Labor

  • A yellowish building with a body of water in front of it, and a hill with a excavator parked in the middle.
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    Courtesy of JCB
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    JCB plans San Antonio factory expansion to dodge Trump’s tariffs

    The U.K.-based heavy machinery manufacturer said the levies will impact its business in the short term.

    By • April 17, 2025
  • A group of people standing on the stairs in front of an industrial building with Nefab signs.
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    Permission granted by Nefab
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    Morris Packaging, Karat Packaging, Nefab, Saica announce expansions

    From warehouses to converting facilities, expansions in the U.S. and Mexico cover a variety of plastic and fiber substrates. Paragon Films, Engineered Foam Packaging and Forming Technologies are among those growing.

    By Katie Pyzyk • April 14, 2025
  • Three people examine envelopes while standing next to an industrial machine.
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    Permission granted by JBM Packaging
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    JBM Packaging brings training program to Ohio prison

    Moving the machine adjuster training program to the London Correctional Institution in Ohio allowed the company to increase participants’ pay. JBM aims to start real-world envelope production at the site soon.

    By Katie Pyzyk • April 9, 2025
  • ICE agent monitors asylum seekers at immigration center
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    David Dee Delgado via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Trump’s immigration enforcement against employers has been gradual. That may soon change.

    Worksite visits and arrests at smaller worksites are already happening. Operations against bigger employers, coupled with the threat of penalties, are likely fast approaching.

    By Ryan Golden • April 8, 2025
  • A worker at NorthCape, an outdoor furniture manufacturer, sews personal protective equipment on March 30, 2020 in Alsip, Illinois. Covid-19 has transformed how manufacturers operate five years later.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    How COVID-19 changed US manufacturing: 5 years later

    After the chaos of the pandemic, manufacturers learned to lean into supplier relationships and supply chain resiliency to avoid future disruptions.

    By • April 7, 2025
  • People wearing masks and sitting at their desks in front of their Apple computers.
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    Courtesy of Apple Inc.
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    Apple, Michigan State University to jointly open manufacturing academy

    The program is part of the iPhone maker’s $10 billion commitment to building advanced manufacturing and skills development nationwide.

    By • April 7, 2025
  • President Donald Trump displays a chart showcasing coming tariff rates at the White House on April 2, 2025.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Strong jobs report doesn’t yet reflect tariff uncertainty, economists say

    If stability remains out of sight, layoffs could be back on the table, a ManpowerGroup executive said.

    By Kathryn Moody • April 7, 2025
  • Machinery inside Graphic Packaging International's Kalamazoo, Michigan, paperboard production plant.
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    Permission granted by Graphic Packaging International
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    Graphic Packaging International to shutter Ohio plant

    The closure of the Middletown coated recycled paperboard manufacturing facility comes months ahead of schedule, cutting 130 workers.

    By Katie Pyzyk • April 2, 2025
  • A construction worker drinks water on a jobsite.
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    CasarsaGuru via Getty Images
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    New Mexico advances heat safety rule

    If passed, the state would be the sixth to implement its own heat-related guidance, after a federal standard appears to have lost steam.

    By Zachary Phillips • April 1, 2025
  • Sign outside Siemens building
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    Joerg Koch via Getty Images
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    Siemens, Wolfspeed announce layoffs in March

    Milgard and SPS Technologies were also among those who disclosed job cuts this past month. 

    By • March 31, 2025
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    (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for Industrious Labs) via Getty Images
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    Cleveland-Cliffs lays off more than 1,200 workers as tariffs hit demand

    A number of North American steel manufacturers are struggling to deal with the impacts of the Trump administration’s trade policy.

    By • March 28, 2025
  • man in a navy suit with a red tie sits hands crossed at a desk with a microphone
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    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
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    Makary confirmed by Senate as FDA commissioner

    The Johns Hopkins surgeon will helm the agency as layoffs loom and important decisions on treatments for rare and infectious diseases await.

