Smlr_net August 2010

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Why is the Public Suddenly So Down on Unions?
by Eugene McElroy 31 Aug '10

31 Aug '10

(please click on attachment for the report) The Center for American Progress Action Fund's American Worker Project asks this question in an issue brief from this past month<http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/files/why-is-the-public-suddenly-down-on-u…> . Here's a taste: Americans have expressed generally positive attitudes toward unions for as long as pollsters have been asking, and for decades public approval of labor unions has hovered around 60 percent. But starting in 2009 public opinion toward labor unions dropped precipitously. Why? Last summer less than half of Americans said they approved of labor unions. This is the first time this happened in the over 70 years the Gallup survey research group has asked. Just one year earlier nearly 60 percent of respondents approved of labor unions. Similarly, a 2010 Pew Center for the People and the Press survey found union favorability was at just 41 percent, while in 2007—the last time they asked the question—favorability was 58 percent. The Pew survey also found that the decline in support was widespread, falling for virtually every demographic and political group. What happened? And what does this mean for the U.S. labor movement’s future given that membership is already at 30-year lows? The answer is largely that the public is angry about the weak economy and is blaming major economic institutions such as business, government, and organized labor. As a result, support for unions should improve when the economy gets back on track. Moreover, despite the drop in overall approval the public continues to value many of the functions unions perform—such as helping workers. -- Eugene McElroy Library Associate School of Management and Labor Relations SMLR Library Rutgers University 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 932-9513

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NYTimes.com: A Million Women vs. Wal-Mart
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 31 Aug '10

31 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. OPINION | August 31, 2010 Editorial: A Million Women vs. Wal-Mart The Supreme Court should give the women of Wal-Mart a chance to make their discrimination case together. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/opinion/31tue2.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: Deadliest Catch, Found in Unlikely Waters
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 31 Aug '10

31 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. HEALTH | August 31, 2010 Vital Statistics: Deadliest Catch, Found in Unlikely Waters By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Commercial fishing is, by almost any measure, the most dangerous profession in the United States. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/health/31stats.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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ILR Press: POWER IN COALITION: Strategies for Strong Unions and Social Change [2010]
by Eugene McElroy 30 Aug '10

30 Aug '10

ILR Press (an imprint of Cornell University Press) *POWER IN COALITION: Strategies for Strong Unions and Social Change* Amanda Tattersall http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=5664 $21.00s paper 2010, 224 pages, 6 x 9, 3 halftones, g8 tables, 3 charts/graphs ISBN: 978-0-8014-7606-8 $59.95x cloth 2010, 224 pages, 6 x 9, 3 halftones, 8 tables, 3 charts/graphs ISBN: 978-0-8014-4899-7 The labor movement sees coalitions as a key tool for union revitalization and social change, but there is little analysis of what makes them successful or the factors that make them fail. Amanda Tattersall—an organizer and labor scholar—addresses this gap in the first internationally comparative study of coalitions between unions and community organizations. Tattersall argues that coalition success must be measured by two criteria: whether campaigns produce social change and whether they sustain organizational strength over time. The book contributes new, practical frameworks and insights that will help guide union and community organizers across the globe. The book throws down the gauntlet to industrial relations scholars and labor organizers, making a compelling case for unions to build coalitions that wield "power with" community organizations. The book centers on three detailed case studies: the public education coalition in Sydney, the Ontario Health Coalition in Toronto, and the living wage campaign run by the Grassroots Collaborative in Chicago. Together they enable Tattersall to explore when and how coalition unionism is the best and most appropriate strategy for social change, organizational development, and union renewal. Power in Coalition presents clear lessons. Tattersall suggests that "less is more," because it is often easier to build stronger coalitions with fewer organizations making decisions and sharing resources. She finds the role of the individual is traditionally underestimated, even though a coalition's success depends on a leader's ability to broker relationships between organizations while developing the campaign's strategy. The crafting of goals that combine organizational interest and the public interest and take into account electoral politics are crucial elements of coalition success. For more about Power in Coalition, visit the author's wesbite: http://powerincoalition.com. *Reviews* "Amanda Tattersall's book is the most insightful study of coalitions to date. It is not your typical gauzy view of coalition building, but offers a clear-sighted, practical road map to building more effective labor-community coalitions and in turn an opportunity to transform the labor movement. It combines a rare mix of academic rigor and analysis with an organizer's sensibility, which makes it as useful in the field by practitioners as in the classroom by scholars." —Jeff Blodgett, Executive Director, Wellstone Action "At last a scholar/activist who understands that coalitions are not merely a way of advancing union goals! Building on three successful coalitions in Australia, Canada, and the United States, Amanda Tattersall identifies three main mechanisms that lead to successful coalition formation between unions and community organizations: identifying common concerns, building organizational relationships, and finding the right scale. She shows how unions can transcend the narrow corporatism of 'business unionism' to return to the social movements they once were in a world that has become more complex and more indifferent to the needs of both workers and communities."—Sidney Tarrow, Cornell University "If unions are to maximize their influence in the twenty-first century they must build alliances with other organizations around economic, social, and ecological concerns affecting humanity. This book shows it is possible to build the necessary coalitions to achieve this end."—Jack Mundey, instigator of the 1970s Green Bans movement in Sydney "Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how to build the power of working people in a changing world, Amanda Tattersall’s book is at once timely, practical, inspiring and challenging. Combining analysis of action with useful theory, it provides an important new tool for activists everywhere —in unions or beyond them—who want to build sustained and sustaining coalitions that have the potential to change the world."—Barbara Pocock, Director, Centre for Work + Life, University of South Australia *About the Author* Amanda Tattersall is Director of the Sydney Alliance, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW, and Honorary Associate, Work and Organizational Studies, University of Sydney. **************************************** 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 Library Associate School of Management and Labor Relations SMLR Library Rutgers University 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 932-9513

