IWS Documented News DAILY POSTINGS: April 2006

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
________________________________________________________________________

Monthly Labor Review Online
April 2006
Vol. 129, Number 4
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm

Changes affecting the Employment Cost Index: an overview

Richard E. Caroll

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art1full.pdf

[full-text, 3 pages]

With the release of March 2006 data, BLS has updated the ECI to reflect the new industry and occupational classifications systems; rebased the index to 2005; and implemented new procedures to account for missing data and to compute seasonal adjustments

Employment Cost Index publication plans

Fehmida Sleemi

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art2full.pdf

[full-text, 6 pages]

The Employment Cost Index has gone through changes that affected publication series; some series were unchanged, some new series were introduced, while others have a break in continuity or are being discontinued

Seasonal adjustments in the Employment Cost Index

E. Raphael Branch and Lowell Mason

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art3full.pdf

[full-text, 10 pages]

As part of the conversion of ECI industry and occupation classifications to NAICS and SOC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics used the converted classifications to estimate the seasonally adjusted ECI; in addition,

the Bureau improved the methodology and processing of seasonally adjusted estimates

Accounting for missing data in the Employment Cost Index

Song Yi

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art4full.pdf

[full-text, 6 pages]

Employers do not always provide all the information needed to compile the Employment Cost Index (ECI); new ECI procedures have improved the methods for dealing with missing values

Introducing 2002 weights in the Employment Cost Index

Stephanie L. Costo

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art5full.pdf

Beginning in March 2006, ECI estimates were modified to reflect 2002 employment counts; disruptions to the most-aggregated historical series from this change alone were slight

Report

A visual essay: international labor market comparisons

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/ressum.pdf

[full-text, 8 pages]

[excerpt]

International comparisons of labor market and competitiveness indicators, as well as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), provide a snapshot in time of the world economy. The first 3 sections of this visual essay include charts covering 12 selected countries in North America, Europe, and Asia, although not all countries appear on all of the charts because of data constraints. Many of the charts include a weighted average for 15 European Union member countries (EU15). The EU15 region comprises the European Union member countries before expansion of the EU to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. The EU15 countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Only sevenGermany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Irelandof the EU15 countries are charted separately. In the final section of this essay, three charts are presented for five large emerging economiesBrazil, China, India, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. The United States is included on these charts as a reference point.

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 4:57 PM

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 Research Service (CRS)

Order Code RS21728
Updated May 23, 2005
Payday Loans: Federal Regulatory Initiatives
Pauline Smale, Economic Analyst, Government and Finance Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/rpts/RS21728_20050523.pdf
[full-text, 6 pages]

Summary
A payday loan arrangement permits an individual to use a personal check to get a
small, short-term, cash advance. The loans are typically for $100-$500. The borrower
writes a postdated check for the loan amount and a fee. The lender holds the check until
the borrower's next payday, usually two weeks. This source of short-term credit can be
expensive. The fee charged on a 14-day payday loan is typically $15 to $17 per $100
advanced, amounts equivalent to an APR (annual percentage rate) of between 391% and
443%. A loan can become even more expensive if it is rolled over or extended.
State laws have generally governed payday lending; some are silent while others
have prohibited or restricted payday lenders. Payday loans are subject to the disclosure
provisions of the federal Truth-In-Lending Act. When payday lenders attempted to
partner with banks and thrifts to circumvent restrictive state laws, however, federal
regulators issued supervisory guidance relating to payday loans. Depository institutions
were cautioned that these arrangements introduced financial, compliance, and reputation
risks. Consumer advocates are concerned that these guidelines may not provide
sufficient consumer protection. They have called on Congress to examine the activities
of payday lenders to see if reforms are needed to protect consumers. Legislation, H.R.
1643 and H.R. 1660, that would regulate the payday lending has been introduced. This
report provides information on the practice of payday lending and an overview of federal
regulation and legislation. This report will be updated as events and legislation warrant.
_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 2:27 PM

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 Research Service (CRS)

Order Code RL31934
Textile and Apparel Rules of Origin in International Trade
May 23, 2003 [online 21 April 2006]
Bernard A. Gelb, Specialist in Industry Economics, Resources, Science, and Industry Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/rpts/RL31934_20030523.pdf
[full-text, 15 pages]

