimination laws — that lawyers expect to be the next major battlefield in LGBTQ rights.
The Trump administration could essentially say that even if refusing service to a trans person is sex discrimination, businesses or health providers could be protected if providing a service violates their religious beliefs.
“The real battleground here is going to be religious freedom attempts,” said Kristen Prata Browde, who sits on the board of the National Trans Bar Association. “People are going to be using religious exemptions as a way (to get around discrimination).”
ADVERTISEMENT
On Monday morning, a coalition of legal groups and health clinics sued the Trump administration in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reverse the sex discrimination rule change.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, known as RFRA, allows for exemptions to antidiscrimination laws. It prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it furthers a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive way of doing so.
The Supreme Court nodded at this question but did not resolve it. The Bostock opinion, authored by Neil Gorsuch, said only that RFRA “might” be able to be used to carve out religious exemptions. “Because RFRA operates as a kind of super statute, displacing the normal operation of other federal laws, it might supersede Title VII’s commands in appropriate cases,” the opinion said.
Omar Gonzalez-Pagan of Lambda Legal said the Bostock decision will be a huge help to his group and others in legal cases to extend LGBTQ rights across the country because courts look to similar statutes when it comes to questions of interpretation. Lambda is one of the groups suing over the ACA rule change.
Gonzalez-Pagan described Trump’s healthcare rule change as “eviscerated” by the decision. He said he now expects the administration to react by pushing for sex descrimination exemptions on religious grounds.
“It’s certainly something that they will attempt,” he said. “They will now try to limit it, to carve it out as much as possible.”
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
LGBTQ activists and supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, Oct. 24, 2018.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Supreme Court case and the Trump administration rule change are not directly linked. The rule change redefines the wording of the Affordable Care Act, while the Supreme Court case involved Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pertaining to employment law.
But given the obvious similarities, advocates say they will be citing the Supreme Court ruling in fighting the rule change along with dozens, if not hundreds, of legal cases across the country.
“They might as well change it now because if they don’t, we’re coming for them,” said Prata Browde.
Defenders of the ACA rule change argue that the context is different and that it should not be affected by an unrelated Supreme Court decision.
“Unlike Title VII, which only covers employment, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and its implementing rule covers a large number of contexts,” said Gregory Baylor, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom. “There will almost certainly be litigation over (the rule change), but it is less clear how those disputes will turn out.”
But it is not just progressives who say the Supreme Court ruling will have an impact. In his scathing dissent on Bostock, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned the “gravitational pull” of the ruling is “virtually certain to have far-reaching consequences.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He speculated the ruling will be cited in legal cases ranging from healthcare to professional sports. “Today’s decision may have effects that extend well beyond the domain of federal antidiscrimination statutes,” Alito wrote.
Alito included an appendix of well over 100 federal statutes that contain anti–sex descrimination provisions that could be called into question.
The upshot is that while the battle lines will likely change, the legal fights between the Trump administration and LGBTQ groups have no end in sight.
Paul McLeod is a politics reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
Contact Paul McLeod at paul.mcleod@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
University of Saskatchewan temporarily lays off more than 300 employees
Kyle Benning
Kyle Benning
© Brenden Purdy / Global News The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents about 2,000 employees at the university and said between 200 and 250 of the layoffs are its members.
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has temporarily laid off 315 employees over a span of 12 weeks.
“Prior to any decisions about temporary layoffs, we considered the possibility of redeployment to other work that is essential and can be done remotely," read a statement emailed to Global News. "In most circumstances, employees who are temporarily laid off were able to use existing paid entitlements of vacation, banked overtime, or earned days off to maintain full pay levels for additional days or weeks.
“Through the normal course of the year, all university units also adjust their staffing levels based on seasonal requirements, changing amounts of work available, and their respective budget situations, particularly in light of the current economic uncertainty due to COVID-19.”
Read more: Petition calls for reduced University of Saskatchewan tuition with classes online this fall
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1975 represents about 2,000 employees at the university and said its members account for between 200 and 250 of the layoffs.
The union’s acting president said the union is working closely with university administration to adjust to the pandemic and fewer people on campus.
“Through this process, we have strongly advocated for our members and the services we provide. While we have no guarantees that staffing levels will return to normal when in-person classes return, we will continue to work with the university to ensure proper staffing levels to meet the needs of students,” Bob Jones wrote in a statement.
Read more: Upgrades planned for Saskatchewan universities, Moose Jaw Polytechnic
The Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA) represents 1,300 employees at the university.
Its president added they’ve only seen around a dozen temporary layoffs, but have seen more than 30 permanent layoffs over the past two months.
“The workloads are going to be increasing if we have fewer members and they continue to provide the same services and programs,” Curtis Larson said.
Read more: Coronavirus: University of Saskatchewan sees increase in spring, summer course enrolments
USask said between federal government programs and university top-ups, temporarily laid-off employees are earning 85 per cent of their regular earnings.
The university’s units will continue to monitor budgets and staff levels, but large-scale layoffs aren’t expected.
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has temporarily laid off 315 employees over a span of 12 weeks.
“Prior to any decisions about temporary layoffs, we considered the possibility of redeployment to other work that is essential and can be done remotely," read a statement emailed to Global News. "In most circumstances, employees who are temporarily laid off were able to use existing paid entitlements of vacation, banked overtime, or earned days off to maintain full pay levels for additional days or weeks.
“Through the normal course of the year, all university units also adjust their staffing levels based on seasonal requirements, changing amounts of work available, and their respective budget situations, particularly in light of the current economic uncertainty due to COVID-19.”
Read more: Petition calls for reduced University of Saskatchewan tuition with classes online this fall
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1975 represents about 2,000 employees at the university and said its members account for between 200 and 250 of the layoffs.
The union’s acting president said the union is working closely with university administration to adjust to the pandemic and fewer people on campus.
