Work & the Economy
Pay improves for women, but it still falls short
Pay is catching up for women in Wisconsin, but they aren’t yet even with men. And just letting the trend continue on its own might not be enough to eliminate the difference. Those are the findings of a new report that the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) issued earlier this month. The report was commissioned by […]
Frank Lloyd Wright’s school will survive — but not at Taliesin
Declared dead after 88 years in January, Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture at Taliesin will continue after all — although at a new home and under a new name. Organizers intend to continue splitting the school year between Arizona and Wisconsin. While the school reversed its January decision to close at the beginning of […]
Landlord groups to apartment owners: Hit ‘pause’ on evictions
While a state moratorium on evictions ended two weeks ago, two apartment associations are urging landlords to hold off on expelling tenants who are behind on their rent as COVID-19 persists and with it record-high unemployment. “Our success as housing providers is dependent on the financial stability of both our tenants and the communities within […]
Union wants insurer to keep work in Madison, not send it back overseas
The COVID-19 pandemic led Madison-based CUNA Mutual Group to bring some of its work back to Wisconsin after having outsourced it overseas several years ago. Now, as conditions have eased in Asia where the work came from, the company is making plans to offshore that work once again, according to the union representing about 500 […]
When being sick prompts fears of being fired
In late May, Mike Jackson collapsed on the job at Briggs & Stratton’s factory on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. A few days later, on May 28, the 45-year-old father of eight died of COVID-19 after having worked for days or possibly weeks while he was ill with the deadly virus. “Prior to that, he had been […]
Urban Milwaukee pushes through fire at its office
Urban Milwaukee continues to recover after a fire damaged it’s entire office space on N. Milwaukee St. in the Cream City. According to a report written by Urban Milwaukee president and co-founder Jeramey Jannene. More than 30 firefighters battled for hours to extinguish the flames. The renowned news outlet’s sister business, which sells Milwaukee-themed merchandise, […]
New York Times says Wisconsin farmers among top beneficiaries of Trump aid
A front-page story in the print edition of The New York Times on Monday reports that Wisconsin has received more farm aid from the half-billion dollars doled out through a federal government emergency relief program than all but two states. The article is accompanied by a photo of Sarah Lloyd, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, Farmers […]
Before the COVID-19 crash, state’s job picture was mixed
Newly available data on Wisconsin jobs in the last quarter of 2019 paints a mixed picture, with growth in the state’s stronger regions and declines in parts that have long been struggling. The quarterly numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are the most reliable measures of employment, according to labor economists, […]
State economic forecast portends a slow recovery after pandemic crash
Wisconsin’s economy and the nation’s are headed for a slow recovery that will take more than three years to approach pre-COVID-19 pandemic conditions, the state Department of Revenue projects in a new forecast. Personal income growth in the state will skid to just 0.2% in 2020, rebounding weakly to 1.6% in 2021, says the DOR […]
Foxconn audit report delayed two months
An audit of Foxconn’s 2019 jobs report has been put off until mid-July, with the auditors blaming the state’s COVID-19 pandemic conditions, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The audit was originally due May 15, and is now due July 14. The audit is conducted by an independent third party under the company’s agreement […]
DNR declares it will resume scrutiny of high-capacity wells
After four years in which environmental advocates say the state Department of Natural Resources was left powerless to regulate high-capacity wells, the agency will expand its environmental impact investigations of the controversial groundwater projects. High-capacity wells, drawing more than 100,000 gallons a day, are used in large farming operations as well as by municipal water […]
Wisconsin small business grant applications to open June 15
Wisconsin will take applications for the state’s COVID-19-related “We’re All In” grant program for small businesses starting Monday, June 15, with a deadline of midnight on Sunday, June 21. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), which is overseeing the $75 million program, plans to make grants of $2,500 each to 30,000 businesses. The program is […]