Summary
In moves to open foreign markets to U.S. goods and services, and vice versa,
and to boost economic growth in poorer regions of the world, the United States has
entered into free trade agreements and established preferential trade programs. Major
challenges are preventing non-members or ineligible countries or products from
benefitting, and limiting the potential harm to U.S. producers. These challenges are
addressed in part by explicitly or implicitly setting rules for determining the origin
of each of particular categories of goods to ensure that benefits flow only to the
appropriate trade partner(s) and/or only to the designated categories of goods made
by a partner or beneficiary country. Usually, this is done by establishing rules of
origin based upon one more or conceptual approaches that have been developed to
help designate a category of products or particular item as the product of a
particular country or group of countries as unambiguously as possible. Because
the United States is considering entering into other free trade agreements, it may be
instructive to examine the rules that are part of current agreements and preferential
programs.
Existing U.S. free trade agreements and trade preference programs include the
following: the North American Free Trade Agreement, the United States-Jordan Free
Trade Agreement, the United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement, Andean trade
preference (Andean Trade Preference and Drug Eradication Act), Caribbean trade
preference (Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act as amended), and sub-Saharan
trade preference (African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, as amended). The
United States has signed proposed free trade agreements with Chile and Singapore.
Based upon brief summaries of the free trade agreements and preferential trade
programs listed above, it is observed that if a trade agreement has broader coverage
than a trade preference program it does not necessarily indicate that it is a more
generous trade promotion vehicle with respect to textiles and apparel. A trade
agreement is intended to generate reciprocal benefits whereas a preference program
is a unilateral grant of benefits to the intended beneficiary country(ies). However,
while recognizing this caveat, it needs to be reported that the trade agreements cover
textile and apparel categories more broadly than the preferential programs.
Also, a major characteristic of rules of origin contained in all of the agreements
and programs covered is that they tend to be very specific with respect to textiles and
apparel. One overall rule, usually set out at the beginning of the relevant
document(s), applies to textiles and apparel to the extent that the specific rules do not
supercede it. That rule requires that the value of materials produced in a beneficiary
country plus the direct cost of processing in a beneficiary country must equal at least
35% of the total value of the article at its entry into the United States. But up to 15%
of the 35% may consist of the value originating in the United States.
Thirdly, all of the agreements and preferential programs make special allowance
for handloomed, handmade, and folklore articles, as defined by consultation among
or between the countries. This report will not be updated.

Contents
Setting and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Need for and Approaches to Rules of Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Concepts and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Substantial transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Change in tariff classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Value-added standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Critical process criterion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Summaries of Rules of Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
General Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Specific Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
North American Free Trade Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Proposed U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Andean Trade Preference Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Caribbean Basin Preference Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sub-Saharan Africa Preference Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Selected Current CRS Reports Related to Free Trade Agreements and Preferential Trade Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
List of Tables
Summaries of Textile and Apparel Rules of Origin: Selected Trade Agreements and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 2:20 PM

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 2005 [27 April 2006]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/famee.pdf
[full-text, 10 pages]

In 2005, 7.0 percent of families had an unemployed member, down by
0.4 percentage point from the prior year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Since 2003, the proportion
of families with an unemployed member has fallen by 1.1 percentage points.
Of the nation's 76.4 million families, 82.3 percent had at least one em-
ployed member in 2005, the same proportion as in 2004.

These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are
collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample
survey of approximately 60,000 households. Families include married-couple
families, as well as those maintained by a man or woman with no spouse
present. For further information about the CPS, see the Technical Note.

Families and Unemployment

In 2005, 5.3 million families had at least one member who was unemployed,
down from 5.6 million in 2004. The proportion of black families with an un-
employed member (12.7 percent) continued be about twice that for white fam-
ilies (6.1 percent) and Asian families (6.2 percent). Among Hispanic fam-
ilies, 9.0 percent had an unemployed member. (See table 1.)