    By Jonathan Gardner • March 28, 2025
  • The back of an industrial worker standing in a factory.
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    kyonntra via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Layoffs, furloughs and worksharing: What to know about employment law when business slows down

    Manufacturers should ensure they understand each employee’s classification, as well as their state’s WARN Act regulations, before they need to cut jobs or take other measures, writes Greenberg Glusker’s Wendy Lane. 

    By Wendy Lane • March 28, 2025
  • A large black and orange Mission Solar Energy logo on a building.
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    Courtesy of Mission Solar Energy
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    OCI Holdings plans $235M solar plant expansion in San Antonio

    The company's subsidiary, Mission Solar Energy, is planning to make the new facility eligible for manufacturing tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act.

    By • March 26, 2025
  • Two people with protective eye glasses and gloves working on a solar panel in a factory.
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    Authentic Images via Getty Images
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    Trump repeals Biden-era clean energy manufacturing orders

    The move cuts funding for electric heat pump manufacturing, as well as solar production and biomanufacturing research and development.

    By • March 25, 2025
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sign on a tan building and glass double-doors on the right side.
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    Sara Samora/Manufacturing Dive
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    EPA deregulation efforts could take months or years, experts say

    The federal agency will have to undergo a rigorous process to modify or dismantle the rules as well as potentially face a legal battle.

    By • March 24, 2025
  • A rendering of a gray building in the center surrounded by green landscape.
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    Courtesy of T1 Energy
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    T1 Energy to establish $850M solar cell facility in Texas

    The Austin facility comes as the company, formerly known as Freyr Battery, rebrands and focuses on the build-out of a domestic supply chain.

    By • March 20, 2025
  • The Merck & Co. sign at the company's building in Summit, New Jersey.
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    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
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    Merck to close Pennsylvania plant, lay off 163

    The pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer will conduct three rounds of job cuts starting in May and continuing through 2026.

    By • March 20, 2025
  • Former vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks during a press conference at the Shelby Township Police Department on August 7, 2024.
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    Emily Elconin via Getty Images
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    Small Business Administration launches ‘Made in America’ manufacturing effort

    Vice President JD Vance touted the administration's efforts during a visit to a Michigan plastics factory on Friday.

    By • March 17, 2025
  • Three people in gray sweaters, blue jeans and protect eyewear working on a plane engine.
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    Courtesy of GE Aerospace
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    GE Aerospace to spend nearly $1B on US manufacturing

    The funds will assist the aviation engine maker to increase its safety, quality and delivery across 16 states.

    By • March 13, 2025
  • Sean O'Brien is looking at Lori Chavez-DeRemer
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed as labor secretary

    DOL’s plans are still evolving, though there are hints the agency may be assuming a more pro-worker stance than in certain Republican administrations given support from unions such as the Teamsters.

    By Emilie Shumway • March 12, 2025
  • A blue CNH tractor is seen on a farm
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    Permission granted by CNH
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    CNH lays off nearly 400 as tractor demand wanes

    The workforce reductions at plants in North Dakota and Minnesota are driven by ongoing challenges affecting agricultural machinery companies.

    By • March 11, 2025
  • Protesters hold up signs such as "Fed workers stay strong" and "Federal Workers are American Workers."
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Labor market ‘frozen in place’ amid Trump uncertainty, economists say

    Construction may be the "canary in the coal mine" as tariffs and potential deportations disrupt working activity, UKG’s Edward Hearn said.

    By Kathryn Moody • March 10, 2025
  • Microchip Technology headquarters in Chandler, Arizona
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    Courtesy of Microchip Technology
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    HP, Microchip announce thousands of layoffs

    Frito-Lay and CNH Industrial are also cutting jobs as as President Trump’s trade policies inject uncertainty into global markets.

    By • March 5, 2025
  • A tanker truck with a ladder on the side that driver Viktor Voloshin used to climb to the top. He died after inhaling toxic fumes inside the trailer.
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    Courtesy of Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
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    Fertilizer maker Two Rivers Terminal fined $394K following worker death

    The company is appealing the fine, as well as two other cases brought by the state of Washington related to safety violations.

    By • March 4, 2025