Friday, January 30, 2009

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[IWS] BEA: GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: FOURTH QUARTER 2008 (ADVANCE) [30 January 2009]

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: FOURTH QUARTER 2008 (ADVANCE)  [30 January 2009]
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2009/gdp408a.htm
or
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2009/pdf/gdp408a.pdf
[full-text, 14 pages]
or
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2009/xls/gdp408a.xls
[spreadsheet]
and
Highlights
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2009/pdf/gdp408a_fax.pdf


Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property
located in the United States -- decreased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008,
(that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to advance estimates released by the
Bureau of Economic Analysis.  In the third quarter, real GDP decreased 0.5 percent.

        The Bureau emphasized that the fourth-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 4).  The fourth-
quarter "preliminary" estimates, based on more comprehensive data, will be released on February 27,
2009.

        The decrease in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from
exports, personal consumption expenditures, equipment and software, and residential fixed investment
that were partly offset by positive contributions from private inventory investment and federal
government spending.  Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.

        Most of the major components contributed to the much larger decrease in real GDP in the fourth
quarter than in the third.  The largest contributors were a downturn in exports and a much larger
decrease in equipment and software.  The most notable offset was a much larger decrease in imports.

        Final sales of computers subtracted less than 0.01 percentage point from the change in real GDP
after subtracting 0.01 percentage point from the third-quarter change.  Motor vehicle output subtracted
2.04 percentage points from the fourth-quarter change in real GDP after contributing 0.16 percentage
point to the third-quarter change.

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


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[IWS] JAPAN LABOR REVIEW: THE GENDER GAP in the JAPANESE LABOR MARKET [SPECIAL EDITION] [27 January 2009]

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)


Japan Labor Review
Volume 6, Number 1, Winter 2009
[27 January 2009]
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR.htm
or
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_all.pdf
[full-text, 110 pages]


Special Edition: The Gender Gap in the Japanese Labor Market


   * Introduction
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_intro.pdf


   * Articles
   Labor Market Segmentation and the Gender Wage Gap
  Haruhiko Hori
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_hori.pdf


  Occupational Sex Segregation and the Japanese Employment Model:   Case Studies of the Railway and Automobile Industries
  Wakana Shuto
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_shuto.pdf


  Testing the Taste-Based Discrimination Hypothesis: Evidence from Data   on Japanese Listed Firms
  Shinpei Sano
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_sano.pdf


  Why Does Employing More Females Increase Corporate Profits?:   Evidence from Japanese Panel Data
  Naomi Komada
  Kazuhiko Odaki
  Yoko Takahashi
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_kot.pdf


  Corporate Governance by Investors and the Role of Women
  Akira Kawaguchi
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_akawaguchi.pdf


   * Article Based on Research Reports

    Changes in the Transition from High School to Work: Focus on High   School Career Guidance
  Yukie Hori
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_yhori.pdf>(285KB )

   * JILPT Research Activities
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_activities.pdf


______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
****************************************


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[IWS] RECESSIONS AND OLDER WORKERS [January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
Issue Brief -- IB#9-2
January 2009, Number 9-2

Recessions and Older Workers
by Alicia H. Munnell, Dan Muldoon, and Steven A. Sass
http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/ib_9-2.pdf
[full-text, 11 pages]

[excerpt]

Introduction

With the economy sliding ever deeper into recession, questions arise about how older workers are faring and how their fate relative to younger workers compares to the past.  The answer to these questions turns out to be a little complicated.  Two forces are at work.  On the one hand, labor force participation among older workers has been rising since the early 1990s, a reversal of the long-standing trend toward ever-earlier retirement.  Participation rates among older workers have even continued to rise during both of the recessions in this decade ­ a dramatic change from previous experience.  On the other hand, the edge that older workers used to have relative to younger workers when it comes to layoffs seems to have disappeared, so the rise in the unemployment rate for older workers in recessions now looks similar to that for younger workers.  Of the two forces, the trend growth in labor force participation appears to dominate, which has helped keep the employment rate of older workers from falling during the current recession.  This pattern contrasts sharply with the far more typical decline in employment rates for workers under age 55...


______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERSHIP [BY DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP] 2008 [30 January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

BLS
The Editor's Desk (TED)
30 January 2009

Union membership in 2008 [BY DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP]
www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/jan/wk4/art05.htm



In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier. The number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million workers.