Of the families with an unemployed member, 69.9 percent also had at
least one employed member in 2005, essentially unchanged from the prior
year. Among married-couple families with unemployment, 82.1 percent had
an employed member, as did 57.9 percent of families maintained by men.
Both proportions were about the same as in the prior year. In contrast,
the proportion of families maintained by women with unemployment and at
least one employed member rose to 48.2 percent in 2005, up from 45.5 per-
cent in 2004. (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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 2:06 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
by Lawrence Mishel and Joydeep Roy

Rethinking High School Graduation Rates [20 April 2006]
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm?id=2335
or
http://www.epi.org/books/rethinking_hs_grad_rates/rethinking_hs_grad_rates-FULL_TEXT.pdf
[full-text, 108 pages]

See press release, 20 April 2006
http://www.epi.org/newsroom/releases/2006/04/060420-highschoolpr-final.pdf

[excerpt]
EPI president Lawrence Mishel and economist Joydeep Roy provide a rigorous examination of all of the possible data sources. The gold standard NELS data, which track individual students over time and verify diplomas against actual transcripts, show overall national graduation rates of 82%, and rates for black and Hispanic students of about 75%.

The authors show that other national surveys that either track individual students or survey households, such as the decennial Census and the Current Population Survey used to track unemployment, confirm these higher graduation rates. The decennial Census data for 2000, when corrected for various measurement problems, show that whites graduate with a regular diploma at a rate about 15 percentage points higher than blacks and about 13 points higher than Hispanics. However, the black-white graduation gap has shrunk greatly since the 1960s and the Hispanic-white gap has shrunk over the last 10 years (the only period for which the necessary data are available). "The very low graduation rates that are being cited are out of sync with what the most reliable data sources tell us," said Mishel. "We hope this report will clear the fog, create a better understanding of the true challenges we face and the progress we've made, and help lead the way to better targeted solutions for continuing to close the remaining gaps. Understanding where we are and how far we've come can help identify what has been working in American public education."

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION

I. Motivation: The debate

II. National longitudinal data

III. Graduation rates using school enrollment and diploma data

IV. Census Bureau Household Survey data

V. Using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series from the 2000 census to assess high school completion and potential biases in the CPS

VI. Historical trends

VII. The General Education Development (GED) test issue

VIII. Comparing alternative measures of high school completion

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX A: National longitudinal studies

APPENDIX B: Case studies based on longitudinal data from Florida, Chicago, and New York City

APPENDIX C: Methodology of the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) data analysis

Endnotes
References

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 9:55 AM

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 COST INDEX-MARCH 2006 [28 April 2006]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/eci.pdf
[full-text, 26 pages]
and
Supplemental Files Table of Contents
http://www.bls.gov/web/eci.supp.toc.htm

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.6 percent from December 2005
to March 2006, seasonally adjusted, compared with the 0.8 percent gain from September to
December 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
reported today. Benefit costs between December and March rose 0.5 percent, decelerating
from the gain of 0.9 percent from the previous quarter. Wages and salaries increased
0.7 percent during the quarter, the same increase as the previous quarter. The Employment
Cost Index (ECI), a component of the National Compensation Survey, measures quarterly
changes in compensation costs, which include wages, salaries, and employer costs for
employee benefits for civilian workers (nonfarm private industry and state and
local government).

Beginning with this release, the Employment Cost Index has introduced a number of
changes. Among the most significant, data are based on new industry and occupational
classifications: the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the
2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. These systems replace the
1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and the 1990 Occupational Classification
System (OCS) based on the Census of Population. The tables are reordered and renumbered;
for a crosswalk between the old and new tables see the BLS website
http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/ecicrswlk.htm. Estimates for "excluding incentive paid occupations"
and nine census divisions are added. In addition, all series are rebased to
December 2005 = 100 from June 1989 = 100. See page 2 for additional information.

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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:41 AM

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
________________________________________________________________________

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: FIRST QUARTER 2006 (ADVANCE) [28 April 2006]
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdp106a.htm
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdp106a.pdf
[full-text, 13 pages]
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdp106a.xls
[spreadsheet]
and
Highlights
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdp106a_fax.pdf

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property
located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2006,
according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real
GDP increased 1.7 percent.

The Bureau emphasized that the first-quarter "advance" estimates are based on source data that
are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see the box on page 3). The first-
quarter "preliminary" estimates, based on more comprehensive data, will be released on May 25, 2006.

