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
________________________________________________________________________


NO MESSAGES wil be sent until 5 January 2009.

______________________________
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 : 3:27 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
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt


Communicating With Employees During the Current Financial Crisis [19 December 2008]
www.watsonwyatt.com/communicatingfinancialcrisis
[full-text, 8 pages]


Press Release 19 December 2008
Most Companies Step Up Communication to Ease Workers' Recession-Related Stress
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20279

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 19, 2008 — U.S. employers are stepping up their communication to workers about financial performance and solvency to help alleviate growing levels of stress and anxiety caused by the recession, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm.

Overall, findings show that 77 percent of respondents have already sent out or are planning communication on the impact of the financial crisis. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of these employers cited easing employee anxiety as one of the top two goals of their crisis-related internal communication, while nearly one-third (32 percent) cited earning employees' trust. Watson Wyatt's survey, "Communicating to Employees During the Current Financial Crisis," was conducted in December 2008 and includes responses from 92 employers.

According to employers, job security and company performance and solvency are at the top of employees' concerns. While eight in 10 (80 percent) employers who are communicating about the financial crisis noted they have already sent messages to employees about company performance and solvency, only 38 percent have communicated about job security.

"Employers clearly understand the impact the financial crisis is having, not only on their business but on their employees as well," said Kathryn Yates, global director of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. "With no end to the recession in sight, communicating regularly with employees will be critical for companies to keep their workers engaged and productive." 

[TABLE]

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 : 3:22 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
________________________________________________________________________

Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT)

Japanese Working Life Profile 2008/2009 - Labor Statistics [17 December 2008]
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/jwl.htm
or
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/laborinfo/library/documents/jwlp08-09.pdf
[full-text, 97 pages]

JILPT publishes a booklet containing selected labor statistics to present a profile of Japanese workers from various perspectives. It covers basic statistical data to give a whole picture of Japanese labor situation, such as indices for economic environment, employment situation, working conditions, family life and social security policy. Also, it provides statistics on some hot topics dealing with current labor issues in Japan, including employment of elderly workers, increasing non-regular workers, foreign workers / labor migration, various working patterns, changing labor management relations, and so on.

______________________________
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 : 1:48 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
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
COMPARATIVE STUDY


Temporary agency work and collective bargaining in the EU [19 December 2008]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/studies/tn0807019s/index.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro/tn0807019s/tn0807019s.pdf
[full-text, 48 pages]


This report reviews the present situation regarding the use of temporary agency work (TAW) in European Union Member States. It examines arrangements for social dialogue and collective bargaining at national level across the EU. It examines the role of collective bargaining in determining such matters as length of assignment, the use of TAW in strikes, and the proportion of agency workers allowed; it also examines the role of collective bargaining in determining equality of treatment in pay, training and other conditions of employment. In addition the report reviews other forms of regulation, and national variations, including the composition of companies in the field of TAW, its sectoral and occupational distribution, and the duration of temporary assignments.

The study was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by the EIRO correspondents. The text of each of these national reports is available below. The reports have not been edited or approved by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The national reports were drawn up in response to a < http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro/tn0807019s/tawfinalquestionnaire_080401.doc > questionnaire and should be read in conjunction with it.

Contents
Introduction
Temporary agency work ­ a snapshot
Legal provisions and developments
Social dialogue and collective bargaining
Regulatory outcomes
Conclusions
Bibliography

______________________________
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 : 11:41 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
________________________________________________________________________

RAND

Occupational Safety and Health for Public Safety Employees
Assessing the Evidence and the Implications for Public Policy [18 December 2008]
By: Tom LaTourrette, David S. Loughran, Seth A. Seabury
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG792/
or
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG792.pdf
[full-text, 157 pages]
and
Summary
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG792.sum.pdf
[full-text, 15 pages]


Police officers, firefighters, and other public safety workers are asked to put their lives at risk to protect the general public, so it is not surprising that they face exceptionally high rates of injury and fatality relative to the general workforce. To help protect public safety employees from work-related injuries and illnesses without compromising their ability to do their jobs, policymakers need a better understanding of the specific risk factors associated with different aspects of public safety occupations. To further such understanding, LaTourrette, Loughran, and Seabury conducted a literature review of research on this topic; held roundtable discussions with representatives from several public safety departments in California; and analyzed national survey data, as well as administrative data from California, to illuminate how the injury, illness, and fatality rates for public safety employees differ from those of the general workforce. The authors highlight opportunities and challenges to improving the health and safety of public safety workers.


