ALEXANDRA OLSON

Business writer

Olson is a business reporter for The Associated Press, focusing on women in the workplace. She has spent many years as a correspondent in Latin America.
FILE - The emblem of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is shown on a podium in Vail, Colo., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Denver. Pregnant workers have the right to a wide range of accommodations under new federal regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The regulations take an expansive view of conditions related to pregnancy, from fertility treatments to abortion and post-childbirth complications. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Morning sickness? Prenatal check-ups? What to know about new rights for pregnant workers
Pregnant workers have the right to a wide range of accommodations under new federal regulations for enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
 
FILE - An exam room is seen inside Planned Parenthood on March 10, 2023, in Fairview Heights, Ill. Workers are entitled to workplace accommodations for abortions and some pregnancy-related conditions under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, according to federal regulations published Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
New rules for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act include divisive accommodations for abortion
Workers are entitled to time off and other job accommodations for abortions under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, according to finalized federal regulations published Monday.
 
Nellie Borrero, Senior Strategic Advisor for Global Inclusion & Diversity at Accenture, is shown in an undated photo. Borrero is author of a new book detailing her 30-year effort to build DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practices at the company. (Brett Deutsch, Deutsch Photography/Accenture via AP).
Insider Q&A: Nellie Borrero recounts 4 decades of addressing racism and bringing change to Accenture
It didn’t take long for Nellie Borrero to encounter racism in 1986 when she joined a major consulting firm that was the predecessor to Accenture.
 
The logo for the Minority Business Development Agency is seen on their website on a computer in New York, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. A federal judge in Texas ordered the 55-year-old U.S. agency that caters to minority-owned businesses to serve people regardless of race, siding with white business owners who claimed the program discriminated against them. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer)
A federal judge has ordered a US minority business agency to serve all races
A federal judge in Texas has ordered a 55-year-old U.S. agency that caters to minority-owned businesses to serve people regardless of race, siding with white business owners who claimed the program discriminated against them.
 
Arian Simone, second left, one of the co-founders and CEOs of The Fearless Fund, walks out of the James Lawrence King Federal Building following a hearing, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Miami. A federal appeals court in Miami heard oral arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit against The Fearless Fund, a small venture capital firm that provides early stage funding to businesses owned by women of color, and which conservative activists are targeting as part of a growing legal backlash against corporate diversity programs. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Grant program for Black women comes under tough questioning in key anti-DEI lawsuit
A small venture capital firm faced tough questions from conservative judges Wednesday as it defended a grant program for Black women-owned businesses in a lawsuit that has become emblematic of a growing legal backlash against corporate diversity programs.
 
File - Conservative activist Edward Blum speaks at a news conference in Washington, June 29, 2023. Blum is citing Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to go after a venture capital fund called Fearless Fund, which invests in businesses owned by women of color. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
DEI opponents are using a 1866 Civil Rights law to challenge equity policies in the workplace
Opponents of diversity programs are increasingly banking on an 1866 civil rights law meant to protect Black people from economic exclusion as a way to challenge corporate diversity and equity policies as well as funding to Black-owned businesses.
 
Sophia Danner-Okotie poses for a portrait in her shared workspace Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Fayetteville, Ga. Danner-Okotie has ambitious plans for her Nigerian-inspired clothing line but a sense of dread has punctured her optimism as she watches a lawsuit try to take down a small venture capital firm that was instrumental to her boutique brand's growth. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
As DEI comes under legal attack, companies quietly alter their programs
Conservative advocates have filed a growing number of legal challenges, encouraged by the Supreme Court’s June ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions.
 
FILE - An Uber sign is displayed inside a car, May 15, 2020, in Chicago. The Biden administration will enact a new labor rule Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for many in the U.S. workforce. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say their drivers won’t be affected
The Biden administration has enacted a new labor rule that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce.
 
Alaska Airlines N704AL, a 737 Max 9 which made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a part of the fuselage broke off mid-flight on Friday, is parked at a maintenance hanger in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
What to know about the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that suffered a blowout
An emergency landing by an Alaska Airlines jetliner has prompted U.S. federal authorities to ground some Boeing 737 Max aircraft, adding another episode to the troubled history of Boeing’s Max lineup of jets.
 
Travellers queue for the Eurostar trains at St Pancras Station in London, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Eurostar was hit Thursday by an unofficial strike in northern France, this led to the cancellation of most services. With full trains leading up to Christmas those travellers affected by the strike will have to find alternative ways to their destination. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Busiest holiday travel season in years is off to a smooth start with few airport delays
The holiday travel rush is hitting its peak as mild weather and lower flight cancelation rates raise hopes for merrier drivers and airline passengers than last year.
 
