Smlr_net March 2014

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Raising the Minimum Wage Does not 'Kill Jobs' - Preliminary Evidence from 2014
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Raising the Minimum Wage Does not 'Kill Jobs' - Preliminary Evidence from 2014 Author: Jeffrey Gianattasio and Nicole Woo Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) *Date:* March 31, 2014 *Abstract: *Today, the BLS released new data on state level employment patterns <http://www.bls.gov/web/laus.supp.toc.htm>, now including the month of February. Building on the analysis done by Goldman Sachs, we can integrate the February data and get a better picture of how the states that raised the minimum wage fared relative to those states that did not. *Link: *http://bit.ly/1hrTAmD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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NYT: Who the Job Creators Really Are
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Who the Job Creators Really Are Author: Jared Bernstein Source: NY Times *Date:* March 31, 2014 *Abstract: *If you want to protect someone in Washington, call them a "job creator." Such wonderful, rare creatures must be insulated from taxes, regulation, and especially unfriendly rhetoric. *Link: *http://nyti.ms/1mpAzSq ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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NYT: Jobs and Skills and Zombies
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Jobs and Skills and Zombies Author: Paul Krugman Source: NY Times *Date:* March 31, 2014 *Abstract: *A few months ago, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, and Marlene Seltzer, the chief executive of Jobs for the Future, published an article in Politico<http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/closing-the-skills-gap-10147…>titled "Closing the Skills Gap." They began portentously: "Today, nearly 11 million Americans are unemployed. Yet, at the same time, 4 million jobs sit unfilled" -- supposedly demonstrating "the gulf between the skills job seekers currently have and the skills employers need." *Link: *http://nyti.ms/1mpwfTl ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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NYT: Can We Close the Pay Gap?
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Can We Close the Pay Gap? Author: Deborah Hargreaves Source: NY Times *Date:* March 31, 2014 *Abstract: *The issue of pay ratios has become the latest front in a worldwide debate about inequality and the widening gap between the top 1 percent and everyone else. In the United States, the financial reforms of the Dodd-Frank Act contained a provision<http://www.sec.gov/News/PressRelease/Detail/PressRelease/1370539817895#.UzM…>that would force American companies to disclose the ratio of the compensation of their chief executive officer to the median compensation of their employees. Yet fierce criticism from the business sector has succeeded in delaying this measure for four years -- and counting. *Link: *http://nyti.ms/1e4jPLq ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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Selected Characteristics of Private and Public Sector Workers
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