The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from
personal consumption expenditures (PCE), equipment and software, exports, and federal government
spending that were partly offset by a negative contribution from private inventory investment. Imports,
which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.

The acceleration in real GDP growth in the first quarter primarily reflected an acceleration in PCE
for durable goods, an upturn in federal government spending, and accelerations in equipment and
software and in exports that were partly offset by a downturn in private inventory investment.

Final sales of computers contributed 0.11 percentage point to the first-quarter growth in real GDP
after contributing 0.33 percentage point to the fourth-quarter growth. Motor vehicle output subtracted
0.23 percentage point from the first-quarter growth in real GDP after subtracting 0.64 percentage point
from the fourth-quarter growth.

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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:36 AM

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
________________________________________________________________________

Facts for Features from the Census Bureau

Fathers Day: June 18 [28 April 20006]
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006794.html
or
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2006/cb06ff08.pdf
[full-text, 3 pages]

The idea of Fathers Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mothers Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Fathers Day celebration June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokanes mayor because it was the month of William Smarts birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Fathers Day. Fathers Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

66.3 million
Estimated number of fathers across the nation today. (From unpublished data.)

Remembering Dad
Nearly 95 million
The estimated number of Fathers Day cards given last year in the United States, making Fathers Day the fourth-largest card-sending occasion. (Source: Hallmark research)

50%
Percentage of all Fathers Day cards that are purchased specifically by sons and/or daughters. Nearly 20 percent of Fathers Day cards are purchased by wives for their husbands; the remaining cards are bought for grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles and someone special. (Source: Hallmark research)

72%
Percentage of Americans who plan to celebrate or acknowledge Fathers Day. (Source: Hallmark research and National Retail Federation.)
* Neckties lead the list of Fathers Day gifts. A good place to buy dad a tie or a shirt might be one of 9,189 mens clothing stores around the country in 2003.
* << http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>
* Other items high on the list of Fathers Day gifts include those items you may find in dads toolbox such as hammers, wrenches and screwdrivers. You could buy some of these items for dad at one of the nations 14,864 hardware stores or 5,795 home centers in 2003.
* << http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>

22,410
Number of sporting goods stores in 2003. These stores are good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad such as fishing rods and golf clubs. << http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>
* More than 68 million Americans participated at a barbecue in the last year its probably safe to assume many of these barbecues took place on Fathers Day. << http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/arts.pdf>, 2006 edition, Table 1230.

Mr. Mom
147,000
Estimated number of stay-at-home dads. These married fathers with children under 15 years old have remained out of the labor force for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 268,000 children under 15. << http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/shp1.pdf>

20%
Percentage of fathers with employed wives who were the primary caregiver for their preschooler. In contrast, 6 percent of fathers provided the most hours of care for their grade-school-aged child.
<< http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-101.pdf>

AND 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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:31 AM

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
________________________________________________________________________

HSBC
[An International Survey]

The Future of Retirement 2005 Survey [27 April 2006]
http://www.hsbc.com/public/groupsite/retirement_future/en/_overview_future_of_retirement_2005.jhtml
and
Summary
http://www.hsbc.com/hsbc/retirement_future/2005-research-summary
and
Download options
http://www.hsbc.com/hsbc/retirement_future/2005-research-summary/download-the-report
and
FULL REPORT (in English)
http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/3622/5d4393a0c726bf/www.img.ghq.hsbc.com/public/groupsite/assets/retirement_future/hsbc_future_of_retirement.pdf
[full-text, 16 pages]

[excerpt]
The report answers some important questions:
Will traditional retirement patterns persist, or will they be replaced by new models?
How do different cultures perceive older people, and how positive are they about ageing and retirement?
What roles do people expect governments, employers and individuals to play in planning and funding retirement?
How is the role of the family changing, and will older people be able to rely on family support?

