Workplace Issues Today

"Nobody is saying, 'I'm so poor, please help me.' . . . I have a swimming pool. I have nice shoes." -Singer Courtney Love in an address to a panel of California state legislators about the injustice of contracts that bind musicians to record labels for more than seven years

See Your Labor Quote of the Week, JENIFER WARREN, Los Angeles Times, Sep 5 2001

An EMS worker in Washington D.C. has filed a complaint alleging that she was encouraged by a superior to have an abortion because her pregnancy would not be covered by medical leave. Several other women have come forward and said that they also had abortions because they were told that they would lose their jobs if they did not. While looking into this matter, union officials found out about a letter sent to female Fire Department applicants warning them that they would not be hired if a pregnancy test administered as part of their physical came up positive. City official have announced that they are reconsidering the use of pregnancy tests in the physical.

See D.C. Emergency Services Under Fire for Alleged Discrimination., Andrew DeMillo, The Washington Post, Sep 4 2001

Ten buses daily travel the immigrant trails linking Mexicans to states such as Illinois, Arkansas, Georgia and the Carolinas. The U.S. and Mexican governments recognize that the immigrants constantly flow between the two countries. Mexican President Vicente Fox will meet with President Bush to continue their immigration discussion.

See Frequent immigration to be discussed., Teresa Puente, Chicago Tribune, Sep 3 2001

An uncertain job market has not changed the average US worker's willingness to change jobs. Corporate America has been trying to keep employees happy however more than a third of workers plan to leave their job within the next two years. The lack of loyalty is almost unchanged from the economic boom days of 1999.

See Workers willing to change jobs., Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press, Sep 3 2001

Israel accused the Arabs of encouraging racial hatred and using the United Nations meeting for political ends. Diplomats are trying to find middle ground between Arab and Islamic states to have all Israeli action in the West Bank and Gaza Strip condemned.

See Racial accusations between Israel and Arabs., The New York Times, Reuters, Sep 2 2001

The United States signed an international trade agreement to reduce farmer subsidies. Lawmakers trying to increase the subsidies are now halted because of these World Trade Organization limits. The budget problem created by the dwindling surplus could force lawmakers to find other items to cut to offset some payments in the farm bill.

See Farmer subsidies to be reduced., ELIZABETH BECKER, The New York Times, Aug 30 2001

American workers are increasingly worried about their employers as the economy continues to slow down. Workers express concerns about their jobs with little or no trust that employers will treat them fairly. Downsizing of the American workforce and the globalization of the economy have severely hurt their bond.

See Employers less trusted., Frank Swoboda, The Washington Post, Aug 30 2001

The members of the Writers Guild of America are planning to picket outside the Burbank studios of the cable network Nickelodeon. The union complains that network supervisors have been obstructing efforts to organize writers' animated shows. Guild leaders are seeking to extend union coverage to writers of all prime-time animation shows.

See Writers Guild of America to picket against Nickelodeon network., MEG JAMES, Los Angeles Times, Aug 29 2001

The Detroit Ford Motor Company will not give bonuses this year to 6,000 top executives and managers. The company profits have shrunk under pressure from declining sales and the Firestone tire recall. Foreign automakers have stepped up as Ford's market share has fallen.

See Ford cuts bonuses., The New York Times, Reuters, Aug 28 2001

Indiana University previously offered a generous retirement plan to attract and retain faculty members. The program was not checked or financed for 30 years. Now the university faces $2 billion in payments to professors who no longer teach. It was eliminated in 1989 when officials recognized the high impending costs.

See University struggles to fund retirement program., The New York Times, The Associated Press, Aug 28 2001

More people than ever before are choosing alternate work to better fit their daily schedules. They are independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary help agency personnel and contract company workers. The reason for this flexibility is the desire of workers to balance both work and personal demands.

See Workers choose flexible work schedules., Carol Kleiman, Chicago Tribune, Aug 27 2001

America's national security interests are greatly affected by the steel industry. However, the American workers are not protected from cheaper foreign imports that have already led to the closing of at least 18 Steel plants. Bush launched an investigation into the impact foreign competition is having on the American industry.

See The steel industry is crucial., Bob Kemper, Chicago Tribune, Aug 26 2001

There has been a gain of two million new jobs in the United States over the past year. The diverse economy reflects that certain industries are still raising output even though others are falling. Hiring is increasing in mining firms, mortgage banks, health services, oil companies, insurance providers, and electric utilities. Although layoffs are still occurring, they are mostly centered in manufacturing and temporary services.

