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Work from Home Lunch

Government funding bill clears Congress, heads to Biden’s desk [Video]

Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would meet our obligations and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day’s outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures start now.The House approved Johnson’s new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.This is a good outcome for the country, Johnson said after the House vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.President Joe Biden, who has played a less public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.There will be no government shutdown, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.Trump’s last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldnt be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash federal government and certainly wouldnt allow more debt.Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill? scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.Video below: Get the Facts on the debt ceilingThe drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.Gone is Trumps demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.Its essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans minus Trumps debt ceiling demand.But it’s far smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.House Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans.Who is in charge? she asked during the debate.Still, the Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for the bill’s passage. Almost three dozen conservative Republicans voted against it.The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said after the vote, referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan.In the Senate, almost all the opposition came from the Republicans except independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said Musk’s interference was not democracy, that’s oligarchy.Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump’s not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, Trump posted early in the morning on social media.More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn’t want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation’s borrowing capacity. Now, Johnson will be on the hook to deliver.Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling, Trump posted increasing his demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. “Without this, we should never make a deal.”Government workers had already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of employees and members of the military into the holiday season without paychecks.Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.As the day dragged on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side wont take the blame for it.At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path forward.It wasnt just the shutdown, but the speakers job on the line. The speakers election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.Johnson said he spoke to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job.___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.

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Remote Working Psychology

Why some Amazon drivers are on strike [Video]

Amazon delivery drivers are on strike across the U.S. Those on strike say that 400 packages, long hours and little help are part of a regular day at work.See the story in the video aboveAmazon says that the strike wont have an impact on holiday deliveries, but the thousands of delivery drivers who went on strike are hoping it moves the needle at the massive company.Thousands of delivery drivers walked off the job on Thursday, protesting not just for better working conditions and pay, but also for Amazon to recognize them as company employees.Despite wearing Amazon vests, driving Amazon vans and delivering only Amazon packages, the company does not consider many drivers to be its employees. Rather, Amazon considers them contracted workers through independent third-party companies called Delivery Service Partners.In a statement, Amazon said that its incredibly proud of the DSP program.Weve empowered 4,400 entrepreneurs to build and scale their businesses, which in turn have created 390,000 driving jobs and generated $58 billion in revenue, Nancy Kattel, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement.The tension between Amazon and its delivery drivers boiled over again this week as members of the Teamsters union went on strike at Amazon facilities across New York, Illinois, Georgia and California. The drivers say they are underpaid and overworked.Thomas Hickman, 34, a delivery driver for Amazon in Georgia, told CNN that workdays can be grueling, often taking 12 hours to deliver hundreds of packages with limited breaks.The pay needs to be better. The health insurance needs to be better, Hickman said. We need better working conditions. If we do have 400-plus packages, we need someone to be a helper with us, to ride with us.The Teamsters claims to represent thousands of Amazon workers nationwide. That accounts for less than 1% of the companys U.S. workforce.Amazon said in a statement that the Teamsters do not represent anyone on the Amazon payroll.The Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public claiming that they represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. They dont, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative, said Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon.Long days, little helpHickman, who has been delivering packages for Amazon for four months, said he was excited about the job and wants to enjoy working as a driver. But the excessive deliveries, emphasis on speed and lack of assistance have worn on him to the point where he injured his ankle and leg while on the job.Its been wear and tear on my body, Hickman said. Its been wear and tear on everybodys body.Samantha Thomas, a delivery driver for Amazon for seven months, told CNN that she enjoys delivering packages and meeting people on her routes. Yet, she said, Amazon needs to do more to support its workers.We want for the company to care about us more, so that we can care more about the job were doing and show up better for this job, Thomas said.Ashshura Brooks, 29, began working as a delivery driver at an Amazon warehouse in Skokie, Illinois, in October 2023.Brooks, who has a 7-year-old son, said the job put excessive pressure on her to deliver packages quickly while dealing with long hours and a lack of safety guardrails.For example, she cited one day when she was sent out on a delivery route despite freezing temperatures. Brooks said there was no leniency with the job, contributing to stress.You either sacrifice your safety in order to get things done faster, or you sacrifice your job in order to do things more safely, she said.Brooks said she hopes people who are eager to receive packages for Christmas and Hanukkah can empathize with the drivers demands but primarily, she said she hopes Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, listens to the workers.It is a shame that America, as a society, has come to the place of, We are putting packages and profit over people, Brooks said.These are the same people that are delivering your packages to your customers, and you care too much about the profit that you are not listening to the people who are working for you, Brooks added. And that needs to change.The Teamsters union cites Amazons $2 trillion market value as evidence that the company has more than enough resources to support its workers. Amazon reported a net income of $39.2 billion in the first nine months of this year, more than double for the same period in 2023.The fact of the matter is they make trillions of dollars, and theyre not able to pay us for the work that we do, Hickman said.Amazon says they arent Amazon workersThe debate over the employer-employee relationship has proved fraught in recent years, with legal battles over whether Amazon is considered the drivers employer, responsible for better wages and benefits.Trenton Knight, a delivery driver in Georgia who has driven for Amazon for five months, told CNN that drivers feel neglected because their work-life balance is not respected. He said it is difficult to get a shift, but once assigned, the route often takes the entire day. He said he is striking for better benefits and wages, and for him and his fellow drivers to be recognized as Amazon workers.If we werent their workers, we wouldnt be driving their trucks, we wouldnt be wearing their gear, we wouldnt be delivering their packages, Knight said.CNNs Jaide Timm-Garcia, Isabel Rosales and Chris Isidore contributed to reporting.