“Through this process, we have strongly advocated for our members and the services we provide. While we have no guarantees that staffing levels will return to normal when in-person classes return, we will continue to work with the university to ensure proper staffing levels to meet the needs of students,” Bob Jones wrote in a statement.
Read more: Upgrades planned for Saskatchewan universities, Moose Jaw Polytechnic
The Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA) represents 1,300 employees at the university.
Its president added they’ve only seen around a dozen temporary layoffs, but have seen more than 30 permanent layoffs over the past two months.
“The workloads are going to be increasing if we have fewer members and they continue to provide the same services and programs,” Curtis Larson said.
Read more: Coronavirus: University of Saskatchewan sees increase in spring, summer course enrolments
USask said between federal government programs and university top-ups, temporarily laid-off employees are earning 85 per cent of their regular earnings.
The university’s units will continue to monitor budgets and staff levels, but large-scale layoffs aren’t expected.
WestJet to lay off 3,333 workers under restructuring plan
BANKRUPTCY LAW BUSTS UNION CONTRACTS
CUPE LOOSES MORE MEMBERS, WHEN WILL THEY
CALL A GENERAL STRIKE IN ALBERTA
WESTJET TOOK FEDERAL FUNDS TO RETAIN WORKERS
© Provided by The Canadian Press
WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will permanently lay off 3,333 employees as part of a major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
The company plans to consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates, WestJet said in a release Wednesday.
"Throughout the course of the biggest crisis in the history of aviation, WestJet has made many difficult, but essential, decisions to future-proof our business," said CEO Ed Sims, calling the changes "unavoidable."
About 2,300 airport customer service agents and baggage handlers will lose their jobs, according to CUPE union official Chris Rauenbusch.
Some 600 office and management staff in Calgary will be cut within a month or so, he said. "The head office is already desolate."
Another 433 call centre representatives will be laid off in Moncton, Halifax and Vancouver, he said.
WestJet, which went private after Toronto-based Onex Corp. bought the company in December, had employed some 14,000 workers just before the pandemic struck. About 4,500 active employees will remain on the payroll after the layoffs.
The company said preferential hiring interviews for some of the 2,300 WestJet airport workers now facing layoffs will be a priority in selecting airport partners.
The pandemic saw the airline suspend most of its schedule — including all international trips — in late March, running at less than 10 per cent capacity.
Canadian airline revenue streams have shrunk to a fraction of 2019 levels, with fleets parked and border shutdowns ongoing even as domestic travel demand gradually starts to pick up.
Canada, unlike countries including France, Germany and the United States, has held off on sector-specific support for carriers. Instead Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rolled out financial aid available across industries, including the federal wage subsidy and loans starting at $60 million for large companies.
In an memo to staff Wednesday afternoon, Sims said the dearth of government funds along with a "patchwork" of provincial and federal travel advisories and constraints on non-essential domestic and international travel are compounding a "weak demand environment."
Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc., said the relative lack of financial support "may run the risk of incurring lasting damage on our aviation and travel sectors."
A healthy domestic airline sector is critical in a sprawling country with a handful of far-flung, high-density population centres, he said.
"And we need to have carriers to link Canada with the rest of the world. If we have a major carrier fail, you're not going to replace that lift overnight," Kokonis said. "This message from WestJet today has got to be the eye-opener."
The company is increasing reliant on flights to the U.S. following a partnership with Delta Air Lines, cemented in a joint venture announced in February.
Last week fewer than 7,500 passengers arrived at Canadian airports from the U.S., down more than 98 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
International passenger numbers were down 95 per cent compared to a year earlier, the agency said Wednesday.
Chief executives from 27 Canadian companies in sectors ranging from aviation to banking and telecommunications have called for a "measured" reopening of the skies that would see travel resume across all provinces and between select countries.
An ailing travel sector also hurts local businesses, Kokonis said.
"It’s airports, it's ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, it's taxis, it's hotels, it's tour operators. It’s your kayak and canoe outfitter at Lake Louise that has nobody to rent a boat to."
Manitoba and the Maritime provinces continue to restrict interprovincial travel, though the four Atlantic provinces announced plans Wednesday to create a "bubble" that allows residents to travel within region, removing a 14-day isolation period.
Travellers arriving in Canada from abroad must self-isolate for two weeks.
Last week, Trudeau extended a ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. until at least July 21.
The announcement came as European Union countries began to reopen their borders to EU and some non-EU members.
"It's not desperate yet, because the airlines can navigate through the next months," said Jacques Roy, a professor of transport management at HEC Montreal business school.
"But the restrictions will have to come to an end and have travel resume sometime."
WestJet earlier this week said it had halted its pursuit of a labour code exemption that would have facilitated permanent mass layoffs.
WestJet will have to provide unionized employees affected by the latest round of layoffs with payment in lieu of notice, Rauenbusch said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2020
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
Coronavirus: More than 100 Manitoba employees losing jobs, says WestJet
Shane Gibson
A 'weak demand environment'
The company said preferential hiring interviews for some of the 2,300 WestJet airport workers now facing layoffs will be a priority in selecting airport partners.
The pandemic saw the airline suspend most of its schedule -- including all international trips -- in late March, running at less than 10 per cent capacity.
Canadian airline revenue streams have shrunk to a fraction of 2019 levels, with fleets parked and border shutdowns ongoing even as domestic travel demand gradually starts to pick up.
Canada, unlike countries including France, Germany and the United States, has held off on sector-specific support for carriers. Instead, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rolled out financial aid available across industries, including the federal wage subsidy and loans starting at $60 million for large companies.
Read more: Coronavirus pandemic: WestJet suspending international travel
In a memo to staff Wednesday afternoon, Sims said the dearth of government funds along with a "patchwork" of provincial and federal travel advisories and constraints on non-essential domestic and international travel are compounding a "weak demand environment."