See American jobs are increasing., Ron Scherer, The Christian Science Monitor, Aug 26 2001

President Bush is working to legalize the labor of illegal immigrants in the United States. He hopes to have the plan established within the next month without amnesty. Suggestions are to grant 3 million illegal immigrants who have been living in the United States guest worker status and eventual legal residency.

See Citizenship for illegal immigrants., International Herald Tribune, Reuters, Aug 23 2001

The United Automobile Workers union is looking to unionize a Nissan factory in Nashville, Tennessee. A majority of the factory production and maintenance workers have signed cards seeking a union to obtain a safer environment and more dignity. There has not been an election at a foreign-owned auto assembly plant in the United States in the last twelve years. If the union wins the vote it would be the first time the UAW has ever organized a foreign-owned assembly plant.

See The UAW looks to unionize a Nissan plant., Keith Bradsher, The New York Times, Aug 22 2001

The boom in Hispanic immigration has brought a sudden influx of day laborers to Los Angeles and Miami. Many citizens are growing frustrated by the numbers of idle people who sit on the street corners waiting for work in jobs such as landscaping or construction. However, nearly 2/3 of the residents in some of the towns are Hispanic immigrants themselves. The attitude of the two Hispanic groups is split between their similar identification and a distance felt toward those less integrated into American society.

See Hispanic immigrants on the rise impact American workers., Nurith C. Aizenman, The Washington Post, Aug 21 2001

With the collapse of the old state industries in China, private and foreign companies are settling in. Workers in these factories are laboring long hours under illegal conditions. Instability is high with protests, wildcat strikes and disputes over unpaid pensions, corruption, and intolerable hazards. Unions are strung by tight political control and are mandated to simply help the workers adjust to the changes being made. The government is looking to grow out of the problem as the benefits of the economy spread.

See Worker violations in China., ERIK ECKHOLM, The New York Times, Aug 21 2001

Recently, the West Coast blackouts have renewed the debate about the nation's energy policy and resulted in the planning of new coal-burning power plants. However, there is concern that there may be a labor shortage of mine workers. Former mine workers have taken other jobs and their children have moved out of coal mining areas to work in safer and more stable jobs. Union leaders welcome the comeback of the industry but they hope to address concerns about the working conditions.

See Illinois coal mining coming back after years of desolation., Flynn McRoberts, Chicago Tribune, Aug 20 2001

The European arm of General Motors has agreed to work with labor representatives to implement a turnaround plan without forced layoffs or factory closures. The General Motors German unit Opel booked a record loss of $460 million in 2000, dragging GM Europe to an overall loss of $257 million. In an attempt to break their downward spiral and return to profit, General Motors announced the shedding of thousands of jobs and the closing of one of their 13 car plants last week. Component factories and other businesses are also to be sold or joined with outside suppliers. Details of the agreement between GM Europe's works council and the company are yet to be worked out.

See General Motors is looking to gain profit while continuing worker friendly policies., The New York Times, The Associated Press, Aug 19 2001

Despite an agreement arranged in a peace process in Koidu, Sierra Leone, between the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the government, the RUF are using the forced labor of children and young men to mine diamonds. UN officials claim that their presence in the country is to enforce a cease-fire and they are not going to help enforce the mining ban. They also claim that it would take away the only means of wealth the impoverished town has, and that the task would be both dangerous and difficult. International outrage is occurring as the rebels continually find ways to mine diamonds and illegally smuggle them out of the country.

See Sierra Leone is under turmoil over mining and the UN is firmly avoiding interaction., Douglas Farah, The Washington Post, Aug 19 2001

In an attempt to reduce the growing unemployment level, the Chinese government has decided to eliminate the labor permit system, known as hukou. The system allocates each Chinese citizen to a home district and is tied to their welfare benefits, medical treatment, and housing. The system has been breaking down in recent years as rural Chinese migrated to cities in seek of employment.

See Chinese government eliminating labor permit system to reduce unemployment., BBC, BBC News Online, Aug 16 2001

Overseas work has become a way of life for Filipinos, the government estimates up to 10 percent of the country's 75 million people are overseas. The migrant workers provide an important source of income for the poor nation, sending almost $6 billion home last year. The social costs of this migration are great; children orphaned by parents working overseas, separated families, and the loss of well-educated Filipinos. The migrants also face difficult working conditions, long hours, low pay, and for many women, sexual harassment.