Congressional Research Service (CRS) (thanks to Stuart Basefsky) *Selected Characteristics of Private and Public Sector Workers * Gerald Mayer, Analyst in Labor Policy March 21, 2014 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41897.pdf [full-text, 36 pages] *Summary* An issue for Congress and state and local governments is whether the pay and benefits of public workers are comparable to those of workers in the private sector. In addition, among the ways to reduce budget deficits, policy makers are considering the pay and benefits of public sector employees. The number of people employed in both the private and public sectors has increased steadily as the U.S. economy has grown. However, after increasing to 19.2% of total employment in 1975, the percentage of all jobs that are in the public sector fell to 15.7% in 1999. In 2013, public sector jobs accounted for 16.0% of total employment. The recession that officially began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009 affected employment in both the private and public sectors. From 2007 to 2010, the number of jobs in the private sector fell by an estimated 7.9 million, while the number of jobs in the public sector increased by almost 272,000. Conversely, from 2010 to 2013, private sector employment grew by approximately 6.7 million jobs, while public sector employment fell by about 626,000 jobs. Reflecting the effects of the 2007-2009 recession on the budgets of state and local governments, from 2010 to 2013, public sector employment as a share of total employment fell from 17.3% to 16.0%. Among all full-time and part-time workers ages 16 and over, the number of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement has fallen in both the private and public sectors. The decline has been greater in the private sector. In 2009, for the first time, a majority of workers who were covered by a collective bargaining agreement were employed in the public sector (8.7 million workers in the public sector, compared to 8.2 million private sector workers). By 2013, the situation had reversed; a slight majority of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement were employed in the private sector (8.1 million private sector workers, compared to 7.9 million public sector workers). In the federal government, except for the Postal Service and some smaller agencies, employees do not bargain over wages. Among workers ages 18 to 64 who work full-time, differences in characteristics that may affect the relative pay and benefits of private and public sector workers include the following: * *Age.* Reflecting the aging of the U.S. labor force, workers in both the private and public sectors have become older. Nevertheless, employees in the public sector are older than private sector workers. In 2013, 51.7% of public sector workers were between the ages of 45 and 64, compared to 42.4% of full-time private sector workers. Federal workers are older than employees of state and local governments. In 2013, 56.7% of federal workers were between the ages of 45 and 64, compared to 49.7% of state employees and 52.1% of employees of local governments. Workers who have more years of work experience generally earn more than workers with less experience. * *Gender.* Reflecting the increased participation of women in the labor force, the share of jobs held by women has increased in both the private and public sectors. In 2013, women held almost three-fifths (57.7%) of full-time jobs in state and local governments. By contrast, women held approximately two-fifths of full-time jobs in the federal government and in the privated sector (42.2% and 41.7%, respectively). * *Education.* On average, public sector employees have more years of education than private sector workers. In 2013, 53.6% of workers in the public sector had a bachelor's, advanced, or professional degree, compared to 34.9% of private sector workers. Generally, workers with more years of education earn more than workers with less years of education. * *Occupation.* A larger share of public sector than private sector workers are employed in "management, professional, and related occupations." In 2013, 56.2% of public sector workers and 37.8% of private sector workers were employed in these occupations. In part, more public sector workers were employed in these occupations because 25.7% of all public sector workers were employed in "education, training, and library" occupations, compared to 2.3% of all private sector workers. Workers in management and professional occupations generally earn more than workers in other occupations. However, comparisons of the compensation of private and public sector workers that use broad occupational categories may miss differences between detailed occupations. Many detailed occupations are concentrated in either the private or public sectors. Nevertheless, many detailed occupations may require similar skills. * *Union coverage.* Although the number of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement is greater in the private sector than in the public sector, the percentage of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement is greater in the public sector than in the private sector. * *Metropolitan area.* Private sector workers are more likely than federal workers to live in major metropolitan areas (i.e., areas with 5 million or more people) *Contents * Trends in Private and Public Sector Employment ........................................................................... 2 The Number and Percent of Workers Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement ............ 5 Individual, Occupational, and Employer Characteristics of Private and Public Sector Workers ..................... 7 Age ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Gender ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Education ................................................................................................................................. 11 Occupation ............................................................................................................................... 14 Major Occupations ............................................................................................................ 14 Union Coverage by Major Occupation ............................................................................. 15 Detailed Occupations ........................................................................................................ 17 Metropolitan Area .................................................................................................................... 17 *Figures * Figure 1. Private and Public Sector Employment, 1955 to 2013 ..................................................... 2 Figure 2. Public Sector Employment as a Share of Total Employment, 1955 to 2013 .................... 3 Figure 3. Public Sector Employment, by Level of Government, 1955 to 2013 ............................... 4 Figure 4. Public Sector Employment, by Level of Government, as a Share of Total Employment, 1955 to 2013 ................................................................................................. 4 Figure 5. Percent of Workers Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, 1983-2013 ........... 6 Figure 6. Percent of Full-Time Workers Who Are Between the Ages of 45 and 64, 1976 to 2013 .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 7. Percent of Full-Time Workers Who Are Female, 1976 to 2013 ..................................... 10 Figure 8. Percent of Full-Time Workers with a Bachelor's Degree, Private and Public Sectors, 1976 to 2013 ................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 9. Percent of Full-Time Workers with an Advanced or Professional Degree, Private and Public Sectors, 1976 to 2013 ................................................................................... 13 Figure 10. Percent of Full-Time Workers with a Bachelor's, Advanced, or Professional Degree, by Level of Government, 1988 to 2013 ........................................................................ 14 Figure 11. Percent of Full-Time Employees Who Live in Metropolitan Areas With Populations of 1 Million or More or 5 Million or More, 2013 ................................................... 18 *Tables * Table 1. The Percent of Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers Ages 18 to 64 Employed by Occupation and the Percent of Those Workers Who Are Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2013 ............ 16 Table A-1. The Number of Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers Ages 18 to 64 Employed by Occupation and the Number of Workers Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement by Occupation, 2013 ........ 20 Table A-2. Wage and Salary Occupations Common to Both the Private and Public Sectors, by Total Number Employed, 2013 .................................. 22 Table A-3. Wage and Salary Occupations More Common in the Private Sector, by Number Employed in the Private Sector, 2013 .............................. 25 Table A-4. Wage and Salary Occupations More Common in the Public Sector, by the Number Employed in the Public Sector, 2013 ...................................... 27 Table A-5. Values for the Education Variable in the Current Population Survey (CPS), 1976 to 2013 ................................................. 30 Appendixes Appendix. Detailed Data and Description of Data Source and Methodology ............................... 19 Contacts Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 31 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet
by SMLR Library 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

