IWS Documented News DAILY POSTINGS

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

INDIA attracts EUROPEAN WORKERS for INDIAN SALARIES
The TECNOVATE Example

see - Tecnovate in the Press
http://www.tecnovate.co.in/press.html

Tecnovate eSolutions, established in India in July 2001 by ebookers plc, Europe's No.1 Online Travel Business, is a pioneer in Multilingual Offshore Business Process Outsourcing in India.
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

United States Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Chamber Survey Shows Employers Generous with Benefits Despite Rising Costs
http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2005/january/05-13.htm

WASHINGTON, D.C. The United States Chamber of Commerce annual survey of its members showed employers provided an average of $18,358 in benefits per employee in 2003, compared to $18,000 in 2002.  Of that amount, nearly $5,653 was for medical benefits, $4,932 for paid time off, and $3,303 for retirement and savings.

 Employers are continuing to offer their workers a broad range of benefits in order to maintain a strong workforce despite the rising cost,said Bruce Josten, Chamber executive vice president.

Employee benefit costs represented 37.6 percent of payroll among all companies, according to the study.  Manufacturing companies spent a higher amount compared to non-manufacturers, averaging 40.1 percent of payroll versus 37.1 percent.  Medical benefits were the most expensive, accounting for 11.6 percent of payroll.

The most common benefits offered by employers continue to include health insurance, paid holidays and vacation, and retirement plan benefits.

The Chamber has annually conducted an employee benefits study, which is widely used for benchmarking and documenting employee benefit costs, for more than 50 years.  Nearly 600 companies participated in the latest survey.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

# # #
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)


County Estimates of Compensation by Industry: 1998-2003 [27 January 2005]
(example of King County, Washington)
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2005/lapi0105.htm
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2005/lapi0105.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2005/lapi0105.xls
[spreadsheet]

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) today releases for the first time county estimates of compensation by industry. Compensationthe sum of wage and salary disbursements and supplements to wages and salaries-is a key statistic in the personal income account. The compensation by industry estimates for 1998-2003 are presented in a new tableCA06, Compensation of Employees by Industry that can be accessed interactively at <http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/reis>.

[Using Local Area Personal Income at - http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/reis/
Click on --
Wage and salary summary estimates (CA34) 1969-2003, compensation by NAICS industry 2001-2003 (CA06), compensation by SIC industry 1998-2000 (CA06) (You will be redirected to a new page)
in Step One. This will lead you to county data after selecting a STATE]

The county estimates by industry for 2003 are available 13 months after the end of the calendar year. This release marks an acceleration, by 4 months, in the availability of detailed industry statistics for local areas. Previously, the earliest release of local area estimates by industry was 17 months after the end of the year when earnings by industry-the sum of compensation and proprietors' income-was presented. This acceleration of the release of a key component of substate personal income meets BEA's Strategic Plan goal of improving the timeliness of county-level personal income and its components.

The estimates of compensation by industry, cover 114 industries and aggregates for 3,111 counties. In addition to the county estimates, BEA also is releasing compensation by industry for metropolitan areas, micropolitan areas, combined statistical areas, and BEA economic areas. A sample table for King County, Washington is attached.

Tables presenting the comprehensive measure of personal income for local areas-including CA05, Personal Income by Major Source and Earnings by Industry-will be released April 27, 2005.

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

U.S.-China Trade: Summary of 2003 World Trade Organization Transitional Review Mechanism for China. GAO-05-209R, January 25, 2005
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-209R
or
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05209r.pdf
[full-text, 101 pages]

[excerpt]
Summary
As seen in the enclosed tables, 11 out of a total of 148 WTO members participated in
the 2003 multilateral review of China’s trade commitment implementation. These
members participated in the TRM process by submitting written questions to China
prior to meetings of 16 WTO subsidiary bodies with a role in the Transitional Review
Mechanism (TRM), or by raising issues verbally with China during these meetings,
which occurred from September to December 2003. Specifically, 7 WTO members
both submitted written questions and discussed issues verbally in some TRM
meetings: the United States, the European Communities, Japan, Chinese Taipei,3
Australia, Canada, and Mexico. Four other members—Brazil, Korea, Norway, and
Pakistan—only participated verbally during some meetings. The United States was
the most active member in the 2003 TRM, participating one or both ways in 14 of the
16 subsidiary bodies; the exceptions were the Committees on Balance-of-Payments
Restrictions and Rules of Origin. Table 1 displays an overview of member
participation for the 2003 TRM.