See Filipinos pay the social costs to meet the demand for foreign workers., Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune, Aug 15 2001

A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, shows that the poverty rate for families headed by single, working women stayed the same from 1995 to 1999, despite a booming economy. During the same period, the poverty rate for all families decreased from 13% to 10.6%. Critics argue that the welfare-to-work program is not helping families and that changes need to be made to reward people who work by providing more support services. Supporters argue that a reduction in poverty was not the goal of welfare reform, but instead it was to cut the welfare roles, which it has done.

See Welfare-to-work programs may need to do more to help families headed by single, working women., Jonathan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, Aug 15 2001

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report on Tuesday that showed workplace deaths falling by 2% last year. The report also showed an increase in the fatal injuries among Hispanic workers, this was caused in part by a 24% increase in deaths in construction. The number of job-related homicides increased but was still 37% lower than the all time high reported in 1994.

See Bureau of Labor Statistics releases report on workplace deaths., REUTERS, The New York Times, Aug 14 2001

As President Bush decides on the issue of guest worker programs and legalization for illegal immigrants the issue of immigration is becoming a hot topic again. It is uncertain if the slowing economy and layoffs will affect the generally positive view most Americans adopted towards immigration in the last decade. The positive view is shared by labor unions, like the AFL-CIO, as new immigrants have helped to offset dwindling membership numbers.

See Immigration debate heats up., Howard LaFranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, Aug 13 2001

A federal judge has ruled that the State of Maryland can negotiate agreements with labor unions for the construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The negotiations have been on hold since February when President Bush issued an executive order banning special labor agreements, which require contractors to follow union-negotiated accords in federal construction projects. It is likely the federal government will seek an appeal of the judge’s ruling.

See Bush’s executive order banning project labor agreements is challenged., Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post, Aug 13 2001

A worker owned, all female sewing cooperative called a maquila, is emerging as a viable alternative to sweatshops for U.S. clothing manufacturers. The Nueva Vida Women’s Maquila Cooperative is the first of its kind in Nicaragua. The worker-owners earn a wage well above the legal minimum and avoid the labor abuses long associated with sweatshops. The Cooperative plans on expanding their numbers to gain free trade status and attract more foreign companies.

See All female sewing cooperative emerging as a viable alternative to sweatshops., Catherine Elton, The Christian Science Monitor, Aug 12 2001

Organized labor spoke out against a temporary work program for Mexican immigrants proposed by the Bush Administration. The union coalition advocates legalization for millions of immigrant workers now living in the U.S. illegally. The Bush administration is considering granting guest-worker status and eventually legal residency to the Mexican workers. The workers represent potential new voters for Bush and new members for organized labor. The opportunity to increase union membership has prompted the AFL-CIO to reverse is long held stance that immigrant workers are a threat to American jobs.

See Union coalition speaks out against Mexican temporary work program., The New York Times, The Associated Press, Aug 10 2001

The Netherlands economic success has caused a shortage of workers in almost every industry. The Dutch unemployment rate is only 2% in comparison with the rest of Europe, which struggles with high unemployment. The shortage has caused some creative recruiting strategies and is forcing the Dutch to change their immigration policy to allow more immigrant workers into the country.

See Netherlands suffering from chronic shortage of workers., Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Service, International Herald Tribune, Aug 10 2001

Judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have joined the growing number of workers revolting against employer computer monitoring by disabling the software installed to detect the downloading of material deemed improper by their employer. Leonidas Ralph Mecham, who is in charge of the Administrative Offices of the Courts, had the software installed after a study showed that as much as 7% of the network traffic was not work related. It is an interesting twist, as these judges are facing the same issue in the courtroom -- employers’ rights versus employees’ privacy protections in the electronic workplace.

See Judges join other workers in concerns over employer computer monitoring., Neil A. Lewis, New York Times Service, International Herald Tribune, Aug 8 2001

Discouraged with the progress made in improving workers conditions in factories around the world, labor unions have joined together with religious groups and others to form a new coalition dedicated to the fight against sweatshops. The coalition’s campaign began with a protest march in Manhattan followed by demonstrations in front of apparel stores in SoHo. Spokespeople for the apparel companies objected to being singled out and stated that they are careful in their selection of socially responsible suppliers.

See A new coalition unites to fight against overseas sweatshops., Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, Aug 7 2001

The use of training programs that use computers to educate employees about issues such as sexual harassment and other forms of illegal discrimination is increasing. Computer programs provide a welcome alternative to the old style lecture by using interesting interactive characters and pop quizzes that require attention to the material. The flexibility the new programs provide eliminate the need to coordinate large meetings and employees can use the programs from their desks or at home, which is a plus for large multinational companies.

