text:
Editor: Terence K. Huwe
Contributors: Marcy Whitebook, Stefanie Kalmin, Janice Kimball, Jenifer MacGillvary, Netsy Firestein, Dick Walker
The Year in Review
IRLE News and 2010-2011 Highlights
Letter from Acting Director Karen Chapple
IRLE Faculty Grant Recipients, 2010-2011
Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society: Vol. 50, No.4
2010-2011 Working Papers: Titles and Download Traffic
Sylvia Allegretto Wins "Best Article by Non-BLS Staff for Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 133
Roster of Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 Colloquia
IRLE Program News: The Year in Review
The Labor Center
California Public Employee Relations
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Center for Wage and Employment Dynamics
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Library
The Labor Project for Working Families
The Donald Vial Center on Jobs in the Green Economy
The Year in Review: IRLE News and 2010-2011 Highlights
Letter from Acting Director Karen Chapple
Dear IRLE Friends and Colleagues:
This issue of eNews marks the end of my term as Acting Director of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. It has been a very productive and exciting year, with both the faculty and all program units making important strides forward. Indeed, even as California struggles to come to terms with its fiscal challenges, the demand for quality research on workforce issues has been driving IRLE's growth at a fast pace.
The Labor Center has accelerated its publication of hard-hitting policy briefs that address the most important issues of our time: living wages, the "big box" economy, and health care policy. It has also spearheaded, under the leadership of Steven Pitts, a unique program that studies the issues facing black workers, among many other projects. Labor Center Chair Ken Jacobs and other academic staff have made presentations to elected officials in Sacramento, which confirms the Center's commitment to producing practical research that can be transformed into policy actions.
The Donald Vial Center for Employment in the Green Economy, working in conjunction with the Labor Center, conducted groundbreaking research that determined not just the jobs created by energy efficiency and related investment, but also the resulting educational needs of the workforce. This research was supported by the California Public Utilities Commission. In late fall 2010, The Vial Center co-hosted a "summit" meeting to discuss the research-in-progress, and this event attracted a wide array of leading experts and policymakers. The report on the research findings is available on the IRLE Web.
The California Public Employee Relations (CPER) program and the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) have continued to advance their innovative research agendas. CPER is studying new, online modes of journal publication and said farewell to long-term director Carol Vendrillo as she retires. CSCCE has partnered with several funding agencies to provide definitive research and advice on how to manage the growth of employment in the child care industry.
The IRLE Colloquium Series included an innovative series of presentation on job creation. These events were "standing room only" and brought a stimulating mix of leading practitioners and academics to share ideas on how to generate new jobs. The series will culminate with a national conference on June 16, "Big Ideas for Job Creation in a Jobless Recovery."
IRLE hosted visiting scholars from more than 20 nations, continuing its popularity as a place for multi-disciplinary and collaborative research.
The IRLE Library has provided crucial services to the community, including the full range of Web administration and digital content creation, along with reference and research support. The Library Commons has gained popularity as a study site as well as a venue for invitation-only conferences.
The affiliated faculty received substantial support from IRLE for their doctoral students as well as for their own research goals.
These are just a few of the Institute's achievements over the past academic year. As I end my own term as Acting Director, I would like to thank the entire community for its energy and creativity. As IRLE Director Michael Reich returns from sabbatical, I know that he will find that IRLE has enjoyed an exciting–and productive year.
Karen Chapple
Acting Director, IRLE
Faculty Director, Center for Community Innovation
Associate Director, Institute for Urban & Regional Development
IRLE Faculty Grant Recipients, 2010-2011
Irene Blormraad, and Cybelle Fox (Sociology)
Interdisciplinary Immigration Workshop
Joan Bloom (Public Health)
Exploring Professional Barriers to At-Home versus In-Clinic Dialysis for Patients in End-Stage Renal Failure
Clair Brown (Economics)
Developing Effective-Efficient Assessment for Small social Enterprises
Ruth Collier (Political Science)
Early Democratization and the Working Class
Waverly Ding (Haas School of Business)
A New Arena for Gender Differences in Scientific Careers?
William Dow (Health Economics)
Employer Responses to San Francisco's Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
Fligstein, Neil (Sociology)
The Rise and Fall of the Mortgage Securitization
Heather Haveman (Sociology)
Women in Management
Rucker Johnson (Public Policy)
School Quality & the Long-run Effects of Head Start
Jerome Karabel (Sociology)
American Exceptionalism, Social Well-Being and the Quality of Life in the United States
Laura Kray (Haas School of Business)
Gender Discrimination in Negotiators' Ethical Decision Making
David Levine (Haas School of Business)
Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Cal-OSHA Inspections on Employees and Employers
James Lincoln (Haas School of Business)
Structural Effects on Commitment, Satisfaction and Quit Rates in Japanese and U.S. Organizations
Nemeth, Charlan (Psychology)
Entrepreneurs, Hot Groups and Safe Environment Voice
Petersen, Trond (Sociology)
Family and Careers
Kim Voss (Sociology)
1) Democratic Dilemmas: Union Demcracy, Union Revitalization, and Political Institutions
2) An Exploration of Latino Workers' Understanding of U.S. Social Hierarchy and their place in it. 3) Workshop on Work and Labor Transformation
Richard Walker (Geography)
California Studies Lectures & Dinners
Industrial Relations: A Journal in Economy and Society
Volume 50, No. 4
The following articles appear in 50.4, and may be accessed online from Wiley-Blackwell.
Why Are Quit Rates Lower Among Defense Contractors?
