LABOR
Unions struggling for membership even in union-dominated fields
A new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that labor unions are experiencing dismal membership numbers in recent years and are even doing poorly in industries with the highest rates of unionized workers.
Union membership has stalled at 11.1 percent in the past few years, and the majority of workers in all industries are choosing not to be in a union. Government, utilities, transportation and warehousing had the highest percentage of union members in 2015. The level of unionized public-sector workers is significantly higher at 35.2 percent, compared to 6.7 of private-sector workers.
“Within the public sector, the union membership rate was highest for local government,” the report stated. “Which includes employees in heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers and firefighters.”
Agriculture, hunting, financial activities and business services were among the industries with the lowest rates of union members. — Joana Suleiman
ENVIRONMENT
EPA to states: Locate lead water lines as required
After being criticized for not moving quickly enough in Flint, Mich., the Environmental Protection Agency last week sent letters to governors and water regulators in 49 states vowing greater enforcement of rules to protect citizens from lead.
Millions of lead service lines remain buried in cities across the nation, but in many cases water utilities are unsure where those lines are.
Promising increased oversight, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy wrote in her letter that her staff “will be meeting with every state drinking water program across the country to ensure that states are taking appropriate action to identify and address” any issues of lead being above acceptable levels.
She urged state legislators to do more to ensure that the public receives “better and quicker” information on lead risks, and added that her agency will be working to make sure there is “adequate and sustained investment” in regulatory oversight of drinking water laws. The EPA wants to help states find financing for the “upgrading and replacement of aging infrastructure, especially for the poor and overburdened communities,” McCarthy said. — Joana Suleiman
EDUCATION
Low-income schools lose funding in Obama’s budget
President Obama’s budget proposal would cut funding for some schools serving low-income students, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The analysis says districts in most states would lose a portion of their Title I funding if Obama’s budget were adopted without amendment. Obama’s budget proposal actually spends more than the current baseline of funding. The Every Student Succeeds Act, a law that replaces No Child Left Behind, eliminates a school improvement program under Title I, and Obama’s proposal partially replaces those funds.
Mississippi’s Title I funds would fall by 2.8 percent, the largest portion of any state. Michigan’s funding would fall second-most, by 2.3 percent. This could be of concern to Democrats, since the poor state of Detroit’s schools received significant news coverage in January. The state’s schools would lose more than $10.6 million per year. Other states gain under the changes. In Nevada, for example, funding would rise by 0.8 percent.
A November report from the Brookings Institution said the $14 billion in Title I funds is largely wasted on ineffective uses. Most of the funds go toward professional development for teachers, which researchers say has been shown to be ineffective in many studies. — Jason Russell
HEALTH
Study finds ‘female Viagra’ not that effective
The new “female Viagra” that the Food and Drug Administration approved in August is not very effective, according to a new study.
Women have about half an orgasm a month more when they use flibanserin, which has hit the market in recent months as Addyi and was approved to boost sexual desire in premenopausal women.
The study looked at the benefits of the controversial drug, which was approved after a concerted lobbying effort to get a treatment for female sexual disorder, as advocates pointed out that the FDA has approved several treatments for male sexual dysfunction.
The researchers analyzed clinical trial results assessing the effectiveness and safety of flibanserin, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The main finding of the study was that taking flibanserin, on average, resulted in one-half additional satisfying sexual experience per month, but it also increased the risk of dizziness, somnolence nausea and fatigue. — Robert King