The answers to these questions are provocative and potent. They provide new insights that should inform the decisions that governments, financial services providers and individuals take, and the social structures that develop.
_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:25 AM

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
________________________________________________________________________

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

Health, United States, 2005--TREND TABLES updated March 2006
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm

TREND TABLES Updated March 2006--
These tables were updated as of March 2006 and differ from the printed book.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/updatedtables.htm

Includes

Table 27. Life expectancy at birth, at 65 years of age, and at 75 years of age, according to race and sex: United States, selected years 1900-2003
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus05.pdf#027
or
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/Health_US/hus05tables/Table027.xls
[spreadsheet]

Table 48. Deaths from selected occupational diseases for persons 15 years of age and over: United States, selected years 1980-2003
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus05.pdf#048
or
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/Health_US/hus05tables/Table048.xls
[spreadsheet]

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 3:20 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

Women's Bureau

Nontraditional Occupations for Women in 2005 [online March 2006]
http://www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/nontra2005.htm

Tables...

Nontraditional occupations are those in which women comprise 25 percent or less of total employed.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unpublished data, Annual Averages 2005,
Current Population Survey.
_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 2:31 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

Services and Goods Sectors Both Strong Despite Slowdown in 2005
Advance Estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Industry [27 April 2006]
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdpind05.htm
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdpind05.pdf
[full-text, 5 pages]
or
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdpind05.xls
[spreadsheet of Charts and Tables]
and
Highlights
http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdpind05_fax.pdf

In 2005, both the services-producing and goods-producing sectors continued their expansion, although each sector experienced a slowdown from its pace of growth in 2004. Newly-available data on the industry distribution of real GDP growth, released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, showed that the services-producing sector grew 4.1 percent and continued to be led by the information and professional and business services industry groups. The goods-producing sector increased 2.6 percent reflecting growth in manufacturing and construction that more than offset declines in mining and agriculture.

Despite slower growth in 2005, the manufacturing industry group continued to show strong growth, increasing 4.0 percent after increasing 4.8 percent in 2004. Durable-goods manufacturing increased 5.7 percent and continued to lead growth for the goods-producing sector due, in part, to the continued strength of computer and electronic products.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES and CHARTS....

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 2:15 PM

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

Nanomaterials in the Workplace
Policy and Planning Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health [online 25 April 2006]
http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF227/index.html
or
http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/2006/RAND_CF227.pdf
[full-text, 50 pages]

By: James T. Bartis, Eric Landree

What are the challenges the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and related federal agencies face when allocating limited resources so that worker health and safety go hand in hand with innovation and technical progress? This was the central issue addressed at a workshop on nanotechnology and occupational safety and health hosted by the RAND Corporation on October 17, 2005. The workshop focused on policy and planning issues (as opposed to scientific issues) that are key to understanding the options available to NIOSH in formulating and implementing its strategic objectives to protect the safety and health of workers exposed to nanoscale materials. This document of the conference proceedings draws on discussions during the workshop and places the discussions within a policy framework for further consideration by NIOSH.

Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Strategic Challenges
Chapter Three: Resources
Chapter Four: Toward Nanotechnology Workplace Safety
Appendix A: Workshop Participants
Appendix B: Agenda for Policy and Planning Workshop on Nanotechnology and Occupational Safety and Health

Press Release, April 25, 2006
RAND REPORT SAYS GREATER EFFORT NEEDED TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM HEALTH RISKS POSED BY NANOMATERIALS
http://www.rand.org/news/press.06/04.25.html

The U.S. government is providing insufficient funding and other resources to understand and manage risks that nanomaterials pose to the health of workers in the rapidly growing nanotechnology industry, according to participants in a workshop hosted by the RAND Corporation.

RAND today issued a < http://www.rand.org/news/press.06//pubs/conf_proceedings/CF227/> report on the October 2005 workshop that brought together nanotechnology and health experts and representatives from industry, insurance firms, labor unions, and occupational health and safety organizations.

Nanotechnology involves the study and manipulation of engineered materials down to the size of a nanometer one billionth of a meter, or about one one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. Because of their extremely small size, these nanomaterials can take on unusual physical and chemical properties that allow novel uses, but at the same time can create new health risks.

Although based on substances scientists already understand, nanomaterials essentially are new substances that can have properties that are very different from the bulk forms of the same chemicals. When present as small particles, some of these nanomaterials can penetrate deeply into the lungs, go through the skin, collect in various organs, and even pass through the blood-brain barrier.