Todd A. Watkins, Thomas Hyclak
This paper presents empirical evidence of lower quit rates at small manufacturers with defense contracts and examines whether this is associated with differences in their human resource policies and organizational practices and strategies. We take advantage of an original data set to compare labor quits, workforce skills and occupational structure between defense contracting and non-contracting small manufacturers in eastern PA. We find that the remarkably large defense contractor advantage in quit rates–7 percentage points–is almost totally explained by differences in skills, operational strategies, and workforce management and training practices, suggesting a mediation effect through these HR practices. Defense contracting status emerges as an important overlooked variable in HRM studies.
Gender Sorting at the Application Interface
Roberto M. Fernandez, Colette Friedrich
We document gender sorting of candidates into gender-typed jobs at the point of initial application to a company. At this step of the hiring process, the firm has implemented a policy whereby organizational screeners' discretion has been eliminated such that there is no opportunity for contact between hiring agents and applicants. Thus, the job choices studied here offer unique insight as they are uncontaminated by screeners' steering of candidates toward gender-typed jobs. Even in the absence of steering, we find clear patterns of gendered job choices that line up with gender stereotypes of job roles. Moreover, these gendered patterns recur both within individuals and within race groups. Comparing our findings to the pattern of job sorting in the external local labor market, we find that supply-side factors do not fully account for the levels job sex segregation observed in the open labor market. Although probably not the entire story, we show clear evidence that supply-side sorting processes are important factors contributing to job sex segregation.
The Employment Effects of Lower Minimum Wage Rates for Young Workers: Canadian Evidence
Michael Shannon
Between 1986 and 1998 six of the ten Canadian provinces abolished their lower minimum wage rates for younger teenage workers. Using data from the Canadian Labour Force Survey this paper evaluates the effects of abolition on the employment and weekly hours worked of 15-16 year-olds using teenagers in provinces where there is no legislative change and young people above the age to which youth rates applied as control groups. The results provide some evidence that abolishing these youth rates significantly lowered employment and work hours of 15-16 year-olds but the lack of evidence for some jurisdictions and patterns of effects using age controls do raise some questions regarding the interpretation of the results.
JEL Classification: J38, J80. Keywords: minimum wage, youth employment, subminimum.
What Would They Do? Childcare under Parental Leave and Reduced Hours Options
Robert Drago
Time diary data are used to simulate the effects of parental leave and reduced hours arrangements on childcare time among parents of infants. Estimates suggest that coupled fathers would apply approximately around 70 percent of working time reductions under leave or reduced hours to childcare. Both coupled and single mothers translate working time reductions into childcare at higher rates. The analysis highlights inequalities across lines of gender, marital status and socio-economic status associated with existing policies, and suggests policy innovations to both raise parental investments in childcare time and reduce levels of inequality.
What Types of Diversity Benefit Workers? Empirical Evidence on the Effects of Co-Worker Dissimilarity on the Performance of Employees
Fidan Ana Kurtulus
This paper explores the consequences of grouping workers into diverse divisions on the performance of employees using a dataset containing the detailed personnel records of a large U.S. firm from 1989-1994. In particular, I examine the effects of demographic dissimilarity among co-workers, namely differences in age, gender and race among employees who work together within divisions, and non-demographic dissimilarity, namely differences in education, work function, firm tenure, division tenure, performance and wages among employees within divisions. I find evidence that age dissimilarity, dissimilarity in firm tenure, and performance dissimilarity are associated with lower worker performance, while wage differences are associated with higher worker performance. My analysis also reveals that the effects of certain types of dissimilarities get smaller in magnitude the longer a worker is a part of a division. Finally, the paper provides evidence that the relationships between performance and the various measures of dissimilarity vary by occupational area and division size.
Pay structures and quit rates: A multi-level approach using benchmarking data
Chris Riddell
Using unique linked employee-employer benchmarking data, the paper estimates the impact of pay structures on quit rates using multi-level models. The analysis examines several aspects of an organization's compensation structure with a focus on the effect of pay dispersion between employees at the same level in the firm hierarchy, as well as pay dispersion throughout the hierarchy. Overall, the results indicate that firms with egalitarian pay structures have lower quit rates, a finding that is robust to a large set of empirical specifications.
Matching Matters in 401(k) Plan Participation
Keenan Dworak-Fisher
This study offers new evidence on the effects of the matching contributions made by employers to 401(k) plan accounts on plan participation rates, exploiting microdata from the National Compensation Survey, a large, nationally representative, establishment dataset. It addresses the potential endogeneity of the matching contributions by employing coworker and labor market characteristics as instruments. The results indicate that employer matches have substantial effects. They also indicate that higher match rates tend to be correlated with workers having lower propensities to save; correcting for this endogeneity produces estimates that are bigger than those seen through direct cross-sectional comparisons.
IRLE Working Paper Series, 2010-2011
The series continues to experience heavy download traffic, with an annual total for full downloads holding at 22,000. As we go to print, many faculty members are still working on their 2011 papers; they will be added as they are received and reviewed.