(thanks to Stuart Basefsky) Congressional Research Service (CRS) *Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet * John J. Topoleski, Analyst in Income Security March 26, 2014 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43439.pdf [full-text, 6 pages] This fact sheet provides data on the percentage of American workers who have access to and who participate in employer-sponsored pension plans. The data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which is conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1 The NCS provides data on occupational earnings and the availability of employee benefits among U.S. workers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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"Cesar Chaves" film premiers
by SMLR Library 28 Mar '14

28 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Amid Chants of '¡Huelga!,' an Embodiment of Hope Author: A.O. Scott Source: NY Times *Date:* March 28, 2014 *Abstract: *"Cesar Chavez," directed by Diego Luna<http://movies.nytimes.com/person/196831/Diego-Luna?inline=nyt-per>, is a well-cast, well-intentioned movie that falls into the trap that often awaits film biographies of brave and widely admired individuals. The movie is so intent on reminding viewers of its subject's heroism that it struggles to make him an interesting, three-dimensional person, and it tells his story as a series of dramatic bullet points, punctuated by black-and-white footage, some real, some simulated, of historical events. *Link: *http://nyti.ms/1jDggDJ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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NYT: Nafta Still Bedevils Unions
by SMLR Library 28 Mar '14

28 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: Nafta Still Bedevils Unions Author: Ann Lowrey Source: NY Times *Date:* March 28, 2014 *Abstract: *Two decades after its enactment, the North American Free Trade Agreement -- better known as Nafta -- remains a source of deep disagreement among economists. *Link: *http://nyti.ms/1rKSvLi ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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AFL-CIO: NAFTA at 20
by SMLR Library 28 Mar '14

28 Mar '14

*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management* Title: NAFTA at 20 Author: AFL-CIO Source: *Date:* March 28, 2014 *Abstract: *The NAFTA architecture of deregulation coupled with investor protections allowed companies to move labor intensive components of their operations to locations with weak laws and lax enforcement. This incentivized local, state and federal authorities to artificially maintain low labor costs by ignoring--or in some cases actively interfering with--such fundamental rights as the rights to organize, strike and be free from discrimination. This dynamic undermined organizing and bargaining efforts even in areas with relatively robust labor laws. Today, it is commonplace for employers to threaten to move south--whether to South Carolina or Tijuana--if workers do not agree to cuts in wages and benefits. *Link: *http://bit.ly/1dA9Rq8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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Bensman: 'Fragile' Port Newark/Elizabeth weighs on N.J. economy
by SMLR Library 28 Mar '14