[CHART of the following]

Union membership of wage and salary workers by demographic group, 2008


Demographic                    Percent union members

All workers                                     12.4
Men                                             13.4
Women                                   11.4
White                                           12.2
Black or African American       14.5
Asian                                           10.6
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity            10.6


The union membership rate was higher for men (13.4 percent) than for women (11.4 percent) in 2008. The gap between their rates has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. Between 1983 and 2008, the union membership rate for men declined by 11.3 percentage points, while the rate for women declined by 3.2 percentage points.

In 2008, black workers were more likely to be union members (14.5 percent) than workers who were white (12.2 percent), Asian (10.6 percent), or Hispanic (10.6 percent). Black men had the highest union membership rate (15.9 percent), while Asian men had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).

These data on union membership are from the Current Population Survey. Unionization data are for wage and salary workers. Find out more in "Union Members in 2008," (PDF) (HTML) news release 09-0095.



For citation purposes, this TED article is archived at:
www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/jan/wk4/art05.htm


______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] BLS: EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX-DECEMBER 2008 [30 January 2009]

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-DECEMBER 2008 [30 January 2009]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/eci.pdf
[full-text, 24 pages]
and
Supplemental Files Table of Contents
http://www.bls.gov/web/eci.supp.toc.htm

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent from September to
December 2008, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
reported today.  This follows three consecutive quarterly increases of 0.7 percent.  In the December
quarter, wages and salaries rose 0.5 percent and benefits rose 0.4 percent.  The Employment Cost
Index (ECI), a product of the National Compensation Survey, measures quarterly changes in compensation
costs for civilian workers (nonfarm private industry and state and local government workers).

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


Thursday, January 29, 2009

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[IWS] WTO: REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS INFORMATION SYSTEM (RTA-IS) [14 January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

WTO


REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS INFORMATION SYSTEM (RTA-IS)
[14 January 2009]
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx

Welcome to the Regional Trade Agreements Information System (RTA-IS)

It allows you to retrieve information on RTAs notified to the GATT/WTO:

   * By WTO Member
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicSearchByMember.aspx

   * By criteria
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicSearchByCr.aspx

You may also select:

   * List of all RTAs in force
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicAllRTAList.aspx

   * List of early announcements
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicEARTAList.aspx

   * Pre-defined reports
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicConsultPreDefReports.aspx


This database contains information on only those agreements that have either been notified, or for which an early announcement has been made, to the WTO. For further information please consult the < http://rtais.wto.org/UserGuide/RTAIS_USER_GUIDE_EN.html> user guide and/or contact RTA section
X

See
WTO: 2009 PRESS RELEASES
Press/548
14 January 2009
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
WTO launches new database on regional trade agreements
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres09_e/pr548_e.htm

The WTO has launched a new database on regional trade agreements (RTAs). This contains all the relevant documentation received by the WTO following notification by a WTO member that an RTA has been established.
        

The database, which is one of the requirements of the General Council's Transparency Decision on RTAs, contains all the notifications, links to the content of the relevant RTAs, legal provisions and information on the WTO�s assessments of the RTAs.

The database also contains more detailed information about the RTAs for which the WTO has prepared a �Factual Presentation� or a �factual abstract�. In these cases the following information is provided:

    * the timetable agreed in the RTA for the reduction of tariffs as well as data on trade in goods and services for the relevant countries at the time that the RTA enters into force (this only applies to RTAs where the WTO has prepared a Factual Presentation)

    * a list of key provisions contained in the RTAs as well as links to brief descriptions of these provisions in the Factual Presentation or factual abstract prepared by the WTO.

The database can be searched by country, region, legal provision, date of notification or entry into force of the RTA. Summary tables of all RTAs currently in force, containing various types of information, can be easily exported by users of the database. To access the database, please go to http://rtais.wto.org/?lang=1
.

______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] Work Foundation (UK): CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK [January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

Work Foundation (UK)

Changing Relationships at Work [January 2009]
http://workfoundation.org/research/publications/publicationdetail.aspx?oItemId=211&parentPageID=102&PubType =
or
http://workfoundation.org/Assets/Docs/BT_final270109b.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]


Abstract
In the 21st century it is not just human capital that matters to successful organisations but also social capital: building and sustaining strong personal and professional networks. This report demonstrates the importance of workplace relationships to job satisfaction and highlights the role that technologies can play in creating and maintaining these links. Our findings also demonstrate that social media is playing a real and surprising role in complementing traditional methods of communication to help people develop and retain their contacts at work. Both old and new technologies can help organisations create the kind of culture that people prefer and the relationships that can help to sustain innovation and prosperity in a 21st century economy.