Last week fewer than 7,500 passengers arrived at Canadian airports from the U.S., down more than 98 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
International passenger numbers were down 95 per cent compared to a year earlier, the agency said Wednesday.
Manitoba and the Maritime provinces continue to restrict interprovincial travel, though the four Atlantic provinces announced plans Wednesday to create a "bubble" that allows residents to travel within the region, removing a 14-day isolation period.
Read more: Coronavirus: WestJet to rehire nearly 6,400 workers through federal wage subsidy
Travellers arriving in Canada from abroad must self-isolate for two weeks, and last week, Trudeau extended a ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. until at least July 21.
WestJet earlier this week said it had halted its pursuit of a labour code exemption that would have facilitated permanent mass layoffs.
WestJet will have to provide unionized employees affected by the latest round of layoffs with payment in lieu of notice, Rauenbusch said.
--With files from Clay Young and The Canadian Press
WESTJET TOOK FEDERAL FUNDS TO RETAIN WORKERS
© Provided by The Canadian Press
WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will permanently lay off 3,333 employees as part of a major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
The company plans to consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates, WestJet said in a release Wednesday.
"Throughout the course of the biggest crisis in the history of aviation, WestJet has made many difficult, but essential, decisions to future-proof our business," said CEO Ed Sims, calling the changes "unavoidable."
About 2,300 airport customer service agents and baggage handlers will lose their jobs, according to CUPE union official Chris Rauenbusch.
Some 600 office and management staff in Calgary will be cut within a month or so, he said. "The head office is already desolate."
Another 433 call centre representatives will be laid off in Moncton, Halifax and Vancouver, he said.
WestJet, which went private after Toronto-based Onex Corp. bought the company in December, had employed some 14,000 workers just before the pandemic struck. About 4,500 active employees will remain on the payroll after the layoffs.
The company said preferential hiring interviews for some of the 2,300 WestJet airport workers now facing layoffs will be a priority in selecting airport partners.
The pandemic saw the airline suspend most of its schedule — including all international trips — in late March, running at less than 10 per cent capacity.
Canadian airline revenue streams have shrunk to a fraction of 2019 levels, with fleets parked and border shutdowns ongoing even as domestic travel demand gradually starts to pick up.
Canada, unlike countries including France, Germany and the United States, has held off on sector-specific support for carriers. Instead Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rolled out financial aid available across industries, including the federal wage subsidy and loans starting at $60 million for large companies.
In an memo to staff Wednesday afternoon, Sims said the dearth of government funds along with a "patchwork" of provincial and federal travel advisories and constraints on non-essential domestic and international travel are compounding a "weak demand environment."
Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc., said the relative lack of financial support "may run the risk of incurring lasting damage on our aviation and travel sectors."
A healthy domestic airline sector is critical in a sprawling country with a handful of far-flung, high-density population centres, he said.
"And we need to have carriers to link Canada with the rest of the world. If we have a major carrier fail, you're not going to replace that lift overnight," Kokonis said. "This message from WestJet today has got to be the eye-opener."
The company is increasing reliant on flights to the U.S. following a partnership with Delta Air Lines, cemented in a joint venture announced in February.
Last week fewer than 7,500 passengers arrived at Canadian airports from the U.S., down more than 98 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
International passenger numbers were down 95 per cent compared to a year earlier, the agency said Wednesday.
Chief executives from 27 Canadian companies in sectors ranging from aviation to banking and telecommunications have called for a "measured" reopening of the skies that would see travel resume across all provinces and between select countries.
An ailing travel sector also hurts local businesses, Kokonis said.
"It’s airports, it's ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, it's taxis, it's hotels, it's tour operators. It’s your kayak and canoe outfitter at Lake Louise that has nobody to rent a boat to."
Manitoba and the Maritime provinces continue to restrict interprovincial travel, though the four Atlantic provinces announced plans Wednesday to create a "bubble" that allows residents to travel within region, removing a 14-day isolation period.
Travellers arriving in Canada from abroad must self-isolate for two weeks.
Last week, Trudeau extended a ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. until at least July 21.
The announcement came as European Union countries began to reopen their borders to EU and some non-EU members.
"It's not desperate yet, because the airlines can navigate through the next months," said Jacques Roy, a professor of transport management at HEC Montreal business school.
"But the restrictions will have to come to an end and have travel resume sometime."
WestJet earlier this week said it had halted its pursuit of a labour code exemption that would have facilitated permanent mass layoffs.
WestJet will have to provide unionized employees affected by the latest round of layoffs with payment in lieu of notice, Rauenbusch said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2020
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
Coronavirus: More than 100 Manitoba employees losing jobs, says WestJet
Shane Gibson
© Michael King / Global News WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will lay off 3,333 employees including 116 in Manitoba as part of major restructuring amid a coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
A spokesperson for WestJet confirms there will be a number of permanent layoffs in Manitoba because of the COVID-19 crisis.
WestJet Airlines Ltd. said Wednesday it will permanently lay off 3,333 employees as part of a major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
Company spokesperson Morgan Bell tells Global News a total of 116 Manitoba employees are being permanently laid off, including 104 in Winnipeg and 12 in Brandon.
Read more: Latest WestJet layoffs affect 3,333 employees as COVID-19 cripples airline industry
A drastic drop in air travel is being blamed for the company's decision, Bell added.
WestJet, which went private after Toronto-based Onex Corp. bought the company in December, had employed some 14,000 workers just before the pandemic struck.
About 4,500 active employees will remain on the payroll after the layoffs.
The company plans to consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates, WestJet said in a release Wednesday.
"Throughout the course of the biggest crisis in the history of aviation, WestJet has made many difficult, but essential, decisions to future-proof our business," said CEO Ed Sims, calling the changes "unavoidable."
Read more: WestJet backs away from labour code exemption that would facilitate mass layoffs
About 2,300 airport customer service agents and baggage handlers will lose their jobs, according to CUPE union official Chris Rauenbusch.