Series URLs:
Bloemraad, Irene, de Graauw, Els: Immigrant Integration and Policy in the United States: A Loosely Stitched Patchwork, 2011
Collier, Ruth Berins, Palmer-Rubin, Brian: Latin America's New World of Work: Changing Traits of Work and Problem Solving, 2011
Cui, Victor, Ding, Waverly W., Yanadori, Yoshio: Compensation Structure and the Creation of Exploratory Knowledge in Technology Firms, 2011
Cui, Victor, Ding, Waverly W., Yanadori, Yoshio: Compensation Structure and the Creation of Exploratory Knowledge in Technology Firms, 2011
Haveman, Heather A., Habinek, Jacob, Goodman, Leo A.: Who Are the Entrepreneurs: The Elite or Everyman?, 2011
Kennedy, Jessica A., Anderson, Cameron, More, Don A.: Social Reactions to Overconfidence: Do the Costs of Overconfidence Outweigh the Benefits?, 2011
Kray, Laura: Gender Bias in Negotiators' Ethical Decision Making, 2011
Kray, Laura J., Haselhuhn, Michael P.: Male Pragmatism in Ethical Decision Making, 2011
Lincoln, James R., Guillot, Didier: Business Groups, Networks, And Embeddedness: Innovation And Implementation Alliances In Japanese Electronics, 1985-1998, 2011
Rothstein, Jesse, Wozny, Nathan: Permanent Income and the Black-White Test Score Gap, 2011
Wilensky, Harold L.: U.S. Health Care and Real Health in Comparative Perspective: Lessons from Abroad, 2011
Allegretto, Sylvia A., Lynch, Devon: The Changing Face of the U.S. Labor Force: The Composition of the Unemployed and Long-term Unemployed in Tough Labor Markets, 2010
Allegretto, Sylvia, Dube, Arindrajit, Reich, Michael: Do Minimum Wages Really Reduce Teen Employment? Accounting for Heterogeneity and Selectivity in State Panel Data, 2010
Anderson, Cameron, Brion, Sebastien: Overconfidence and the Attainment of Status in Groups, 2010
Bardhan, Ashok, Walker, Richard A.: California, Pivot of the Great Recession, 2010
Brown, Clair, Linden, Greg: Managing Knowledge Workers in Global Value Chains, 2010
Card, David, Mas, Alexandre, Moretti, Enrico, Saez, Emmanuel: Inequality at Work: The Effect of Peer Salaries on Job Satisfaction, 2010
Colla, Carrie Hoverman, Dow, William H., Dube, Arindrajit: How Do Employers React to a Pay-or-Play Mandate? Early Evidence from San Francisco, 2010
Ding, Waverly W., Murray, Fiona, Stuart, Toby E.: From Bench to Board: Gender Differences in University Scientists' Participation in Commercial Science, 2010
Ding, Waverly: The Impact of Founder Professional Education Background on the Adoption of Open Science by For-Profit Biotechnology Firms, 2010
Dube, Arindrajit, Lester, T. William, Reich, Michael: Do Frictions Matter in the Labor Market? Accessions, Separations, and Minimum Wage Effects, 2010
Dube, Arindrajit, Freeman, Eric, Reich, Michael: Employee Replacement Costs, 2010
Dube, Andrajit, Lester, T. William, Reich, Michael: Minimum Wage Effects Across State Borders: Estimates Using Contiguous Counties, 2010
Elfenbein, Hillary Anger, Eisenkraft, Noah, Ding, Waverly: Do We Know Who Values Us? Dyadic Meta-Accuracy in the Perception of Professional Relationships, 2010
Evans, Peter: Is it Labor's Turn to Globalize? Twenty-first Century Opportunities and Strategic Responses, 2010
Fligstein, Neil, Goldstein, Adam: The Anatomy of the Mortgage Securitization Crisis, 2010
Fligstein, Neil, McAdam, Doug: Toward a General Theory of Strategic Action Fields, 2010
Gleeson, Shannon, Bloemraad, Irene: Where Are all the Immigrant Organizations? Reassessing the Scope of Civil Society for Immigrant Communities, 2010
Golan, Amos, Greene, William, Perloff, Jeffrey M.: U.S. Navy Promotion and Retention by Race and Sex, 2010
Golan, Amos, Greene, William, Perloff, Jeffrey M.: U.S. Navy Promotion and Retention by Race and Sex, 2010
Goldstein, Adam, Haveman, Heather A.: Press and Pulpit: Competition, Co-operation and the Growth of Religious Magazines in Antebellum America, 2010
Goldstein, Adam, Fligstein, Neil: The Rise and Fall of the Nonconventional Mortgage Industry, 2010
Haveman, Heather A., Habinek, Jacob, Goodman, Leo A.: The Press and the Public Sphere: Magazine Entrepreneurs in Antebellum America, 2010
Karabel, Jerome: American Exceptionalism and the Quality of Life in the United States: Some Preliminary Statistical Observations, 2010
Lee, David, Saez, Emannuel: Optimal Minimum Wage Policy in Competitive Labor Markets, 2010
Lester, Gillian: Can Joe the Plumber Support Redistribution? Law, Social Preferences, and Sustainable Policy Design, 2010
Moore, Celia, Stuart, H. Colleen, Pozner, Jo-Ellen: Avoiding the Consequences of Repeated Misconduct: Stigma's Licence and Stigma's Transferability, 2010
Nemeth, Charlan Jeanne: Minority Influence Theory, 2010
Petersen, Trond, Penner, Andrew M., Høgnsnes, Geir: The Within-Job Motherhood Wage Penalty in Norway, 1979–1996, 2010
Saez, Emmanuel, Matsaganis, Manos, Tsakloglou, Panos: Earnings Determination and Taxes: Evidence from a Cohort-Based Payroll Tax Reform in Greece, 2010
Shaiken, Harley: Commitment is a Two-Way Street: Toyota, California and NUMMI, 2010
CWED's Sylvia Allegretto Wins Best Article in 2010 in the Monthly Labor Review, Vol.133
Sylvia Allegretto and Devon Lynch have been selected as the winners of the "Best Article in 2010 authored by non-BLS staff," in the Monthly Labor Review. The title of their paper is:
The composition of the unemployed and long-term unemployed in tough labor markets. Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 133, No. 10, October 2010
The share of unemployment accounted for by long-term unemployment has risen higher following the 2007–09 recession than following any other recent recession, and the makeup of the labor force, the unemployed, and the long-term unemployed has changed substantially since 1983.