FILE - Logos for G/O Media and Jezebel are displayed on monitors in New York on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. The irreverent feminist website Jezebel is making a comeback less than a month after it was shut down. Paste Magazine, a digital pop culture publication, announced Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, that it was buying Jezebel.com from G/O Media, which closed it and laid off its staff earlier this month. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Feminist website Jezebel will be relaunched by Paste Magazine less than a month after shutting down
The irreverent feminist website Jezebel is making a comeback less than a month after it was shut down.
 
Shoppers looks at items displayed at the Uniqlo stores in New York on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Retailers are kicking off the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season on Friday with a bevy of discounts and other enticements. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
Retailers offer bigger Black Friday discounts to lure hesitant shoppers hunting for the best deals
Retailers try big discounts and other enticements to lure shoppers to stores for Black Friday. But they worry those may not be enough.
 
Logos for G/O Media and Jezebel are displayed on monitors in New York on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. Jezebel, the sharp-edged feminist website that found an impassioned and devoted following at the height of the blogosphere era but ended up struggling with its business model, is shutting down after 16 years, its parent company, G/O Media, announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Jezebel, an incisive feminist voice since the height of the blogosphere era, is shutting down
Jezebel, the sharp-edged feminist website founded at the height of blogosphere era, is shutting down after 16 years.
 
(AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)
AT&T offers managers a rare benefit: paid time off to care for loved ones
AT&T management employees are entitled to up to 15 days off caregiver leave, which allows them to care for ailing children or other relatives without eating into their vacation or personal sick days.
 
File - Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sits on a podium at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 19, 2023. The fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has spilled into workplaces everywhere. In a LinkedIn post and a letter to employees, Bourla said he has been constantly on the phones with friends and relatives in Israel and expressed his horror of hearing of "civilians of all ages targeted and killed in cold blood, hostages taken and tortured." (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
Company bosses and workers grapple with the fallout of speaking up about the Israel-Hamas war
The fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has spilled into workplaces everywhere, with corporate leaders from the highest ranks of prominent companies weighing in with their views while workers complain their voices are not being heard.
 
Grant program for Black women entrepreneurs blocked by federal appeals court
A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a venture capital firm’s grant program for businesses run by Black women. The 2-1 decision by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S.
 
FILE - Ayana Parsons, right, and Arian Simone, of Fearless Fund, attend a news conference, Aug. 10, 2023, in New York. The venture capital firm that has backed buzzy new companies like restaurant chain Slutty Vegan and beauty brand Live Tinted has become symbolic of the fight over corporate diversity policies since becoming a target of a lawsuit over a grant program for Black women. But the Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
A small venture capital player becomes a symbol in the fight over corporate diversity policies
A venture capital firm that has backed buzzy new companies has become symbolic of the fight over corporate diversity policies.
 
File - Carlos Tavares, Chief Executive Officer of Stellantis, left, and Mike Koval, RAM Brand Chief Executive Officer, introduces the REV Ram 1500 at the New York International Auto Show in New York on April 5, 2023. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain's focus on CEO pay is part of a growing trend as emboldened labor unions cite the widening wealth gap between workers and the top bosses to bolster their demand for higher wages and better working conditions. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
UAW justifies wage demands by pointing to CEO pay raises. So how high were they?
The United Auto Workers union has made CEO pay a central part of their argument for a big worker wage increase.
 
FILE -Julie Su, Acting Labor Secretary, speaks during an impromptu appearance at the "Democracy for the People" tour, a race and democracy summit sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus, Wednesday, July 28, 2023, in Houston. Biden administration proposed a new rule Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, reviving an Obama-era policy effort that was ultimately scuttled in court. “I’ve heard from workers again and again about working long hours, for no extra pay, all while earning low salaries that don’t come anywhere close to compensating them for their sacrifices,” Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a statement. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)
Millions more workers would be entitled to overtime pay under a proposed Biden administration rule
The Biden administration is proposing a new rule that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, reviving an Obama-era policy effort that was ultimately scuttled in court.
 
FILE - A water tower at United States Steel Corp.'s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., is seen, Thursday, May 7, 2020. On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, U.S. Steel said that it rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland Cliffs and was reviewing “strategic alternatives” after receiving several unsolicited offers. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Privately held Esmark makes offer for US Steel, sets up bidding contest for iconic steelmaker
Industrial conglomerate Esmark says it has made an all-cash bid to buy U.S. Steel that values the iconic steelmaker at $7.8 billion.
 