[chart]

The number and scope of issues raised by WTO members during the 2003 TRM
process varied by WTO subsidiary body, as demonstrated in the enclosed tables.
Some committees addressed numerous issues. For example, the Council on Trade-
Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights covered various concerns, including
those related to how China treated semiconductor layout design, pharmaceutical
products, and consulting services. In contrast, only a few issues were brought up in
the Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions. Chinese Taipei was the only
member to raise concerns to this committee, and these took the form of a few
specific questions, such as the rationale behind China’s regulation governing small
value trade between Chinese Taipei and China. In addition, the enclosed tables
reveal that some issues are broad in nature, while others are very technical and
specific....
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


UNION MEMBERS IN 2004 [27 January 2005]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]

In 2004, 12.5 percent of wage and salary workers were union members,
down from 12.9 percent in 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today.  The union membership rate has steadily
declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which
comparable union data are available.  Some highlights from the 2004 data
are:

   --About 36 percent of government workers were union members in 2004,
     compared with about 8 percent of workers in private-sector industries.

   --Two occupational groups--education, training, and library occupations
     and protective service occupations--had the highest unionization rates
     in 2004, at about 37 percent each.  Protective service occupations in-
     clude fire fighters and police officers.

   --Men were more likely to be union members than women.

   --Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white,
     Asian, or Hispanic or Latino workers.

Membership by Industry and Occupation

   In 2004, workers in the public sector had a union membership rate more
than four times that of private-sector employees.  At 36.4 percent, the
unionization rate for government workers was down slightly from 37.2
percent a year earlier.  The rate for private industry workers, at 7.9
percent in 2004, was about half what it had been in 1983.  Within the
public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership
rate, 41.3 percent.  This group includes several heavily unionized occu-
pations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.  Among
major private industries, transportation and utilities had the highest
union membership rate, at 24.9 percent.  Construction (14.7 percent),
information industries (14.2 percent), and manufacturing (12.9 percent)
also had higher-than-average rates.  Within the information industry,
telecommunications had a 22.4 percent union membership rate.  Financial
activities had the lowest unionization rate in 2004--2.0 percent.  (See
table 3.)

   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations
(37.6 percent) and protective service workers (37.3 percent) had the high-
est unionization rates in 2004.  Construction and extraction occupations
(19.6 percent), installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (19.4
percent), transportation and material moving occupations (18.8 percent),
community and social services occupations (17.4 percent), and production
occupations (16.3 percent) also had higher-than-average rates.  Farming,
fishing, and forestry occupations (3.1 percent) and sales and related oc-
cupations (3.6 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.  (See table 3.)

AND MUCH MORE....including TABLES....


_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

RAND Corporation

9 to 5: Do You Know if Your Boss Knows Where You Are?
Case Studies of Radio Frequency Identification Usage in the Workplace [January 2005]
by Edward Balkovich, Tora K. Bikson and Gordon Bitko
http://www.rand.org/publications/TR/TR197/
or
http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/2005/RAND_TR197.pdf
[full-text, 38 pages -- scroll down 2 pages to start]

Abstract:
Describes a case study of six enterprises that use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to control access in the workplace to understand their policies about personally identifiable records obtained by sensing RFID-based access cards. These policies have a number of common features, but the policies are neither documented nor shared with employees. While employees ought to be informed about uses of access control system records, implementing traditional fair information practices for such records would be impractical in some situations.

CONTENTS
Preface.................................................................................................................................. iii
Figure and Tables .................................................................................................................. vii
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction..........................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER TWO
Privacy in the Workplace.........................................................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE
Methods................................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER FOUR
What We Found.....................................................................................................................9
Architecture of the RFID Systems Studied..................................................................................9
Responses to Interview Questions............................................................................................10
CHAPTER FIVE
Results ................................................................................................................................15
CHAPTER SIX
Discussion...........................................................................................................................17
Recommendations .................................................................................................................17
Reality Versus Recommendations ............................................................................................19
Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................20
Appendix: Interview Questions ...............................................................................................23
References............................................................................................................................27

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


Human Rights Watch

Lance Compa, a consultant to Human Rights Watch, is the principal researcher and author of
this report. [He is also Senior Lecturer at the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University].

Blood, Sweat, and Fear:
Workers’ Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants [25 January 2005]
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/usa0105/
or
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/usa0105/usa0105.pdf
[full-text, 185 pages]

Workers in the U.S. meat and poultry industry endure unnecessarily hazardous work conditions, and the companies employing them often use illegal tactics to crush union organizing efforts. In meat and poultry plants across the United States, Human Rights Watch found that many workers face a real danger of losing a limb, or even their lives, in unsafe work conditions.