Contents
Executive Summary 4
About this report 11
A. Introduction 13
B. Social capital, job satisfaction and workplaces 16
C. Impact of technologies on ways of working 22
D. Organisational culture, new technologies and working relationships 28
E. Communication tools and confidence 30
F. Work, friendship and romance 35
G. Attitudes to technology 37
H. Conclusions 40
Annex A. Overview of survey respondents 42

______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] THE CITIZEN JOURNALIST'S GUIDE TO OPEN GOVERNMENT [29 January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism


THE CITIZEN JOURNALIST'S GUIDE TO OPEN GOVERNMENT [29 January 2009]
http://www.kcnn.org/open_government/


Press Release 29 January 2009
Citizen Journalists: Get the Government Records You Need
http://www.j-lab.org/about/press_releases/citizen_journalists_get_the_government_records/

WASHINGTON, D.C. - < http://www.kcnn.org/open_government/>"The Citizen Journalist's Guide to Open Government," an extensive multimedia e-learning module to help new media makers understand how to obtain public records and get into public meetings, launched today on the Knight Citizen News Network www.kcnn.org The guide features a unique interactive map that tells citizens how they can locate open-government information on each of the 50 state Web sites. Easy-to-find information on either the Governor's or State Attorney General's Web site gets a thumbs-up ranking. Hard-to-find information earns a thumbs down. Users can:
   * Obtain local, state and federal government records.
   * Appeal when a records request is denied.
   * Take steps if they are excluded from a meeting.
   * Learn what's allowed in their state.
   * Understand access to court proceedings.
   * Link to more information.

"As more and more everyday people cover local news and information, this guide gives them a unique road map to resources and information that traditional journalists use every day," says Jan Schaffer, director of < http://www.j-lab.org> J-Lab, which administers the Knight Citizen News Network (KCNN) with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. J-Lab is a center of American University's School of Communication.

"Information is a core need of communities in a democracy. This module will help new media makers obtain vital government information citizens need to make informed decisions in their own best interest," says Gary Kebbel, journalism program director at Knight Foundation.

Geanne Rosenberg, a lawyer and the founding chair of Baruch College's new undergraduate Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions, produced the module for J-Lab. It includes input and video interviews from top media law experts around the country.

"With newspapers nationwide slashing reporting staff, there is a greater need than ever for citizen journalists and the public to understand and exercise rights of access to government records, meetings and courts," Rosenberg says. "By doing so, they can help shed light on government activities and hold public officials accountable."

In addition to the interactive map and video interviews from freedom-of-information experts, the site also includes quizzes, animations, a blog and other content. The blog allows site users to ask experts for help and share their experiences. Rosenberg says that governors, attorneys general and other state officials who are dissatisfied with their state's ranking should write her to request a reevaluation.

Rosenberg also wrote KCNN's < http://www.kcnn.org/legal_risk/> "Top Ten Rules for Limiting Legal Risk" and co-authored Poynter's News University's < http://www.newsu.org/courses/course_detail.aspx?id=nwsu_medialaw08 > "Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Online Publishers."

Collaborating on the project were CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism and Professor Charles Davis, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism.

"This indispensable site puts the FOI community a click away from the resources in each state, and empowers citizens with the information they need to make information requests under state FOI laws," Davis says. "It is also a real inspiration to see so many people involved in this vital issue."

More about J-Lab: J-Lab helps news organizations and citizens use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life. It also administers the < http://www.j-lab.org/awards/> night-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism, the McCormick New Media Women Entrepreneurs initiative www.newmediawomen.org and the New Voices citizen-media start-up program www.j-newvoices.org

About AU's School of Communication: < http://soc.american.edu> merican University's School of Communication is a laboratory for professional education, communication research and innovative production across the fields of journalism, film and media arts, and public communication. The school's academic programs emphasize traditional skills and values while anticipating new technologies, new opportunities and new audiences.

About Baruch College: Baruch College, a senior college of the City University of New York, is located in Manhattan. The new Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions was created in July 2008 within Baruch's Mildred and George Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. Baruch College has more than 15,500 students from some 160 countries. To learn about Baruch College, visit http://www.baruch.cuny.edu.