Online Access: http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2010/10/art1full.pdf
IRLE Colloquium Series: Roster of Events
Fall 2010 Colloquia
Monday, September 27, 2010 - 12-1pm
Job Losses and Economic Consequences of the Great Recession
Sylvia Allegretto, Research Economist, IRLE
Monday, OCTOBER 11, 2010 - 12-1pm
The Labor Market in the Great Recession: The View from Washington
Jesse Rothstein, Professor of Public Policy and Economics
Monday, OCTOBER 18, 2010 - 12-1pm
Determinants of Lifetime Unemployment
Achim Schmillen, Visiting Scholar, Institute for Employment Research, Germany
Monday, OCTOBER 25, 2010 - 12-1pm
Managing Knowledge Workers in Global Value Chains
Clair Brown, Professor, Economics, Center for Work, Technology, and Society (with Greg Linden)
Monday, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 - 12-1PM
Changes in Job-based Coverage under the New Federal Health Law: A Preliminary Look Using a Micro-simulation Model of California Employers
Ken Jacobs, Chair, Center for Labor, Research and Education
Monday, NOVEMBER 15, 2010 - 12-1pm
Mobilizing Against Water Privatization: Labor-Environmental Coalitions in the United States and Canada
Joanna Robinson, Visiting Scholar, Sociology, University British Columbia, Canada
Monday, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 - 12-1pm
Stock Options and Incentives
Nicole Johnson, Professor, Haas School of Business
Spring 2011 Colloquia
Job Creation and Local Communities Series
During spring 2011, IRLE organizes a special seminar series focused on job creation and the local community. The series brings together both UC faculty and affiliates and well-known experts in the field. In addition to this topical series, there were are also three other colloquia, which are listed below in chronological order.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Job Creation: An Informal Conversation with Bob Giloth
Bob Giloth, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Monday, February 14, 2011 –12:30-2pm
The Role of State Fiscal Policy in Job Creation
Ken Jacobs, Center for Labor, Research and Education
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 –12:30-2pM
Jobs Tax Credits and Job Creation
Jesse Rothstein, Goldman School of Public Policy
Discussant: Carrie Portis, San Francisco Works
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 –5-6:30PM SPECIAL TIME
Economic Development in Hard Times: How to Spend Less and Get More
Greg LeRoy, Good Jobs First
Monday, February 28, 2011 –12:30-2pm
The Cleveland Model: From Green Jobs to Green Ownership
Ted Howard, Evergreen Cooperatives and The Democracy Collaborative
Monday, March 7, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Job Creation in the Green Economy
Carol Zabin and Karen Chapple, Vial Center
Monday, March 14 –12:30-1:30pm SPECIAL TIME
Union Democracy: Why have it? What is it? Plus a little bit of empirical data
George Strauss, Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business
Monday, March 28, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Immigration: Economics, Attitudes and Policies
David Card, Deptment of Economics
Monday, March 28 2011 –4pm-5pm SPECIAL TIME
Product Architecture, Organizational Design, and HRM Practices: Comparing Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Firms
Tsuyoshi Tsuru, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University
Friday, April 1, 2011 –12:00-1pm SPECIAL TIME
How Can California Spur Job Creation?
David Neumark, Public Policy Institute of California, UC Irvine
Monday, April 4, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Spatial Dynamics of Job Creation
Ted Egan, Chief Economist, City of San Francisco
Monday, April 11, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Infrastructure, Job Creation, and Local Hire
Bernida Reagan, Director of Community and Client Relations at Merriwether Williams Insurance Services (formerly Director of Social Responsibility at the Port of Oakland)
Andreas Cluver, Secretary-Treasurer for the Alameda County Building Trades Council
Monday, April 18, 2011 –12:30-2pm
Community Benefits, Accountable Development, and Job Creation
Cecilia Estolano, Green For All
Monday, April 25, 2011 –12:30-2pm
The Union Vision for Job Creation
Cesar Diaz, State Building and Construction Trades Council
Bernie Kotlier, IBEW
Tim Rainey, California Labor Federation
Thursday, April 28, 2011 –4-5:30pm SPECIAL TIME
Outlier Nation? American Exceptionalism and Quality of Life in the United States?
Jerome Karabel, UCB Department of Sociology
The Labor Center
New Centers Established
International Center for Joint Labor Research
In 2010, Katie Quan established an International Center for Joint Labor Research, a project of the Institute of Political Science at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, and the UC Berkeley Labor Center. The mission of this joint center is to share best practices about industrial relations worldwide and to generate innovative models that can strengthen labor relations in China. Special emphasis will be placed on exchange of information by scholars and practitioners. In 2010-2011 the program focus will be on collective bargaining.
Black Worker Centers in the U.S.
Steven Pitts assisted with the establishment of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center (BWC), which serves as a model as more centers are seeded across the United States in Baltimore, Chicago, Jackson, Milwaukee, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. As a first step toward developing relationships in those cities, Dr. Pitts met with more than 45 union members, community leaders, and activists. He is also gathering data on the state of black workers in the target cities.
Workforce Strategies, Energy Efficiency, and Green Jobs: A summit to discuss needs, challenges, and opportunities in California
On December 8th, the Donald Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy hosted the summit "Workforce Strategies, Energy Efficiency, and Green Jobs: A summit to discuss needs, challenges, and opportunities in California". It was a great success and more than 250 people attended the event at the Clark Kerr Center at UC Berkeley. Results were presented from the first comprehensive assessment of labor demand and education and training infrastructure in energy efficiency, distributed generation, and demand response. The summit offered stakeholders from the workforce and energy communities a forum for discussion of the key findings and recommendations and possible next steps.
