Armageddon, noun. 1 a: the site or time of a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil b: the battle taking place at Armageddon 2: a usually vast decisive conflict or confrontation “This will be Armageddon,” Randel Johnson, vice president for labor policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce, told […]
More on the COBRA subsidy
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Last week we talked about new requirements being placed on employers as a result of President Obama’s economic stimulus package. Terminated employees are getting a 65 percent federal subsidy if they elect continuing health care coverage through their former employer under COBRA, but it’s the former employer that has to initially pay that portion of […]
Card check consequences
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Proposed card check legislation, also known as the Employee Free Choice Act, is one of the main concerns of business groups this year. Now the Law and Economics Consulting Group (LECG) has a report out concluding that if passed, the act would increase union membership, but it would also increase unemployment due to higher wage […]
Phishing scam circulates
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We received this information from the Small Business Administration this morning: The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a scam alert today to small businesses, warning them not to respond to letters falsely claiming to have been sent by the SBA asking for bank account information in order to qualify them for federal tax rebates. The […]
Seattle, San Francisco garden shows ending
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Duane Kelly, chairman of Salmon Bay Events, made an announcement this morning that surprised many people in the industry — that the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, and the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, will both end with their 2009 editions, unless he can find a buyer for them. From the official […]
Card check fight heads to airwaves
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With a new Congress now in session, pro-union advocates are taking to the airwaves with a campaign promoting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). This proposal, often called the “card-check bill,” would allow union organizers to represent workplaces in which they can get 50 percent plus one of the employees to sign a card favoring […]
Nurseries more affected by recession than most
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One resource for good information on agricultural markets is the quarterly Knowledge Center Market Snapshots, which are reports by Northwest Farm Credit Services. As one might expect, the latest batch of snapshots indicates that demand is softening, or at best, level, for nearly all agricultural commodities: beef, wheat, dairy, fruits, forest products, wine, hay and […]
The great immigration debate
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The Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee played host yesterday to a discussion on U.S. immigration policy. The presenters were Coalition for a Working Oregon Co-Chairman and OAN Government Relations Director Jeff Stone and Oregonians for Immigration Reform President Jim Ludwick. Each gave a 10 minute presentation, and then there was a question-and-answer period. […]
Minimum wage now $8.40 per hour
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It’s a familiar pattern: new year, new minimum wage. In Oregon, the state-mandated hourly rate is now $8.40, up 45 cents from $7.95 in 2008. Under Oregon law, the wage rises each year, automatically, based on increases in the consumer price index. As one might expect, many papers did stories on the new minimum wage, […]
The next secretary of labor
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U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) will be nominated as the next U.S. Secretary of Labor – a move that has union leaders cheering and business leaders more pessimistic. Nursery industry advocates see a mixed picture. Some are concerned by her record as a leading congressional advocate for card check legislation. According to this short profile […]