About the Knight Foundation: The Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950 the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance journalism quality and freedom of expression. The Knight Foundation focuses on ideas and projects that create transformational change. To learn more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] Census: 2007 SERVICE ANNUAL SURVEY: INFORMATION SECTOR SERVICES [29 January 2009]

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

2007 Service Annual Survey: Information Sector Services [29 January 2009]
http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/services/sas/sas_data/sas51.htm


Press Release
Movie, Video Revenue Climb 7 Percent to $66 Billion in 2007 [29 January 2009]
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/service_industries/013158.html

     Revenue for the motion picture and video production and distribution industry increased 7 percent in 2007, reaching $66 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Revenue from Web search portals increased 25 percent for a total revenue of $12.1 billion, and their online advertising space grew 32.7 percent with total revenue of $8.7 billion.

     These new data come from the < http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/services/sas/sas_data/sas51.htm> 2007 Service Annual Survey: Information Sector Services, a series of tables that is part of a larger survey that tracks economic activity in the services sector, which accounts for 55 percent of economic activity in the United States. This sector includes companies that produce and distribute information and cultural products, as well as companies that provide the means to transmit or distribute these products.

    "Whether online news or a wireless signal for a mobile phone, the unique products that make up the information services sector play a significant role in our everyday lives," said Mark Wallace, chief of the Census Bureau's Service Sector Statistics Division. "Not only does this survey provide us with information, but it also demonstrates how profoundly this sector contributes to our overall economy."

     Other details about the information sector include:
   * Between 2006 and 2007, Internet publishing and broadcasting revenue grew to $15.5 billion, a 20.4 percent increase.
   * The revenue from domestic licensing of rights to television programs grew 10 percent in 2007 from $9.5 billion to $10.4 billion.
   * Radio networks increased their revenue 17 percent to $5.2 billion.
   * Cellular and other wireless telecommunications revenue increased 10.1 percent between 2006 and 2007, from $156.7 billion to $172.5 billion.
   * Cable and other program distribution revenue grew 13.6 percent, from $88.8 billion to $100.8 billion.
   * Internet access revenue from cable and other program distribution grew 19.8 percent, from $13.8 billion to $16.5 billion, while revenue from Internet access from Internet service providers declined 9.2 percent to $10.4 billion.
   * Software publishing revenue grew 8.7 percent, from $132.3 billion to $143.7 billion.
   * Operating systems software revenue grew 15 percent, from $16.3 billion to $18.7 billion.
- 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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] EuroStat: KEY FIGURES ON EUROPE 2009 EDITION [29 January 2009]

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
________________________________________________________________________

EuroStat

Key figures on Europe. 2009 edition
[29 January 2009]
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1073,46587259&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&p_product_code=KS-EI-08-001
or
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-EI-08-001/EN/KS-EI-08-001-EN.PDF
[full-text, 236 pages]


Table of Contents
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-EI-08-001/EN/KS-EI-08-001-EN-TOC.PDF

This publication provides a balanced set of key statistical data on the European Union. Data are generally provided for the European Union total (EU-27), the euro area and the Member States, and - when available - for the candidate countries, the EFTA countries, Japan and the United States. The presentation largely follows the nine statistical themes of Eurostat's free dissemination database: economy and finance; population and social conditions; industry, trade and services; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; international trade; transport; environment and energy; science and technology; and regional statistics.


[Thanks to Gary Price at ResourceShelf.com for the tip].
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
****************************************


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[IWS] OECD: PISA 2006 [DATABASE on STUDENT SKILLS, etc.]

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
________________________________________________________________________

OECD

Database - PISA 2006
http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/

The PISA International Database

PISA is a survey of students' skills and knowledge as they approach the end of compulsory education. It is not a conventional school test. Rather than examining how well students have learned the school curriculum, it looks at how well prepared they are for life beyond school.


Online data

Download the PISA 2006 data set - for professional researchers
http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/downloads.php


Interactive data selection - to explore the PISA 2006 dataset
http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/interactive.php


Multi-dimensional Data Request - submit a query to an automated service
http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/multidim.php


The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating countries and administered to15-year-olds in schools.

