Daily Briefing – 121
Cuomo: Two Scenarios Under which Schools Won’t Reopen
At his press conference in New York City yesterday the Governor urged school districts to consult with parents and teachers on reopening plans. Detailed information should be shared with parents and teachers in order for them to trust that reopening can occur safely. The Governor encouraged school districts to set up discussion rooms to answer questions from parents. Most Hudson Valley Districts have done this very well.
The Governor said there are two scenarios in which a school district will not reopen: if the infection rate grows above 5% or if the district has submitted an insufficient plan. There are districts that have not yet submitted plans and others who have submitted plans that do not have enough details. The State is waiting for more details from these districts, and has not yet declined any reopening plan. the Governor has said that the schools reopening decisions will be made this week.
Democrats and Administration Officials Have ‘Productive’ Meeting -Still No Deal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows met for more than two hours at the Capitol. The discussions followed Sunday’s staff-level talks on a package to help rein in a raging pandemic and jolt a flailing U.S. economy. Following the meeting, Pelosi told reporters the discussions were “productive.” She said “we are moving down the track,” but “still have our differences.”
Disagreements over how to structure unemployment insurance have stood in the way of a deal. Democrats have insisted on continuing the $600 weekly sum. They passed a House bill in May to extend the aid into next year. Republicans, who questioned the need for more pandemic relief before they released a proposal last week, want to slash the extra benefit to $200 per week through September. They would then set the aid at 70% wage replacement.
NAM Calls on Manufacturers to Contact Their Representative to Support COVID-19 Relief Package Deal
The NAM policy and government relations team has been working closely with congressional leaders, but unfortunately, talks are still stalled. Manufacturers need to mobilize today to call members of Congress and urge them to come to terms on a package that includes liability protections, tax relief and support for small businesses and the manufacturing supply chain.
NAM has a tool to help you make direct calls phones into your members of Congress today.
Five Strategies to Make Smarter Predictions in the Unpredictable Year Ahead
Demand forecasting — predicting what products or services customers want, how much, and when — is one of the most important disciplines in running a business, dictating decisions on staffing levels, inventory, pricing, supply chain management, and more. As tricky as demand forecasting can be even in the best of times, Covid-19 has blown it to pieces, jumbling normal data patterns and leaving companies uncertain on how to anticipate consumer demand for their products and services.
Complicating matters further, the pandemic is playing out differently in various parts of the world. Countries like Germany and Australia have eased restrictions but are now concerned about a second wave, while New Zealand is mostly virus-free. But in the U.S., at least 22 states paused reopening by the end of June to limit the virus’s spread.
Monday Economic Report: Economy Hitting Covid-19 Speed Bumps
COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed to contain the virus caused an unprecedented decline in economic activity in the second quarter of 2020. After stay-at-home orders for more than 95% of the U.S. population during most of April, data for May and June showed a rapid rebound in economic activity. However, the economy is still running well below pre-crisis levels, and the latest data show the recovery hitting speed bumps.
Monday Economic Report 2020-0803
ISM posts manufacturing index gain for July
The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index climbed to 54.2 in July from 52.6 in June, indicating sustained expansion. The index for new orders jumped to 61.5% from 56.4%, while the production gauge rose to 62.1% from 57.3%. The employment index, meanwhile, edged up to 44.2% from 42.1%, but numbers below 50% signal that companies are still cutting jobs.
The index had fallen to an 11-year low of 41.5% in April during the height of the crisis.
Read the full story at Marketwatch
COVID-19 Employment Litigation Tracker Reveals New York Is A Hotspot For Workplace Claims
The state of New York has not been immune to the fast-growing COVID-19 employment litigation case load. This should come as no surprise to businesses located here, given that New York has been one of the states hit hardest by the pandemic and typically has one of the most voluminous employment litigation dockets. According to the Fisher Phillips COVID-19 Employment Litigation Tracker, a total of 28 cases have been filed in New York state and federal courts as of July 22. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which encompasses Manhattan, leads the pack with 11 cases in its district.
Here are five lessons you can learn from this data from Fisher Phillips
Who Report: Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Double Every Six Weeks
The pandemic continues to accelerate around the globe, with the number of cases doubling every six weeks, the World Health Organization said this weekend as it urged countries around the world to work cooperatively to fight the disease. “The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come,” says WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
