Smlr_net April 2007

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NYTimes.com: Another Economic Disconnect
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 30 Apr '07

30 Apr '07

This page was sent to you by: sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu. OPINION | April 30, 2007 Op-Ed Columnist: Another Economic Disconnect By PAUL KRUGMAN In the Bush years high profits haven't led to high investment, and rising productivity hasn't led to rising wages. http://select.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/opinion/30krugman.html?ex=1178078400&e… New! Access to this article is available for free to non-TimesSelect subscribers for up to 24 hours after the e-mail is sent. TimesSelect (http://www.nytimes.com/ts) is a premium service from The New York Times. ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

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Feelings mixed as marches near
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 29 Apr '07

29 Apr '07

This story was sent to you by: eugene mcelroy -------------------- Feelings mixed as marches near -------------------- May Day plans stir both eagerness and concern. L.A. braces for throngs at the two events, which reflect the splintering of migrant-rights activists. By Teresa Watanabe and Francisco Vara-Orta Times Staff Writers April 29 2007 City officials are bracing for thousands of marchers to converge Tuesday on Central Los Angeles in two separate May Day rallies for immigration reform and labor rights, gatherings that are stirring anticipation among immigrant-rights advocates but anxiety, even anger, among some business owners. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-march29apr29,0,3761988.story?coll=l… Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com

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[IWS] CRS: IMMIGRATION OF FOREIGN WORKERS: LABOR MARKET TESTS & PROTECTIONS [24 April 2007]]
by Eugene McElroy 27 Apr '07

27 Apr '07

Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections April 24, 2007 Ruth Ellen Wasem, Specialist in Immigration Policy, Domestic Social Policy Division http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33977_20070424.pdf [full-text, 24 pages] Summary Many business people have expressed concern that a scarcity of labor in certain sectors may curtail the pace of economic growth. A leading legislative response to skills mismatches and labor shortages has been to increase the supply of foreign workers. While the demand for more skilled and highly-trained foreign workers has garnered much of the attention in recent years, there has also been pressure to increase unskilled temporary foreign workers, commonly referred to as guest workers. Those opposing increases in foreign workers assert that there is no compelling evidence of labor shortages. Opponents maintain that salaries and compensation would be rising if there is a labor shortage and if employers wanted to attract qualified U.S. workers. Some allege that employers prefer guest workers because they are less demanding in terms of wages and working conditions, and that expanding guest worker visas would have a deleterious effect on U.S. workers. The number of foreign workers entering the United States legally has notably increased over the past decade. The number of employment-based legal permanent residents (LPRs) has grown from under 100,000 in FY1994 to over 250,000 in FY2005. The number of visas for employment-based temporary nonimmigrants rose from just under 600,000 in FY1994 to approximately 1.2 million in FY2005. In particular, "H" visas for temporary workers tripled from 98,030 in FY1994 to 321,336 in FY2005. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) bars the admission of any alien who seeks to enter the U.S. to perform skilled or unskilled labor, unless it is determined that (1) there are not sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available; and (2) the employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the United States. The foreign labor certification program in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is responsible for ensuring that foreign workers do not displace or adversely affect working conditions of U.S. workers. President George W. Bush has stated that comprehensive immigration reform is a top priority of his second term. His principles of reform include a major overhaul of temporary worker visas, expansion of permanent legal immigration and revisions to the process of determining whether foreign workers are needed. These issues were addressed in legislation (S. 2611) passed by the Senate in the 109th Congress and are emerging again in the 110th Congress. The challenge inherent in this policy debate is balancing employers' hopes to increase the supply of legally present foreign workers without displacing or adversely affecting the working conditions of U.S. workers. This report does not track legislation and will be updated if policies are revised. Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Key Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Labor Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Labor Attestation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Brief History of Labor Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Permanent Employment-based Admissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 LPR Labor Certification Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Temporary Employment-Based Admissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 H-1B Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 H-1B Dependent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 H-2A Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Required Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 H-2B Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Summary of Labor Market Tests for Workers on H Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Funding Foreign Labor Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Selected Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Certification versus Attestation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Protections for U.S. Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Fraudulent Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Enforcement Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Small Business Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Subcontractors and Multinational Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 List of Figures Figure 1. Permanent Employment-based Admissions for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Preferences, 1994-2005 . . . . 4 Figure 2. Temporary Employment-based Admissions, 1994-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Figure 3. Appropriations for Foreign Labor Certification, FY1998-FY2007 . . . 15 List of Tables Table 1. Selected Foreign Temporary Worker Labor Market Tests and Protections . 14 **************************************** Stuart Basefsky Director, IWS News Bureau Institute for Workplace Studies Cornell/ILR School 16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (607) 255-2703 Fax: (607) 255-9641 E-mail: smb6(a)cornell.edu **************************************** -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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[IWS] CRS: UNAUTHORIZED EMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES: ISSUES & OPTIONS [20 April 2007]]
by Eugene McElroy 27 Apr '07

