That Union Thing

As a result of a complaint filed by the Teamsters Union, workers at Florida's Union Correctional prison at Raiford will be receiving $600,000 in back wages or time off. For several years, the prison did not count the up to 25 minutes that employees spent passing through metal detectors and walking to their posts as time worked. After a complaint was filed, the Departments of Labor's Wage and Hour Division launched an investigation, and a settlement was reached where former workers will receive cash payments and current workers will receive additional time off.

U.S. household wealth has returned to its post-recession peak, rising to $70 trillion for the quarter ending March 2013. Average household wealth rose to $539,500 last year, although most households saw much less of a recovery. Since house prices are still thirty percent below their peak, and most of the recovery has come from higher stock prices, affluent households have benefited the most and the average household has only recovered about sixty-three percent of their lost wealth.