The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a settlement with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to resolve multiple investigations into the company’s failure to provide timely and appropriate access to mental health and substance use disorder services. The agreement resolves claims that Kaiser failed to maintain adequate provider networks for mental health and substance use disorder…

U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January, surpassing economists’ expectations and marking the strongest monthly gain in several months. The unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.3%, signaling modest improvement in a labor market that has shown signs of stabilization. Health care led job growth with 82,000 new positions, followed by social assistance (42,000) and construction…

Journalists from Italy’s RaiSport television channel are to stage a three-day strike to protest an error-strewn opening ceremony broadcast by RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca. The journalists said Petrecca’s “disastrous coverage” was “embarrassing.” Petrecca welcomed viewers to Rome’s Stadio Olimpico instead of Milan’s San Siro, where Friday’s ceremony was held, before mistaking Kirsty Coventry, president of…

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed ending the right of fired federal employees to dispute their dismissal before the independent Merit Systems Protection Board, according to a government plan released on Monday. Instead, fired workers would need to appeal to OPM, an office whose director reports to U.S. President Donald Trump. The proposal…

The United Steelworkers has approved a national pay and benefits agreement, avoiding a strike that could have hit about 30,000 workers at 26 companies running U.S. refineries and petrochemical plants. Marathon Petroleum negotiated the pattern deal for refiners and chemical producers. Marathon spokesperson Jamal Kheiry said: “We are pleased that Marathon and the USW have…

A federal jury in Phoenix ordered Uber to pay $8.5m to Jaylynn Dean, who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver when she was 19. The jury found the driver was an agent of Uber, making the company liable, but awarded only compensatory damages and no punitive damages. The case was the first bellwether…