The survey was implemented in < http://www.oecd.org/document/31/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33663071_1_1_1_1,00.html > 43 countries in the 1st assessment in 2000, in < http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33664291_1_1_1_1,00.html > 41 countries in the 2nd assessment in 2003, in < http://www.oecd.org/document/13/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33666189_1_1_1_1,00.html > 57 countries in the 3rd assessment in 2006 and 62 countries have signed up to participate in the 4th assessment in 2009.

Tests are typically administered to between 4,500 and 10,000 students in each country.

______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] CRS: PROPOSED FUNDING for EDUCATION in AMER. REC.& REINVEST. ACT of 2009 [22 January 2009]

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)
R40151

Proposed Funding for Education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
January 22, 2009
http://opencrs.com/getfile.php?rid=66074
[full-text, 34 pages]

Summary
On January 15, 2009, the House Committee on Appropriations released a draft version of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The primary purposes of the act
focus on promoting economic recovery, assisting those most affected by the recession, improving
economic efficiency by "spurring technological advances in science and health," investing in
infrastructure, and stabilizing state and local government budgets. As part of this act, funds would
be provided to several existing education programs administered by the U.S. Department of
Education (ED), including programs authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ARRA would also
create new programs that would support school construction at the elementary, secondary, and
postsecondary education levels and provide general funds for education to support state fiscal
stabilization.

This report provides a brief overview of the key provisions related to education programs that are
or would be administered by ED that were included in the act under Title IX (Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education) and Title XII (State Fiscal Stabilization Fund). It also provides
estimates of state grants for programs for which these estimates are relevant and for which data
needed to produce the estimates are available.

The report will be updated as warranted by legislative action.

Funding Overview.......................................................................................................................... 1
Funding for Elementary and Secondary Education......................................................................... 3
ESEA Programs Included in the ARRA.................................................................................... 3
Title I-A Grant to LEAs ...................................................................................................... 3
Title I-A School Improvement Grants................................................................................. 4
Education Technology......................................................................................................... 5
Credit Enhancement Initiatives to Assist Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation............. 5
Fund for the Improvement of Education............................................................................. 5
Impact Aid Section 8007..................................................................................................... 6
IDEA Programs Included in the ARRA .................................................................................... 6
Funding for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance in the ARRA........................................... 7
School Modernization, Renovation, and Repair ....................................................................... 7
Funding for Higher Education......................................................................................................... 8
Federal Pell Grant Program....................................................................................................... 8
Federal Work-Study Program.................................................................................................... 9
Student Aid Administration....................................................................................................... 9
Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Programs............................................................................ 9
Higher Education Modernization, Renovation, and Repair .................................................... 10
Federal Student Loans............................................................................................................. 10
FFEL Program Special Allowance Payments ..........................................................................11
Funding for the Institute for Education Sciences ...........................................................................11
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund ...................................................................................................... 12

Table 1. Summary of Appropriations for Education Programs Included in Titles IX and XII of the ARRA............. 2
Table A-1. Estimated Additional State Grants for Title I-A Grants to Local Educational Agencies (ESEA) at an Appropriation Level of $11 Billion over FY2009 and FY2010 .......... 14
Table A-2. Estimated Additional State Grants for School Improvement (ESEA, Title I-A) at an Appropriation Level of $2 Billion over FY2009 and FY2010 .......................................... 16
Table A-3. Estimated Additional State Grants for Education Technology (ESEA, Title IID) at an Appropriation Level of $1 Billion over FY2009 and FY2010 ..................................... 18
Table A-4. Estimated Additional State Grants for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Grants to States at an Appropriation Level of $13 Billion over FY2009 and FY2010....... 20
Table A-5. Estimated Additional State Grants for Education of Homeless Children and Youth (McKinney-Vento Act) at an Appropriation Level of $66 Million over FY2009 and FY2010.........22
Table A-6. Estimated State Grants for School Modernization, Renovation, and Repair at an Appropriation Level of $14 Billion for FY2009................... 24
Table A-7. Estimated State Grants for Higher Education Modernization, Renovation, and Repair at an Appropriation Level of $6 Billion for FY2009......... 26
Table A-8. Estimated State Grants for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund at an Appropriation Level of $79 Billion over FY2009 and FY2010................. 28

Appendix. Estimated State Grants for Selected Programs ............................................................ 14

Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 30
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 30
______________________________
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                  
****************************************


Wednesday, January 28, 2009

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[IWS] BLS: WAGES in the NONPROFIT SECTOR: HEALTHCARE, PERSONAL CARE, & SOCIAL SERVICE OCCUPATIONS [27 January 2009]

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

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

Wages in the Nonprofit Sector: Healthcare, Personal Care, and Social Service Occupations (01/27/2009)
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20090123ar01p1.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/print/cm20090123ar01p1.htm

The National Compensation Survey now publishes wage data on full-time workers in private nonprofit establishments. This is the third in a series of three articles comparing the average hourly earnings of full-time workers in private nonprofits, private industry as a whole, State governments, and local governments.