FILE - A water tower at United States Steel Corp.'s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., is seen, Thursday, May 7, 2020. On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, U.S. Steel said that it rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland Cliffs and was reviewing “strategic alternatives” after receiving several unsolicited offers. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
US Steel rejects a $7.3 billion offer from rival Cleveland-Cliffs; considers alternatives
United States Steel Corp. said Sunday that it rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland Cliffs and was reviewing “strategic alternatives” after receiving several unsolicited offers.
 
FILE - UPS teamsters and workers hold a rally, Friday, July 21, 2023, in Atlanta, as a national strike deadline nears. UPS has reached a contract agreement with its 340,000-person strong union Tuesday, July 25, averting a strike that had the potential to disrupt logistics nationwide for businesses and households alike. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Customers want instant gratification. Workers say it’s pushing them to the brink
Drastic changes in consumer demands are driving labor unrest in diverse industries upended by technology.
 
This undated photo provided by Envoy shows Larry Gadea, chief executive officer of the company. Gadea founded the workplace platform a decade ago to solve inefficiencies around front desk management. When the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown offices, the San Francisco-based company had to adapt fast. (Initialized Capital/Envoy via AP)
Hybrid work is evolving but it’s here to stay, says Envoy CEO Larry Gadea
Larry Gadea founded the workplace platform Envoy a decade ago to solve inefficiencies around front desk management.
 
Georgia State University students Kavita Javalagi, left, and Gana Natarajan, second from left, speak with Shetundra Pinkston, during the Startup Student Connection job fair, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Atlanta. For the thousands of workers who'd never experienced upheaval in the tech sector, the recent mass layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta came as a shock. Now they are being courted by long-established employers whose names aren't typically synonymous with tech work, including hotel chains, retailers, investment firms, railroad companies and even the Internal Revenue Service. (AP Photo/Alex Sliz)
Still hiring: Big Tech layoffs give other sectors an opening
The recent mass layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta came as a shock the thousands of workers who’d never experienced upheaval in the tech sector.
 
File - Masons work during hazy conditions in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The haze from Canada's wildfires is taking its toll on outdoor workers along the Eastern U.S. who carried on with their jobs even as dystopian orange skies forced the cancelation of sports events, school field trips and Broadway plays. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Smoke from wildfires, a fact of life in the West, catches outdoor workers off guard in the East
The hazardous haze from Canada’s wildfires is taking its toll on outdoor workers along the Eastern U.S. who carried on with their daily jobs even as dystopian orange skies forced the cancelation of sports events, school field trips and Broadway plays.
 
Editorial members of the Austin American-Statesman's Austin NewsGuild picket along the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, Texas, Monday, June 5, 2023. The mostly one-day strike aims to protest the company's leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Hundreds of journalists strike to demand leadership change at biggest US newspaper chain
Journalists at two dozen local newspapers across the U.S. walked off the job Monday to demand an end to painful cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country’s biggest newspaper chain.
 
(AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)
CEOs got smaller raises. It would still take a typical worker two lifetimes to make their annual pay
After ballooning for years, CEO pay growth is finally slowing. The typical compensation package for chief executives who run S&P 500 companies rose just 0.9% last year, to a median of $14.8 million, according to data analyzed for The AP by Equilar.
 
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla., after being arraigned earlier in the day in New York City. Donald Trump's town hall forum on CNN on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, is the first major TV event of the 2024 presidential campaign, and a big test for the chosen moderator, Kaitlan Collins. The former White House correspondent and now-morning show host must juggle questions from an audience of Republican primary voters, her own follow-ups and the need to fact-check false statements. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
CNN’s town hall quickly turned chaotic, displaying the tightrope facing journalists covering Trump
CNN is facing a backlash over its town hall featuring former President Donald Trump, an event that swiftly turned chaotic in a stark display of the tightrope facing journalists covering a leading 2024 Republican candidate who refuses to play by the rules.
 
A food delivery worker rides in the night along Brooklyn's Bedford Avenue, Friday, April 28, 2023, in New York. Attacks which occurred in Florida last month sent ripples of fear among some app-based delivery workers, who have long demanded better protection from companies whose safety policies they say are bettered geared toward customers than workers. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Attacks on delivery drivers add fears among gig workers
NEW YORK (AP) — A homeowner fired shots at a couple’s car when they mistakenly turned onto his property while making an Instacart delivery.
 
Rahwa Berhe, 30, who considers herself a crypto patron rather than an investor, speaks during an interview, Friday Jan. 27, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Black, Hispanic investors struggle with faith in crypto
NEW YORK (AP) — A software developer twice invested his savings in cryptocurrencies, only to lose it all.
 
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