Press Release 18 December 2008
Better Efforts Needed to Track, Prevent Career-Ending Injuries Among Public Safety Workers
http://rand.org/news/press/2008/12/18/

Non-fatal injuries to police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other public safety workers are common, but little is done to track these incidents in order to improve prevention efforts, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

"We have pretty good information about the causes of fatalities that strike public safety employees, but we do not do enough to track the less-severe injuries that routinely strike this group of workers," said Tom LaTourrette, lead author of the study and a physical scientist with RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

Non-fatal injuries among public safety workers are far more common and create more costs for employers than fatal injuries, according to the RAND study.

"This makes the lack of good data on these kinds of injuries a serious gap," LaTourrette said. "If public safety officials were able to better track how non-fatal, yet potentially disabling injuries occur, it would be easier to design a set of interventions to help reduce the risks to workers."

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 : 11:06 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
________________________________________________________________________

REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT:  NOVEMBER 2008 [19 December 2008]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/laus.pdf
[full-text, 20 pages]
and
Supplemental Files Table of Contents
http://www.bls.gov/web/laus.supp.toc.htm

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally higher in
November.  Overall, 37 states and the District of Columbia recorded
over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 5 states registered de-
creases, and 8 states had no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Over the year, job-
less rates were up in 49 states and the District of Columbia and un-
changed in 1 state.  The national unemployment rate rose from 6.5 to
6.7 percent in November and was up 2.0 percentage points from a year
earlier.

   In November, nonfarm payroll employment rose in 9 states and fell
in 41 states plus the District of Columbia.  The largest over-the-
month gains in the level of employment were recorded in Washington
(+17,400) where some 27,000 aerospace workers ended their strike and
returned to payrolls, Texas (+7,300), Oklahoma (+3,000), and Alaska
(+2,500).  Alaska reported the largest over-the-month percentage gain
in employment (+0.8 percent), followed by Washington (+0.6 percent)
and Hawaii, North Dakota, and Oklahoma (+0.2 percent each).  The larg-
est over-the-month decrease in the level of employment was recorded
in Florida (-58,600), followed by North Carolina (-46,000), California
(-41,700), Michigan (-36,900), and Georgia (-30,000).  North Carolina
reported the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment
(-1.1 percent), followed by Michigan (-0.9 percent), Idaho and Rhode
Island (-0.8 percent each), and Florida, Georgia, and Nebraska (-0.7
percent each).  Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 14 states
and the District of Columbia and decreased in 36 states.  Wyoming
recorded the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment
(+2.8 percent), followed by Texas (+2.1 percent), North Dakota (+1.4
percent), and Alaska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota (+1.1 percent each).
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred
in Rhode Island (-3.7 percent), followed by Arizona (-3.1 percent),
Idaho and Michigan (-2.7 percent each), and Florida (-2.6 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

   In November, the West and Midwest regions again posted the highest
jobless rates, 7.3 and 6.9 percent, respectively.  The Northeast and
South recorded the lowest unemployment rates, 6.1 and 6.4 percent, re-
spectively.  All four regions registered statistically significant
rate increases from the previous month:  the Northeast and South (+0.3
percentage point each) and the Midwest and West (+0.2 point each).  All
four regions also reported significant jobless rate increases from
November 2007:  the West (+2.3 percentage points), South (+1.9 points),
Midwest (+1.7 points), and Northeast (+1.6 points).  (See table 1.)

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 : 10:54 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
________________________________________________________________________

MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2008 [19 December 2008]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/mmls.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/mmls.pdf
[full-text, 10 pages]

In November, employers took 2,328 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance
benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50
persons from a single employer; the number of workers involved totaled
224,079 on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The number of mass layoff
events in November increased by 188 from the prior month, while the
number of associated initial claims decreased by 8,389.  Over the
year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 999, and the
number of associated initial claims increased by 84,408.  In November,
874 mass layoff events reported in the manufacturing sector, season-
ally adjusted, resulting in 98,408 initial claims.  Over the month,
mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 239, and initial
claims increased by 11,005, the fourth consecutive over-the-month
increase for both.  (See table 1.)