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Census: LABOR DAY 2010: SEPTEMBER 6
by Eugene McElroy 30 Aug '10

30 Aug '10

Facts for Features from the Census Bureau (7 July 2010) CB10-FF.15 * * *Labor Day 2010: Sept. 6 * http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special… or http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/cb10ff-15_laborday.pdf [full-text, 5 pages]** * * The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day. *Who Are We Celebrating?* *154.4 million* Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in May 2010. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics < http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf> *Employee Benefits* *83%* Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2008. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf> *78%* Percentage of workers in private industry who receive a paid vacation as one of their employment benefits. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010 Table 640 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *Our Jobs* Americans work in a variety of occupations. Here is a sampling: *Occupation*** *Number of employees*** *Teachers*** 7.2 million *Chief executives*** 1.7 million *Janitors and building cleaners*** 2.1 million *Computer software engineers*** 1.0 million *Aerospace engineers*** 137,000 *Electricians*** 874,000 *Registered nurses*** 2.8 million *Social workers*** 729,000 *Clergy*** 441,000 *Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists*** 773,000 *Chefs and head cooks*** 351,000 *Customer service representatives*** 1.9 million *Taxi drivers and chauffeurs*** 373,000 *Firefighters*** 293,000 *Roofers*** 234,000 *Pharmacists*** 243,000 *Machinists*** 409,000 *Musicians, singers and related workers*** 186,000 *Artists and related workers*** 213,000 *Gaming services workers (gambling)*** 111,000 *Tax preparers*** 105,000 *Service station attendants*** 87,000 *Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers*** 751,000 *Farmers and ranchers*** 751,000 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 640 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *7.6 million* Number of workers who hold down more than one job. So-called moonlighters comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these, 4 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 596 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *284,000* Number of moonlighters who work full time at two jobs. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 596 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *10.1 million* Number of self-employed workers. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 592 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *26.4 million* Number of female workers 16 and older in management, professional and related occupations. Among male workers 16 and older, 24.7 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations. Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *27%* Percentage of workers 16 and older who work more than 40 hours a week. About 7 percent work 60 or more hours a week. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 589 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *4.1* Median number of years workers have been with their current employer. About 10 percent of those employed have been with their current employer for 20 or more years. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 598 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *10.3 million* Number of independent contractors. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 595 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *16.1 million* Number of labor union members nationwide. About 12 percent of wage and salary workers belong to unions, with Alaska, Hawaii and New York having among the highest rates of any state. North Carolina has one of the lowest rates, 3 percent. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 650 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *-5.3%* Percentage decline in employment in the United States, between September 2008 and September 2009. Employment declined in 329 of the 334 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics < http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf> *-14.5%* Percentage decline in Elkhart County, Ind., between September 2008 and September 2009, the largest decline in employment among the 334 largest counties. Los Angles County saw the largest numerical loss over the period: 278,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics < http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf> *1.7%* Percentage increase in employment in Yakima County, Wash., between September 2008 and September 2009, the largest percentage increase among the nation's 334 largest counties. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics < http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf> *5.9 million* The number of people who work at home. Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *Another Day, Another Dollar* *$46,367 and $35,745* The 2008 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 < http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb09-141.html > *$1,506* Average weekly wage in Santa Clara, Calif., for the third quarter of 2009, the highest among the nation's 334 largest counties. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics < http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf> *Hot Jobs* *53%* Projected percentage growth from 2006 to 2016 in the number of network systems and data communication analysts. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses (587,000). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 605 < http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> *Early, Lonely and Long — the Commute to Work* *17.7 million* Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 13 percent of all commuters. Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *76%* Percentage of workers who drive alone to work. Another 11 percent carpool and 5 percent take public transportation (excluding taxicabs). Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *25.5 minutes* The average time it takes people in the nation to commute to work. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.6 and 31.5 minutes. (They are not significantly different from one another.) Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *3.5 million* Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day. Source: 2008 American Community Survey < http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm> *************************************** 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 Library Associate School of Management and Labor Relations SMLR Library Rutgers University 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 932-9513

