Main Street Dollars

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Retailers plan to add about 450,000 seasonal jobs this holiday season, according to the outlook Challenger, Gray & Christmas released Sept. 23. That would fall below last year’s total of 461,500 seasonal hires, a number Challenger had already flagged as the smallest holiday hiring season since 2008. If the 450,000 forecast holds, retailers will have…

Paychecks lost ground to prices as real hourly earnings fell 0.3% over the year

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Average hourly pay is still climbing in dollar terms, but not as fast as prices are. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Sept. 11 that real average hourly earnings, pay adjusted for inflation, fell 0.3% over the twelve months ending in August 2026. The dip means a typical hour of work bought slightly less…

Civilian federal workers would see no 2027 raise under Trump’s pay plan, while active-duty troops would get 5% to 7%

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Civilian federal employees would not get a base or locality pay increase in 2027 under an alternative pay plan sent to Congress in late August. The same letter proposes raises of 5% to 7% for active-duty troops depending on experience, 3.6% for other uniformed service members and 3.8% for federal law enforcement officers. Nothing here…

Amazon’s front-line workers get 20% off at Whole Foods stores and fee-free bank accounts with up to $300 a year in ATM refunds

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Amazon is giving its core-operations employees a 20% discount on purchases made inside Whole Foods Market stores, on top of a 10% discount on Whole Foods grocery orders placed online, starting Oct. 1. The same Sept. 16 announcement adds a banking benefit with $0 overdraft fees and $0 monthly maintenance fees, plus up to $300…

Logistics company Exel will pay $80,000 to settle an EEOC disability lawsuit

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in Workplace Rights

Logistics company Exel Inc., which operates as DHL Supply Chain in the United States, has agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a federal lawsuit accusing it of denying a disability accommodation to a temporary employee and then excluding her from permanent hiring. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement this week following a case…

Mayo Clinic will pay $50,000 in an EEOC suit over a COVID vaccine religious accommodation

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in Workplace Rights

Mayo Clinic has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the health system of illegally denying a security guard’s request for a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The settlement, announced this week by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, closes a case that traces back to a vaccine policy Mayo put…

Denver’s minimum wage climbs to $19.84 an hour in 2027

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Denver’s citywide minimum wage will rise to $19.84 an hour on January 1, 2027, keeping the city’s wage floor well above the rate that applies across the rest of Colorado. The increase comes from a separate city formula, not the state’s own annual adjustment, which is why Denver’s minimum wage has moved on a different…

Colorado’s tipped minimum wage rises to $12.69 an hour in 2027

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Colorado’s tipped workers will see their guaranteed base wage climb to $12.69 an hour starting January 1, 2027, under the annual adjustment the state’s labor department just announced. The increase moves in step with a larger statewide minimum-wage change that touches every hourly worker in Colorado, not only those who earn tips. For servers, bartenders…

Democrats’ FAIR Act would give federal workers a 4.1% raise in 2027 instead of the pay freeze in Trump’s plan

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Two competing plans for federal civilian pay in 2027 are moving through Washington at the same time, and only one of them can take effect without a new law passing. A pay freeze proposed by President Trump is on track to become the default rate for most civilian federal employees, while a Democratic bill promising…

Kentucky’s new jobless claims rose by 1,041 in a week on manufacturing layoffs, while the national count fell to 197,000

Sep 25, 2026

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