Some 600 office and management staff in Calgary will be cut within a month or so, he said.
Another 433 call centre representatives will be laid off in Moncton, Halifax and Vancouver, he said.
A spokesperson for WestJet confirms there will be a number of permanent layoffs in Manitoba because of the COVID-19 crisis.
WestJet Airlines Ltd. said Wednesday it will permanently lay off 3,333 employees as part of a major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
Company spokesperson Morgan Bell tells Global News a total of 116 Manitoba employees are being permanently laid off, including 104 in Winnipeg and 12 in Brandon.
Read more: Latest WestJet layoffs affect 3,333 employees as COVID-19 cripples airline industry
A drastic drop in air travel is being blamed for the company's decision, Bell added.
WestJet, which went private after Toronto-based Onex Corp. bought the company in December, had employed some 14,000 workers just before the pandemic struck.
About 4,500 active employees will remain on the payroll after the layoffs.
The company plans to consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates, WestJet said in a release Wednesday.
"Throughout the course of the biggest crisis in the history of aviation, WestJet has made many difficult, but essential, decisions to future-proof our business," said CEO Ed Sims, calling the changes "unavoidable."
Read more: WestJet backs away from labour code exemption that would facilitate mass layoffs
About 2,300 airport customer service agents and baggage handlers will lose their jobs, according to CUPE union official Chris Rauenbusch.
Some 600 office and management staff in Calgary will be cut within a month or so, he said.
Another 433 call centre representatives will be laid off in Moncton, Halifax and Vancouver, he said.
A 'weak demand environment'
The company said preferential hiring interviews for some of the 2,300 WestJet airport workers now facing layoffs will be a priority in selecting airport partners.
The pandemic saw the airline suspend most of its schedule -- including all international trips -- in late March, running at less than 10 per cent capacity.
Canadian airline revenue streams have shrunk to a fraction of 2019 levels, with fleets parked and border shutdowns ongoing even as domestic travel demand gradually starts to pick up.
Canada, unlike countries including France, Germany and the United States, has held off on sector-specific support for carriers. Instead, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rolled out financial aid available across industries, including the federal wage subsidy and loans starting at $60 million for large companies.
Read more: Coronavirus pandemic: WestJet suspending international travel
In a memo to staff Wednesday afternoon, Sims said the dearth of government funds along with a "patchwork" of provincial and federal travel advisories and constraints on non-essential domestic and international travel are compounding a "weak demand environment."
Last week fewer than 7,500 passengers arrived at Canadian airports from the U.S., down more than 98 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
International passenger numbers were down 95 per cent compared to a year earlier, the agency said Wednesday.
Manitoba and the Maritime provinces continue to restrict interprovincial travel, though the four Atlantic provinces announced plans Wednesday to create a "bubble" that allows residents to travel within the region, removing a 14-day isolation period.
Read more: Coronavirus: WestJet to rehire nearly 6,400 workers through federal wage subsidy
Travellers arriving in Canada from abroad must self-isolate for two weeks, and last week, Trudeau extended a ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. until at least July 21.
WestJet earlier this week said it had halted its pursuit of a labour code exemption that would have facilitated permanent mass layoffs.
WestJet will have to provide unionized employees affected by the latest round of layoffs with payment in lieu of notice, Rauenbusch said.
--With files from Clay Young and The Canadian Press
Federal work on First Nations policing should have begun long ago: Bellegarde
© Provided by The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the Liberal government will work on a law to ensure First Nations have the policing services they need and deserve — but questions are being raised about why this work has seemingly just started.
Blair told the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday night he has recently begun contacting Indigenous leaders across the country to figure out how to best transform policing in their communities.
The Liberals promised to take action on First Nations policing over six months ago, first in the mandate letter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued to Blair in December and again in response to Indigenous protests against the Coastal GasLink project in northern B.C.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said this work is long overdue.
"Of course it should have started a long time ago," he said Wednesday.
"But now we have this opportunity to start working with them to get this done soon."
He and Indigenous leaders hope to seize upon the widespread calls for police reform in the wake of a number of violent police incidents involving Indigenous people across Canada to ensure things finally get done.
In February, amid countrywide road and rail blockades over objections by some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to the pipeline project in B.C., some asked whether Ottawa should do more to expand policing services run by First Nations to stop violent clashes between Indigenous people and police during pipeline protests.
Blair warned then this idea would not be a quick fix to the immediate issue involving the protests, noting that it would require "complex" and long discussions.
Changes to the way policing is conducted require provincial and territorial involvement and approval, as operational policing matters fall within provincial jurisdiction.
The First Nations Policing Program, created in 1992 as a "practical way to improve the level and quality of policing services for First Nations communities through the establishment of policing agreements," has helped to see approximately 60 per cent of First Nation and Inuit communities in Canada served at least in part by an Indigenous-run police force.
But Bellegarde says this program has long been plagued by funding shortfalls. The Assembly of First Nations has been pushing for First Nations-led policing to be upgraded from a mere program and enshrined in legislation.
"There is no legislative base, their financial resources are inadequate and yet that's what our people are expected to use to put in place a police service. Not acceptable," Bellegarde said.
"We're going to take advantage of this opportunity now to get it done and get it done properly and then we can start to look at community-based policing services from a First Nations perspective, and that's what this opportunity is all about: First Nations police seen as an essential service with a legislative base."
The Assembly of First Nations is also calling for a review of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act that would include giving more power to the Mounties' civilian oversight body. It also wants a zero-tolerance policy for excessive use of force within the RCMP and for the Mounties to wear body cameras to increase transparency.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said he believes the long history of conflict between the RCMP and First Nations, Inuit and Metis has led to a point "beyond reconciliation." He said the only way forward is to enable and empower more Indigenous communities to be responsible their own policing.