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NYTimes.com: Why We Need a Second Stimulus
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 29 Aug '10

29 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. OPINION | August 29, 2010 Op-Ed Contributor: Why We Need a Second Stimulus By LAURA TYSON While households are on a saving spree, the government must spend to boost job creation and economic growth. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29tyson.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: Medical Use of Marijuana Costs Some a Job
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 29 Aug '10

29 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. U.S. | August 29, 2010 Medical Use of Marijuana Costs Some a Job By JENNIFER MASCIA In some cases, workers have been fired for failing drug tests despite having prescriptions saying, in effect, that what they are doing is legal. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/us/29marijuana.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: Birthrate Is Lowest in a Century
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 28 Aug '10

28 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. U.S. | August 28, 2010 Birthrate Is Lowest in a Century By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The birthrate dropped for the second year in a row since the recession began in 2007, as many people apparently decided they could not afford more mouths to feed. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/us/28birth.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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NYTimes.com: Labor Unrest Empties South African Hospitals
by ciudadviejo＠yahoo.com 28 Aug '10

28 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: ciudadviejo(a)yahoo.com. WORLD | August 28, 2010 Labor Unrest Empties South African Hospitals By CELIA W. DUGGER A nationwide strike by public employees has paralyzed hospitals and schools, undercutting major drives to combat AIDS and TB. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/world/africa/28safrica.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 2010 The New York Times Company

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Fwd: [IWS] BLS: EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH - SUMMER 2010 [27 August 2010]
by Eugene McElroy 27 Aug '10

27 Aug '10

*EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH - SUMMER 2010* [27 August 2010] http://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm or http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf [full-text, 8 pages] >From April to July 2010, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old rose by 1.8 million to 18.6 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This year, the share of young people who were employed in July was 48.9 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948. (The month of July typically is the summertime peak in youth employment.) Unemployment among youth increased by 571,000 between April and July , about half as much as in each of the two previous summers. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur each spring and summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.) Labor force The youth labor force--16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking for work--grows sharply between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college students search for or take summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin permanent employ- ment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by 2.4 million, or 11.5 percent, to a total of 22.9 million in July. (See table 1.) The labor force participation rate for all youth--the proportion of the popula- tion 16 to 24 years old working or looking for work--was 60.5 percent in July, the lowest July rate on record. The July 2010 rate was down by 2.5 percent- age points from July 2009 and 17.0 percentage points below the peak for that month in 1989 (77.5 percent). The July labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men, at 62.7 percent, was down by 2.2 percentage points from a year earlier, and the rate for women, at 58.1 percent, was down by 3.0 percentage points over the year. For several decades prior to 1989, the July labor force participation rate for young men showed no clear trend, ranging from 81 to 86 percent. Since July 1989, however, their participation rate for the month has trended down, falling by about 20 percentage points. The July labor force participation rate for young women peaked in 1989 at 72.4 percent, following a long-term upward trend; their rate has since fallen by about 14 percentage points. The July participation rate for whites declined by 2.8 percentage points from a year earlier, to 63.2 percent. The rate for blacks, at 51.6 percent, was down slightly, and the rate for Hispanics, at 56.1 percent, decreased by 3.3 percent- age points. For all three groups, labor force participation rates were substan- tially lower than their peaks reached in July 1989. The participation rate for Asian youth was 48.3 percent in July 2010, little changed from July 2009. (See table 2.) AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES... **************************************** 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 Library Associate School of Management and Labor Relations SMLR Library Rutgers University 50 Labor Center Way New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 932-9513

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