Thursday, December 26, 2019

Minimum wage hikes hit 21 states in 2019—and more are on the way in 2020

Copied from CNBC

KEY POINTS

  • Nearly half of U.S. states raised their minimum wages in 2019.
  • Despite concerns about the negative impacts of minimum wage hikes, hiring remained robust.
  • Restaurant companies are learning to cope with the additional wage pressure as more increases go into effect. 
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People gather together to ask the McDonald’s corporation to raise workers wages to a $15 minimum wage as well as demanding the right to a union on May 23, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The move toward a $15 minimum wage is gaining steam, with 21 states raising minimum wages in 2019 and more increases on the way in 2020.

Restaurant workers and Democratic presidential candidates are among those leading the charge for higher wages.

Critics have argued that minimum wage hikes can hurt small businesses and cause job losses, yet hiring remained robust in 2019's tight labor market. The lack of catastrophe could bolster Democrats' arguments for higher federal wages heading into the election year, some say.

"In 2019, pay growth has been sluggish, but the fastest for low-wage workers," Glassdoor senior economist Daniel Zhao said.

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That's largely due to minimum wage increases that went into effect in nearly half of U.S. states this year, affecting millions of workers across industries, including baristas and restaurant servers.

Seven states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws that will eventually bring their wage floors to $15 an hour. Some municipalities, like New York and Seattle, have already succeeded in raising their minimum wages to $15 an hour.

The movement for an hourly wage of $15 took off in 2012 when New York fast-food workers began striking and eventually formed the Fight for $15 and a union.

In 2020, even more wage increases are slated to go into effect. Nearly 7 million workers will be getting a pay raise starting Jan. 1, thanks to new minimum wage hikes going into effect, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Restaurant operators have coped with the changes by raising menu prices and cutting worker hours, according to a Harri survey of 173 restaurants.

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The federal minimum wage has remained unchanged since 2009, when it rose to $7.25 an hour. Since then, it has failed to keep up with inflation.

Democrats tried to change that earlier this year. In July, the Democratic-controlled House passed a bill that would make $15 the minimum wage. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to take up the issue in the Senate.

Analysis from the Congressional Budget Office found that raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would benefit up to 27 million workers — but 1.3 million people would lose their jobs.

Democratic presidential candidates have largely supported a $15 minimum wage, although proposals differ about how to implement a higher federal minimum wage.

Some companies aren't waiting for the federal government. Amazon and Bank of America are among the companies that announced hourly wages of $15 or more for workers. In addition to generating positive headlines, higher internal wages can also help those firms recruit employees more easily.

"That really signals the key underlying point about minimum wage hikes: the labor market is historically tight right now," Zhao said.

In November, the unemployment rate sank to half-century low of 3.5% and job growth soared.

While McDonald's has not committed to raising its internal minimum wage, the fast-food giant sent a letter to the National Restaurant Association earlier this year, telling the trade organization it will no longer participate in lobbying against minimum wage increases.

While labor costs are putting pressure on profits, some restaurants have also been trying to get creative to keep employees sticking around longer. The restaurant industry has high employee turnover rates, and hiring and training new workers is expensive. For example, in 2019, Papa John's joined the growing number of companies that pay for employees' college tuition. Chipotle Mexican Grill began offering quarterly bonuses to crew members based on the performance of their restaurants.

Still, compared with retail, the restaurant industry has a smaller concentration of large employers. Franchisees and local restaurants that lack the scale of a global fast-food chain may struggle more under the pressure of higher labor costs caused by minimum wage increases.

"Some low-performing or low-margin restaurants are pushed out by high costs. But in a healthy economy, new restaurants should move in to replace them," Zhao said.



AID WORKER ABDUCTED IN NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

      
Horrific, another Aid Worker has been kidnapped in Nigeria's North, this time in the North-central State of Plateau state

While assuring of prompt efforts to rescue the aid worker, the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong says his administration
 is working closely with the Federal Government and Security Agencies to secure the release of Miss Jennifer Ukambong Samuel and her colleagues.

Governor who is also the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum in a statement signed  by plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang, said the  the Administration is interested in the welfare of Plateau citizens anywhere in the world.  
       