Phillip also pointed to the role RCMP officers played in separating children from their families and taking them to residential schools, where many of them were abused, neglected and thousands died.
He echoed Bellegarde's calls for legislating Indigenous policing in Canada and said he believes the Liberals should have moved into action on this sooner.
"They've paid lip service with progressive notions on implementing the U.N. declarations as it pertains to Indigenous policing, but there's very little follow through, if any. And the consequences of that are Chantel Moore, for example, or other Indigenous Peoples that are either beaten or dying at the hands of police," Philip said Wednesday.
Moore was shot and killed by police earlier this month in New Brunswick after an officer with the Edmundston Police Force arrived at her home for a wellness check.
"This is a national emergency and it needs to be addressed. Enough talk, we need to prioritize this," Philip said.
In a statement Wednesday, Blair's spokeswoman Mary-Liz Power said the minister "has and will continue to speak with First Nations chiefs across the country about the disturbing incidents that have taken place over the last few weeks."
"It is a priority within Minister Blair's mandate to co-develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing, which recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service, and ensures that police services better reflect the communities they serve," Power said.
"Minister Blair will also work with interested communities to expand the number that are served by First Nations policing."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2020.
Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the Liberal government will work on a law to ensure First Nations have the policing services they need and deserve — but questions are being raised about why this work has seemingly just started.
Blair told the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday night he has recently begun contacting Indigenous leaders across the country to figure out how to best transform policing in their communities.
The Liberals promised to take action on First Nations policing over six months ago, first in the mandate letter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued to Blair in December and again in response to Indigenous protests against the Coastal GasLink project in northern B.C.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said this work is long overdue.
"Of course it should have started a long time ago," he said Wednesday.
"But now we have this opportunity to start working with them to get this done soon."
He and Indigenous leaders hope to seize upon the widespread calls for police reform in the wake of a number of violent police incidents involving Indigenous people across Canada to ensure things finally get done.
In February, amid countrywide road and rail blockades over objections by some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to the pipeline project in B.C., some asked whether Ottawa should do more to expand policing services run by First Nations to stop violent clashes between Indigenous people and police during pipeline protests.
Blair warned then this idea would not be a quick fix to the immediate issue involving the protests, noting that it would require "complex" and long discussions.
Changes to the way policing is conducted require provincial and territorial involvement and approval, as operational policing matters fall within provincial jurisdiction.
The First Nations Policing Program, created in 1992 as a "practical way to improve the level and quality of policing services for First Nations communities through the establishment of policing agreements," has helped to see approximately 60 per cent of First Nation and Inuit communities in Canada served at least in part by an Indigenous-run police force.
But Bellegarde says this program has long been plagued by funding shortfalls. The Assembly of First Nations has been pushing for First Nations-led policing to be upgraded from a mere program and enshrined in legislation.
"There is no legislative base, their financial resources are inadequate and yet that's what our people are expected to use to put in place a police service. Not acceptable," Bellegarde said.
"We're going to take advantage of this opportunity now to get it done and get it done properly and then we can start to look at community-based policing services from a First Nations perspective, and that's what this opportunity is all about: First Nations police seen as an essential service with a legislative base."
The Assembly of First Nations is also calling for a review of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act that would include giving more power to the Mounties' civilian oversight body. It also wants a zero-tolerance policy for excessive use of force within the RCMP and for the Mounties to wear body cameras to increase transparency.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said he believes the long history of conflict between the RCMP and First Nations, Inuit and Metis has led to a point "beyond reconciliation." He said the only way forward is to enable and empower more Indigenous communities to be responsible their own policing.
Phillip also pointed to the role RCMP officers played in separating children from their families and taking them to residential schools, where many of them were abused, neglected and thousands died.
He echoed Bellegarde's calls for legislating Indigenous policing in Canada and said he believes the Liberals should have moved into action on this sooner.
"They've paid lip service with progressive notions on implementing the U.N. declarations as it pertains to Indigenous policing, but there's very little follow through, if any. And the consequences of that are Chantel Moore, for example, or other Indigenous Peoples that are either beaten or dying at the hands of police," Philip said Wednesday.
Moore was shot and killed by police earlier this month in New Brunswick after an officer with the Edmundston Police Force arrived at her home for a wellness check.
"This is a national emergency and it needs to be addressed. Enough talk, we need to prioritize this," Philip said.
In a statement Wednesday, Blair's spokeswoman Mary-Liz Power said the minister "has and will continue to speak with First Nations chiefs across the country about the disturbing incidents that have taken place over the last few weeks."
"It is a priority within Minister Blair's mandate to co-develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing, which recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service, and ensures that police services better reflect the communities they serve," Power said.
"Minister Blair will also work with interested communities to expand the number that are served by First Nations policing."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2020.
Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press
California wants judge to classify Uber, Lyft drivers as employees
By Tina Bellon
By Tina Bellon
© Reuters/Hannah McKay The Uber logo is displayed on a mobile phone in this picture illustration
By Tina Bellon
(Reuters) - California plans to ask a state court judge to force Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc to classify their ride-hail drivers as employees rather than contractors, ratcheting up the tension over a new gig worker law.
Shares of both companies fell nearly 8%. A hearing for the matter was set for Aug. 6.
The fight is one of the biggest clashes over the future of the so-called "gig economy" of workers, typically for delivery and other app-based services. California is Uber's and Lyft's biggest U.S. market.
In January, California implemented a law making it tougher for companies to classify workers as contractors rather than employees. The contractor designation is essential to Uber and Lyft, who are exempted from paying drivers overtime, healthcare, unemployment and workers' compensation.
The court fight also comes as the coronavirus has shut down much of the ride-hailing companies' business and gig workers for the first time were able to receive taxpayer-sponsored unemployment benefits under a federal pandemic relief bill.
In a filing in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco on Wednesday, lawyers for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said their office on Thursday will file a request for a preliminary injunction, which would force the change in status if approved by a judge.