28 Mar '14

Professor David Bensman was quoted in today's *Record *article on Port Newark's shipping problems and its affect on the work and employment of longshoremen and truckers. The article, with highlighted quotes by Professor Bensman, is included below. (*Thanks to **Renée Walker!*) 'Fragile' Port Newark/Elizabeth weighs on N.J. economy MARCH 27, 2014 BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG *THE RECORD <http://www.northjersey.com/news/fragile-port-newark-elizabeth-weighs-on-n-j…>* When the movement of cargo through the shipping terminals in Port Newark/Elizabeth seized up this winter, causing long truck lines that nearly spilled onto the New Jersey Turnpike, people at the port started pointing fingers. Truckers said the longshoremen were lazy. Longshoremen accused the truckers of being disorganized. And everyone blamed the weather. This past winter's snowfall "is the root cause of the delays," said John Nardi, president of the New York Shipping Association. But a closer look shows that crises at Port Newark/Elizabeth, often called simply Port Newark, are increasingly common and stem from a complex mix of factors, including manpower problems, antiquated procedures and turf battles. The port has closed or nearly closed four times in the last 15 months, twice when the weather was not in play. "This port is fragile," said Rick Larrabee, director of port commerce for the Port Authority. Another Port Authority facility, the George Washington Bridge, has received nationwide attention over a four-day traffic jam that now poses a threat to Governor Christie's career. But the tie-up at the bi-state agency's biggest port has been building for years, and it poses a threat to the entire region's economy. If you're one of New Jersey's 8.8 million residents and you enjoy eating food, wearing clothes or buying things at stores, the fragility of the port is a problem for you. Goods worth more than $133.4 billion were moved through the port in 2012, accounting for 11.2 percent of all imports to the United States that year, according to Camoin Associates, an economic consulting firm. Even small hiccups at the port can delay shipments to stores in this region, potentially affecting prices and availability, business groups warn. "Your clothes, your food, all of your electronics, where do you think all of that comes from?" said Ed Kelly, executive director of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey. "Most of that is imported these days. And most of those imports come through this port." Frank Harder, a principal at Tioga Group, a freight industry consultant that has studied problems at Port Newark, said: "We're frustrated about it. It needs to be fixed." The reasons for the crisis, like the port itself, are complex, and involve a mix of players -- truckers, unions, terminal owners and various public agencies. But they boil down to one essential problem, experts say: Port Newark has failed to modernize as container ships have gotten bigger, and it is falling behind other ports, here and abroad. A number of overseas manufacturers, tired of costly delays at the port, have started to move their wares through other ports. The port's problems are already bad, and may soon worsen. Looming large is a labor shortage that has been the focus of a legal battle between powerful players at the port. That crisis may turn more acute in April, when hundreds of experienced longshoremen are scheduled to retire. Some critics have blamed the Port Authority for not taking charge, saying that, as the landowner, it's the only player with control over the entire operation. "How is the Port Authority doing? Benign neglect is the way I would describe it," said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, whose legislative district includes Elizabeth and two-thirds of the port's operations. "They're not doing much." Port Authority officials recognize that major problems beset the port, but also say that they have a limited role and must defer to the terminal operators, unions and other players when it comes to day-to-day operations. Still, they say the agency is making progress toward fixing the problems. "We recognize larger ships are coming, and need to work on systemic problems to prevent labor shortages, computer system problems and other problems that have hurt the port's operations," said Beth Rooney, facilitator of a Port Authority task force aimed at improving performance. On Friday, the agency released a report showing that the number of containers moving through the port has increased from the lows reached this winter, but still lags behind normal levels. *Larger ships on way* In recent decades, the size of ships sailing into New York Harbor has tripled. Some now carry 4,500 containers and take three days to unload, said Jack Craig, chief operating officer at APM Terminals of North America, which operates a terminal in Elizabeth. Even larger ships are coming. By 2015 the Port Authority will raise the Bayonne Bridge, allowing ships with 12,000 containers into the port. But down on the docks, the freight-handling terminals have found it hard to adjust even to the current reality. "If you look at global trade, things are changing so quickly that a lot of the facilities in North America are antiquated," said Louanne Wong, a spokeswoman for Global Container Terminals, which is building a modern terminal in Bayonne. As ships grow larger, one rule remains in effect: The same crew of longshoremen that starts unloading a ship keeps going until the work is done. That means hiring extra laborers for every shift so some can rest while others work. Whether they are working or sleeping, everyone gets paid until the crew goes home. But as ships get bigger, the system has bogged down. "You can't keep working a guy 16 hours until the ship is done," said Kelly, of the Maritime Association. "It's unsafe, and there are productivity issues." To fix the problem, employers and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) signed a new contract that moves longshoremen to eight-hour shifts. The contract takes effect in April, and it includes generous retirement buyouts for older workers. Between retirements and new workers needed for the shift system, a total of 682 workers had to be hired. With hourly pay plus bonuses, incoming longshoremen will make $100,000 a year, and veterans can earn more than $200,000, Kelly said. Such good-paying jobs should be easy to fill in a state with an unemployment rate over 7 percent. Instead, most