Miss Jennifer Samuel who works with Alliance for International Medical Action, a humanitarian organisation in the North East were recently abducted in Borno state by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.   
 
Governor Simon Lalong while encouraging the family of Jennifer, said channels of communication have been openned with relevant authorities to secure the release of not only Jennifer, but other citizens in the captivity of the terrorists.

GIRLS EDUCATION: STOP HARRASSING FEMALE STUDENTS, AISHA WARNS TEACHERS

Teachers in Nigeria, especially the female folks are being warned to stop harrassing students especially girls

The warning is coming from Co-convener of BRINGBACKOURGIRLS Campaigners, @AishaYesufu on her Twitter handle.

READ HER STORY BELOW;.

@Aishayesufu

In secondary school (SS2) we heard of female teachers harassing young girls. Then my female teacher came one day to our class & decided to start with me.

She asked me to stand up & asked me who was my boyfriend. 
I calmly told her it was her husband who worked in a nearby school!
There was absolute silence in class and she turned to the blackboard and started her lessons for the day.

She was our only female teacher and me?! I am very respectful but I don't tolerate nonsense and never afraid to say it as it is! She probably thought I was the one she could have a run over because I was always ma! ma! to her and had not had any issue with her

If she had consulted our biology teacher he would have warned her. He used to say "Aisha Mohammed, you are the most stubborn student I have ever seen and I would say "Sir it is Muhammad not Mohammed"

She was shocked! She could have picked on the other girls in my class and gotten away with it and I always wondered why she decided to choose me of all people.  Maybe it is because i never had any direct confrontation with her. I was always respectful and deferential to her!

She was a good teacher who never did such nonsense but her colleagues who were teaching junior classes harassed the girls there about their bodies and boyfriends and made life miserable for the girls and they probably influenced her and she wanted to have fun at our expense!

I was angry at some of the reports coming from the girls in junior classes. Female teachers would make them stand and ask them about their breasts & if they had boyfriends who were touching them & so on. I used to fume when i heard of such. The more popular girls were targets!

If you are a female teacher or anyone doing this please stop! Girls are not responsible for the development of their bodies and if they look voluptuous and older looking, it is what nature gave them.
Stop harassing them!

AGF, ASUU ARGUE OVER PERCENTAGE OF LECTURERS WHO HAVE ENROLED IN IPPIS, AS STRIKE LOOMS OF INSISTANCE BY FG TO CAPTURE ALL WORKERS

Nothing will more distorting for Nigerian Students in Public Universities should their lecturers go on strike in the new year 2020


This is because It appears the federal government is less concerned about any form of threats by the academic staff union of universities, ASUU, over the implementation of the INTERGRATED Payroll and personnel information system, IPPIS

 While the Federal Government keep dismissing as unfounded, the objection of ASUU to IPPIS, the Lecturers have kept insisting the policy is a fraud

Ait News Gathered that a  statement from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation said AGF, Ahmed Idris, has assured the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities , who visited him in Abuja that the lecturers will be captured

The AGF according to the statement, directed the vice chancellors to get their lecturers to state “all their peculiarities and promised to go by the rules of engagement recognized by the government in the universities.

Idris said during many meetings with the universities, the federal government has assured them that the policy was not to take away the autonomy of the universities, but to make the management of personnel more efficient.

He stated that the practice where univarsities recruit workers not minding whether their budget would accommodate such employment was responsible for the issue of shortfall in personnel revenue and IPPIS will help solve the problem

According to the AGF, 8,146 academic and 86, 844 non-academic staff of federal universities have been captured into the IPPIS platform as of the last count, which represent more than 70 per cent of university workers

In a swift reaction, ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi said not upto 10 percent of lecturers, who mostly are not union members have registered on IPPIS

ASUU president, Professor Ogunyemi Said IPPIS is being used by Federal Government to enrich Their Cronies, if not why asking people to come for capturing at just one location with disregard for Hard-earn university autonomy

Ogunyemi said ASUU's alternative to IPPIS, the Universities Transperancy And Accountability Solution, UTAS is more credible to solve the problems Government claims to be addressing with IPPIS.