[excerpt]
Any single meatpacking or poultry processing company which by itself sought to respect the
rights of its workers—and hence incurred additional costs—would face undercutting price
competition from other businesses that did not. What is required are large scale changes to
health and safety and workers’ compensation regulations and practices and greater
protection of workers’ right to organize, in particular that of immigrant workers, throughout
the meat and poultry industry.

To date, the industry as such has shown little inclination to work collectively to increase
respect for workers’ rights, either through trade association standards or through joint
support for legislative safeguards. But an equal or greater responsibility for halting workers’
rights violations in the meat and poultry industry lies with government at both federal and
state levels. Only governmental power can set a uniform floor of strengthened industry-wide
rules for workplace health and safety and for workers’ compensation benefits. Only
government agencies can effectively enforce workers’ organizing rights and ensure effective
and timely recourse and remedies for workers whose rights are violated. Only government
agencies can provide the strong legal enforcement required to deter employers from
violating workers’ rights. Finally, only government policy can change the vulnerable status of
the hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers in the meat and poultry industry.

Unfortunately, as this report shows, the United States is failing on all these counts. Health
and safety laws and regulations fail to address critical hazards in the meat and poultry
industry. Laws and agencies that are supposed to protect workers’ freedom of association are
instead manipulated by employers to frustrate worker organizing. Federal laws and policies
on immigrant workers are a mass of contradictions and incentives to violate their rights. In
sum, the United States is failing to meet its obligations under international human rights
standards to protect the human rights of meat and poultry industry workers.
.

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


World Economic Forum (WEC)

Press Release-
Chirac Warns Poor Could Revolt If Left No Hope For Future - And Proposes International Tax To Fight Poverty [26 January 2005]
http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Chirac+Warns+Poor+Could+Revolt+If+Left+No+Hope+For+Future+-+And+Proposes+International+Tax+To+Fight+Poverty

See actual Speech at -
http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Special+Message+by+French+President+Jacques+Chirac

Summary at -
http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/_S14317?open&event_id=1204&year_id=2005

26 January 2005 - Davos, Switzerland

President Jacques Chirac of France warned on Wednesday that the young people of the developing world could rise in revolt if the rich countries do not provide hope for a better future by offering them a clear way out of the grinding poverty in which hundreds of millions live in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Speaking liveby satellite on the first day of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, he called on all developed countries to take action rapidly to meet pledges made two decades ago to devote 0.7% of the value of their annual output or GDP to aid for poorer nations. He also urged them to consider levies on cross-border financial transactions, taxing fuel used in air transport and shipping, and levying a charge of one dollar on every air ticket sold to fund the fight against AIDS.

The divide between rich and poor has widened to a frightening degree,Chirac told participants in the Annual Meeting 2005 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, speaking by video-link from Paris. In Africa and many other regions a majority of the population, living in shanty towns and rural areas, are waiting to see promises of progress take concrete shape.

He declared this is a situation fraught with danger. It is morally unacceptable.The difference in per capita income between the worlds poorest and richest countries has more than doubled over the last 25 years even though globalization has brought greater prosperity to many in more developed nations, as well as in larger emerging economies like China and India.

The youth of Africa, Asia and Latin America is rightly demanding its entitlement to a future. These populations will put their energy and talent at the service of the future, if they are given the means to do so. If this prospect is denied them, however, then let us beware of the risk of revolt. & Development is both the greatest challenge and the most urgent issue of our time.

President Chirac had planned to attend the Annual Meeting in person, but was forced to make the address via video link after the threat of bad weather forced him to cancel his attendance. He had planned to fly straight from Davos to the Auschwitz for the memorial ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp.

In his speech, Chirac told business, financial, political and civil society leaders participating in the Annual Meeting 2005 that they should aim to overcome poverty through a partnership between market forces and solidarity, ensuring that globalization is tailored to everyones benefit. Only 3% of the annual increase in the worlds wealth is needed to win the battle.

Left to their own devices, economic forces are blind and contribute to the marginalization of the weakest,he observed. But if supported by the appropriate rules, trade liberalization and opening [nations] up to investment are powerful stimulants to development.

International aid is vital to help fund basic infrastructures, access to healthcare and education to make possible economic take-off. The demands of ethics, peace, security and economic interests converge,the French leader said.
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

[Please Note: This is an OLD STUDY from 1991 -- now publicly available. It could be useful as a benchmark for validity of prediction (or the contrary). At least it may shed light on why one must be skeptical about prediction and forecasting].