According to the RAND report, government resources should focus on assessing the toxicity of nanomaterials, understanding how workers are exposed to such materials, and determining the effectiveness of measures to safeguard the health of workers. The multibillion-dollar investments in nanotechnology being made by private firms and the federal government will continue to be at risk if such steps are not taken, according to workshop participants.

AND 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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:20 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

EEOC

DIVERSITY IN THE FINANCE INDUSTRY [26 April 2006]
http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/reports/finance/index.html
or
http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/reports/finance/finance.pdf
[full-text, 19 pages]

Includes numerous TABLES and CHARTS.....

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Finance Industry is an important aspect of the economy including banking, credit, securities and insurance activities. It offers many well-paying jobs, and is expected to see growth in the coming years. This report examines the Finance Industry with respect to the employment of women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Of particular interest is the status of these groups in management positions. EEO-1 data is utilized to examine the subsectors of the Finance Industry.
* The percentage of women officials and managers is highest in the Banking/Credit subsector (48.6 percent) and their lowest percentage is in the Securities subsector (33.8 percent). The percentage of women officials and managers in each of the subsectors falls below the percentage of women employed as professionals, which might be considered a source for management jobs.
* Similar disparities between the percentage of African American officials and managers and the percentage of African American professionals are also observed. Among the Financial Industry subsectors, the percentage of African American officials and managers is highest in the Banking/Credit subsector (7.0 percent) and lowest in the Securities subsector (4.4 percent).
* The percentage of Hispanic officials and managers is highest in the Central Banking subsector (5.1 percent) and lowest in the Securities subsector (2.9 percent). In all subsectors, the percentage of Hispanic officials and managers is less that the percentage of Hispanic professionals.
* The highest percentage of Asian officials and managers is in the Securities subsector (6.4 percent) and the lowest percentage of Asian officials and managers is in Central Banking and Insurance (2.8 percent). Like the other groups examined, the percentage of Asian officials and managers falls below the percentage of Asian professionals in each subsector.
* Employment as officials and managers is examined in more detail for each of these groups by determining their chance of being officials and managers in contrast to professionals and sales workers. This shows that each subsector has a large portion of establishments where such chances are unfavorable to women, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians when compared to white males. Entry into management may be a particular concern for Asians.
* While the relative chance of being an official or manager is better in the Securities subsector for each of the groups analyzed, the low proportion of women and African American professionals in this subsector may be partly responsible for these results.

Press Release
DEFICIT IN MANAGEMENT DIVERSITY FOR MANY IN FINANCE INDUSTRY, EEOC STUDY FINDS [26 April 2006]
http://www.eeoc.gov/press/4-26-06.html

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a report showing women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and American Indians /Alaskan Natives are still lagging behind as managers in a large share of finance industry firms.

EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez unveiled the report, "< http://www.eeoc.gov/press/../stats/reports/finance/index.html> Diversity in the Finance Industry," in San Francisco Tuesday during a presentation to the Financial Women's Association, which is observing its 50th anniversary.

"This report shows that we still have some ways to go," Chair Dominguez said. "The report found that women of all races and backgrounds advance more slowly as they climb up the career ladder.

"By issuing this report, we hope to spur action to level a key playing field. Because the finance industry offers many well-paying jobs, and is expected to see growth in the coming years, we must continue to mentor professional women and people of color," Chair Dominguez told the Financial Women's Association.

The finance industry study examined the banking, credit, securities and insurance sectors, with particular attention to the status of women and members of diverse groups in management positions. The EEOC's report is based upon EEO-1 data required of private sector employers with a minimum of 100 employees, listing percentages of women and others in broad job categories. Among the report's findings:
* "Throughout the finance industry, a large portion of establishments reported much lower ratios of officials and managers to professionals and sales workers for women and African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. On the other hand, this suggests that there are a number of firms that have been able to present opportunities for female and minority employees to enter management ranks.
* "The percentage of women officials and managers is highest in Banking/Credit (48.6 percent) and lowest in Securities (33.8 percent).
* "The percentage of African American officials and managers is highest in Banking/Credit (7.0 percent) and lowest in Securities (4.4 percent).
* "The percentage of Hispanic officials and managers is highest in Central Banking (5.1 percent) and lowest in Securities (2.9 percent).
* "The highest percentage of Asian officials and managers is in Securities (6.4 percent) and the lowest percentage of Asian officials and managers is in Central Banking and Insurance (2.8 percent). Like the other groups examined, the percentage of Asian officials and managers falls below the percentage of Asian professionals in each sector of the finance industry.

