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Proposed federal budget boosts nuclear production, ignores social costs
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentThe proposed Fiscal Year 2021 federal nuclear defense budget, unveiled on Feb. 10, includes new weapons manufacturing. This anticipates more growth while plans still ignore total costs, a concern for those immediately impacted in nuclear weapons laboratory towns like Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Trump administration’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) budget is $19.8 billion: a 20% increase from last year. But higher numbers than those should be expected as total operational, capital, and social costs loom outside current projected expenditures.
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US employers add 225,000 jobs; unemployment ticks up to 3.6%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn January, U.S. nonfarm payrolls grew by a total of 225,000 after December's gain of 145,000, while the rate of unemployment rose to 3.6% from 3.5% the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2019, the average monthly gain of jobs was 175,000. The total number of unemployed persons rose to 5.9 million in January from 5.8 million in December. January's data showed that unemployment among major worker groups experienced little or no change versus December's numbers.
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Is cryptocurrency payroll legal?
Grace Ferguson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementPaying employees in cryptocurrencies could be an emerging trend. But it’s not without controversy or implications. U.S. employers should tread carefully. A key area of consideration is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which says that employers must pay employees "prescribed wages, including overtime compensation, in cash or negotiable instrument payable at par." "Negotiable instrument payable at par" is interpreted to mean either cash or something that can be immediately converted into cash, such as direct deposit or paper check.
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Coronavirus: A reminder for employers to have contingency plans for health…
D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe recent outbreak of coronavirus in China reminds us that employers need to take certain actions to be prepared for public health crises in general. This article outlines some of the basic steps that employers can take now to get ready for a rapid spread of flu, coronavirus or some other pandemic threat. For example, you should strive to keep your safety policies and practices up to date. Consider what policies or practices you can adopt now that may come into play if there is a pandemic or major outbreak.
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F-35’s problems continue with the gun that won’t shoot straight
Rebecca Walker Donaldson Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIt should not come as a surprise that the Lockheed Martin Corporation’s $428 billion F-35 aircraft, which has been fraught with problems for years, has a gun that won’t shoot straight. There are three F-35 models that are equipped with the 25 mm gun. While there seems to be no problems with the gun on the Navy and Marine Corps versions, the Air Force model has "unacceptable" accuracy when hitting ground targets. Recently, Bloomberg defense reporter Anthony Capaccio had an advance look at the Defense Department’s anticipated report on the progress of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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Why California needs a public utility option — but not prisoner futility
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalWhen universal values of dignified workplaces cautiously attending to dwindling resources are contemplated in the U.S., minds often wander to the Golden State. But not so fast. Northern California's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 1245 union opposes new legislation, Senate Bill 917, to turn bankrupt PG&E into a public utility — harkening back to yesteryear’s spotted owl vs. logger debates regarding old growth forests. The term "labor power" takes on new meaning to survive these divisive times; labor clashes with the environment again.
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Epic Systems wages interoperability war on CMS
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationThere's a major hubbub going on in healthcare right now regarding interoperability. This includes a campaign from the CEO of an EHR company to health system leaders encouraging them to rally against federal interoperability reform; tech giants telling the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to enforce its rules; and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma suggesting that some healthcare EHR vendors are attempting to protect "short-term profits." Where to start? In this case, we'll begin to break this drama down at the top — with the regulators, CMS.
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When a pandemic tests us in healthcare
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcarePandemics regularly challenge the global healthcare system. SARS certainly taught us some lessons, as did the H1N1 outbreak. Enter, stage left, the 2019-20 coronavirus. As this current viral threat circulates around the world — mostly via those who have recently been to the Wuhan area of China — the World Health Organization (WHO) is grappling with public relations, epidemiology, containment and quarantines, travel restrictions (and some outright bans), as well as deciding whether this is truly a pandemic or not.
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CBD trend for food, beverage shows no signs of slowing, despite legality…
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageThe cannabidiol (CBD) industry is witnessing phenomenal growth, and this is expected to continue through 2020 and beyond. CBD oil and other topical products, which are said to relieve pain and insomnia and reduce stress and anxiety, are growing in sales, though these claims are mostly unproven. In the food and beverage space, CBD-infused coffee, brownies, cookies, and other food items are rapidly expanding. However, the absence of clear federal guidance has raised consumer safety concerns.
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Workplace fatalities are at their highest levels since 2008. What’s…
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn December 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released workplace injury data from 2018. There were 5,250 fatal workplace injuries, which represents a 2% increase over 2017. This is also the highest amount since 2008, and it should be noted that from 2009-15, workplace fatalities were in the 4,500 to 4,600 range. Two particular causes of workplace fatalities increased significantly. Deaths from unintentional overdoses as a result of nonmedical consumption of drugs or alcohol while at work increased 12%. Work-related suicides increased by 11%.
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