Library of Congress


DOMESTIC TRENDS TO THE YEAR 2015: FORECASTS FOR THE UNITED STATES [Old Study]
Demography
The Economy
Resources
Education
Society
Technology
Military Science
Geopolitics and Threat
A Report Prepared under an Interagency Agreement
by the Federal Research Division,
Library of Congress
July 1991
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/domestic_trends.pdf
[full-text, 261 pages]

[excerpt]
The study you are about to read is the product of many analysts' research and study.
Those analysts are identified as authors of the respective papers constituting the work. This project
concerns the prediction of future United States domestic trends to the year 2015. It has offered everyone
an opportunity to think creatively and project into the future. While this is a difficult task, it is
nevertheless exciting and challenging. We have all learned and profited from the experience.

(Thanks to Gary Price at ResourceShelf.com for the tip).


_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

United Nations (UN)

World Economic Situation and Prospects 2005
http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp2005files/wesp2005.pdf
[full-text, 136 pages]

Executive Summary
http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp2005files/exsummary.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]


   The continued recovery of the world economy resulted in unusually widespread growth in 2004, but a modest slowdown in all regions is expected in 2005, according to projections contained in World Economic Situation and Prospects 2005 (WESP 2005). Developing countries grew at the fastest rate in two decades in 2004. In addition to the stimulus provided by the United States, China is making an increasing contribution to global economic growth. Its rapid expansion has contributed to increased global demand for oil and many non-oil commodities, with the higher prices for the latter being of particular benefit to several countries in Africa and Latin America. Overall, prospects continue to be good, but the global imbalances pose a potential threat, to which a global response is required.

See Press Release [25 January 2005]
http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp2005files/wesp05pr.pdf
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FOURTH QUARTER 2004 [26 January 2005]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/wkyeng.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]

  Median weekly earnings of the nation's 101.6 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $647 in the fourth quarter of 2004, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was 3.5
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.3 percent in
the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

   Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population
Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are
asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually
earns.  (See the Explanatory Note.)  Highlights from the fourth-quarter
data are:

   --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $578 per
week, or 80.1 percent of the $722 median for men.  The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (96.8 percent) and Hispanics or
Latinos (84.7 percent) than among whites (78.8 percent) or Asians (74.5
percent). (See table 1.)

   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $529 per
week, 70.8 percent of the median for white men ($747).  The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($512) were 86.9 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($589).  Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($467) were lower than those of
blacks ($519), whites ($671), and Asians ($698).  (See table 1.)

   --Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median
weekly earnings, $869 and $844, respectively.  Among women, earnings also
were highest for these two age groups--$626 for 45- to 54-year olds and
$622 for 55- to 64-year olds.  (See table 2.)

   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,109 for men and $801 for women.  Men and women in
service jobs earned the least.  (See table 3.)

   --Full-time workers age 25 years and over without a high school diploma
had median weekly earnings of $404, compared with $581 for high school
graduates (no college) and $996 for college graduates holding at least a
bachelor's degree.  Among college graduates with advanced degrees (profes-
sional or master's degree and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male
workers made $2,894 or more per week, compared with $1,849 or more for their
female counterparts.  (See table 4.)

Annual averages for 2003 and 2004

   In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 2003
and 2004 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic, occupation, and
education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8).  Annual average data on median usual
earnings for men and women by detailed occupational categories will appear in
the January 2005 issue of Employment and Earnings.

AND MORE...including TABLES...


_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

MASS LAYOFFS IN DECEMBER 2004 AND ANNUAL AVERAGES FOR 2004 [26 January 2005]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/mmls.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/mmls.pdf
[full-text, 9 pages]


In December 2004, employers took 1,614 mass layoff actions, as measured by
new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according
to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the
number of workers involved totaled 161,271.  (See table 1.)  The number of
events was the lowest for any December since 1999, and the number of initial
claims was the lowest for any December since 1995 when data became available.

   The layoff events in December bring the total for all of 2004 to 15,980
and the total number of initial claimants from such events to 1,607,158.  The
annual totals were lower than in 2003 (18,963 events and 1,888,926 initial
claims) and were the lowest annual totals for events since 2000 and for
initial claims since 1999.  Additional information on the annual data is
provided starting on page 3 of this release.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES...