Uber in a statement said most drivers preferred the independence afforded by working as contractors, that it had made changes because of the law, and that it calculated over 158,000 drivers in California would lose work if the reclassification happened.
Lyft in a statement said California should rather let voters decide on the issue during a November ballot initiative sponsored by Uber, Lyft and delivery company DoorDash Inc.
"If the courts were to grant the Attorney General’s request, it would have a devastating effect on millions of Californians at the worst possible time," Lyft said.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Sandra Maler, Peter Henderson and David Gregorio)
By Tina Bellon
(Reuters) - California plans to ask a state court judge to force Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc to classify their ride-hail drivers as employees rather than contractors, ratcheting up the tension over a new gig worker law.
Shares of both companies fell nearly 8%. A hearing for the matter was set for Aug. 6.
The fight is one of the biggest clashes over the future of the so-called "gig economy" of workers, typically for delivery and other app-based services. California is Uber's and Lyft's biggest U.S. market.
In January, California implemented a law making it tougher for companies to classify workers as contractors rather than employees. The contractor designation is essential to Uber and Lyft, who are exempted from paying drivers overtime, healthcare, unemployment and workers' compensation.
The court fight also comes as the coronavirus has shut down much of the ride-hailing companies' business and gig workers for the first time were able to receive taxpayer-sponsored unemployment benefits under a federal pandemic relief bill.
In a filing in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco on Wednesday, lawyers for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said their office on Thursday will file a request for a preliminary injunction, which would force the change in status if approved by a judge.
Uber in a statement said most drivers preferred the independence afforded by working as contractors, that it had made changes because of the law, and that it calculated over 158,000 drivers in California would lose work if the reclassification happened.
Lyft in a statement said California should rather let voters decide on the issue during a November ballot initiative sponsored by Uber, Lyft and delivery company DoorDash Inc.
"If the courts were to grant the Attorney General’s request, it would have a devastating effect on millions of Californians at the worst possible time," Lyft said.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Sandra Maler, Peter Henderson and David Gregorio)
Congo police disperse parliament protesters with tear gas, water cannon
JUST LIKE TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE
© Reuters/Olivia Acland FILE PHOTO:
Democratic Republic of Congo's outgoing President Joseph Kabila sits next to his successor Felix Tshisekedi during an inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo police fired tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday to repel hundreds of protesters whose rally against a proposed new law threatened to spill into the parliament compound in the capital Kinshasa.
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo police fired tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday to repel hundreds of protesters whose rally against a proposed new law threatened to spill into the parliament compound in the capital Kinshasa.
© Reuters/Henry Nicholls FILE PHOTO: Britain hosts Africa investment summit
Opponents say the reform, which would place prosecutors under the government's authority rather than the courts, undermines the independence of the judiciary.
On the second day of protests, crowds of mostly young men chanted and squared up to security forces on the streets around parliament, before being pushed back by armed officers in jeeps.
The proposal was put forward by a member of ex-president Joseph Kabila's PPRD party, but has faced opposition from the UDPS party of President Felix Tshisekedi.
"We will fight to the end to protect the independence of the judicial system," said protester and UDPS supporter Jean Kabamba, whose head was wrapped in a Congolese flag.
The tension and frustration felt by Tshisekedi's party long predates the current events, said Fred Bauma from the Congo Research Group at New York University. The proposed law "is just a trigger," he told Reuters.
Tshisekedi took power last year, but his presidency has been hampered by an awkward power-sharing deal with Kabila, whose allies control a majority of ministries and seats in parliament.
The recent trial of Tshisekedi's former chief of staff on embezzlement charges pointed to other cracks in the ruling elite. Vital Kamerhe backed Tshisekedi in his successful election campaign in return for his support in the 2023 race. On Saturday, he was sentenced to 20 years hard labour.
(Reporting by Benoit Nyemba and Hereward Holland; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Opponents say the reform, which would place prosecutors under the government's authority rather than the courts, undermines the independence of the judiciary.
On the second day of protests, crowds of mostly young men chanted and squared up to security forces on the streets around parliament, before being pushed back by armed officers in jeeps.
The proposal was put forward by a member of ex-president Joseph Kabila's PPRD party, but has faced opposition from the UDPS party of President Felix Tshisekedi.
"We will fight to the end to protect the independence of the judicial system," said protester and UDPS supporter Jean Kabamba, whose head was wrapped in a Congolese flag.
The tension and frustration felt by Tshisekedi's party long predates the current events, said Fred Bauma from the Congo Research Group at New York University. The proposed law "is just a trigger," he told Reuters.
Tshisekedi took power last year, but his presidency has been hampered by an awkward power-sharing deal with Kabila, whose allies control a majority of ministries and seats in parliament.
The recent trial of Tshisekedi's former chief of staff on embezzlement charges pointed to other cracks in the ruling elite. Vital Kamerhe backed Tshisekedi in his successful election campaign in return for his support in the 2023 race. On Saturday, he was sentenced to 20 years hard labour.
(Reporting by Benoit Nyemba and Hereward Holland; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
NASA to name DC headquarters after 'hidden figure' Mary W. Jackson
She was NASA's first Black female engineer.
By Ivan Pereira 24 June 2020
Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.NASA
Washington D.C. renames street to honor black female NASA mathematicians
She was NASA's first Black female engineer.
BUILD A MONUMENT TO HER AND HER SISTERS
By Ivan Pereira 24 June 2020
Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.NASAWashington D.C. renames street to honor black female NASA mathematicians
The residents of Washington D.C. gathered to celebrate Hidden Figures Way, the new street honoring the prolific achievements made by black female mathematicians during the Space Race.
Mary W. Jackson was once a "hidden figure" at NASA, but now her name will grace the agency's office in the nation's capital.
NASA announced on Wednesday that its Washington, D.C., headquarters will be renamed in honor of Jackson, the agency's first Black female engineer and who spent decades juggling complex research with pushing for more diversity in scientific fields.