See Elearning: More than just training – a new way to protect against lawsuits., Jonathan D. Glater, The New York Times, Aug 7 2001

Until the 1980’s, layoffs hit blue-collar workers the hardest, leaving white-collar workers relatively unscathed. For the past decade, however, white-collar workers have been just as likely if not more likely to lose their jobs than blue-collar workers. The change is due in part to a shift in employment from the manufacturing sector to the service sector as well as a blurring distinction between blue and white-collar workers.

See White-collar workers feel the effects of economic downturn., David R. Francis, The Christian Science Monitor, Aug 6 2001

The Immigration and Naturalization Services’ use of employer sanctions to deter illegal immigrant workers has failed in practice, prompting the INS to reevaluate its immigration strategies. The INS has quietly slashed its work site enforcement by as much as 97% over the past two years. Employer sanctions have been ineffective because of “a booming market in phony documents, the needs of employers to fill their job openings, widespread resistance to the creation of a national identification card … and politics.”

See Employer sanctions fail to deter illegal immigrants., Jonathan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, Aug 5 2001

Statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the country is undergoing a transformation in language and employment. The figures indicate a growing number of foreign-born Americans and a growing share of people who speak little or no English. The number of families whose mothers work but the fathers do not has increased 70 percent since the last decade, and technology has enabled an increasing number of people to work at home—an under-estimated 4 million total.

See Census reveals that broad social and economic forces are shaping the country., D’Vera Cohn and Sarah Cohen, The Washington Post, Aug 5 2001

The minimum wage has historically been a contentious issue, but the Economic Policy Institute estimates that only 9% of American workers earn the federal minimum wage—putting the relevancy of the minimum wage in question. One explanation may be that states have the ability to mandate higher minimum wages within the state, thus alleviating the pressure of the federal government to do so. Other explanations may include the reduced stature of labor unions, the cooling of inflation, and tight labor markets.

See Many employers pay more than the minimum wage., Russ Wiles, USA Today, Aug 2 2001

Wireless Internet may be the next technological advance to revolutionize the workplace, but it will have to pass one of its first social challenges—being a distraction to workers in meetings. Etiquette experts and senior executives are pointing out that many attendants of technology conferences and internal office meetings tune out speakers because they are surfing the web or sending e-mail. Some say that wireless Internet improves efficiency and allows workers to “multi-task,” but many companies say that it is impossible for people to pay attention to a speaker when they have access to a constant stream of incoming e-mail.

See Wireless Internet both a convenience and annoyance., Rachel Konrad, The New York Times, Aug 1 2001

Wal-Mart recently terminated an arrangement it had with a non-profit group to hire mentally disabled workers, citing a corporate policy against using outside employment agencies. The arrangement, typically called an “enclave” arrangement, provided Wal-Mart with workers and a job coach to help the mentally disabled perform their jobs effectively. While Wal-Mart claims it has offered interviews for direct employment to the workers whose jobs were terminated, the company is facing growing criticism of its treatment of disabled workers.

See Arrangement to hire disabled workers at Wal-Mart is terminated., Sarah Schafer and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Aug 1 2001

Recent census figures indicate that the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is a record 6 to 9 million, and along with the increase in the illegal immigrant population, benefits for the immigrants are also increasing. Some states and communities reason that unequal treatment of illegal immigrants posses too great a threat to public order and safety, so they have eased requirements for obtaining a driver’s license and allowed illegal immigrants to qualify for cheaper college tuition. Proponents of such actions are afraid of having unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road and argue that society is hurt when teenagers drop out of school due to financial difficulty, but opponents say that such measures only reward law-breakers.

See In a reversed trend, benefits for illegal immigrants grow., Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post, Jul 31 2001

Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations faculty member Lance Compa argues that labor rights belong in trade agreements.

See Faculty Feature:, Lance Compa, The Washington Post, Jul 31 2001

According to one company who allows employees to “buy” and “sell” up to four vacation days a year, only 14% of U.S. businesses offer this unusual benefit. The program, called the Time Off Program, puts employees in charge of managing their traditional vacation time, floating holidays and sick leaves by allowing them to “buy” additional days off without pay or “sell” unused vacation days for pay. The program emerged from a survey conducted by the company to assess work/ life benefits and requests by employees to increase work flexibility.