The finance report is the newest in a series of special reports by the EEOC examining equal employment opportunity in various industries. Previous reports have addressed the distribution centers and high-end department stores in the retail industry, law firms, and media industries. These reports can be found at < http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/reports/index.html>

The EEOC enforces the nation's laws in the private and federal sectors prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age and disability. These statutes include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, sections of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Further information about the Commission is available online at http://www.eeoc.gov/.
_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:01 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

USITC

Commercial Availability of Apparel Inputs (2005):
Effect of Providing Preferential Treatment to Apparel From Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries
Compilation of Reports Requested in 2005
Investigation No. 332-465 [March 2006]
http://prototype.usitc.gov/ind_econ_ana/research_ana/pres_cong/documents/pub3848FullVersion332-465.pdf
[full-text, 69 pages]

Summary of Findings
The Commission's analysis concerns granting duty-free treatment to U.S. imports of knitted apparel made
in eligible Caribbean Basin, Andean, and Sub-Saharan African countries from certain anti-microbial
elastomeric filament yarn, regardless of the source of the yarn. Four U.S. producers said they either make,
or can make, anti-microbial elastomeric yarns. To the extent that the U.S. yarns are like or substitutable for
the subject yarn, the proposed preferential treatment could have an adverse effect on U.S. yarn producers
and their workers. However, adequate information is not available on the extent to which the U.S. yarns
are like or substitutable for the subject yarn or whether any of the four U.S. producers can meet the
requirements of the petitioner or apparel producers in terms of product specifications, quality, quantity, or
price. The proposed preferential treatment could also have a slight adverse effect on U.S. producers of
apparel likely to contain the subject yarn (e.g., hosiery) and their workers. The proposed action would likely
benefit U.S. firms making such apparel in eligible countries, and their U.S.-based workers, as well as U.S.
consumers.

Contents
Page
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Knitted apparel of anti-microbial elastomeric filament yarn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 001-1
Cotton sweaters containing certain open-end spun yarns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 002-1
Shirts and blouses of certain flannel fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 003-1
Apparel of coat weight fabrics of camel hair, cashmere, and wool blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 004-1
Shirts and blouses of cotton, carbon-emerized fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 005-1
Shirts and blouses of 2x2 twill cotton flannel fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 006-1
Apparel of woven bamboo/cotton fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 007-1
Certain apparel of compacted, plied, ring-spun cotton yarns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 008-1
Shirts, blouses, and sleepwear of cotton seersucker fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 009-1
Certain knitted apparel of nylon flat filament yarn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 010-1
Apparel of certain yarn-dyed twill-woven flannel fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 011-1
APPENDICES
A. Request letter from the United States Trade Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
B. Federal Register Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
C. Petitions for which the Commission provided advice under the "commercial availability"
provisions of the AGOA, CBTPA, and ATPDEA, 2001-2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 3:40 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

FOREIGN-TRADE ZONES BOARD FY 2004 (66th Annual Report) [online February 2006]
http://www.ita.doc.gov/media/Publications/pdf/ftz2006FINAL.pdf
[full-text, 60 pages]

CONTENTS

Report of the Executive Secretary ......................................................................................... 1
Appendices
A - Board Orders, FY 2004.................................................................................................... 5
B - Movement of Merchandise in General-Purpose Zones, FY 2004 ................................... 11
C - Movement of Merchandise in Subzones, FY 2004.......................................................... 14
D - Summary of Statistics, FY 20002004............................................................................ 20
E - Summary of Main Foreign-Status Products Received in U.S. FTZs ............................... 21
F - Administrative Actions, FY 2004 .................................................................................... 22
G - U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones by State ................................................................................. 25
H - Glossary of Terms, Abbreviations, and Acronyms ........................................................ 50

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 3:34 PM

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
________________________________________________________________________

