As artificial intelligence and demographic changes reshape the U.S. job market, the nation’s largest private employer is trying to identify the skills its workers and the broader labor force might need for the future. Walmart is working with other corporations and workforce experts to develop and fill jobs that don't require a college degree. In an interview with The Associated Press, CEO Doug McMillon said he thinks a lot of Americans don't know they can get trained and make a good living as truck drivers and maintenance technicians. He also said he thinks artificial intelligence has the capacity to change every job and people should embrace AI tools instead of resist them.

The lawyer for a former Denver elections worker who says she lost her job after speaking to comedian Jon Stewart about her concerns for the safety of poll workers has settled a lawsuit alleging the city violated her First Amendment rights. He said Denver paid $65,000 to Virgina Chau this week to settle the lawsuit. She made her comments during a panel discussion on the short-lived streaming show “The Problem with Jon Stewart” in 2022. A copy of the settlement says Denver denied any wrongdoing. Representatives of the city attorney's office and the elections office didn't immediately comment.

The federal Bureau of Prisons it is canceling a collective bargaining agreement with its workers and stripping them of union rights, the latest move by the Trump administration to gut labor protections for federal employees. Director William Marshall told the agency’s nearly 35,000 employees on Thursday that the union had become “an obstacle to progress instead of a partner in it.” The contract, he said, “too often slowed or prevented” changes meant to improve safety and morale. The union’s president, Brandy Moore-White, said ending the contract, which was supposed to run through May 2029, will jeopardize the safety and livelihoods of workers who endure dangerous conditions to keep inmates, staff and communities safe. She said, “We will absolutely fight this tooth and nail!”

The nation’s largest railroad union endorsed Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern Monday after securing promises to protect jobs. Other unions and chemical makers that rely on the railroads are still expressing concerns about the deal. The SMART-TD union that represents conductors and other rail workers said Union Pacific promised not to lay off any of its workers as a result of the merger and protect their jobs throughout their careers. But the head of one of the next biggest unions said he doesn’t think this deal does nearly enough to protect rail jobs, so he’s not ready to support the merger.

Starbucks workers are taking legal action against the coffee giant, saying it violated the law when it changed its dress code but refused to reimburse employees who had to buy new clothes. The employees are backed by the union organizing Starbucks’ workers. They filed class-action lawsuits in state court in Illinois and Colorado Wednesday, and complaints with California’s labor agency. Starbucks’ new dress code went into effect May 12. The company has said its dress code will create a sense of familiarity with customers and make stores more welcoming. But some employees say they had to spend more than $100 on new clothes.

Amazon says it’s investing $1 billion to raise wages and lower the cost of health care plans for its U.S. fulfillment and transportation workers. The Seattle-based company said Wednesday that the average pay is increasing to more than $23 per hour. Some of its most tenured employees will see an increase between $1.10 and $1.90 per hour and full-time employees, on average, will see their pay increase by $1,600 per year. Amazon also said it will lower the cost of its entry health care plan to $5 per week and $5 for co-pays, starting next year. Amazon said that will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and co-pays by 87% for primary care, mental health and most non-specialist visits for employees using the basic plan.

The world’s fondness for matcha is about to be tested by steep price increases. Global demand for the powdered tea has skyrocketed around the world, fueled by consumer interest in its health benefits and by the bright green matcha lattes bubbling up on social media. But the matcha market is troubled. In Japan, one of the biggest matcha producers, poor weather reduced this year’s harvest. Matcha is still plentiful in China, another major producer, but labor shortages and high demand have also raised prices there. U.S. tariffs are also making matcha more expensive for Americans.

A judge has ruled that the Trump administration's central human resources office acted illegally when it directed the mass firings of thousands of probationary workers. U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said Friday the Office of Personnel Management exceeded its authority. He said he did not believe the government's argument that the office was merely offering guidance to federal agencies. More than 25,000 probationary workers were terminated soon after President Donald Trump took office in January, as part of his efforts to downsize the federal workforce. The judge ordered agencies to update personnel records to show that employees were not terminated for poor performance.

In the days following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, numerous workers have been fired for their comments on his death, among them MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd. It’s not the first time workers have lost their jobs over social media posts. Laws can vary across states, but overall, there’s very little legal protections for employees who are punished for speech made both in and out of private workplaces. And the prevalence of social media has made it increasingly common to track employees’ conduct outside of work.