See Company benefit allows employees to trade time for money., Carol Kleiman, Chicago Tribune, Jul 30 2001

Caring for aging relatives or spouses can be emotionally and physically taxing on workers but many companies have no policies in place to assist their care-giving employees. The assistance is becoming increasingly important as the population ages—the National Council on Aging estimates that by 2040, 40% of the workforce may be caring for older parents. Companies may not be providing support simply because they are unaware of how many workers are caregivers—the Human Resource Institute and Boomerang, a private company, conducted a survey of 150 large employers and found that most companies don’t have accurate data on the number of caregivers among their employees.

See Employees who must care for relatives or spouses have difficulty hanging on to career., Anita Bruzzese, USA Today, Jul 29 2001

Despite the relatively low unemployment rate of 4.5 percent in June, job seekers are having a difficult time finding employment, and recent events suggest that the worst is yet to come. Sales of automobiles, homes and retail goods have sustained the economy, but further job losses could lead to a drop in consumer spending. The job market varies across regions, industries and skill levels—with the telecommunications, technology and manufacturing sectors and their corresponding regions faring the worst.

See Unemployed have difficulty finding jobs., Philip Andrew Klein, The Washington Post, Jul 29 2001

Judge James M. Rosenbaum, chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, says that the new “legal principle” that allows employers to conduct unrestricted searches on workers’ computers should be reexamined. Employers say that carte blanche employer searches are necessary to detect and stop productivity losses, prevent a hostile work environment, and protect trade secrets. Judge Rosenbaum, however, argues that just as a company cannot visit an employee’s home and search all documents written with a company pen, employers should not possess unrestricted power to search company computers.

See Judge says computer privacy at work should be reexamined., Carl S. Kaplan, The New York Times, Jul 26 2001

A survey by a nonprofit research and advisory organization in New York of seven major securities firms reports that women are dissatisfied with the progress of efforts to help women advance in the industry. While most of the respondents affirmed that they were engaging in challenging work and received generous compensation, they also indicated that it was difficult for women to get ahead, and in many cases, they work in an environment where crude or sexist remarks are tolerated. Moreover, the survey also suggests that women in the securities industry make many personal sacrifices due to the difficulty of balancing family and work life.

See Survey indicates that women on Wall Street find securities industry inhospitable., Reed Abelson, The New York Times, Jul 25 2001

A Bush administration proposal to grant amnesty to more than a million illegal Mexican immigrants has stirred controversy among millions of other non-Mexican immigrants. Under the proposal, some illegal Mexican immigrants would be granted legal residency if they lived and worked for a certain period of time and future immigrants would be able to attain legal residency through a guest-worker program. Minority groups are protesting the special treatment Mexicans are receiving due to Mexico’s proximity to the United States and Bush’s hopes to "score a foreign-policy triumph" with Mexican President, Vicente Fox.

See Minority groups angered over Bush’s proposal to grant residency to Mexican workers., Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, Jul 25 2001

Community groups from cities such as Chicago and New York will meet in Los Angeles on Thursday for the first national conference of day laborers to discuss organizing the estimated 2 million day laborers in the United States. Due to the illegal status and informal work contract of many day laborers, the workers are subject to the whims of their employers. Day laborers hope to establish a national day laborers union to set wage standards, provide health care, offer job training and assist with immigration issues, but they walk a fine line by heightening their visibility, potentially drawing the attention of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Internal Revenue Service.

See Day laborers will meet Thursday to discuss national day laborers union., Stephen Manning, The Washington Post, Jul 24 2001

A study to be released today by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, says that despite the boom, many families in America are struggling to meet expenses. The study calculated a “basic family budget” for various regions across the country and determined, for example, that in the District of Columbia, a two-child family needed $49,218 a year to meet basic expenses, which is far above the $17,463 poverty line determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. One of the authors of the study say that rising housing and child care costs have put many working class families in a situation in which it is difficult to enjoy a “decent standard of living.”

See Study finds many working class families struggling., Sara Kehaulani Goo, The Washington Post, Jul 23 2001

Stockbrokers in India went on a one-day strike today to protest market regulator’s efforts to force stockbrokers to settle trades on the same day they are made. The market regulator banned the practice of badla, which allowed customers to postpone stock payments to allow them time to borrow money from brokers, but critics say the system allowed big traders to manipulate stock prices without risking their own money. The regulator’s changes are a part of a series of reforms to tame the volatile stock markets, which have recently “driven investors to bankruptcy and suicide.”

See Brokers in India strike over market reform., Saritha Rai, The New York Times, Jul 23 2001