Civil Rights News: Record Number of Seniors Working; Bloomberg on NYC Education; Republicans’ Delay Tactics

Record Number of Americans 55 and Older are Working
By Michael Winter, USA Today

Government figures report people 75 years and older being employed more than ever before. Fear of retirement savings not being enough is creating an unequal distribution of workers in the market, with a 6.5 million drop in workers 25 to 54 years old and an increasing 3.1 in the elderly stage.

Mayor Takes On Teachers’ Union in School Plans
By David W. Chen and Anna M. Phillips

According to the president of the United Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is living in a “fantasy education world” trying to impose his ideas onto the education world.
Mayor Blomberg is determined to restore the city’s long-struggling schools by proposing a merit-pay system awarding top performers with raises and pressuring those working in failing schools with shutdowns. Controversies among officials are taking place regarding his proposals. However Bloomberg intends to devote much of the next two years to this matter.

Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Delayed
By Aamer Madhani, USA Today

Influenced by the major U.S. airlines, House Republican leaders delayed a long-term reauthorization of a federal trade bank to increase its lending cap by $35 billion. The Export-Import Bank played a key role in President Obama’s jobs plan and failure to increase the lending cap could lead to the loss of countless U.S. jobs
In this regard, Airlines for America (AFA) insists that Congress make essential changes that benefit U.S. airlines over foreign carriers to eliminate any market distortion.

Compiled by Isabella Acosta-Rubio, a Spring 2012 intern