   From the start of the recession in December 2007 through November
2008, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was
20,712, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was
2,108,743.

   The national unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in November, season-
ally adjusted, up from 6.5 percent the prior month and from 4.7 percent
a year earlier.  In November, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased
by 533,000 over the month and by 1,870,000 from a year earlier.

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 : 10:48 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
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)


Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care [18 December 2008]
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9925
or
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf
[full-text, 235 pages]

See also -- CHARTS - http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/SlidesHealthBriefing.pdf
BLOG - http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=193

[excerpt]
This volume—which expands on one of the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) regular
reports to the House and Senate Committees on the Budget—presents 115 options for
reducing (or, in some cases, increasing) federal spending on health care, altering federal health
care programs, and making substantive changes to the nation's health insurance system.
The options compiled for this volume stem from a variety of sources, including extensive discussions
with Congressional staff; reviews of legislative proposals, the President's budget, and
academic literature; and analyses conducted by CBO staff, other government agencies, and
private groups. Although the number of health-related policy options shown here is significantly
greater than in previous Budget Options volumes, it is not an exhaustive list: Some
options could not be included because of time constraints or analytical complexity. The inclusion
or exclusion of a particular policy change does not represent an endorsement or rejection
by CBO; to ensure impartiality, the discussion of each option summarizes arguments for and
against it. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective analysis, the report makes no
recommendations.

An introductory chapter provides an overview of the volume and offers some important context
for understanding the options. Chapters 2 through 12 present those options, organized
by broad themes (for example, payment for Medicare services, cost sharing in federal programs,
and long-term care). Each chapter is introduced with a page of background information
about the theme.

Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 The Private Health Insurance Market 5
3 The Tax Treatment of Health Insurance 23
4 Changing the Availability of Health Insurance Through Existing
Federal Programs 35
5 The Quality and Efficiency of Health Care 61
6 Geographic Variation in Spending for Medicare 97
7 Paying for Medicare Services 105
8 Financing and Paying for Services in Medicaid and the State Children's
Health Insurance Program 129
9 Premiums and Cost Sharing in Federal Health Programs 153
10 Long-Term Care 179
11 Health Behavior and Health Promotion 191
12 Closing the Gap Between Medicare's Spending and Receipts 201
A Contributors to This Volume 211
B Options by Major Program, Provider of Services, or Category 213


______________________________
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 : 8:58 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
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Key Issues in Analyzing Major Health Insurance Proposals [18 December 2008]
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9924
or
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9924/12-18-KeyIssues.pdf
[full-text, 196 pages]

See also CHARTS - http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9924/SlidesHealthBriefing.pdf
and BLOG - http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=193

[excerpt]
Concerns about the number of people who lack health insurance and about the high
and rising costs of health insurance and health care have led to proposals that would substantially
modify the health insurance system in this country. Because the Medicare program
already provides nearly universal coverage to the elderly, those proposals generally focus on
options for providing coverage to and reducing costs for the nonelderly population. Because
most nonelderly people obtain their insurance coverage through an employer, proposals could
affect that coverage in some way. They could, for example, provide new federal subsidies to
pay some portion of health insurance premiums; impose mandates for individuals to purchase
coverage or for employers to offer it; encourage alternatives to employment-based insurance or
provide strong incentives to purchase coverage individually; or create new federally administered
options for obtaining health insurance (including a single-payer system in which all citizens
or residents would be offered coverage under Medicare).

This report describes some of the key assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) would use in estimating the effects of key elements of such proposals on federal costs,
insurance coverage, and other outcomes; the evidence on which those assumptions are based;
and—if the evidence points to a range of possible effects rather than a precise prediction—
the factors that would influence where a proposal falls within those ranges. In doing so, it also
reviews many of the major issues that arise in designing such proposals. This document does
not provide a comprehensive analysis of any specific proposal; rather, it identifies and discusses
many of the critical factors that would affect estimates of various proposals. In accordance
with CBO's mandate to provide objective and impartial analysis, the report makes no
recommendations.

