Smlr_net December 2008

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NYTimes.com: More Companies Are Cutting Labor Costs Without Layoffs
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 22 Dec '08

22 Dec '08

This page was sent to you by: sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu. BUSINESS | December 22, 2008 More Companies Are Cutting Labor Costs Without Layoffs By MATT RICHTEL To limit layoffs, more employers are using four-day workweeks and unpaid vacations, along with wage freezes and flexible work schedules. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/business/22layoffs.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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CRS: CHRYSLER CORPORATION LOAN GUARANTEE ACT OF 1979: BACKGROUND, PROVISIONS, AND COSTS [8 December 2008]]
by Eugene McElroy 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

Congressional Research Service (CRS) CHRYSLER CORPORATION LOAN GUARANTEE ACT OF 1979: BACKGROUND, PROVISIONS, AND COSTS James M. Bickley, Specialist in Public Finance December 8, 2008 http://opencrs.com/getfile.php?rid=65871 [full-text, 10 pages] SUMMARY The American automobile industry has serious financial problems. Corporate executives from the Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) have testified before Congress about their need for federal credit (direct loans and guaranteed loans). This report examines the Chrysler loan guarantee program for possible insights that could assist Members of Congress in evaluating proposals to provide federal credit assistance. In 1979, Chrysler applied for federal loan guarantees. In 1979 and 1980, the economy was in recession and the price of oil had unexpectedly increased dramatically. However, at that time there was no financial liquidity crisis, as is the case today. Most of the arguments for and against the proposed Chrysler loan guarantee program are relevant to current proposals for credit assistance to the Big Three. For example, in the 1979 debate, proponents argued that the Chrysler loan guarantee would save many jobs. But opponents contended that the financial capital obtained for Chrysler by the proposed loan guarantee would have been used by other firms to expand their productive facilities, output, and employment. Thus, any Chrysler job losses could be offset by gains at other firms. Provisions in the Chrysler Loan Guarantee Act of 1979 included the establishment of a Chrysler Loan Guarantee Board, extensive federal oversight of Chrysler's operations, detailed reporting requirements by Chrysler's management, shared sacrifice of parties benefiting from the loan guarantee, and protection of the federal government's interest. Chrysler used federal loan guarantees to borrow $1.2 billion of the $1.5 billion available and redeemed its guaranteed loans in 1982. Some critics argued that Chrysler was only able to return to profitability because of the imposition by the U.S. government of "voluntary" import quotas on Japanese vehicles. In 1980, the Chrysler loan guarantee was treated as a contingent liability with no initial cost at the time the guarantee was provided. Because Chrysler repaid all of its guaranteed loans, the U.S. government incurred no budgetary cost. Furthermore, the U.S. government received warrants to buy Chrysler stock, which it subsequently sold at auction to Chrysler for $311 million. Thus, it can be argued that the U.S. government made a profit from the loan guarantee program. Currently, the Federal Credit Reform Act requires that the reported budgetary cost of a credit program equal the estimated subsidy costs to the taxpayer at the time the credit is provided. For proposed legislation establishing a new credit program, the Congressional Budget Office is responsible for making the initial estimate of the subsidy cost. Once legislation has been enacted, the Office of Management and Budget estimates the subsidy cost on the credit program. An appropriation for the annual subsidy cost of each credit program is made into a budget account called a "credit program" account. Thus, under today's budgetary rule, legislation providing direct loans or loan guarantees to assist the automobile industry would require the inclusion of the estimated subsidy cost, which would require an appropriation of budget authority. This report will be updated as issues develop and/or in the event of new legislation. CONTENTS Background ................................................................................ 1 Arguments For and Against the Guarantee...................................................... 2 Major Provisions of the Loan Guarantee Act ................................................ 2 Results of Loan Guarantee ................................................................. 4 "Voluntary" Import Quotas ................................................................. 4 Budgetary Cost of Guarantee ................................................................ 5 Current Budgetary Cost of Federal Credit................................................. 5 Conclusions ............................................................................... 6 CONTACTS Author Contact Information ............................................................... 7 **************************************** 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 732-932-9513 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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CRS: INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT: FINAL PART B REGULATIONS [11 December 2008]]
by Eugene McElroy 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT: FINAL PART B REGULATIONS Nancy Lee Jones, Legislative Attorney Ann Lordeman, Specialis in Social Policy December 11, 2008 http://opencrs.com/getfile.php?rid=65887 [full-text, 9 pages] SUMMARY The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides federal funding for the education of children with disabilities and requires, as a condition for the receipt of such funds, the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The statute also contains detailed due process provisions to ensure the provision of FAPE. On December 1, 2008, the Department of Education (ED) issued a final regulation to "clarify and strengthen current regulations" promulgated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The areas covered by the regulation include (1) parental revocation of consent after consenting to the initial provision of services; (2) a state's or local educational agency's (LEA's) obligation to make positive efforts to employ qualified individuals with disabilities; (3) representation of parents by non-attorneys in due process hearings; (4) state monitoring, technical assistance, and enforcement of the Part B program; and (5) the allocation of funds, under Sections 611 and 619 of the act, to LEAs that are not serving any children with disabilities. The regulations take effect on December 31, 2008. This report will briefly discuss the issues raised by these changes. CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................... 1 Parental Revocation of Consent ............................................. 1 Employment of Qualified Individuals with Disabilities..................... 3 Representation by Non-Attorneys in Due Process Hearings..................... 3 State Monitoring, Technical Assistance, and Enforcement .................... 4 The Allocation of Funds to LEAs That Are Not Serving Any Children with Disabilities... 5 CONTACTS Author Contact Information ................................................. 6 ______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service. **************************************** 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 732-932-9513 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Obama administration and labor issues
by Eugene McElroy 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/enforcing_change.html -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 732-932-9513 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Future of the Internet
by Eugene McElroy 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