California Workers' Rights: A Manual of Job Rights, Protections and Remedies,Fourth Edition
by David A. Rosenfeld, Miles E. Locker, and Nina G. Fendel
A basic overview of the legal protections for workers under California and federal law, written in understandable language, designed for use by workers and those who represent them. This book has been purchased by unions, community and university libraries, and used as a text in labor law courses.
Winter- Spring 2011
April 28-30 – California Lead Organizers Institute for Labor and Community Organizers
Feb. 25 – City and County Revenues Workshop
Fall 2010
Sept. 14 & 19 – What EVERY Union Needs to Know About the New Federal Health Law, Los Angeles (9/14), Oakland (9/19 & 11/10), & Fresno (11/18)
Oct. 21-22 – Online Media Training
Nov. 15-19 – Strategic Campaigns Workshop
Dec. 9 - 11 – Organizing to Scale: Asilomar Forum for Senior-Level Organizing Directors
Summer 2010
June-July – Labor Summer Internship Program
July 8-9 – Strategic Research Training
Aug. 11-12 – Media Skills Workshop
May 4 – Panel discussion, Lockout: Dynamics of Collective Bargaining in Professional Sports with William B. Gould IV and Scott Fujita, moderated by Peter Olney
April 5 – Nationwide Labor Teach-In with Prof. Harley Shaiken and AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler
March 23 – A discussion with Tunisian labor leaders about the role of labor unions in the efforts to bring democratic reform to Tunisia
March 15 – Lunchtime panel discussion: What's up with Wisconsin? Sponsored by the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law (BJELL), National Lawyers Guild (NLG) UC Berkeley Chapter, Campus Rights Project (CRP), Students for Economic and Environmental Justice (SEEJ), American Constitution Society (ACS)
Jan. 4 – A discussion among activists with Working America Executive Director Karen Nussbaum
Sept. 24-25 – Black and Latino Dialogues, part of a Ford Foundation grant for reducing tensions concerning immigration and employment
Sept. 21 – A discussion with Lisa Dodson, author of The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert and Unfair Economy
Topic: Health Care
Maximizing Health Care Enrollment through Seamless Coverage for Families in Transition: Current Trends and Policy Implications
March 2011, By Ken Jacobs, Laurel Lucia, Ann O'Leary and Ann Marie Marciarille
This policy brief reviews the literature on the prevalence of uninsurance caused by work or life transitions, including loss of or change in a job, a reduction in work hours, divorce or legal separation, loss of dependent status, a disability or the death of a family member. The brief also provides initial recommendations for state and federal policymakers on how best to ensure seamless health coverage under the Affordable Care Act for individuals and families who lose health insurance because of a work or life transition.
Eligibility for Medi-Cal and the Health Insurance Exchange in California under the Affordable Care Act
August 2010, By Ken Jacobs, Laurel Lucia and Dave Graham-Squire
This issue brief analyzes the impact that the federal health reform law will have on California. More than 4 million Californians who are without health insurance, covered in the individual market or enrolled in unaffordable job-based coverage will be eligible for Medicaid or subsidized coverage under the law. A significant segment of the private insurance market, between 3 and 8 million Californians, will be eligible to purchase subsidized or unsubsidized coverage in the exchange.
Federal Health Reform: Impact on California Small Businesses, Their Employees and the Self-Employed
June 2010, By Laurel Lucia, Ken Jacobs and Dave Graham-Squire
This issue brief examines the impact that the health reform law will have on California small businesses, their employees and the self-employed. The law will make it more affordable for California small businesses to offer coverage by reducing administrative costs for small group health plans and offering $4.4 billion in health insurance tax credits over ten years. More than 1.6 million small business employees and self-employed Californians who lack affordable employer-based coverage will be eligible to enroll in Medicaid or purchase subsidized insurance in the non-group market. Small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees will be exempt from the proposed employer responsibilities and most California small businesses offering coverage will be minimally affected by the proposed health plan standards as they already offer qualifying health plans.
Topic: Living Wage
Living Wage Policies and Big-Box Retail: How a Higher Wage Standard Would Impact Walmart Workers and Shoppers
April 2011, by Ken Jacobs, Dave Graham-Squire and Stephanie Luce
This study uses the most recent data available to update the 2007 report on the impact to workers and shoppers if Walmart increased its minimum wage. It finds that a $12 per hour minimum wage would provide substantial benefits to Walmart workers in low-income families, while the costs would be dispersed in small amounts among many consumers across the income spectrum.
Creating Good Jobs in Our Communities: How Higher Wage Standards Affect Economic Development and Employment
December 2010, by T. William Lester and Ken Jacobs
The most common and comprehensive policies used in creating jobs and raising the quality of jobs are business assistance living wage laws, which require businesses receiving public subsidies to pay workers wages above the poverty level. This report assesses the question of whether or not business assistance living wage laws reduce jobs and economic development activity in the cities that choose to pass them.
Topic: Economy
Unemployment Benefits Critical to Jobless Workers and Economic Recovery in California
April 2011, by Sylvia A. Allegretto and Laurel Lucia
This policy brief explains why unemployment insurance (UI) benefits provide one of the most effective and efficient means to address economic woes imposed by joblessness. In California, UI helped approximately 1.5 million workers and their families afford basic necessities in 2009, kept nearly 500,000 Californians out of poverty, and resulted in spending that supported 161,000 jobs. Without this vital safety net, the severity of the economic crisis would have been deeper, unemployment would have been nearly one percentage point greater, state and local tax revenue would have been $1.8 billion lower, and the economic hardship faced by families would have been more severe.
