Many nations bracing for a demographic tidal wave of older people are scrambling to create pensions that provide some financial security in old age.

Only half the world’s population now can expect to receive even a basic pension in their later years, according to the 2014 Global Age Watch Index, released today to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Older Persons.

But in a dramatic shift in policy, many countries are creating universal pensions for their old, the report found. In more than 100 countries that have established social pensions, financial conditions for older people have improved dramatically.

“Some countries have really seized the mantle,” said Toby Porter, chief executive of HelpAge International, a nonprofit that produced the annual study, which ranks 96 countries on the social, physical and economic well-being of their elderly. “Brazil, Chile, China and Mexico are showing that it’s possible … The rise of social pensions signals a shift in thinking.”

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/30/global-demographicsagingindex.html?utm_content=general&utm_campaign=ajam&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

Hyatt Hotels Corp. has agreed to pay $1 million to 98 Boston-area housekeepers who were fired five years ago and replaced by lower-paid, outsourced workers, at the time triggering a backlash that drew national attention — and a stern scolding from Governor Deval Patrick.

The settlement, to be announced Friday, could give some workers as much as $40,000, depending on their years of service.

In exchange, the hospitality workers’ union that brokered the deal will call off its five-year boycott at the three full-service Hyatts in the area. The union estimates the boycott cost the hotel chain about $6 million.

“There are plenty of companies that make token gestures, and this is not token,” said Brian Lang, president of the hospitality union, Unite Here Local 26. “This is very significant.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/25/hyatt-give-fired-housekeepers-million/AfRd71FRhVVfRjIKAMxMzK/story.html

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco court workers voted Monday evening to authorize a strike due to unfavorable negotiations over their contracts with court management.

Service Employees International Union Local 1021 members had from Wednesday to today to cast their ballots, which resulted in a 91.3 percent vote announced this evening in favor for a strike, union organizer Steve Stallone said.

There has been no date set for the strike but it can happen at any time, Stallone said.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/court-workers-authorize-strike-over-unfavorable-co/nhYH4/?__federated=1

At Aptify, a Virginia software company, burnout was a problem a few years ago. Projects demanded long hours, which affected motivation and morale. It's a medium-size firm, with 200 workers, but at the time, procedures seemed overly corporate and cumbersome.

"We began looking at things like our policies and procedures manual, which essentially we felt was a culmination of all the bad things that have happened," says Bryan Kelly, Aptify's vice president of marketing.

Kelly says ultimately, the company scrapped its time card system, too. Bosses told employees: You can take as many paid days off as you want.

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/30/352751249/preventing-worker-burnout-can-boost-the-bottom-line

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order Tuesday that effectively raises the hourly wage for thousands of workers in New York City. The city says its expansion of the Living Wage provisions will boost yearly earnings for the lowest-paid workers from $16,640 to $27,310.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/30/352815459/new-york-boosts-pay-for-thousands-with-hourly-wage-hike

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 270, the first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in the U.S.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

The new law requires grocery stores and pharmacies not to distribute single-use plastic bags after July 1, 2015, and to charge a 10-cent fee for paper or compostable bags. Convenience and liquor stores fall under the ban in the following year.

While California is the first state to regulate plastic bags, it's not the first government to do so. Dozens of U.S. cities have banned them, starting with San Francisco in 2007. Some, such as Washington, D.C., impose a 5-cent surcharge on consumers who use the bags.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/30/352774915/ban-on-single-use-plastic-bags-is-enacted-in-california

Balloons Around The World Day,

International Day of Older Persons,

International Music Day,

& World Vegetarian Day.

National Hot Mulled
 Cider Day,

Ask A Stupid Question Day,


& International Translation Day.

International Coffee Day, VFW Day & World Maritime Day

Enjoy!

Metropolis Honeywell union members demonstrated in front of Honeywell corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and attempted to meet with several lobbying firms Thursday. United Steelworkers Local 7-669, joined by D.C. AFL-CIO members delivered letters to Akin Gump, OB C Group, McBee Strategic, and Duberstein Group, who they claim Honeywell has hired along with their own in-house lobby team.

United Steel Workers Local 7-669 Representative John Paul Smith says Honeywell has ramped up political spending over the last several years allocating nearly 6 million dollars on the current election cycle alone.

Honeywell representative Peter Dalpe says Honeywell recognizes the union’s right to demonstrate but believes a settlement can only be reached at the bargaining table and is focused on negotiations.

The actions come as the lockout at the Metropolis uranium conversion facility nears the end of its second month. Negotiations between Honeywell and union members resume October 2 & 3.

http://wkms.org/post/honeywell-union-workers-demonstrate-washington-dc