______________________________
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 : 8:50 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
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt


EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS on  HR PROGRAMS [December 2008]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/HRprogramsupdate
[full-text, 7 pages]


Press Release 18 December 2008
Recession Forcing More Companies to Make Changes to HR Programs, Watson Wyatt Survey Finds
Number of Employers That Have Made or Are Planning Layoffs, Hiring Freezes Rises Sharply Since October
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20269

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 18, 2008 ­ The number of companies implementing cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, hiring and salary freezes and smaller pay raises, has risen sharply in just two months, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm.

Watson Wyatt's latest survey found that more than one in five companies (23 percent) plan to make layoffs in the next 12 months, and almost two in five (39 percent) have already done so ­ a sharp increase from only 19 percent of companies who had done so in October. The number of companies with hiring freezes jumped from 30 percent in October to 47 percent this month, with an additional 18 percent planning a hiring freeze in the next 12 months. Furthermore, the number of companies that have already implemented salary freezes jumped from 4 percent in October to 13 percent currently. The survey was conducted during the week of December 8, 2008, and includes responses from 117 companies across a variety of industries.

"As the economic downturn has both broadened and deepened, companies in almost every industry can no longer stay the course," said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. "The need to contain costs has resulted in stronger measures that are ultimately affecting more workers."

[TABLE]

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

# posted by SBasefsky : 4:29 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
________________________________________________________________________

National Science Foundation (NSF)


Federal Scientists and Engineers: 2003­05 [17 December 2008]
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf09302/
or
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf09302/pdf/nsf09302.pdf
[full-text, 82 pages]

[excerpt]
This report presents detailed statistical tables on the characteristics of scientists and engineers
employed by the federal government over the period 2003­05. This is the third in a series of
reports; previous reports covered the periods 1989­93 and 1998­2002 (available at
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/fedworkforce/).


Data Tables
Table Agency
1 total
2 by primary work activity
3 by major occupational group

Major occupational group
4 by OPM series and sex of employee
by highest degree
5 total
6 median annual salaries
7 by primary work activity
8 by race/ethnicity
9 by age

Primary work activity
10 by age and sex of employee

Race/ethnicity
by primary work activity and age
11 American Indian/Alaska Native
12 Asian
13 Black
14 Hispanic
15 White
by age
16 total

Geographical division and state
17 total
______________________________
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 : 4:16 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
________________________________________________________________________

Census
Household Economic Studies
Issued December 2008
P70-117

Americans With Disabilities: 2005 [18 December 2008]
http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p70-117.pdf
[full-text, 24 pages]


DETAILED TABLES
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/sipp/disable05.html


Press Release 18 December 2008
Number of Americans With a Disability Reaches 54.4 Million
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/013041.html

      About one in five U.S. residents - 19 percent - reported some level of disability in 2005, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. These 54.4 million Americans are roughly equal to the combined total populations of California and Florida.

      Both the number and percentage of people with disabilities were higher than in 2002, the last time the Census Bureau collected such information. At that time, 51.2 million, or 18 percent, reported a disability.

      Among those with a disability, 35 million, or 12 percent of the population, were classified as having a severe disability, according to < http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p70-117.pdf> Americans With Disabilities: 2005 [PDF].

      Nearly half (46 percent) of people age 21 to 64 with a disability were employed, compared with 84 percent of people in this age group without a disability. Among those with disabilities, 31 percent with severe disabilities and 75 percent with nonsevere disabilities were employed. People with difficulty hearing were more likely to be employed than those with difficulty seeing (59 percent compared with 41 percent).

      A portion of people with disabilities ­ 11 million age 6 and older ­ needed personal assistance with everyday activities. These activities include such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.