No. 2005-12-A
Office of Economics Working Paper
U.S. International Trade Commission
William Greene*
January 2006
Growth in Services Outsourcing to India: Propellant or Drain on the U.S. Economy?
http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/research_working_papers/EC200601A.pdf
[full-text, 64 pages]

[excerpt]
Conclusion
Outsourcing of business process services is here to stay, but the degree to which it will either
positively or negatively affect the U.S. economy is yet to be determined. U.S. corporations continue to
outsource many of their routine labor-intensive business process services tasks to developing countries
that offer significant cost savings and quality advantages. Labor arbitrage continues to be the driving
force behind offshoring as it has allowed companies to dramatically lower their labor costs. In theory,
these savings can be passed on in the form of lower prices to consumers and higher dividends to
shareholders. Offshore outsourcing also allows American companies to focus on their core competencies
while improving quality and productivity.
India is only one of a number of low-cost countries that U.S. companies are using to lower their
costs and gain greater efficiencies. At present, India dominates global business process outsourcing
because of its competitive advantage in the areas of linguistic skills, institutional comparability,
competitively priced telecommunications services, and its ability to offer quality services at 40 percent to
60 percent of the manpower cost in the United States. However, India continues to be weak in
infrastructure and its business process outsourcing sector continues to suffer from attrition and
absenteeism problems, rising costs, and security concerns (IP piracy). Consequently, there are a number
of countries such as China, the Philippines, and Malaysia that are waiting to challenge India's
supremacy.
Anxiety in the U.S. jobs market stemming from outsourcing and potential job loss continues to
be an important issue among white-collar IT and services sector workers and in Congress. There is clear
evidence that IT and services sector jobs have been sent offshore, but most of these jobs have been
concentrated in lower skilled occupations. Nevertheless, there is no hard evidence to support the notion
that globalization or offshoring will transform the United States into a third world nation or that it will
exert downward pressure on U.S. wages or broaden the income distribution gap. Much of this debate has
been made with "incomplete data, anecdotal, politically motivated, or data that has been otherwise
tweaked." Even the most generous estimates of jobs lost to outsourcing account for less than two 185
percent of total U.S. non-farm employment. Nevertheless, Forrester Research and other consulting firms
contend that trade in services could generate net benefits to the U.S. economy including lower prices to
consumers, higher dividends to shareholders, growing exports, greater job security and higher wages for
the remaining workers, and greater overall economic efficiencies.

AND 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 *
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 3:33 PM

IWS Documented News DAILY POSTINGS

Friday, April 28, 2006

[IWS] BLS: MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW ONLINE, April 2006, Vol. 129, No. 4 [28 April 2006]

[IWS] CRS: Payday Loans: Federal Regulatory Initiatives [online 21 April 2006]

[IWS] CRS: Textile and Apparel Rules of Origin in International Trade [online 21 April 2006]

[IWS] BLS: EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 2005 [27 April 2006]

[IWS] EPI: RETHINKING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES [20 April 2006]

[IWS] BLS: EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX-MARCH 2006 [28 April 2006]

[IWS] BEA: GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: FIRST QUARTER 2006 (ADVANCE) [28 April 2006]

[IWS] Census: FATHER'S DAY: June 18 [28 April 2006]

[IWS] HSBC: The FUTURE of RETIREMENT 2005 Survey [27 April 2006]

Thursday, April 27, 2006

[IWS] Health, United States, 2005--TREND TABLES updated March 2006

[IWS] Women's Bureau: NON-TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS for WOMEN 2005 [March 2006]

[IWS] BEA: Gross Domestic Product (GSP) by INDUSTRY (Advanced Estimates) [27 April 2006]

[IWS] RAND: NANOMATERIALS in the WORKPLACE [25 April 2006]

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

[IWS] EEOC: DIVERSITY IN THE FINANCE INDUSTRY [26 April 2006]

[IWS] USITC: Effect of Preferential Treatment to APPAREL From Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries [March 2006]

[IWS] FOREIGN-TRADE ZONES BOARD FY 2004 (66th Annual Report) [online February 2006]

[IWS] USITC: Growth in SERVICES OUTSOURCING to INDIA: Propellant or Drain on the U.S. Economy? [January 2006]

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