Regional Economic Impacts of Proposed Health and Human Services Cuts
July 2010, by Ken Jacobs, Laurel Lucia and T. William Lester
An update to "The Economic Consequences of Proposed California Budget Cuts," where we estimated the statewide economic impact of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed fiscal year (FY) 2010–2011 budget using IMPLAN 3.0, an industry-standard input-output modeling software package. We found that the proposed cuts to major health and human services programs would have the greatest impact on job loss and state and local tax revenue reduction, compared to other budget solutions. In this brief, we report the economic impact by region using a similar methodology.
Topic: Black Workers
Monthly Black Worker Report
1st Friday of every month, by Sylvia Allegretto, Ary Amerikaner, and Steven Pitts
A series of monthly reports that highlight the employment outlook in the Black community as national jobless numbers hover around 10 percent and African Americans fare far worse.
Black Workers and the Public Sector: Racial Effects of Government Layoffs
April 2011, by Steven Pitts
The standoff in Wisconsin highlights the fiscal crisis facing state and local governments across the country. Required by law to balance their budgets, politicians in state legislatures, school boards, and city councils are faced with the choices of cutting public services and laying off workers, raising revenue, or some combination of the two. They are deciding these choices in an economic context where the Great Recession caused the deficits and any deficit-reduction option exerts a drag on the recovery. Since January 2009, state and local governments have laid off 429,000 workers. As governments contemplate additional layoffs, it is important to note that few commentators have examined the racial implications of this reduction in government employment.
The End of the Recession? How Blacks Might Fare in the Jobless Recovery
October 2010, by Sylvia Allegretto and Steven Pitts
Recently, there have been seemingly contradictory announcements concerning the economy. In September another 95,000 jobs were shed as the unemployment rate remained at 9.6%. Unemployment has been at least 9.5% for well over a year now. About the same time it was announced that the recession, which began in December 2007, had actually ended in June of last year–thus we are several months into the second year of recovery. This brief provides some explanation and context in light of economy recovery amidst continued job losses and stubbornly high unemployment.
The State of Black Workers before the Great Recession
July 2010, by Sylvia Allegretto and Steven Pitts
Congress has debated various policy measures aimed to restore the economy to its pre-recession track. However, simply ending the recession will not solve the job crisis within the Black community. Many analysts have noted that labor market distress–when properly calculated–among Black workers has been at catastrophic levels for decades. In the tough labor market of today, about one out of every four Black workers is underemployed, but even in good times the ratio was one in seven. Labor markets prior to December 2007 did not serve the Black community well; to the contrary, racial inequality in labor market outcomes was a central feature. This research brief documents aspects of racial inequality before the Great Recession.
Topic: Green Jobs
California Workforce, Education, and Training Needs Assessment for Energy Efficiency, Distributed Generation and Demand Response
March 2011, Donald Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy
The report was endorsed by California Public Utility Commission president Mike Peevey, Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary Martin Morgenstern, and Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) in a press conference at the State Capitol. The study was mandated in the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic plan to provide recommendations to the CPUC and other agencies on the workforce strategies needed to achieve the state's ambitious energy efficiency goals.
Topic: Young Workers
New Approaches to Organizing Women and Young Workers
July 2010, by Netsy Firestein, Deborah King, and Katie Quan
This report includes highlights of interviews with 23 organizers about how they use new social media tools and work and family issues in organizing campaigns. It also includes recommendations that may help unions strengthen their relationships with women and young workers, especially with regard to the use of work and family issues and social media that might ultimately help unions be more successful in organizing.
For each grant, the funding entity, principal investigator, and project title are shown.
The California Endowment (Ken Jacobs)
California Health Policy Research Program
The California Wellness Foundation (Katie Quan)
Building the 21st Century Workforce for Long-Term Care
Energy Foundation (Lisa Hoyos)
Educating the California Labor Movement on AB 32 Implementation: A Proposal to The Energy Foundation
Ford Foundation (Steven Pitts)
Reducing Tensions Concerning Immigration and Employment
General Service Foundation (John Logan)
Policy Research to Inform Proposed Labor Law Reform and Strengthened Enforcement of Existing Labor Laws
Mitchell Kapor Foundation (Lisa Hoyos and Carol Zabin)
Pathways to Quality Green Jobs for Local Communities
Open Society Institute (Steven Pitts)
Project on Improving the Quality of Jobs Held by Black Males
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Ken Jacobs)
Maximizing Health Care Enrollment through Seamless Coverage for Families in Transition
Rosenberg Foundation (Katie Quan)
Labor Summer Internship Program
Southern California Edison (Carol Zabin)
CLRE staff additions
Maria Abadesco, Labor Specialist
Rebecca Graham, Communications Specialist
Alexa Hall, Program Coordinator
Nari Rhee returns as Associate Academic Specialist
California Public Employee Relations
CPER Journal
Since last June, CPER Journal main articles have covered the Garcetti decision and the difficulty of protecting whistleblowers; the risks to California public sector collective bargaining; the mediator's role as gatekeeper to fact finding; the role of the negotiator at public school bargaining tables; implementing a non-negotiable decision before completing bargaining on negotiable effects; anti-retaliation law; and the common traits and "truths" regarding negotiations and labor relations.
In addition, in the journal's Recent Developments section, the CPER staff has kept public sector labor relations professionals updated on the state budget, layoffs, mediation and fact finding, the definition of "highly qualified" teachers, UC retirement benefits, the Public Employment Relations Board, Hudson notice, arbitration, disability and age discrimination, the governor's agenda, and more.
CPER has made progress in our move to "go green," with an online-only edition of the journal. The new format, slated for June 2011, will allow faster news updates and links that provide in-depth information.