Other important findings:
   * Among people 15 and older, 7.8 million (3 percent) had difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million being unable to hear at all. Although not part of the definition of disability used in the report, 4.3 million people reported using a hearing aid.
   * Roughly 3.3 million people, or 1 percent, age 15 and older used a wheelchair or similar device, with 10.2 million, or 4 percent, using a cane, crutches or walker.
   * Nearly 7.8 million people age 15 and older had difficulty seeing words or letters in ordinary newspaper print, including 1.8 million being completely unable to see.
   * More than 16 million people had difficulty with cognitive, mental or emotional functioning. This included 8.4 million with one or more problems that interfere with daily activities, such as frequently being depressed or anxious, trouble getting along with others, trouble concentrating and trouble coping with stress.
   * The chances of having a disability increase with age: 18.1 million people 65 and older, or 52 percent, had a disability. Of this number, 12.9 million, or 37 percent, had a severe disability. For people 80 and older, the disability rate was 71 percent, with 56 percent having a severe disability.
   * Among people 16 to 64, 13.3 million, or 7 percent, reported difficulty finding a job or remaining employed because of a health-related condition.
   * Among people 25 to 64 with a severe disability, 27 percent were in poverty, compared with 12 percent for people with a nonsevere disability and 9 percent for those without a disability.
   * Median monthly earnings were $1,458 for people with a severe disability, $2,250 for people with a nonsevere disability and $2,539 for those with no disability.
   * Parents reported that 228,000 children under age 3, or 2 percent, had a disability. Specifically, they either had a developmental delay or difficulty moving their arms or legs. In addition, there were 475,000 children 3 to 5 years, or 4 percent, with a disability, which meant they had either a developmental delay or difficulty walking, running or playing.
   * There were 4.7 million children 6 to 14, or 13 percent, with a disability. The most prevalent type was difficulty doing regular schoolwork (2.5 million, or 7 percent).

      The Survey of Income and Program Participation produces national-level estimates for the U.S. resident population and subgroups, and allows for the observation of trends over time, particularly of selected characteristics such as income, eligibility for and participation in transfer programs, household and family composition, labor force behavior and other associated events.
- X -

______________________________
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 : 4:10 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
________________________________________________________________________

Pew Research Center

American Mobility
Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where's Home? [17 December 2008]
http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/Movers-and-Stayers.pdf
[full-text, 44 pages]

Table of Contents
Executive Summary……………………………………….………………..………………… 1
Overview …..…………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………… 5
Characteristics of Movers and Stayers ………….………………………………………….. 6
Why Do Movers Move and Stayers Stay?.....……………………………………...………… 13
Multiple Movers, Recent Movers, Likely Movers……….…………….…………………… 21
The Many Definitions of Home………………………….………………………………….. 24
Survey Topline ……………………………………………….……………..……………….. 34

See also
INTERACTIVE MAPS
http://pewsocialtrends.org/maps/migration/



Press Release
American Mobility: Movers, Stayers, Places and Reasons
by D'Vera Cohn and Rich Morin, Pew Research Center
December 17, 2008
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1058/american-mobility-moversstayers-places-and-reasons

As a nation, the United States is often portrayed as restless and rootless. Census data, though, indicate that Americans are settling down. Only 13% of Americans changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the smallest share since the government began tracking this trend in the late 1940s.

A new Pew Social & Demographic Trends survey finds that most Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, although a notable number -- nearly four-in-ten -- have never left the place in which they were born. Asked why they live where they do, movers most often cite the pull of economic opportunity. Stayers most often cite the tug of family and connections.

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
________________________________________________________________________

MDRC

Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/full.pdf
[full-text, 81 pages]

Contents
Overview iii
List of Exhibits vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter
1 Introduction 1
2 The WASC Demonstration and Evaluation 7
3 Marketing and Recruitment Strategies 13
4 Why Low-Wage Workers Volunteered for WASC 21
5 Advancement Coaching 27
6 Work Supports 37
7 Sustained Engagement 45
8 Next Steps 55
Appendix: Selected Characteristics of Sample Members 57
References 65
Earlier MDRC Publications on the Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration 67

OVERVIEW
Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/overview.html

The Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) demonstration presents a new approach to helping low-wage and dislocated workers take strategic steps to advance ­ by increasing their wages or work hours, upgrading their skills, or finding better jobs. At the same time, these workers are encouraged to increase and stabilize their income in the short term by making the most of available work supports, such as food stamps, public health insurance, subsidized child care, and tax credits for eligible low-income families. The WASC program ­ located mostly in the One-Stop Career Centers created by the Workforce Investment Act ­ is being delivered by integrated teams of workforce and human services professionals in four sites: Dayton, Ohio; San Diego, California; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Fort Worth, Texas. Based on interviews with staff and focus groups with WASC customers, this report presents preliminary information on the effectiveness of strategies that were used to attract people to the WASC program, engage them in services, and keep them engaged over time.