27 Apr '07

Unauthorized Employment in the United States: Issues and Options April 20, 2007 Andorra Bruno, Specialist in Social Legislation, Domestic Social Policy http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33973_20070420.pdf [full-text, 16 pages] Summary As Congress considers immigration reform and ways to address the unauthorized alien population, the issue of unauthorized employment is the focus of much discussion. The unauthorized alien working population, like the unauthorized alien population generally, has been growing steadily. There were an estimated 7.2 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian labor force in March 2005. It is widely accepted that most unauthorized aliens enter and remain in the United States in order to work. Thus, eliminating employment opportunities for these aliens has been seen as an approach to curtailing unauthorized immigration. Provisions enacted by the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which are sometimes referred to as employer sanctions, made it unlawful for an employer to knowingly hire, recruit or refer for a fee, or continue to employ an alien who is not authorized to work. It also established a paper-based employment eligibility verification system, known as the I-9 system, which requires that employers examine documents presented by new hires to verify identity and work eligibility, and complete and retain I-9 verification forms. There is general agreement that the I-9 process has been undermined by fraud. Employers violating prohibitions on unauthorized employment in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) may be subject to civil or criminal penalties. The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) is responsible for enforcing the INA prohibitions on unauthorized employment. Building on the employment verification system established by IRCA, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) directed the Attorney General to conduct three pilot programs for employment eligibility confirmation that were to be largely voluntary. Under the Basic Pilot program, the only one of the three pilots still in operation, participating employers verify new hires' employment eligibility by accessing Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if applicable, DHS databases. A variety of options has been put forth to curtail unauthorized employment and related practices, a selection of which is discussed in this report. Some of these options would build on the current employment eligibility verification system; these include making electronic verification mandatory, increasing existing penalties, or increasing resources for worksite enforcement. Others represent new approaches to address unauthorized employment, such as shifting responsibility for employment eligibility verification from employers to the federal government. This report will be updated if developments warrant. Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Estimates of Unauthorized Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Prohibitions on Unauthorized Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Basic Pilot Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Worksite Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Options for Addressing Unauthorized Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mandatory Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Increased Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Unauthorized Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 New Penalty for Unauthorized Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Increased Worksite Enforcement-Related Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Data Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Changes to Issuance and Acceptance of Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Government Responsibility for Employment Eligibility Verification . . . . 11 Shift Focus to Enforcement of Workplace Protections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 List of Tables Table 1. Estimates of Unauthorized Employment in Selected Industries, 2005 . . 2 **************************************** Stuart Basefsky Director, IWS News Bureau Institute for Workplace Studies Cornell/ILR School 16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (607) 255-2703 Fax: (607) 255-9641 E-mail: smb6(a)cornell.edu **************************************** -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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[IWS] IADB: EDUCATIONAL GENDER GAP in LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN [April 2007]]
by Eugene McElroy 27 Apr '07

27 Apr '07

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Research Dep. Working Papers: WP-600 The Educational Gender Gap in Latin America and the Caribbean http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=WP-600 or http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubWP-600.pdf [full-text, 52 pages] Author: Duryea, Suzanne;Galiani, Sebastian; Ñopo, Hugo; Piras, Claudia Published: April 2007 Abstract: This paper analyzes the evolution of gender differences in schooling attendance and attainment in Latin America and the Caribbean, for both adults who left the educational system and children in school. For individuals 21 years old and above the paper uses a cohort analysis of school attainment. The results indicate that the schooling gap has closed for the cohort born at the end of the 1960s. Since then, the gap has reversed such that within the cohort born in 1980, females have, on average, ¼ of a schooling year more than males. During the four decades of birth cohorts of our analysis (1940-1980) the gender gap in attainment has moved in favor of females at a pace of 0.27 years of schooling per decade. A decomposition exercise suggests that the changes in the schooling gap are mainly explained by the educational attainment of females at the higher levels, rather than improvements in the early years of education. An analysis of attendance and attainment among girls and boys between 6 and 18, for Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru (the countries that have not closed the gap in adult schooling attainment) reveals noticeable gender differences, favoring boys, only among older children of the lowest income quintiles and indigenous ethnicity. **************************************** Stuart Basefsky Director, IWS News Bureau Institute for Workplace Studies Cornell/ILR School 16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (607) 255-2703 Fax: (607) 255-9641 E-mail: smb6(a)cornell.edu **************************************** -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Christian Estevez to be Panelist at PEI Discussion of the new book "Urban Schools - Public Will" at Rutgers University on June 6, 2007]
by Eugene McElroy 27 Apr '07