Pocket Guides
CPER is about to release a new Pocket Guide title, the seventeenth in the series. Pocket Guide to Workers' Compensationwas writtenby Juliann Sum, an attorney with the Work and Health Initiative at IRLE. The guide gives a general overview of the California Workers' Compensation system. It is meant to help workers, employers, unions, insurers, and non-workers' compensation attorneys understand basic right and obligations, take steps to initiate a worker's compensation claim for an injured worker, and to know where to seek further information and help if necessary.
We also published the third title in our special series on layoffs: Pocket Guide to Layoff Rules Affecting Community College Faculty, written by attorneys Carmen Plaza de Jennings and Jayne Benz Chipman of Curiale Hirschfeld Kraemer. This guide provides a straightforward, concise, and practical review of the complex statutory requirements that govern faculty layoffs.
CPER also has updated several popular titles, all of which are sold through our website, http://cper.berkeley.edu.
We published the second edition of Pocket Guide to Due Process in Public Employment. The right to procedural due process is one of the most significant constitutional guarantees provided to citizens in general and to public employees in particular. Its entitlement has been created by statute, charter, ordinance, and other local laws or enactments. This guide provides an overview of due process in public sector employment to assist employees and their employers in understanding their respective rights and obligations.
CPER published the eighth edition of Pocket Guide to the Educational Employment Relations Act. This guideprovides all the major decisions of the Public Employment Relations Board and the courts that interpret and apply the law, and includes the history and complete text of the act, and a summary of PERB regulations.
Training and Education
CPER has held three seminars in its training and continuing education series.
- In September, in Berkeley, Due Process Rules: Before, During, and After Termination, which covered pre-termination rights and responsibilities of public employees and employers; disciplinary hearing procedures; and strategies for obtaining and defending against post-termination remedies.
- In December, in Oakland, Your Local Rules –Is It Time for a Makeover?, which covered the state of local government employer-employee relations rules. It explained what works and what's missing from local rules; what the courts and PERB have decided; and negotiating changes in local rules, or making the current ones work better.
- In May, in Los Angeles, Practicing Before PERB, which covers the specifics of when a charge is filed, what happens when a charge goes to hearing, and how to appeal a dismissal or proposed decision.
CPER held a very successful dinner honoring CPER Director Carol Vendrillo and supporting the CPER Program. The dinner, held in Berkeley in March, offered toasts and thanks to Carol as she retired, and celebrated her lengthy career serving the public sector.
Attendees included family, friends, and members of the public sector labor relations community, including master of ceremonies Marty Morgenstern, Governor Brown's secretary of the labor and workforce development agency.
Here is a partial list of conferences where CPER either cosponsored, participated on a panel, and/or exhibited.
California Public Employers Labor Relations Association Annual Conference
November 2010
Center for Collaborative Solutions: 20th Annual Labor-Management Conference
March 2011, Anaheim
Industrial Relations Association of Northern California Annual Conference
March 2011, Sacramento
Bar Association of San Francisco, Labor and Employment Law Section Conference
January 2011, Yosemite
State Bar of California 16th Annual Public Sector Conference
May 2011, Sacramento
National Association of Arbitrators
May 2011, San Diego
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Year in Review Report
2010/2011 Academic Year
The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE, http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/cscce/) has always played a prominent national role in research and policy forums. Recently, we have built upon the Obama Administration's commitment to early learning as key to educational and economic reform and its focus on the importance of better preparation and work environments for the early care and education workforce.
Our work focuses in four main areas related to preparing, supporting, and rewarding the early care and education workforce:
- Access to Education –To encourage continuous growth and learning among the early care and education workforce.
- Rewarding Environments –To attract and retain competent and able employees through better compensation, improve adult work environments, and support on-going learning.
- Workforce Data Systems –To help identify challenges, track progress and guide sound policies and investments that lead to a skilled and stable workforce.
- Leadership Development –To develop and support diverse leaders who work within and beyond the classroom to transform and improve early learning environments.
CSCCE policy briefs for the 2010/2011 academic year:
- Workforce Information: A Critical Component of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems –A policy brief describing the early care and education workforce data landscape and detailing the challenges to aligning these data systems as well as current efforts to address these challenges.
- Degrees in Context: Asking the Right Questions about Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers of Young Children –Written in collaboration with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), this policy brief argues that too much attention has been given to debating the baseline qualifications required of preschool teachers –A.A. vs. B.A. –and contends that it is just as necessary to take into account the nature of the education teachers receive en route to a degree, supports for ongoing learning, and the effects of the workplace environment on teaching practice.
CSCCE research activity for the 2010/2011 academic year:
- Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education. Now in its fourth year, this study documents higher than average graduation rates from four-year colleges/universities among non-traditional college students who received a menu of financial, academic, and social supports. Most of the students are women of color who work full-time, and many speak English as a second language. This study has been critically important for informing early childhood higher education policy, as higher education institutions are being asked to respond to the increased qualifications for Head Start and publicly-funded preschool teachers.
2010/2011 related reports:
- Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education: Year 2 –Our second year of research into four counties' efforts to expand bachelor's degree opportunities in early care and education for working adults.
- Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education: Year 3 –Our third year of this study focused on students' perspective about two issues of concern regarding higher education programs; the accessibility of practicum experiences, and the adequacy of attention in the curriculum to working with children from linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Beyond Homes and Centers: The Workforce in Three California Early Childhood Infrastructure Organizations. This was the first study conducted in the nation that examines the demographic characteristics, educational backgrounds and career pathways of those who provide services to parents and practitioners in early care and education settings. It documents that more than half the staff of these organizations are former early childhood teachers who left direct work with children in search of better salaries. This finding has important implications for improving low-paid early childhood jobs in order to build a skilled and stable teacher workforce to educate young children prior to Kindergarten and for developing relevant professional development opportunities for this sector of the workforce.