Summary http://pewinternet.org/PPF/r/270/report_display.asp Full Report http://pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_FutureInternet3.pdf "A survey of internet leaders, activists and analysts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virtual reality become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the internet itself improves." -- Eugene McElroy Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations Library 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 732-932-9513 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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[IWS] Pew: LATINO WORKERS IN RECESSION 2007 TO 2008 [15 December 2008]]
by Eugene McElroy 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

Pew Hispanic Center Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008 [15 December 2008] Rakesh Kochhar Associate Director for Research, Pew Hispanic Center http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/99.pdf [full-text, 31 pages] Summary- Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008 by Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research, Pew Hispanic Center December 15, 2008 http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1054/latino-workers-in-the-ongoing-recession-20… A small but significant decline has occurred during the current recession in the share of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of Census Bureau data. In a year when jobs have become scarce for everyone, the proportion of working-age Latino immigrants participating in the labor force has fallen, at least through the third quarter of 2008, while the proportion of all non-Hispanics as well as of native-born Hispanics has held steady. Jobs attract many Hispanic immigrants to the United States, and their labor force participation rate -- the proportion of the working-age population that is either working or actively seeking work -- is typically higher than the rate in the native-born population. That remains the case now. [Table] However, among Latino immigrants, 71.3% were in the labor force at the close of the third quarter of 2008, compared with 72.4% a year earlier. This 1.1 percentage point decrease follows on the heels of a steady increase in the labor force participation rate of foreign-born Latinos since 2003 when the economy started its recovery from the 2001 recession.1 The drop in labor market activity was about twice as high among immigrants from Mexico and among immigrants who arrived in the U.S. since 2000. Among all non-Hispanics, the labor force participation rate was essentially unchanged during this period -- it was 66.2% at the end of the third quarter of 2008, up marginally from 66.0% a year earlier. Among native-born Hispanics, the rate was 66.4%, up from 66.0% a year earlier. The absolute number of immigrant Latinos in the labor force did increase slightly -- by 150,000 -- between the third quarters of 2007 and 2008. But this increase is much smaller than it had been in previous years. And because it is also much smaller than the growth in the working-age population of Latino immigrants, the share that is active in the labor force has declined. It is not possible to conclude from these data whether or not some of the foreign-born Latinos who left the labor force have returned to their countries of origin. The growth in the immigrant Latino population has leveled off in recent years, but it is not clear whether this has been due to an increased outflow of migrants. Passel and Cohn (2008)2 do find a decrease in the annual inflow of undocumented migrants to the U.S. since 2005. About four-in-five undocumented migrants come from Latin America. **************************************** 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 732-932-9513 tel: 732-932-9513 ********

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Settlement opens up amnesty for tens of thousands of immigrants
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

This story was sent to you by: eugene -------------------- Settlement opens up amnesty for tens of thousands of immigrants -------------------- Many who entered the United States on valid visas but fell out of legal status between 1982 and 1988 are eligible for the amnesty offered under the 1986 immigration reform law. By Teresa Watanabe December 15 2008 For two decades, Anaheim businessman Erkan Aydin has taken on a task unimaginable for most immigrants like himself: trying to convince the U.S. government that he was here illegally. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-amnesty15-2008dec15,0,758794.story Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com

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NYTimes.com: A Cheap Shot at Workers
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

This page was sent to you by: sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu. OPINION | December 15, 2008 Editorial: A Cheap Shot at Workers The Bush administration's last-minute overhaul of the visa program for temporary farm workers threatens to make a flawed program worse. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/opinion/15mon2.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: The Disability Board That Couldn't Say No
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

This page was sent to you by: sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu. US | December 15, 2008 The Disability Board That Couldn't Say No By WALT BOGDANICH and NICHOLAS PHILLIPS Operating with little scrutiny, the Railroad Retirement Board approves nearly every disability application it receives. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/us/15rail.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: States' Funds for Jobless Are Drying Up
by sagauro＠rci.rutgers.edu 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

This page was sent to you by: sagauro(a)rci.rutgers.edu. US | December 15, 2008 States' Funds for Jobless Are Drying Up By JENNIFER STEINHAUER With unemployment claims reaching their highest levels in decades, some states are turning to the federal government. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/us/15funds.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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Smlr_net December 2008