The ASUU president insists that should December or any other salary is withheld Over IPPIS, the lecturers will not hesitate to shutdown lecture halls

Beware WhatsApp users! Simple negligence could empty your bank accounts


We often hear about scams and frauds carried out digitally, but only its victims understand the importance of being careful. Internet is a useful place to be, but it has its own perils. Digital payments have become a norm these days - all thanks to the government's push for a cashless economy, cheap data rates and smartphone penetration in India.

On one hand, the convenience of making payments digitally is unmatched, there are some risks involved in the process. Recently, the State Bank of India (SBI) issued a warning to all of its online banking customers to avoid public charging kiosks as hackers could empty bank accounts using juice jacking methodThe chances of people using a public mobile charging station aren't as frequent as one would use mobile wallets to make payments. Fraudsters have tricks to fool people in more than one way and in this case, WhatsApp users could be at risk.

WhatsApp's dominance in the messaging space makes it an ideal target for fraudsters to carry out scams. Bad actors are adding a touch of legitimacy to the scams they carry out these days and it is important for users to practice caution every step of the way.

QR code scamCybercriminals adopt new ways to trick users. So every time, the tricks are different and users must be vigilant, especially when trading with strangers. Fraudsters are trying to steal money from unsuspecting people by sharing their QR codes.cammers usually approach people who have posted an ad to sell an item online. This usually requires people to deal with strangers. As a result, fraudsters are taking advantage of such situations and several cases involving the QR code scam have been reported in different cities.

How does QR code scam work?

Cybercriminals ask for the seller's bank account information to send the money. Then, the fraudsters share a QR code over WhatsApp to receive money in their account. But if do not pay attention, you will lose money in a jiffy. Fraudsters would send a collect request and simply by scanning and entering the PIN, the victim approves the request to pay the money and the money is deducted from the bank account.

If the victim fails to identify the QR code is requesting payment instead of receiving money, cybercriminals win. The interaction between the fraudster and the victim are usually legit, and when the person identifies the scam, the cybercriminal would usually paint it as an innocent mistake.

DANGER: Paracetamol VsPepper Soup

Death by installments: How thousands Nigerians risk death consuming meat cooked with paracetamol

opera.com Dec 25, 2019 5:31 PM


For many households and restaurants, using paracetamol is the fastest way to prepare meat. It saves gas, kerosene or firewood. And costs much less, N50 for one sachet of 12 tablets, and each tablet can cause a pot-full of meat to cook soft within few minutes. It's an amazing discovery, or so it seems. But what they don't know is that as much as they are quickening the amount of time it takes to cook, they are also quickening their days on mother earth. 

"It's a lot faster to boil meat with paracetamol," a young mother, Adeola told this writer upon inquiry. "I have used it to cook cow leg on a number of occasions. If you add one tablet, the meat will melt and become soft in just ten minutes."

But Adeola is endangering her life and those of her young children. She was in shock to realise this. 

Paracetamol, ordinarily, is a killer, when consumed regularly to cure a headache or take care of pains, but when cooked in a pot, it's a certain expressway to kidney or liver failure. 

Medical experts say when paracetamol is used in cooking, it loses the pain killer property and becomes highly acidic and dangerous for human consumption. 

When the process occurs, paracetamol is hydrolyzed into what is called 4-aminophenol, which, experts say, is highly very toxic to the kidney and liver.

Last week, a facebook user raised alarm about the prevailing use paracetamol to cook goat meat 'pepper soup' in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and other surrounding areas.

Investigations by this writer revealed that restaurant owners opt for paracetamol because it helps them save cost and reduce the waiting time for customers.

Recently, there has been a hike in the number of young Nigerian men coming down with kidney failure, most of which result in death on account of poor medical care, part of the reason for that, apparently is consumption of paracetamol/panadol 'pepper soup' or meat it is used to prepare generally. Ignorance is proving costly in this regard. 

In its 2016 report, the Nigeria Medical Journal noted that Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has so prevalent in the country that it has "become a public health problem in Nigeria."

In March last year, the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) said a whooping 25 million Nigerians, representing over 13 percent of the country's estimated 180million people had kidney failures. 

But paracetamol or panadol is not dangerous only when cooked in a pot. Regular intake or slight overdose can be equally deadly. 

The maximum 24-hour dose of paracetamol is 4g, but as little as 5g, experts say, can cause liver complications, and it can be easy to overdose accidentally by taking more than one product containing it at the same time. 

