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Economics

Series

2009

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Labor Relations

Requiem For An Industry, Charles A. Scontras Jul 2009

Requiem For An Industry, Charles A. Scontras

Bureau of Labor Education

In April, the Lewiston City Council voted to demolish the massive Bates Mill No. 5, the last component of the original textile giant, dating from 1850, that is owned by the city. The decision graphically symbolizes the burial of a textile industry. When the textile mills arrived in Maine, public officials viewed them as cathedrals of prosperity and progress, while workers welcomed the opportunity to earn a livelihood. Labor reformers, however, often viewed them as corporate entities that regimented life and work, describing them as "tombs for the living," "living hells," and "prison factories." Over the years, labor made sporadic …

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Stretching The Law Ii: The Misclassification Of Employees As Independent Contractors, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine Apr 2009

Stretching The Law Ii: The Misclassification Of Employees As Independent Contractors, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine

Bureau of Labor Education

The misclassification of many employees as “independent contractors” (ICs) is problematic in a number of industries and employment situations. An earlier paper by the Bureau of Labor Education (BLE) found widespread violations of IC classification in the state’s construction industry. This paper provides a broader context for this issue with a discussion of the legal climate nationally.

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The Myth Of Equality In The Employment Relation, Aditi Bagchi Mar 2009

The Myth Of Equality In The Employment Relation, Aditi Bagchi

All Faculty Scholarship

Although it is widely understood that employers and employees are not equally situated, we fail adequately to account for this inequality in the law governing their relationship. We can best understand this inequality in terms of status, which encompasses one’s level of income, leisure and discretion. For a variety of misguided reasons, contract law has been historically highly resistant to the introduction of status-based principles. Courts have preferred to characterize the unfavorable circumstances that many employees face as the product of unequal bargaining power. But bargaining power disparity does not capture the moral problem raised by inequality in the employment …

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Fair Pay And Fair Contracting: Maine's Prevailing Wage Laws, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine Jan 2009

Fair Pay And Fair Contracting: Maine's Prevailing Wage Laws, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine

Bureau of Labor Education

Roads, schools, bridges, government buildings, public hospitals – these are all examples of public works projects. Most states in the U.S., following the lead of the federal government, require that workers in such construction projects must be paid the “prevailing wage” for their occupation, industry and local geographic area. There is substantial research showing that prevailing wage (P.W.) laws can be an important element of economic development and economic stimulus plans, benefiting states, communities, businesses, workers and taxpayers in several ways. Prevailing wage laws: • can benefit communities, states and taxpayers by helping to ensure the most reliable, productive and …

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Job Loss And The Fraying Of The Implicit Employment Contract, Kevin F. Hallock Jan 2009

Job Loss And The Fraying Of The Implicit Employment Contract, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Most workers have one employment contract that is explicit and another one that is implicit. The explicit employment contract specifies working hours, compensation, and job tasks. The implicit contract involves expectations about the extent to which the employment relationship is not just a payment for labor on the spot market but instead is likely to continue over time. The possibility of a longer-term commitment between an employer and its employees in turn has a number of implications: for example, whether firms will seek to avoid mass layoffs unless or until absolutely necessary; whether firms may cushion the wages and compensation …

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Brokering Up: The Role Of Temporary Staffing In Overcoming Labor Market Barriers, Françoise Carré, Brandynn Holgate, Helen Levine, Mandira Kala Jan 2009

Brokering Up: The Role Of Temporary Staffing In Overcoming Labor Market Barriers, Françoise Carré, Brandynn Holgate, Helen Levine, Mandira Kala

Center for Social Policy Publications

Alternative Staffing Organizations (ASOs) are social-purpose businesses created by community-based organizations and national nonprofits to “broker up” job seekers, starting with temporary assignments and forming bridges to better jobs. Funded by the C. S. Mott Foundation, the Alternative Staffing Demonstration examined four ASOs around the country for a three-year research project, with 18 months of close monitoring, exploring, and assessing the ASO model. The Center for Social Policy studied how ASOs structure the services they provide, handle day-to-day management issues, and sell their services. We found the ASO model was variously adapted to generate short-term employment, build work experience, provide …

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Gaming In Massachusetts: Can Casinos Bring 'Good Jobs' To The Commonwealth?, Marlene Kim, Susan Moir, Anneta Argyres Jan 2009

Gaming In Massachusetts: Can Casinos Bring 'Good Jobs' To The Commonwealth?, Marlene Kim, Susan Moir, Anneta Argyres

Labor Resource Center Publications

This study examines the quality of jobs in the United States gaming industry and analyzes enabling legislation in five states that have legalized gaming. The authors find that the gaming industry -- particularly the unionized sector of the casino hotel industry -- provides good jobs with good wages and benefits for workers with less than a high school degree. The authors conlcude that workforce development efforts in Masschusetts must include strategies to address improving the quality of entry-level jobs.

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