"NASA facilities across the country are named after people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers of the aerospace industry. The nation is beginning to awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity of people who helped pioneer our great nation," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
Jackson, a Hampton, Virginia native, earned a degree in math and physical sciences in 1942 and worked as a teacher, bookkeeper and Army secretary before she joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in 1951. She worked on several engineering projects, including ones that involved the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, and her supervisor suggested she enter a training program to be promoted to engineer.
MORE: NASA honors 'hidden figures' who helped John Glenn orbit the Earth
Jackson needed special permission to attend the classes since they took place at the then-segregated Hampton High School. She eventually earned the promotion in 1958. As an engineer, she worked on studies mostly focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around airplanes, NASA said.
In 1979, she worked at Langley's Federal Women's Program and advocated for more women and minorities to be hired in math and science fields. Jackson retired in 1985, and she died about 20 years later.
"She was a scientist, humanitarian, wife, mother, and trailblazer who paved the way for thousands of others to succeed, not only at NASA, but throughout this nation," Carolyn Lewis, Jackson's daughter, said in a statement.
MORE: Katherine Johnson, mathematician and real-life subject of 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 101
Jackson's work, along with that of other Black female NASA scientists, was highlighted in the 2016 book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race." Janelle Monáe portrayed Jackson in the film adaptation that came out the same year.
Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.NASA
Last year, Jackson and "Hidden Figures" colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden were awarded Congressional Gold Medals, and Congress voted to rename the street outside NASA's D.C. headquarters Hidden Figures Way.
Mary W. Jackson was once a "hidden figure" at NASA, but now her name will grace the agency's office in the nation's capital.
NASA announced on Wednesday that its Washington, D.C., headquarters will be renamed in honor of Jackson, the agency's first Black female engineer and who spent decades juggling complex research with pushing for more diversity in scientific fields.
"NASA facilities across the country are named after people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers of the aerospace industry. The nation is beginning to awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity of people who helped pioneer our great nation," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
Jackson, a Hampton, Virginia native, earned a degree in math and physical sciences in 1942 and worked as a teacher, bookkeeper and Army secretary before she joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in 1951. She worked on several engineering projects, including ones that involved the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, and her supervisor suggested she enter a training program to be promoted to engineer.
MORE: NASA honors 'hidden figures' who helped John Glenn orbit the Earth
Jackson needed special permission to attend the classes since they took place at the then-segregated Hampton High School. She eventually earned the promotion in 1958. As an engineer, she worked on studies mostly focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around airplanes, NASA said.
In 1979, she worked at Langley's Federal Women's Program and advocated for more women and minorities to be hired in math and science fields. Jackson retired in 1985, and she died about 20 years later.
"She was a scientist, humanitarian, wife, mother, and trailblazer who paved the way for thousands of others to succeed, not only at NASA, but throughout this nation," Carolyn Lewis, Jackson's daughter, said in a statement.
MORE: Katherine Johnson, mathematician and real-life subject of 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 101
Jackson's work, along with that of other Black female NASA scientists, was highlighted in the 2016 book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race." Janelle Monáe portrayed Jackson in the film adaptation that came out the same year.
Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.NASA
Last year, Jackson and "Hidden Figures" colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden were awarded Congressional Gold Medals, and Congress voted to rename the street outside NASA's D.C. headquarters Hidden Figures Way.
Democrats on track to elect first openly gay Black lawmakers to Congress
© Richard Drew/AP, FILE | Al J. Thompson/The New York Times via Redux In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. | Mondaire Jones is shown in Nyack, N.Y., June 16, 2020.
Two years after LGBTQ candidates made historic gains in federal, state and local elections across the country, two New York Democratic House candidates are on the verge of crossing a new milestone in the halls of Congress.
Two years after LGBTQ candidates made historic gains in federal, state and local elections across the country, two New York Democratic House candidates are on the verge of crossing a new milestone in the halls of Congress.
Attorney Mondaire Jones and New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres are leading crowded fields in primaries to replace retiring Reps. Jose Serrano and Nita Lowey. While neither race has been called by the Associated Press or ABC News, as absentee ballots have yet to be counted, both, should they win, could become the first openly gay Black members of Congress.
“With these two candidates, we are on the cusp of achieving history,” Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, told ABC News.
“With these two candidates, we are on the cusp of achieving history,” Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, told ABC News.
“(MORE: COVID-19 outbreak exposes generations-old racial and economic divide in New York City
Jones, an attorney who worked in the Justice Department under President Obama and the Westchester County Law Department, received endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He leads an eight-candidate field in a district that includes portions of New York’s Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York City’s northern suburbs.
“This is a huge victory for the progressive movement and for the working people of New York’s 17th Congressional District,” Jones told ABC News. “Government has never worked for everyone, it’s only ever worked for a subset of the American people, and I’m running to change that.”© Richard Drew/AP, FILE | Al J. Thompson/The New York Times via Redux In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. | Mondaire Jones is shown in Nyack, N.Y., June 16, 2020.
Torres, who identifies as Afro-Latino and would also be the first gay Hispanic member of Congress, is ahead in a 12-candidate contest that includes City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister and social conservative with a history of anti-gay and homophobic remarks.
Jones, an attorney who worked in the Justice Department under President Obama and the Westchester County Law Department, received endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He leads an eight-candidate field in a district that includes portions of New York’s Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York City’s northern suburbs.
“This is a huge victory for the progressive movement and for the working people of New York’s 17th Congressional District,” Jones told ABC News. “Government has never worked for everyone, it’s only ever worked for a subset of the American people, and I’m running to change that.”© Richard Drew/AP, FILE | Al J. Thompson/The New York Times via Redux In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. | Mondaire Jones is shown in Nyack, N.Y., June 16, 2020.