Considered an effective pain reliever, paracetamol is widely used in Nigeria and elsewhere, it's the number option for cure of headaches and easily the most commonly used drug in the country, if not globally. But its regular use portend danger. 

 “Continuous use of Paracetamol can cause potentially fatal liver damage. Things get much worse when combined with alcoholic drinks, like origin bitters and in chronic alcoholics or patients with liver damage," noted medical consultant, Dr Maria Alice.

 “Paracetamol is metabolised primarily in the liver into toxic and non-toxic products. Some final products are inactive, non-toxic, and eventually excreted by the kidneys. However, there is an intermediate product that is toxic and is considered to be responsible for liver problems, like acute liver failure, a killer clinical condition."

But it is not just about the liver and the kidney. In 2013, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) issued warnings that taking paracetamol can, in some rare instances, cause potentially fatal skin conditions called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis, which can cause the top layer of skin to become detached.

Paracetamol rose to prominence globally in the 1960s following fears that aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen could cause gastric bleeding, ulcers and other serious side-effects. But it was like running from frying pan to the fire. 

In 2011 a professor of rheumatology at Nottingham University UK, Michael Doherty, a published a study looking at almost 900 patients aged 40 and older who took paracetamol, ibuprofen or a combination of both for chronic knee pain. When he compared the participants after 13 weeks, it came as no surprise that one in five on ibuprofen lost the equivalent of a unit of blood through internal bleeding. Surprisingly, he also discovered that the same proportion of those taking paracetamol had same problem.

Scientists at the Edinburgh University found in a recent study that constant use of paracetamol leads to toxicity of the liver. The report released by Dr Leonard Nelson and Dr Pierre Bagnanachi showed that paracetamol-linked liver failures are so severe that the patient almost certainly needs a transplant.

Last year, the FDA reduced the maximum dose of paracetamol (called acetaminophen in the US) in tablets or capsules to 325mg to reduce the risk of accidental overdoses.

The advice therefore is, take less of paracetamol and be mindful of how the meat you eat is prepared.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

CHRISTMAS IS UNBIBLICAL, THAT IS WHY WE DON'T CELEBRATE DECEMBER 25TH

Dr Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), says the church does not celebrate Christmas because it is unbiblical.

Olukoya made this known during the Wednesday Manner Water Service which coincided with the 2019 Christmas celebration at the Church’s Headquarters in Lagos.

He said that no book in the bible recorded the word ‘ Christmas’ or that Jesus was born on Dec. 25.

“If you really study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there is no word like Christmas.

“The bible only recorded that the Shepherds were taking care of their flocks during a very cold season when they sighted the star that announced the birth of Jesus Christ.

“This cold period could be around April or May,’’ Olukoya said.

According to the general overseer, Dec. 25 is a date originally set aside by the ancient Romans for Mars festival by the worshippers of the sun.

Olukoya said that the birth of Christ was subsequently co-opted into the same date to give the Mars festival more popularity and then renamed ‘Christmas’.

He warned the modern Christians to stop promoting such unbiblical celebration.

According to him, the MFM church has decided to henceforth engage members in various spiritual activities during such periods and other public holidays to discourage them from partaking in such unscriptural celebration. (NAN)

KIDNAPPED NUT CHAIRMAN'S WIFE, TWO OTHERS RESCUED

Police Rescue Katsina NUT Chairman’s Wife, Two Others By  -December 25, 2019 Image used for illustration only 

Police in Katsina state, North west Nigeria have rescued three kidnapped persons 

According to emergency Digest, an online publication said They include the Katsina state Nigeria Union Of Teachers, NUT Chairman’s Wife Asma’u Siwid and two others

Asma u was said to have been kidnapped in her matrimonial home at Dayi village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state on December 22, 2019. 

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, who confirmed the rescuing of the abductee in a statement, said she was rescued by men of Operation Puff Adder in Yantumaki village of Dan-Musa Local Government on Monday. Isah said: “Today (Monday) 23/12/2019 at about 06:00hrs, the Command succeeded in rescuing one Asma’u Siwidi, m, aged 28yrs of Dayi village, Malumfashi LGA of Katsina State, the wife of Siwidi Hassan, NUT Chairman Katsina State Chapter who was kidnapped from Dayi village on 22/12/2019. 