27 Apr '07

Christian Estevez to be Panelist at PEI Discussion of the new book "Urban Schools - Public Will" at Rutgers University on June 6, 2007 SMLR alumnus Christian Estevez, who was recently elected to the Plainfield School Board, will participate on a panel of distinguished leaders in the field of education where they will discuss the themes expounded upon in the new book, Urban Schools - Public Will: Making Education Work for All Our Children, by Norm Fruchter, author and Director of the Community Involvement Program of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. The program is being sponsored by the Public Education Institute and will take place on June 6, 2007 at Rutgers University. More information can be found in the program announcement below. The Public Education Institute Presents URBAN SCHOOLS - PUBLIC WILL: Making Education Work for All Our Children "This is a hopeful book, because the writer writes out of a life of struggle to make schools work for the disenfranchised, marginalized, and oppressed. It is a hopeful book because the author lives, works, researches and organizes in the city. This book is not about "other people's children." It is apparent on every page that Norm Fruchter believes that the struggle to transform urban schools is about him, about all of us, as much as it is about the parents of the children currently attending schools in urban America." Theresa Perry, from the foreword to Urban Schools-Public Will When: June 6, 2007, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Where: Trayes Hall, Douglass College Center, Rutgers University 100 George Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 Moderator: Larry Leverett, Executive Director, Panasonic Foundation Keynote Address: Norm Fruchter, Director Community Involvement Program of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Brown University Author, Urban Schools - Public Will: Making Education Work for All Our Children Panel Presentations and Discussion: Willa Spicer, Deputy Commissioner, NJDOE William Librera, former Commissioner, NJDOE Junius Williams, Esq., Abbott Leadership Institute Irene Sterling, President, Paterson Education Fund Christian Estevez, Education and Training Coordinator, New Jersey State AFL-CIO and newly elected member, Plainfield School Board To register, please fax a completed form to (732) 564-9099 or E-mail your complete registration information to <mailto:rupei@rci.rutgers.edu> rupei(a)rci.rutgers.edu Name: ________________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________ Organization:_______________________________________________________________ _____ Telephone Number: _________________________ Fax Number: __________________________ Address:____________________________________________________________________ ____ ____________________________________________________________________________ ___ ____________________________________________________________________________ ___ THANK YOU! Christian Estevez Education & Training Coordinator New Jersey State AFL-CIO 106 West State Street Trenton, NJ 08608 Phone (609) 989-8730 Fax (609) 989-8734 estevez(a)njaflcio.org www.njaflcio.org -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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[IWS] Census: OLDER AMERICANS MONTH: MAY 2007]
by Eugene McElroy 26 Apr '07

26 Apr '07

FACTS for FEATURES from the Census Bureau CB07-FF.06 March 1, 2007 Photos http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/broadcast/photos/census_bureau/004312.htm… Older Americans Month: May 2007 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_feature… or http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2007/cb07ff-06.pdf [full-text, 5 pages] A meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens resulted in President Kennedy designating May 1963 as "Senior Citizens Month," asking the nation to pay tribute in some way to older people across the country. In 1980, President Carter's proclamation changed the name to "Older Americans Month," a time to celebrate those age 65 and older through ceremonies, events and fairs. 36.8 million The number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2005. This age group accounted for 12 percent of the total population. Between 2004 and 2005, this age group increased by 457,000 people. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/006808…> 86.7 million Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 21 percent of the total population at that time. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720…> 147% Projected percentage increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050. By comparison, the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent over the same period. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720…> 495 million Current world population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 997 million by 2030. <<http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbagg.html>http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbagg.html> Income and Wealth $26,036 Median 2005 income of households with householders 65 and older, up 2.8 percent, in real terms, from the previous year. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/007…> 10.1% Poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2005, statistically unchanged from the previous year. There were 3.6 million seniors in poverty. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/007…> 39% Percentage of total annual personal income of people 65 and older in 2001 that came from Social Security payments. <<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/aging_population/…> $190,100 Median net worth for families in 2004 whose head was between 65 and 74. For those whose head was 75 or older, the corresponding figure was $163,100. <<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> (2007 edition, Table No. 702) Serving Our Nation 9 million Estimated number of people 65 and older who are military veterans. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey) Jobs 5.3 million Number of people 65 and older who were in the labor force in 2005. Projections indicate that by 2014, the number will reach 8.7 million. <<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>, (2007 edition, Table No. 574) **************************************** Stuart Basefsky Director, IWS News Bureau Institute for Workplace Studies Cornell/ILR School 16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (607) 255-2703 Fax: (607) 255-9641 E-mail: smb6(a)cornell.edu **************************************** -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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[IWS] FCD: Children in Immigrant Families - The U.S. and 50 States: National Origins, Language, and Early Education [26 April 2007]]
by Eugene McElroy 26 Apr '07

