workplace

Asking questions about prior salary can be used by employers to discriminate against women and minorities who earn less, critics say.

National

More Employers Avoid Legal Minefield By Not Asking About Pay History

1:37am May 04, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

States and cities are banning questions about prior pay in the hopes of narrowing gender and racial pay gaps. More employers are finding ways around the legal patchwork by eliminating the question.

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A federal court has sided with Aileen Rizo, who filed suit after realizing her male counterparts were being paid more. The ruling overrules a previous interpretation of the 1963 Equal Pay Act. Rizo is seen here with her daughters in a photo she provided t

Women Can't Have Prior Salaries Used Against Them, Court Says In Equal Pay Case

12:18pm April 10, 2018

by Bill Chappell

America's continuing gender pay gap is "an embarrassing reality of our economy," the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.

Nina Irizarry says she was sexually harassed in various jobs as a contractor, but didn't have a human resources person to turn to or an employer to sue.

National

Unequal Rights: Contract Workers Have Few Workplace Protections

2:18pm March 26, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

Across a diverse set of industries, contract work is booming, and that is raising concerns about a lack of anti-discrimination, harassment and other legal protections for those workers.

Autumn Weese was fired — at least, she thinks she was — but found out from co-workers, not from her boss.

Fired Via Tweet, Text And Voicemail: Loss Of Job, And Respect

6:56pm March 24, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

President Trump's firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over Twitter is not common practice, but some workers say dismissal sometimes comes with a healthy dose of unnecessary disrespect.

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Most workers are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows up to 12 weeks of leave per year to care for family members. But that leave is unpaid. Now, Republicans are making paid family leave a legislative policy.

Lawmakers Agree On Paid Family Leave, But Not The Details

7:36pm February 27, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

Passage of paid family leave laws in states like Washington is spurring federal lawmakers from both parties to float their own proposals, but so far support is not bridging party lines.

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Isabel Escobar (far right) was among a group of Arise Chicago members — Latina and Polish home cleaners, nannies and home care workers — advocating for the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights during an October 2015 trip to the state capital in Sp

Economy

Low-Wage Workers Say #MeToo Movement Is A Chance For Change

2:51pm February 06, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

The movement has galvanized workers in low-wage industries to shine a light on sexual harassment and assault. Advocates are pushing for changes including higher wages and better reporting tools.

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"Being a freelancer, you really have to be on top of your emotional and mental health," says Carolina Salas, a New York City freelance marketing expert.

Will Work For No Benefits: The Challenges Of Being In The New Contract Workforce

1:45pm January 23, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

A new NPR/Marist poll shows that more than half of contract workers don't get employee benefits. "We really don't have much of a social safety net, and that's terrifying," freelancer Matt Nelson says.

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John Vensel is a contract attorney at the Orrick law firm in Wheeling, W.Va. He says contract work is today's economic reality.

Freelanced: The Rise Of The Contract Workforce

11:23pm January 22, 2018

by Yuki Noguchi

One in five workers is a contract worker, according to a new NPR/Marist poll. Within a decade, contractors and freelancers could make up half of the workforce, a shift with far-reaching implications.

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Participants march against sexual assault and harassment at the #MeToo March in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles last month.

National

Compliment Or Come-On? Confusion Over How To Define Sexual Harassment

2:19pm December 18, 2017

by Yuki Noguchi

The past few months of sexual harassment scandals are making some workers question whether unspoken rules in the workplace are changing.

Younger workers today expect the power dynamic at work to be more egalitarian, with less top-down management. And that is changing the dynamic for all workers.

National

Are There Generational Differences When It Comes To Sexual Harassment At Work?

4:12pm December 12, 2017

by Yuki Noguchi

Is the shift in dealing with sexual harassment driven by differences in how the generations perceive the issue — or is it indicative of a shift in how we think about work?