“The victim was rescued from her captors at Yantumaki bush, Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State by men of Operation Puff Adder led by DPO Danmusa. “Similarly on the same date at about 00:30hrs, the Command also succeeded in rescuing the duo of one Hajiya Aisha Isiaka, f, aged 60 years and Hajiya Barira Isiaka, f, aged 65years all of Mai Kare village, Batsari LGA of Katsina State after a fierce gun duel with suspected bandits. Investigation is ongoing.”

CHRISTMAS: NLC PACKAGING NEW YEAR GIFT FOR GOVERNORS NOT CONCLUDING MINIMUM WAGE ADJUSTMENT BEFORE DEC. 31, 2019

The Nigeria Labour Congress leadership says it will continue to work hard to ensure that workers and pensioners recoup a measure of the joy that they invest in others, stressing that Workers and pensioners deserve the very best of care and welfare because they turn the wheel that creates the wealth. 

 In a chrismas Message signed by NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, Labour commended the Federal Government and the governments of Kaduna, Kebbi, Lagos, Adamawa and Jigawa for concluding negotiations with workers and for implementing the payment of the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment for workers.

See Full Press Release Below:

A CHRISTMAS OF LOVE, JOY, PEACE AND GOODWILL

Being the text of a goodwill message to all Nigerians at Christmas 2019 by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni.

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) congratulates   workers and pensioners, and indeed, all Nigerians on the commemoration of Christmas – the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The essence and message of Christmas are joy to the world and peace to men and women of goodwill.  Thousands of years after the birth of Jesus Christ, the central appeal of His gospel remains love, joy, peace and goodwill. At Christmas and as always, God reminds us that the best life is the life that gives love, joy, peace and goodwill to others.

It delights the leadership of Congress that Nigerian workers, pensioners and indeed, all Nigerians continue to exemplify the morals of Christmas. Our gift of selfless service, most times unrecognized, underlines our love for country and humanity. We encourage Nigerian  pensioners and workers in every nook and cranny of our country – our teachers, our seamen, civil servants, our engineers, the labourers, the cleaners, factory workers, our journalists, our medical professionals, workers in the transport sector, bankers, Nigerians working in the hospitality industry, our soldiers and law enforcement officers, to take some moments this Christmas to savour  the joy that their toil  brings to millions of other  compatriots. 

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress will continue to work hard to ensure that our workers and pensioners recoup a measure of the joy that they invest in others. Workers and pensioners deserve the very best of care and welfare because we are the ones that turn the wheel that creates the wealth. We will not rest on our oars in the pursuit and struggle for an expeditious implementation of the new national minimum wage in all the states of Nigeria.

We have already demanded that states which are still negotiating with labour and those yet to set up their negotiating councils must conclude negotiations before the end of December 2019 or we will send them a not too friendly New Year Gift.

In the same vein, we once again commend the Federal Government and the governments of Kaduna, Kebbi, Lagos, and Adamawa and Jigawa for concluding negotiations with workers and for implementing the payment of the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment for workers.

 The noble gesture of the Federal Government and state governments which have commenced the implementation of the new national minimum wage has made a significant difference for thousands of workers and their families this Christmas. 

In the spirit of Christmas, we urge our political leaders and elites at every tier and arm of government to re-dedicate themselves to the ideals espoused by Christmas. We hope that in the coming year, Nigerians would reap tonnes of positive turnaround in their existential realities as a consequence of re-commitment of our leaders to the common good.

While we look forward to a Christmas season free from violence, pain and sorrow, we wish all Nigerians a very merry Christmas and a most rewarding New Year.




Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni
President
24th December, 2019

Monday, December 23, 2019

MUSIC :Burna Boy Shows TOO MUCH MONEY, Sprays $100 Notes On KWAM 1 At Quilox

Quilox bar was filled to the brim on Saturday night as celebrities troop in to hang out and enjoy themselves at the popular bar.

During the course of the enjoyment, legendary Fuji singer, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM1), provided those present with lovely songs as they danced endlessly.

AƧcording to NAIJALOADED, Burna Boy, who was also in attendance, got so captivated with the song that he started spraying $100 bill on the fuji maestro.

The singer in return then started singing his praises.