All posts tagged: workers

Meta To Unleash First Wave Of Mass Layoffs May 20 As It Eliminates 10% Of Its Workers

Meta To Unleash First Wave Of Mass Layoffs May 20 As It Eliminates 10% Of Its Workers

Published by Jenni Sidey

The FaceBook currently known as Meta for one failed venture that incinerated nearly $100 billion in cash for its failed transformation to a virtual reality hub while laying off thousands, is at it again. As we previewed a few weeks ago, Meta – which inexplicably hasn’t changed its name to AIbook yet – will proceed with the first wave of mass layoffs planned for this year on May 20, with more ‌coming later, Reuters reported citing sources. The Facebook and Instagram owner will lay off about 10% of its global workforce, or close to 8,000 employees, in that initial round, as it swaps headcount for GPUs.  And that’s just the start: the company is planning further layoffs in the second half of the ​year, although details of those cuts, including date and size, have yet to be determined and will depend on just how much more money Meta burns in its experiment to prove that AI will actually generate positive cash flow.  Last month, Reuters ⁠reported that the company was planning to lay off 20% …

Strike looms at Australia LNG plant as Inpex workers reject new contract

Strike looms at Australia LNG plant as Inpex workers reject new contract

Published by Sam Flores

PERTH, April 17 : Japan’s Inpex said on Friday that workers at its Ichthys liquefied natural gas facility in Australia had voted against a new employment agreement, raising the risk of a strike that could exacerbate already tight energy supplies globally. “A majority of eligible employees have cast their vote and the proposed agreement has not been endorsed,” an Inpex spokesperson said. The Offshore Alliance, a grouping of the Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Workers Union, had previously flagged that its 430 members would vote against the new contract, which it said does not meet benchmark industry standards for wages and conditions. The Inpex spokesperson said the company would “continue to actively engage in the bargaining process in good faith and work collaboratively to address feedback from our workforce.” Separately, union members are due to finish voting next week on whether to take protected industrial action, with the ballot closing on April 24. In 2023, a strike at Chevron’s Wheatstone facility in Australia tightened global LNG supply. More than 20 per cent of the world’s LNG supply …

Former Meta Contractor Sama to Lay off More Than 1,000 Workers in Kenya

Former Meta Contractor Sama to Lay off More Than 1,000 Workers in Kenya

Published by Sam Flores

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A company that was sued by Facebook content moderators in Kenya over poor working conditions said Thursday that more than 1,000 workers will be laid off after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, ended its contract. Meta and its local contractor Sama have been in court since 2022 after former content moderators accused them of paying low wages and not offering sufficient mental health support. Sama has since changed its business model and stopped offering content moderation services to Meta, but has remained focused on services such as AI data labeling for the tech giant. Sama said in a statement Thursday that it received formal notice from Meta to end a “major engagement at its Nairobi office.” Sama said it has issued a formal layoff notice that would affect 1,108 staffers, adding that it was “actively supporting affected employees with care and respect.” In 2023 some 200 former content moderators sued Sama over the exploitation of workers by offering low pay, little mental health support for the grueling work they do, and long …

How Many Vacations Working Women Need A Year To Not Be Stressed & Depressed, According To Research

How Many Vacations Working Women Need A Year To Not Be Stressed & Depressed, According To Research

Published by Jenni Sidey

We all know vacations are good for our mental health, but research shows just how many vacations working women need a year to not be stressed and depressed.  A travel content creator named Sera issued a crucial warning to women on how to actually take care of their minds, bodies, and hearts while working full-time: “Do not skip vacations.” She referenced research that maintains that taking a vacation is more than a fun way to spend free time; it’s crucial to our physical and mental health.  That’s not just lip service anymore, either. According to the largest study on women in corporate America, women are experiencing burnout at much higher rates than men, and the gap is widening. Women who take 3 to 4 vacations a year are less likely to be stressed or depressed. Female workers who vacation more than twice a year deal with less depression and less chronic stress than those who skip out on their PTO. Sadly, skipping out on PTO is sadly pretty common. Daniel Hoz | Shutterstock The 2005 …

