Kentucky's unemployment rate is higher than the national average and workers who are employed said they are unsatisfied with their pay, according to new data from the Kentucky Center for Statistics and the Pew Research Center.
Paychecks have not kept up with the cost of living and are too low for the quality or amount of work they do, the survey revealed.
Dustin Pugel, policy director at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, said the Commonwealth has relatively low wages compared to other states, with an average household income of about $60,000 a year.
"The bottom 10% of workers had been stagnant for years and years, particularly following the Great Recession," Pugel pointed out. "After the COVID downturn, low-income wages have actually outpaced inflation."
Child care continues to be a major financial burden for households. According to the latest federal data, families spend between 9% and 16% of their income on full-day care for just one child, with costs ranging from around $6,500 to more than $15,000 a year.
Workers are now much more likely than in 2022 to say it would be difficult for them to get the kind of job they would want if they were to look for a new one, especially low-income workers. And more than 60% said they are unlikely to look for a new job in the next six months.
Pugel noted the wage gap and lack of options are driving increased labor organizing in the Commonwealth.
"I think what we've seen is a lot of response to that frustration through increased unionization," Pugel observed. "Especially in low-wage service sectors like baristas and bookstores."
According to the Kentucky Center for Statistics, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2% as of December 2024, slightly higher than the national rate. However, Kentucky continues to add new jobs in nonfarm sectors and manufacturing. More than 2 million people contribute to the state's civilian workforce.
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Nurses in Minnesota and other parts of the country are calling attention to an issue felt by many parts of society - the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Last week, thousands of nurses around the U.S. held rallies, demanding the hospital industry ensure safeguards as AI technology finds its way into care settings.
Chris Rubesch, Minnesota Nurses Association President and cardiac nurse from Duluth, said he and his colleagues aren't opposed to AI innovation, but added the rapid pace of adoption requires deep analysis. He said administrators should know they simply can't replace decision-making by humans in critical moments.
"And it's quite common for the computer program that's already built in to accidentally misinterpret a heart rhythm, right? It happens. Machines aren't perfect," he explained.
Researchers have made progress in seeing AI help diagnose certain patients, such as those being treated for skin cancer. However, the Medical Group Management Association says it should still be a complementary tool, noting ethical considerations regarding patient data privacy.
Hospital systems are increasingly dealing with budget pressures, but Rubesch said finding efficiencies shouldn't come at the expense of patient care.
"Health care can't be boiled down to dollars and cents," he continued." These are human lives, not revenue-generating units."
Rubesch added that bargaining units for roughly 15,000 Minnesota nurses will be negotiating new contracts this spring, and he anticipates artificial intelligence will come up in those discussions.
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As President Donald Trump abandons a promise the U.S. made in Paris nearly a decade ago, organized workers across Colorado are joining forces to address a climate emergency which, according to global scientific consensus, threatens the very biosphere needed to sustain life as we know it.
Nate Bernstein, executive director of Climate Jobs Colorado, said today's economy is not working for all Coloradans. He believes ramping up clean energy production can help reduce income and racial inequality.
"As of 2018, we had the highest gap in equality and wealth in over 100 years," Bernstein pointed out. "One way that we can help bridge that gap is by creating good solid union jobs across the state of Colorado."
Trump has issued executive orders to achieve energy dominance by increasing production of oil, gas and coal. When burned, the fossil fuels release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. More than two centuries of industrial pollution has led to rising global temperatures and an increase in catastrophic events including massive wildfires, flooding, prolonged drought and polar vortexes.
Bernstein noted a worker-centered roadmap created in partnership with Cornell University would expand opportunities for high-paying careers to all Coloradans, including workers in rural parts of the state where coal-fired power plants are set to retire as cheaper energy sources come online.
"We know that workers that work in those facilities have the skill set and/or can be trained to operate stable energy like geothermal and other sources," Bernstein explained.
The coalition includes the Amalgamated Transit Union, Colorado AFL-CIO, Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Bernstein added they are working on a bill to end a 1943 law requiring a second, supermajority election to form a union.
"We're continuing to build the coalition to make sure that the laws enacted at the Capitol continue to be favorable for working people as well as the environment," Bernstein emphasized. "All while assuring that we close the gap on racial and economic inequity within our state."
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The Service Employees International Union is joining the AFL-CIO, a move both groups said will make it easier for more workers to unionize.
SEIU is the nation's largest union of health care workers, janitors and security officers, among others. Combined with the AFL-CIO, a federation of more than 60 national and international labor unions, the group now has 15 million members.
Alan Dubinsky, communications director for SEIU Local 49, representing Oregon and Southwest Washington, said the two unions have a history of working together and they share many of the same values.
"We want to unite people across class lines no matter where they live, no matter the color of their skin, who they love, so we can stand up to billionaire interest and corporate greed," Dubinsky explained.
Research shows although only one in 10 workers is currently part of a union, more than 60 million people said they would join a union if they could. In a statement, the AFL-CIO said it will fight for new rules to strengthen the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain.
Recent polls showed unions have near record-high favorability, with 67% of Americans approving of them. Last year had some major wins for labor, including The United Auto Workers, unions representing airline workers, and several Hollywood entertainment unions. Dubinsky noted rights for workers cannot be won alone.
"As working people, we all want the same things," Dubinsky contended. "We want jobs that are going to pay us enough to live. We want accessible, affordable, quality health care for ourselves, for our loved ones. "
When workers organize, research shows wages increase and working conditions improve. In 2024, petitions to form or join a union more than doubled from the previous year.
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