______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] Census: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN THE U.S. 2007 [28 January 2009]

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
Population Characteristics
Issued January 2009
P20-560


Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007 [28 January 2009]
http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p20-560.pdf
[full-text, 16 pages]

[excerpt]
This report provides a portrait of educational attainment in the United States based on data collected in the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS) and data collected in 2008 and earlier in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS).1 Previous U.S. Census Bureau
reports on this topic were based on educational attainment data from the CPS.
The ACS has a larger sample and provides statistics for small levels of geography, which is why it is now used as a main source of educational attainment data.


Press Release
Foreign-Born Exceed the Native-Born in Advanced Degrees [28 January 2009]
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/013234.html

     A larger percentage of foreign-born than native-born residents had a master's degree or higher in 2007, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationally, 11 percent of foreign-born ­ people from another country now living in the United States ­ and 10 percent of U.S.-born residents had an advanced degree.

     These statistics come from < http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p20-560.pdf> Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007 [PDF], a report that describes the degree or level of school completed by adults 25 and older.

     In the West, the percentage of foreign-born who had completed at least a bachelor's degree or higher was less than the percentage of the native-born (24 percent compared with 31 percent). Among the foreign-born, those living in the Northeast had the highest percentage of bachelor's degrees or more (32 percent), which was the same as their native-born counterparts. The foreign-born in the South (26 percent) and Midwest (31 percent) were more likely than native-born residents to have at least a college degree (25 percent and 26 percent, respectively).

     Across all regions, a smaller percentage of foreign-born than native-born adults had completed at least a high school education.

     This is the first Census Bureau report on educational attainment to use data from both the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey. Combining these two data sets not only provides a state-by state comparison of educational attainment, it allows an examination of historical trends.

     Other highlights from the report include:
   * 84 percent of adults 25 and older had completed high school, while 27 percent had obtained at least a bachelor's degree in 2007.
   * A larger proportion of women (85 percent) than men (84 percent) had completed high school, but a larger proportion of men had earned a bachelor's degree (28 percent compared with 27 percent).
   * The percentage of high school graduates was highest in the Midwest (87 percent), and the percentage of college graduates was highest in the Northeast (32 percent).
   * Men earned more than women at each level of educational attainment. The percentage of female-to-male earnings among year-round, full-time workers 25 and older was 77 percent.
   * Workers with a bachelor's degree on average earned about $20,000 more a year ($46,805) than workers with a high school diploma ($26,894). Compared with non-Hispanic whites and Asians, black and Hispanic workers earned less at all attainment levels.

-X-

The data in this report are from the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS) from 2008 and earlier. Statistics from surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. For more information on the source of the data and accuracy of the estimates, including standard errors and confidence intervals, see Appendix G at http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar08.pdf

Note: See www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS/accuracy2007.pdf for further information on the accuracy of the 2007 American Community Survey data.

______________________________
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                  
****************************************


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[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]

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

UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]


In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  The
number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million.
In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available,
the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million
union workers.

   The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current
Population Survey (CPS).  The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment and unemployment
among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over.

   Some highlights from the 2008 data are:

   --Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong
     to a union than were private sector employees.

   --Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the
     highest unionization rate at 38.7 percent.

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

   --Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate
     (24.9 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).

Membership by Industry and Occupation

   The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent)
was substantially higher than the rate for private industry workers
(7.6 percent).  Within the public sector, local government workers had
the highest union membership rate, 42.2 percent.  This group includes
many workers in several heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers,
police officers, and fire fighters.  Private sector industries with
high unionization rates include transportation and utilities (22.2 per-
cent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 per-
cent).  In 2008, unionization rates were relatively low in financial
activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1
percent).  (See table 3.)

   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupa-
tions (38.7 percent) and protective service occupations (35.4 percent)
had the highest unionization rates in 2008.  Sales and related occu-
pations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
(4.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.  (See table 3.)

AND MORE...including TABLES....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
****************************************


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