of the jobs remain empty. New recruits must be certified by the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, which performs background checks on candidates and issues security clearances to work on the docks. The longshoremen's union and the New York Shipping Association sent a batch of applicants to the commission for approval. Many of the applicants had connections to organized crime, said Phoebe Sorial, an attorney for the commission, and only one was African-American. The commission also enforces fair-hiring laws regarding racial diversity. "We said that's unacceptable," Sorial said. According to the shipping association's latest tally, 130 have been certified for hiring, and about 20 more are certified every week. Meanwhile, a legal battle pitting the commission against the union and the shipping association goes on in federal court, with both sides blaming the other for the delays. Jim McNamara, spokesman for the union, refused to answer questions for this article. "It's taken us five months to bring these people in for training because of all the hoops they [the Waterfront Commission] made us go through," said Nardi, president of the shipping association. "No other port in the country has to go through that." As the process drags on, the shipping association on Friday offered a $10,000 bonus to any veteran longshoreman willing to postpone retirement and vacation until November, enough time to hire and train the remaining workers, and get the port through its busy summer season, Nardi said. The longshoremen's union held a rally Tuesday with nearly 1,000 port workers calling on the commission to speed up the process. Walter Arsenault, the commission's executive director, fired back, saying the delays are being caused by the union's own foot-dragging. "This is a crisis manufactured by their own incompetence," Arsenault said. *Chaotic pickups* After containers are plucked from ships, the port's work is only half done. Next the boxes must be positioned by dockworkers, retrieved by truckers and delivered to their final destinations. Some ports have learned how to do this well, said David Bensman, a management professor at Rutgers University. While ships are still at sea, modern terminals receive data in a central system detailing the containers onboard and where those containers are going. The data help terminals place containers in the right spot, reduce the number of times each box is moved and schedule truckers to pick up each container at the right time. At Port Newark, none of that happens. The "system" is simply first-come, first-served. When a ship arrives, a cargo owner calls a trucking company, which sends a trucker to pick up the container. As ships grow, hundreds of truckers receive such calls simultaneously. So each one scrambles, trying to beat everyone else to the terminal gate. The inevitable result: Long lines. Once at the gate, each trucker screams his name and truck number into a microphone, over the roar of his engine. If terminal employees manage to hear him, they send two workers to look for the container, dig it out -- sometimes from the bottom of the stack -- and prepare it for transport. That system is unnecessarily slow and chaotic, experts say. "If nothing has happened inside the terminal to have the container ready for when the trucker arrives," said Peter Tirschwell, a senior editor at the Journal of Commerce, a trade publication, "the game is lost." *No quick fix* Trying to unravel the chaotic system opens a Pandora's box of interlocking problems. First the terminals must upgrade their data systems to better coordinate containers and trucks. But shippers, trucking companies and terminals have opposed sharing the information. "The companies weren't willing to share the data because they saw it as proprietary," said Bensman, the Rutgers professor. Next the port needs new technology to track containers and trucks. The Port Authority is working with the terminals on a radio-based positioning system, said Larrabee of the Port Authority, although he doesn't know when the project will be complete. "That program was supposed to be done here years ago," said Christina Montorio, a spokeswoman for the Teamsters union, which represents a small percentage of truckers at the port. "It's a boondoggle." Shipping industry experts believe Port Newark needs an appointment system for scheduling trucks. The main opponents to such a change are truckers, who fear they'll be fined for missed appointments because of the region's terrible traffic. "I have a limited number of trucks," said Jeff Bader, president of the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers and CEO of Golden Carriers, a port trucking company. "We may not be able to make the appointments." After the snow melted this winter, the Port Authority sent engineers to improve traffic flow into terminals. It also created a task force in December to suggest solutions. The group's recommendations are due in June. In the meantime, the authority's leaders say they have little power. "Many of these things are commercial decisions that the businesses have to make themselves," said Larrabee. Still, critics like Lesniak say the Port Authority hasn't done enough. "They've not taken an active role in being part of the solutions on the labor problems, the Waterfront Commission, the technology, the trucking issue," Lesniak said. Others blame the Port Authority's relative inaction on its divided leadership structure between New York and New Jersey; and its divided attention between mass transit and real estate developments. "The lack of excellence in the management of the port is one of the bad byproducts of the bad governing structure at the port," said Bensman. The stakes are high. Tired of long lines and high costs here, two German companies -- Blommer Chocolates and Aerzen, which manufactures industrial compressors -- recently began shipping their goods through the Port of Philadelphia. "Those terminal meltdowns have hurt the port's reputation, hurt the port's ability to compete for cargo," said Harder, the port consultant. Thank you, Renée ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eugene McElroy, Library Associate James Carey Library, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901 848-932-9513 smlrlibrary(a)work.rutgers.edu<https://rumail.rutgers.edu/zimbra/?view=compose&to=smlrlibrary@work.rutgers…> http://smlr.rutgers.edu/carey-library

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Smlr_net March 2014