26 Apr '07

Foundation for Child Development (FCD) Children in Immigrant Families - The U.S. and 50 States: National Origins, Language, and Early Education [26 April 2007] Published: April 2007 http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=479561 and http://www.fcd-us.org/usr_doc/Children_in_Immigrant_Families_Brief.pdf [full-text, 9 pages] and State-by-State Data http://www.fcd-us.org/usr_doc/Children%20in%20Immigrant%20Families%20State%… [full-text, 5 pages] [excerpt] The huge influx of immigrants coming to the United States from every corner of the globe has helped propel the issue of immigration high up on the national agenda. Most of the attention has focused on the legal side of the issue, especially with Congress set to tackle comprehensive immigration reform this year. In contrast, relatively little attention has focused on the side of the nation's immigration story that represents the future: children. This Research Brief draws on new results of Census 2000 data to take a closer look at children in immigrant families, that is, children with at least one foreign-born parent. For example, the brief reports that children in newcomer families are driving the nation's racial and ethnic transformation. Moreover, these children constitute a very diverse group in terms of their national origin, as well as the places that they now call home. Children in newcomer families also have strong ties to their adopted country; four out of five are American citizens and three out of four are fluent in English. At the same time, children of immigrants are less likely to be enrolled in preschool programs, putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to the cognitive aspects of school readiness and English-language fluency. In particular, this brief highlights the proportion, dispersion, national origins, language, and early education of children in newcomer families, both for the United States as a whole and in various states. **************************************** Stuart Basefsky Director, IWS News Bureau Institute for Workplace Studies Cornell/ILR School 16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 Telephone: (607) 255-2703 Fax: (607) 255-9641 E-mail: smb6(a)cornell.edu **************************************** -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Sending you an interesting link
by eugene 26 Apr '07

26 Apr '07

The Black Commentator -- Check it Out... ------------------------------------------------ Dear smle net, You have been sent the following web page link as a courtesy of The Black Commentator. http://www.blackcommentator.com/227/227_cover_guy_named_bob_fletcher_ed_bd.… For other pages from The Black Commentator, please visit http://www.blackcommentator.com. - eugene sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu ------------------------------------------------ View our privacy policy: http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp

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{Rul_everyone] Lecture on the History of ERISA at Rutgers Library-May 7, 5 pm]
by Eugene McElroy 26 Apr '07

26 Apr '07

Dear colleagues, You are cordially invited to an event to celebrate the first year's progress of the Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr. Archives Project. This event will be held Monday, May 7th , 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., on the fourth floor of Alexander Library on the New Brunswick campus at Rutgers University. Guest speaker, Dr. James Wooten, Professor at the University at Buffalo Law School, will speak about his book "The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA): A Political History" (University of California Press, 2004) and how collections like the Senator Harrison A. Williams papers at Rutgers are vitally important to preserving the legacy of great work done by elected representatives on behalf of citizens. Professor Wooten's research focuses on legislative policy-making and, in particular, the history and development of the ERISA. In a time of increasing cynicism about the workings of government and the role of special-interest lobbies, Professor James A. Wooten's book of legal history is refreshing. It tells the story of a major piece of legislation that benefited millions of workers and came about because public servants wanted to do what was right. At the May 7th event, Larry Weimer, senior archivist, will present a report on the progress in describing and preserving the massive Harrison Williams Collection. Harrison Williams (1919-2001) represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate from 1959 until 1982. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1953 through 1956. He was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources for a full decade, 1971-1980. Williams was at the forefront of fundamental reform that ranged across civil rights, occupational safety, health programs, pension protections, access to education, mass transit, conservation, equal employment opportunity, women's rights, meals on wheels, and more. During his 26 years as a U.S. Congressman and Senator, Williams amassed a large volume of documentation regarding constituent concerns, project proposals, legislative initiatives, and political campaigns. The Williams Papers Project began in January 2006. The Williams Papers, managed by Special Collections and University Archives, are a rich resource for use by historians and other scholars, journalists, and the general public. The project is privately-funded and has benefited from the generosity of labor unions, foundations, individuals, and friends. The program will be followed by a reception. To RSVP for this event, please call 732-932-7505 or send email to: events(a)rci.rutgers.edu <mailto: events(a)rci.rutgers.edu> -- Ronald L. Becker Head, Special Collections Rutgers University Libraries 169 College Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1163 (732) 932-7006 x362 phone (732) 932-7012 FAX rbecker(a)rci.rutgers.edu http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/scua/scua.shtml -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Smlr_net April 2007