*SMLR-Net: Selected news on labor and employment relations & human resource management*

*APRIL 29, 2021*

*Title:* Working-Class Mothers and the COVID-19 Shecession

*Source:* Center for Economic and Policy Research

*Author:* Hayley Brown, Simran Kalkat, & Aiden Lee

*Date:* April 28, 2021

*Summary:* Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, women have disproportionately borne the brunt of the pandemic’s economic devastation. Literature on gender-related economic divergence during the public health emergency has been mostly concerned with disparities between men and women. Studies looking at parents specifically, including those parsing the pandemic’s effects on working hours and employment levels, have similarly tended to primarily compare mothers to fathers. Less has been written about within-group employment disparities among women and mothers during the pandemic.

*Link:* https://bit.ly/3nAayqa

*Title:* The Impact of Changes in Public-Sector Bargaining Laws on Districts’ Spending on Teacher Compensation

*Source:* Economic Policy Institute

*Author:* Emma García and Eunice Han

*Date:* April 29, 2021

*Summary:* In this report, we examine state collective bargaining restrictions on public-sector unions and how they impact spending on teacher compensation. Specifically, we develop a framework to estimate how spending on teacher compensation was affected by changes in the legal institutions (laws, court decisions, and other administrative mechanisms) governing public-sector unions in five states that experienced these changes early in the previous decade.

*Link:* https://bit.ly/3e1Oj9n

*Title:* Amazon Plans to Raise Wages for 500,000 Workers

*Source:* CNN Business

*Author:* Clare Duffy

*Date:* April 28, 2021

*Summary:* Amazon has announced that it will raise wages for more than 500,000 workers — but it's not planning to increase its $15 per hour minimum wage.

*Link:* https://cnn.it/3t14pnR

*Title:* N.J. Unemployment Claimants Deal with Another Headache After Program Switch Leaves Some Out

*Source:* NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

*Author:* Sophie Nieto-Munoz

*Date:* April 28, 2021

*Summary:* When New Jersey’s unemployment rate dropped below 8%, the state was disqualified from High Extended Benefits. Claimants relying on the program were told they didn’t need to do anything, and would be “automatically, seamlessly” transitioned to another federal program. But hundreds of unemployed residents have reported receiving error messages when trying to certify their claims, even if they are still eligible for unemployment.

*Link:* https://bit.ly/32Vst0W

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