Key Findings
* Recruitment of low-wage workers for a voluntary postemployment program must be resourced with sufficient staff and funding to reach and engage people while also having the capacity to immediately begin providing services for those who are enrolled in the program.
* Advancement programs for low-wage workers should be prepared to help participants get the training necessary to move into a new career. Most WASC participants preferred to leave their jobs and move into a new career rather than seek more hours or a promotion in their current job.
* Cash incentives may be an effective way to sustain engagement in a postemployment program like WASC and possibly to encourage completion of education or training.
* Most focus group participants took up the work supports for which they were eligible and appreciated the ease of addressing all work support issues in the same office with staff people with whom they had a relationship.

* WASC participants most appreciated coaching that combined knowledgeable guidance with a strong rapport. They deeply valued the role of coach as a motivator and a source of encouragement.

A report describing the complete implementation story ­ based on additional interviews and survey data ­ as well as early results of the program will be completed in early 2009.

______________________________
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 Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL32562

Border Security: The Role of the U.S. Border Patrol
Updated November 20, 2008
Blas Nuñez-Neto, Analyst in Domestic Security, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/getfile.php?rid=65785
[full-text, 41 pages]

Summary
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) has a long and storied history as our
nation's first line of defense against unauthorized migration. Today, the USBP's
primary mission is to detect and prevent the entry of terrorists, weapons of mass
destruction, and illegal aliens into the country, and to interdict drug smugglers and
other criminals along the border. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 dissolved the
Immigration and Naturalization Service and placed the USBP within the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS). Within DHS, the USBP forms a part of the Bureau of
Customs and Border Protection under the Directorate of Border and Transportation
Security.

During the last decade, the USBP has seen its budget and manpower more than
triple. This expansion was the direct result of Congressional concerns about illegal
immigration and the agency's adoption of "Prevention Through Deterrence" as its
chief operational strategy in 1994. The strategy called for placing USBP resources
and manpower directly at the areas of greatest illegal immigration in order to detect,
deter, and apprehend aliens attempting to cross the border between official points of
entry. Post 9/11, the USBP refocused its strategy on preventing the entry of terrorists
and weapons of mass destruction, as laid out in its recently released National
Strategy. In addition to a workforce of over 17,000 agents, the USBP deploys
vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, and many different technologies to defend the border.

In the course of discharging its duties, the USBP patrols 8,000 miles of
American international borders with Mexico and Canada and the coastal waters
around Florida and Puerto Rico. However, there are significant geographic, political,
and immigration-related differences between the northern border with Canada and
the southwest border with Mexico. Accordingly, the USBP deploys a different mix
of personnel and resources along the two borders. Due to the fact that over 97% of
unauthorized migrant apprehensions occur along the southwest border, the USBP
deploys over 90% of its agents there to deter illegal immigration. The Border Safety
initiative and the Arizona Border Control initiative are both focused on the southwest
border. The northern border is more than two times longer than the southwest border,
features far lower numbers of aliens attempting to enter illegally, but may be more
vulnerable to terrorist infiltration. As a consequence of this, the USBP has focused
its northern border efforts on deploying technology and cooperating closely with
Canadian authorities through the creation of International Border Enforcement
Teams.

Some issues for Congress to consider could include the slow rate of integration
between the USBP's biometric database of illegal aliens and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's (FBI) biometric database of criminals and terrorists; the number of
unauthorized aliens who die attempting to enter the country each year; the increasing
attacks on Border Patrol agents, and the threat posed by terrorists along the sparsely
defended northern border as well as the more porous southwest border.
This report will be updated as circumstances warrant.

Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Organization and Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Evolution of the National Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
National Border Patrol Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Budget and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Surveillance Assets (Secure Border Initiative) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Automated Biometrics Identification System (IDENT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Apprehensions Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Multiple Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Successful Illegal Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Multiple Correlations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Southwest Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Prevention Through Deterrence In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Southern Border Manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SW Border Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Border Safety Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Interior Repatriation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Northern Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
U.S.-Canadian Cooperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Northern Border Manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBET) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Northern Border Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Border Patrol Issues for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
9/11 Report and the Northern Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Migrant Deaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Attacks on Border Patrol Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Interior Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Integration of IDENT/IAFIS Law Enforcement Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Deployment of SBInet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Coordination with Other Federal Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Civilian Patrol Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Civilian Humanitarian Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Staffing and Training Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Agent Attrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

List of Figures
Figure 1. Border Patrol Appropriations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 2. Southwest Border Agent Manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 3. SW Border Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 4. SW Border Apprehensions, by Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 5. Percentage of Southern Border Apprehensions, by State . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 6. Border Patrol Agents at the Northern Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 7. Northern Border Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Figure 8. Migrant Deaths, Center for Immigration Research Data . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 9. Migrant Deaths, Border Patrol Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 10. Migrant Mortality Rate, per 10,000 Apprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 11. Attacks on Border Patrol Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Figure 12. Overall Border Patrol Agent and Pilot Manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Figure 13. Border Patrol Agent Attrition Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
______________________________
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 : 2:40 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
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Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34759

Proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues
November 24, 2008
Mary Jane Bolle, Specialist in International Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/getfile.php?rid=65751
[full-text, 12 pages]

Summary
This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the
pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA): violence against trade
unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and
worker rights protections for Colombians. For general issues relating to the CFTA,
see CRS Report RL34470, U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Economic and
Political Implications, by M. Angeles Villarreal. For background on Colombia and
its political situation and context for the agreement, see CRS Report RL32250,
Colombia: Issues for Congress, by Colleen W. Cook and Clare Ribando Seelke.

Opponents of the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA) argue
against it on three points: (1) the high rate of violence against trade unionists in
Colombia; (2) the lack of adequate punishment for the perpetrators of that violence;
and (3) weak Colombian enforcement of International Labor Organization (ILO) core
labor standards and labor laws.

Proponents of the agreement argue primarily for the proposed Colombia FTA
on the basis of economic and national security benefits. Accordingly, they argue, the
CFTA would: support increased exports, expand economic growth, create jobs, and
open up investment opportunities for the United States. They also argue that it would
reinforce the rule of law and spread values of capitalism in Colombia, and anchor
hemispheric stability.

Proponents specifically respond to labor complaints of the opponents, that (1)
violence against trade unionists has declined dramatically since President Álvaro
Uribe took office in 2002; (2) substantial progress is being made on the impunity
issue as the government has undertaken great efforts to find perpetrators and bring
them to justice; and (3) the Colombian government is taking steps to improve
conditions for workers.

If Congress were to approve the Colombia FTA, it would be the second FTA
(after Peru) to have some labor enforcement "teeth." Labor provisions including the
four basic ILO core labor standards would be enforceable through the same dispute
settlement procedures as for all other provisions (i.e., primarily those for commercial
interests.) Opponents argue that under CFTA, only the concepts of core labor
standards, and not the details of the ILO conventions behind them, would be
enforceable.

Proponents point to recent Colombian progress in protecting workers on many
fronts. They argue that approval of the FTA and the economic growth in Colombia
that would result is the best way to protect Colombia's trade unionists. They also
argue that not passing the agreement would not resolve Colombia's labor issues.
Opponents argue that delaying approval of the proposed CFTA further would
give Colombia more time to keep improving protections for its workers. This report
will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Political Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Trade/Economic Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Labor Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Violence Against Trade Unionists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Long-Term Trends in Murders of Trade Unionists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Long-Term Trends in Three Measures of Violence Against
Trade Unionists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Impunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Labor Laws, Protections, and Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Possible Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

List of Figures
Figure 1. Historic Data on Murders of Trade Unionists, 1997-2008 (Projected) . . . .. . . 5
Figure 2. Assassinations, Death Threats and Arbitrary Detentions of Trade Unionists, 1999-2007 . . . . . . . . 6


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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                  
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# posted by SBasefsky : 12:52 PM