Torres, who identifies as Afro-Latino and would also be the first gay Hispanic member of Congress, is ahead in a 12-candidate contest that includes City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister and social conservative with a history of anti-gay and homophobic remarks.
(MORE: How a Trump-praising Democrat could win a New York House primary)
While some progressive activists worried that a splintered primary field would give Diaz Sr. a path to victory, he trails Torres and state assemblyman Michael Blake, after a number of outside groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, poured money into the race and ran ads against him.
“Groups lined up and said, ‘We hope you support our candidate, but don’t support Ruben Diaz Sr,’” said Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston who serves as president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ candidates for political office. “We can’t have that attitude and those beliefs in Congress, and I think that had an impact.”
The number of LGBTQ members of Congress reached double digits for the first time in 2019, and could hit a record high of eleven, should both candidates win their primaries, and the sitting lawmakers win reelection.
In interviews with ABC News, Jones and Torres discussed the need to further diversify representation in Congress as the nation grapples with racial inequality following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and the coronavirus continues to disproportionally impact communities of color.
“This country is facing a reckoning when it comes to racial justice issues,” the Human Rights Campaign’s David told ABC News. “Voters are speaking up loudly about the path forward and how that path has to include people of color.”
Jones, who said he was raised by a single mother with the help of food assistance and subsidized housing, has called for monthly stimulus checks to Americans - $2,000 per adult and $1,000 per child – to help families weather the coronavirus-induced recession, and has also endorsed Medicare-for-All.
He said he’s excited to “bring my experiences to bear as we formulate policy at the federal level,” and also serve as the role model to Americans that he never had.
“It is a [responsibility] I take very seriously, it is one that I know would have directly improved my life if I had that kind of representation growing up,” he said.
While some progressive activists worried that a splintered primary field would give Diaz Sr. a path to victory, he trails Torres and state assemblyman Michael Blake, after a number of outside groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, poured money into the race and ran ads against him.
“Groups lined up and said, ‘We hope you support our candidate, but don’t support Ruben Diaz Sr,’” said Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston who serves as president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ candidates for political office. “We can’t have that attitude and those beliefs in Congress, and I think that had an impact.”
The number of LGBTQ members of Congress reached double digits for the first time in 2019, and could hit a record high of eleven, should both candidates win their primaries, and the sitting lawmakers win reelection.
In interviews with ABC News, Jones and Torres discussed the need to further diversify representation in Congress as the nation grapples with racial inequality following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and the coronavirus continues to disproportionally impact communities of color.
“This country is facing a reckoning when it comes to racial justice issues,” the Human Rights Campaign’s David told ABC News. “Voters are speaking up loudly about the path forward and how that path has to include people of color.”
Jones, who said he was raised by a single mother with the help of food assistance and subsidized housing, has called for monthly stimulus checks to Americans - $2,000 per adult and $1,000 per child – to help families weather the coronavirus-induced recession, and has also endorsed Medicare-for-All.
He said he’s excited to “bring my experiences to bear as we formulate policy at the federal level,” and also serve as the role model to Americans that he never had.
“It is a [responsibility] I take very seriously, it is one that I know would have directly improved my life if I had that kind of representation growing up,” he said.
Minnesota sues Exxon, Koch and API for being 'deceptive' on climate change
By Valerie Volcovici
By Valerie Volcovici
© Reuters/Eric Miller FILE PHOTO: Minnesota Attorney General Ellison announces charges against former police officers involved in Floyd death
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The state of Minnesota on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil Corp and Koch Industries for what it called a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about climate change.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges by states, cities, and citizen groups targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming.
Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state believed the oil and gas industry's main lobby group, as well as Exxon and Koch, violated Minnesota laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and false advertising.
The complaint alleges the companies and industry body "strategized to deceive the public" about climate science to protect their business interests and accused them of a "multi-pronged campaign of deception" conducted over the last 30 years.
"The fraud, deceptive advertising, and other violations of Minnesota state law and common law that the lawsuit shows they perpetrated have harmed Minnesotans’ health and our state’s environment, infrastructure, and economy,” Ellison said.
He said the state has asked a Minnesota district court to require the defendants to fund an education campaign on climate change and pay for damages caused by global warming.
The API did not directly comment on the lawsuit, but said the oil industry had been working to provide "affordable, reliable energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint."
“Any suggestion to the contrary is false,” said API Chief Legal Officer Paul Afonso.
Officials at Exxon and Koch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At least 15 other plaintiffs, including states, cities and youth and citizen groups, have filed similar lawsuits against the oil and gas industry, including Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
In December, Exxon prevailed in a case brought by New York that accused the oil major of failing to disclose the financial risks of climate change to investors.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The state of Minnesota on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil Corp and Koch Industries for what it called a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about climate change.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges by states, cities, and citizen groups targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming.
Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state believed the oil and gas industry's main lobby group, as well as Exxon and Koch, violated Minnesota laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and false advertising.
The complaint alleges the companies and industry body "strategized to deceive the public" about climate science to protect their business interests and accused them of a "multi-pronged campaign of deception" conducted over the last 30 years.
"The fraud, deceptive advertising, and other violations of Minnesota state law and common law that the lawsuit shows they perpetrated have harmed Minnesotans’ health and our state’s environment, infrastructure, and economy,” Ellison said.
He said the state has asked a Minnesota district court to require the defendants to fund an education campaign on climate change and pay for damages caused by global warming.
The API did not directly comment on the lawsuit, but said the oil industry had been working to provide "affordable, reliable energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint."
“Any suggestion to the contrary is false,” said API Chief Legal Officer Paul Afonso.
Officials at Exxon and Koch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At least 15 other plaintiffs, including states, cities and youth and citizen groups, have filed similar lawsuits against the oil and gas industry, including Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
In December, Exxon prevailed in a case brought by New York that accused the oil major of failing to disclose the financial risks of climate change to investors.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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