Category: COVID-19 pandemic

Michelle Wu, Daughter of Taiwanese Immigrants, Elected as Boston Mayor

Voters in Boston elected City Councilor Michelle Wu, a 36-year-old Democrat and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, to be their mayor on Tuesday. Wu defeated fellow Democratic City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, a self-described first-generation Arab-Polish American who was born and raised in Boston. Essaibi George’s father was a Muslim immigrant from Tunisia and her mother, a Catholic, immigrated…


Progressive Democrat Michelle Wu Elected as Boston Mayor

Voters in Boston elected City Councilor Michelle Wu, a 36-year-old Democrat and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, to be their mayor on Tuesday. Wu defeated fellow Democratic City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, a self-described first-generation Arab-Polish American who was born and raised in Boston. Wu’s campaign focused on progressive policies such as policing reforms, rent control, and a  city-level…


Supply Chain Issues Could Last as Long as Pandemic: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday said that supply chain issues impacting industries across the globe could continue to play out for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic. “Look, there are so many things that are still happening in our economy—distortions, disruptions, things in our supply chain that are affecting prices that are clearly a direct consequence…


Cost of Dairy Products to Rise Following Federal Commission’s Plan to Increase Milk Prices

The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) plans to increase the price of farm gate milk on Feb. 1, 2022, which is expected to push up the cost of other dairy products. “The increase in producers’ revenues will partially offset increased production costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused revenues to remain below the cost of…


Government Assistance Programs and Policies Contributing to Employment Decline Among Able-Bodied Americans: Study

Government assistance programs and policies are contributing to the decline in employment activity among able-bodied Americans, according to a new study by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Republicans. The study, titled, “Reconnecting Americans to the Benefits of Work,” published on Wednesday, seeks to understand why fewer prime-age Americans are part of the nation’s workforce. While noting that declining…


O’Toole Says Conservatives Will Abide by Vaccine Mandate for MPs Entering House

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says his caucus will “respect and abide by” the new vaccine mandate set out by the House of Commons governing committee, while vowing to challenge the board that delivered the policy. The House of Commons’ governing body announced a new rule on Oct. 19 that would ban members of parliament who aren’t…


Starbucks, Costco Raising Worker Wages Amid National Labor Shortage

Starbucks and Costco are both raising the hourly wage for employees across the United States in an effort to recruit more workers amid a nationwide labor shortage. Starbucks said in a press release on Oct. 27 that it will be raising nonsalaried workers’ wages to $17 an hour while barista hourly rates will range from…


Starbucks, Costco Boosting Worker Wages Amid National Labor Shortage

Starbucks and Costco are raising the hourly wage for their employees across the United States in an effort to recruit more workers amid a nationwide labor shortage. Starbucks said in a statement on Oct. 27 that it will be raising nonsalaried workers’ wages to $17 an hour while barista hourly rates will range from $15 to…


Service at McDonald’s Slows as Company Feels ‘Pressure’ on Operating Hours Amid Labor Shortages: CEO

Service at McDonald’s is getting slower while the company is feeling the pressure on its operating hours as it struggles to fully staff its restaurants, CEO Chris Kempczinski said. Speaking at the company’s third-quarter 2021 investor call on Wednesday, Kempczinski noted that McDonald’s is finding it “very challenging right now” to find skilled workers for jobs in its restaurants….


American Ambulance Association Warns of ‘Crippling Workforce Shortage’ That Threatens to Undermine Emergency Services

The American Ambulance Association has warned that the nation is facing a “crippling workforce shortage” that threatens to undermine the 911 emergency services amid an unsustainable turnover rate of staff. According to the AAA/Avesta 2019 Ambulance Industry Employee Turnover Study, turnover among emergency medical technicians (EMT’s) and paramedics was in the 20 to 30 percent range annually,…