| | | | | |  | | By Eleanor Mueller | Presented by Walmart | Editor's Note: Weekly Shift is a weekly version of POLITICO Pro's daily Employment & Immigration policy newsletter, Morning Shift. POLITICO Pro is a policy intelligence platform that combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. | | | FIRST IN SHIFT: A National Employment Law Project report out today found that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services repeatedly lobbied the Labor Department to prevent pay rates for CMS' customer service representatives from being increased under the Service Contract Act, which sets prevailing wage rates for federal contract service workers. CMS contracts with Maximus, Inc. to staff its call centers — work that includes handling the 1-800 lines for Medicare and the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Maximus employs about 10,000 workers at 11 call centers in nine states. Maximus call center workers make on average about $30,000 a year or less, while their directly-hired counterparts at the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration call centers, doing the same job, earn an average of more than $50,000 a year, the report found. Most of Maximus' workers are women of color, according to NELP. The report found that agency workers employed directly by CMS are 45.1 percent nonwhite and 67 percent female, while contractors for CMS employed by Maximus, who outnumber CMS employees two to one, are about 66.8 percent nonwhite and 73.1 percent female. CWA MAKES MOVES: Maximus workers organizing under the Communication Workers of America filed a complaint with the Labor Department last Monday calling on the Biden administration to bump up the CMS customer service reps' pay rates. Remember: President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for federally contracted employees to $15 an hour. A 2015 decision by Wage and Hour Division "to base the wage rates for customer service representatives under the Service Contract Act on those payable to the lowest three grades of federal employee … unlawfully failed to take account of the wages actually paid to customer service representatives in the federal government and the private sector," and instead "reflected the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' wish to suppress labor costs," the complaint reads. "As a result of this decision, the thousands of predominantly women and minority workers on whom the government relies to provide vital services to the public have had their work devalued and their livelihoods jeopardized," the union added. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, May 24, and this is Morning Shift, your tipsheet on employment and immigration news. Send tips, exclusives and suggestions to emueller@politico.com and rrainey@politico.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Eleanor_Mueller and @RebeccaARainey. | | | | A message from Walmart: When you buy tea at Walmart, Walmart buys more tea from U.S. businesses like Milo's Tea Company. That means Milo's can hire more employees, supporting communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Walmart just announced a $350 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing that will support more than 750,000 new American jobs. Learn more about Walmart's commitment to American jobs and communities. | | | | | | THANKS, BUT NO THANKS: The Biden administration on Friday said it was slashing the price tag on its infrastructure proposal by more than $500 billion in an attempt to win Republican support, our Ben Leonard, Christopher Cadelago, Natasha Korecki and Marianne LeVine report. "But the counteroffer was received with scorn by Senate Republicans, who argued it was still too high and accused the White House of accounting gimmicks," they write. "The two sides were left far apart and drifting even further as an informal deadline for a deal nears." "The White House's counteroffer — to $1.7 trillion from $2.25 trillion — was meant to demonstrate that the administration remains eager to craft a deal with Republicans, even as liberal Democrats press Biden to forge ahead alone out of fear that he may be willing to give up too much during the negotiations." RELATED: " White House willing to let infrastructure talks 'play out,' Richmond says," from POLITICO CHILD CARE HEADACHES: A study published last week made the case that parents' limited access to child care is not suppressing the nation's employment rate, potentially weakening the Biden administration's argument for why his infrastructure package includes billions for the child care industry. The study's authors "emphasized that they still believe that investments in child care are needed over the long term," your host reports with Megan Cassella. "But their study runs counter to the argument from many Democrats that a lack of affordable child care options was a major reason for lower-than-expected employment growth in April — 266,000 jobs created compared to 1 million expected. Instead, it suggests that other factors, including one that Republicans have stressed — enhanced federal unemployment benefits, which add $300 per week on top of state jobless aid — are playing a role in keeping people out of the workforce." "The White House and key congressional Democrats say one analysis does not counteract months of survey data and anecdotes highlighting the extent to which parents' employment has been affected by child care challenges." And economists note that "while the report shows both parents and non-parents were hit by the pandemic, it does not look specifically at child care or reasons why parents left the workforce." PUT A (NUMBER) ON IT: The Child Care for Working Families Act, the Democratic legislation that Biden used as a model for the the child care provisions included in his infrastructure proposal, would make more than 76 percent of families eligible for free- or reduced-cost child care, an analysis out today from the Center for American Progress found. That's nearly 10 million children — up significantly from the 1.9 million children currently receiving subsidized care through block grants. More than two-thirds of U.S. families would have their child care costs capped at less than 4 percent of household income — with more than half of eligible children covered for free. | | | | JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON AMERICA'S MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS: The maternal and infant mortality rates in the U.S. have been rising, especially for women and babies of color. One year into the pandemic, how have social determinants of health contributed to maternal and child health outcomes for Black women and other women of color? Join POLITICO for a deep-dive conversation for which we'll use Illinois as a case study to understand how social determinants of health and Covid-19 complicate efforts to eliminate maternal and infant mortality. We will also explore the various public health and policy solutions to reduce racial disparities during pregnancy and postpartum. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | LAYING LOW: Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and his Beltway allies are keeping a low profile in the midst of a controversy stemming from domestic violence charges against the man Walsh appointed as Boston's police commissioner, our Stephanie Murray, Eleanor and Lisa Kashinsky report. "Walsh strenuously denies" that he turned a blind eye to the abuse allegations, but the public furor "could test Walsh's standing in the distraction-averse Biden administration, especially as Walsh is tasked with selling the White House's massive infrastructure package." Three months ago: "Walsh and his allies were prepared to tackle questions over former Police Commissioner Dennis White's history at his confirmation hearing in February, two sources said. But they never came up." Missing in action: "National labor union presidents, once among Walsh's most vocal advocates, have been noticeably silent on the news, declining or ignoring requests for comment Friday on what one official called a 'Boston issue.'" And Walsh himself has gone under the radar: "The labor secretary canceled a media interview planned for the end of next week and skipped a trip to New Hampshire on Friday. At a virtual press briefing Thursday with congressional Democrats on child care, he logged off abruptly when House Education and Labor Chair Bobby Scott (D-Va.) opened it up for questions." | | | BREAKING! PEOPLE LIKE HAVING JOBS: Getting people back to work is by far the top priority for voters residing in the Rust Belt when it comes to investing in infrastructure, a survey out Friday from the BlueGreen Alliance found. The survey, conducted in April across Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin, also found that nine in 10 voters prioritize upgrading America's physical infrastructure and retooling American manufacturing. Almost seven in 10 voters said the federal government should take a more active role in addressing the nation's economic problems. | | | |   | | | | | | THAT'S ONE IMPORTANT MAILBOX: The effort to unionize employees at an Amazon fulfillment facility may come down to a mailbox in a Bessemer, Ala. parking lot, Vox's Sara Morrison reports. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which attempted to organize warehouse workers in March, "has asked the NLRB to throw out the election results. Among the union's many objections — and what seems to be one of its strongest arguments — is that mailbox." "And it may have a real case here, according to former NLRB chair Wilma Liebman. 'The mailbox issue, in large, creates strong grounds for overturning the election,' Liebman, who chaired the NLRB from 2009 to 2011," told Morrison. "The mailbox has been an issue since it appeared in February," Morrison writes, in part because many workers were eligible to cast their unionization votes by mail due to coronavirus concerns. " Amazon sent workers texts encouraging them to use the 'secure mailbox,' which it said would be 'easy, safe, and convenient,'" she adds. "The mailbox is located on Amazon grounds, where workers are notoriously under constant surveillance." CAPITOL POLICE UNION ISN'T MESSING AROUND: The U.S. Capitol Police's union said that the $1.9 billion supplemental funding package is insufficient to stave off further departures in the wake of Jan. 6, our Nick Niedzwiadek reports. "House Democrats on Thursday pushed through the emergency funding measure by the slimmest of margins, passage that was complicated by opposition from GOP lawmakers and a last-minute curveball from a cohort of liberals who wanted to see a broader revamp of the capitol police force." Not enough: "Capitol Police union chair Gus Papathanasiou said that officers — facing the prospect of working longer hours for an indefinite period of time and the ongoing trauma of both the January riot and an April incident that left an officer and the suspect dead — are feeling demoralized and looking for a way out." | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY - A PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH ADAM KINZINGER: From the ousting of Liz Cheney from her leadership position to the looming death of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Donald Trump appears to be winning the internal GOP battle over the party's future. Join Playbook co-authors Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels for an interview with a leading member of the Trump opposition, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), to discuss his efforts to change the party's direction -- and whether that is even possible. Register here to watch live. | | | | | | | | BETTING ON GUATEMALA: Vice President Kamala Harris will head to Guatemala next month to discuss poverty, corruption, violence and other destabilizing conditions that are driving thousands of people to migrate north and seek refuge in the U.S., our Sabrina Rodriguez reports. "For now, the administration is most optimistic about Guatemala as the place to make headway, not because it's absent of corruption, but simply because it's willing to talk about the tough issues. And it's not Honduras or El Salvador." | | | | A message from Walmart: Walmart's $350 billion, 10-year U.S. manufacturing commitment will support new and existing jobs, help small businesses and entrepreneurs, and bolster communities. As part of this commitment, Walmart will also work with stakeholders to identify and overcome top-down barriers to U.S. production, paving the way for a more sustainable supply chain and supporting more American jobs.
Learn how Walmart is strengthening its commitment to American jobs and communities. | | | | | | — "Long Slide Looms for World Population, With Sweeping Ramifications," from The New York Times — "Analysis: How the post-pandemic labor crunch is curbing U.S. manufacturing," from Reuters — " Bosses Still Aren't Sure Remote Workers Have 'Hustle,'" from The Wall Street Journal — "Most employers shy away from mandating coronavirus vaccines," from The Washington Post — "Chain store, workers disagree about mask role in firings," from the Associated Press — "How To Be A Citizen: Transportation Worker Goes Above And Beyond," from NPR — "Workers' wages are rising at the fastest pace in years. Companies' profits could take a hit," from CNBC — " New Face-Mask Rules Put Grocery Workers Back at Center of Debate," from The Wall Street Journal THAT'S ALL FOR MORNING SHIFT! | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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