HUD workers say Trump admin is violating civil rights law : NPR

HUD workers say Trump admin is violating civil rights law : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Boarded doors and windows on Feb. 15, 2023, in Baltimore, where Black residents have alleged that redevelopment policies perpetuate racial discrimination. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption toggle caption Julio Cortez/AP A small number of current and former employees of the Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a website Thursday to accuse the Trump administration of blocking enforcement of federal fair housing laws. They chose to remain anonymous out of concern they’d be fired for speaking out. “This administration has ground fair housing enforcement to a halt,” states one letter, posted on DearAmericaletters.org. “Worse, they’re picking and choosing which protected classes count.” “I pray for justice for every person unfairly denied a safe place to live,” states another. A third, signed by “a tired HUD employee,” states, “Months later, I still think about the people impacted by the work I was forced to abandon.” Last fall, two HUD civil rights lawyers were fired after going to Congress with concerns that the agency was unlawfully restricting fair housing enforcement. More than six months later, “it’s still happening,” …

Tax Day proposal from House Dems would give break to poll workers

Tax Day proposal from House Dems would give break to poll workers

Published by Sam Flores

Election officials assist voters in casting their ballot in the primary vote at Bruns Avenue Elementary School, Mecklenburg County Precinct 12, on March 3, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Grant Baldwin | Getty Images House Democrats on Wednesday are introducing a proposal that would give tax relief to election poll workers. Under the legislation, led by Reps. Joe Morelle and George Latimer, both New York Democrats, the stipend poll workers receive for working elections would no longer count as gross income for federal income tax purposes. The measure was obtained first by CNBC. “Cutting taxes for poll workers recognizes their vital role in safeguarding American elections,” Morelle said in a statement. “The Poll Worker Tax Cut Act will ease financial burdens while encouraging participation, strengthening election integrity, and ensuring these civil servants are properly valued for their effort, dedication, and patriotism.” Morelle, in his capacity as the top Democrat on the House committee with jurisdiction over federal elections, is leading efforts to counter President Donald Trump’s election priorities, which include reining in mail voting, and …

Reprints, New Releases, and More Resources for Library Workers

Reprints, New Releases, and More Resources for Library Workers

Published by José Betancourt

Katie’s parents never told her “no” when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois and works full time as a Circulation & Reference Manager in Illinois. She has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying and takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers. When she’s not at work, she’s at home watching the Cubs with her cats and her cardigan collection. Other hobbies include scrapbooking, introducing more readers to the Church of Tana French, and convincing her husband that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady View All posts by Katie McLain Horner Source link

Government Workers Say They’re Getting Inundated With Religion

Government Workers Say They’re Getting Inundated With Religion

Published by skeptic

On Easter Sunday, US Department of Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins sent out an email titled “He has risen!” to the entire agency. In the email, Rollins calls the story of Jesus Christ the “greatest story ever told, the foundation of our faith, and the abiding hope of all mankind.” One USDA employee called the email “grotesque” and said the wording made them think it had been written by AI. “This has never happened before,” says the employee, who, like others WIRED spoke to for this article, was granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation. “I have never gotten a message like this from anyone.” The employee says that this behavior would not even be normal for military chaplains, for whom faith is part of their work. The email sparked an internal complaint to the Office of Special Counsel by USDA employee Ethan Roberts. In his complaint, Roberts, who is also the president of a local union for federal employees, alleged that the email “eroded the separation of church and state,” according to CNN. “The secretary …

Amazon Accused of Hiding Worker’s Death for a Week, Making Employees Keep Working as Corpse Lay on Floor

Amazon Accused of Hiding Worker’s Death for a Week, Making Employees Keep Working as Corpse Lay on Floor

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Amazon’s warehouse operations have long struggled with high rates of injury. A 2024 investigation led by Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions member Bernie Sanders accused the company of pushing for higher productivity at the cost of employee safety, in conclusions Amazon vehemently denied at the time. But even in the case of a worker’s death, managers are being instructed to tell employees to look away. At least,that’s according to a startling new investigation by the Western Edge, which found that Amazon tried to keep the April 6 death of a worker at its distribution center in Troutdale, Oregon, from being publicized. The outlet is the first to report on the death one week later. Worse yet, an employee, who was given the pseudonym Sam, told the outlet that despite seeing a “body form laying lifeless,” his supervisor told them to “please get back to work.” A woman reportedly ran over to the individual in distress …