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


Employment Policy Foundation (EPF)


Policy Backgrounder
Contemporary Issues in Employment and Workplace Policy January 20, 2005

Pension Funding Reform: An Analysis of the Bush Administration's Proposal [20 January 2005]
http://www.epf.org/pubs/newsletters/2005/pb20050120.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]

[excerpt]
Conclusion
The release of this proposal underscores the high level
of interest that the Bush Administration has in preserving
the DB pension system and improve its future solvency.
But many of the implications of their proposal for plan
sponsors will not be evident until the actual details are
worked out in Congress and in the regulatory process. In
the end, increased premiums, contribution requirements
and the rising administrative burden on "healthy"
companies that might arise from a pension reform proposal
could seriously compromise the ability of firms to afford
these plans. The Administration and Congress must
recognize that the current DB pension system is voluntary.
These additional costs could ultimately force many DB
plan sponsors to freeze or terminate their DB plans
altogether. Ironically, as more firms exit the system amidst
rising costs, this would lower the available pool for PBGC
revenues. Obviously, these outcomes would defeat the
goal of the Administration's proposal, which was to help
preserve the DB pension system.

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Compensation and Working Conditions Online, January 2005
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/home.htm

Comparing the Retirement Savings of the Baby Boomers and Other Cohorts (01/24/2005)

http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20050114ar01p1.htm

Abstract:

This study compares the retirement savings behavior of four different age cohorts and finds that Older Baby Boomers (born from 1946 to 1954) are somewhat more likely than the other cohorts to hold a retirement account. It also finds that households in the Swing cohort (1928 to 1945) hold the largest amount of retirement savings, followed by, in order, households in the Older Boomers, Younger Boomers (1955 to 1964), and Generations X and Y (1965 to 1987) cohorts.

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Employment Policy Foundation (EPF)

LIVING WAGE RESEARCH
http://www.livingwageresearch.org/

Overview
The Living Wage Movement: Gaining Momentum
http://www.livingwageresearch.org/factsheets/overview.asp

Executive Summary

There are now 106 living wage ordinances enforced by 98 counties and cities, 3 universities and 4 other local jurisdictions in 31 states. With an average wage of $11.25 per hour without health benefits ($9.95 with health benefits), more than double the current federal minimum wage, these ordinances are being adopted at a rate of one every month. Additionally, there are over 120 living wage campaigns in cities and counties around the country.

In addition to this overview, www.livingwageresearch.org includes economic analyses and fact sheets on the living wage, and copies of living wage ordinances.

AND MUCH MORE....
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2006 to 2015 [25 January 2005]
http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=6060&sequence=0
or
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/60xx/doc6060/01-25-BudgetOutlook.pdf
[full-text, 186 pages]

[excerpt]
Over the longer term, the federal budget will be strained
significantly by demographic changes that will begin
within the current 10-year projection period and intensify
as members of the baby-boom generation age. In particular,
the rising cost of health care will contribute to the
growth of programs for elderly and low-income beneficiaries.
As a result, under current law, total federal spending
for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is projected
to grow by about 25 percent over the next 10 years relative
to the size of the economy—from 8.4 percent of
GDP in 2004 to 10.4 percent of GDP in 2015.
_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


Leading Indicator of National Employment (LINE") [25 January 2005]

Employment Growth Slows in January

Employment Expectations Jump As More Manufacturers Plan to Hire Over Next 30 Days
http://www.shrm.org/press_published/CMS_011043.asp#P-4_0

(Alexandria, Va., January 25, 2005)Despite open positions in manufacturing, employment growth slowed again in January as the rate of hiring was unable to keep pace with the demand for new workers. The January Leading Indicator of National Employment (LINE") also shows that there is a substantial jump from December in the percentage of manufacturers that plan to hire in the upcoming 30 days. LINE is a monthly employment index jointly produced by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Rutgers University.

While job growth has slowed since July 2004, most respondents indicated that manufacturing employment may grow substantially in February. In addition, 40 percent of responding firms reported increases in the number of job vacancies that they are actively recruiting to fill.

A slow hiring process may not be the only reason for a decrease in employment numbers. Other possible factors include ongoing concerns about the fragility of the economic recovery, which may be causing firms to delay the creation of new positions or in filling positions currently open. In addition, the inability to recruit workers with the appropriate skills may be slowing the pace at which firms are able to fill the existing vacancies.

January LINE Results

SHRM/Rutgers LINE" identifies early economic trends and growth in the national job market by surveying HR professionals at manufacturing firms. Data has been collected since February 2004, and it was publicly launched in November. The indicator reports on five employment measures, two of which add to existing indicators and three of which are new and unique to the indicator. An index value above 50 indicates employment is growing, while an index below 50 shows that employment is contracting.

AND MORE...including CHART....

_____________________________
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@cornell.edu                *
****************************************