2010/2011 related report:
- Beyond Homes and Centers: The Workforce in Three California Early Childhood Infrastructure Organizations –A groundbreaking study of the career backgrounds and professional development needs of those working in child care resource and referral programs, local First 5 commissions, and as child care coordinators across the state.
- No Single Ingredient. This multi-year study investigates the best way to prepare skilled and effective teachers of young children and to support teachers' continual growth as professionals on the job. It examines the complex interaction among early childhood teacher preparation programs, early care and education workplace environments, and assistance for ongoing teacher learning. The focus of this work is to develop new methodologies for assessing the content and quality of higher education teacher preparation programs and for measuring the adult learning environment in early care and education settings.
- The Workforce (WFI) Initiative. This study is an evaluation of a multi-year project supported by Los Angeles Universal Preschool to promote access and success in higher education for current and prospective early childhood practitioners through peer supports, financial assistance, and dedicated counseling.
CSCCE selected presentations for the 2010/2011 academic year:
- Senior Specialist, Fran Kipnis, presented at the National Governors Association's Policy Academy, regarding workforce data systems.
- Executive Director, Marcy Whitebook, gave keynote address to the Buehl Early Childhood Leadership Program.
- Executive Director, Marcy Whitebook, and Senior Specialist, Fran Kipnis, presented at Early Childhood 2010, a conference convened by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
- Executive Director, Marcy Whitebook, was the featured speaker for the national Listening and Learning Tour on Early Education sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education.
- Specialist, Lea Austin, presented Policy, Politics, and Power: Why they matter for Early Childhood Leaders.
CSCCE work related to local, state, and national policy for 2010/2011 academic year:
- California professional development system building, focusing on piloting a workforce registry, higher education reform, updating the career ladder/certification system, and implementing Transitional Kindergarten.
- National workforce policy development, focusing on early childhood workforce data systems and federal workforce policy. CSCCE is a member of the Early Childhood Data Collaborative, alongside the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Data Quality Campaign, the National Center for Children in Poverty, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and PreK Now.
- CSCCE has also been asked to provide expert opinion on early childhood workforce policy to the Obama Administration.
CSCCE Special honors and rewards for 2010/2011 academic year:
- Executive director, Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D., was appointed by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences as an advisor for the Committee on Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce: A workshop of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.
Center for Wage and Employment Dynamics
CWED extended its policy voice in many directions during the academic year, and also published several important briefings. Highlights of 2010-2011 follow below
2010-2011 Publications
Waiting for Change: The $2.13 Federal Subminimum Wage
By Sylvia A. Allegretto and Kai Fillion
The Severe Crisis of Jobs in the United States and California
By Sylvia A. Allegretto
The Truth about Public Employees in California: They are Neither Overpaid nor Overcompensated
By Sylvia A. Allegretto and Jeffrey Keefe
2010-2011 Sponsored Research
Grant Title: Tipped Workers, Sub-minimum Wages and the Tip Credit Allowance
Funding Agency: Ford Foundation
Principal Investigator: Sylvia Allegretto
This research will study the effects of the sub-minimum wage received by tipped workers. The federal tipped wage is $2.13 per hour and has been so for 20 years. The rational for the federal sub-minimum wage is based on the concept of a 'tip credit' afforded to employers. At the federal level, the 'tip credit' allows an employer to pay workers an hourly wage of $2.13 as long as this base wage combined with additional tipped income equates to the actual minimum wage. Thus, the maximum federal tip credit is $5.12 which is the difference between the $2.13 tip wage and the federal minimum wage of $7.25. California is one of just seven states that do not allow for a sub-minimum wage; thus tipped workers are paid at least the regular state minimum wage of $8.00. Allegretto's will analyze tipped wages and the tip credit in terms of worker outcomes such as wages and poverty and firm outcomes such as whether negative employment effects are associated with higher tipped wages.
2010-2011 Presentations
"The 4th Generation of Minimum Wage Research"
Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) conference in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2010.
"The Great Recession: Job Losses and Consequences." Presented to The Teamsters Fall Divisional Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada October 4, 2010
"Job Losses and Economic Consequences of the Great Recession"
IRLE Colloquium Series, September 27, 2010
Associate Chair Sylvia Allegretto participated in the California State Senate Caucus Conference, which was held at the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. She presented information on California's labor market situation (unemployment and underemployment along with an analysis of job growth by industrial sectors) and engaged in a two hour discussion with the senators regarding economic policy and prospects for recovery.
Other presenters included Jerry Nickelsburg, Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast; Stephen Levy, Director and Senior Economist, Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy; and Christopher Thornberg, Founding Principal, Beacon Economics.
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Library
Library Commons Comes of Age
The 2010-2011 academic year saw a number of significant developments in how the Library Commons is being used. During the finals study period, students from the Southside community (as well as return patrons) made use of every single seat throughout the Commons for several days running. Of equal interest, the Library's collection became a lender of "last resort" for more than 30 instructors who were organizing their reserve reading. In response, Library staff developed a strategy of holding books for two hour reserve, and created PDF files that classes could share collaboratively. The Commons also was the site of special invitation-only conferences, board and committee meetings, and frequent faculty-student consultations.
Library Catalogs and Online Resources Grow
The main campus catalog, OskiCat, now includes enhanced hyperlinks to digital files as well as to books. Also, HathiTrust the ambitious multi-university digital library, extended valuable enhanced services to the Berkeley campus community. HathiTrust has implemented the Shibboleth protocol for downloads, which allows researchers to obtain full-length PDF files of books and other digital media.
HathiTrust encompasses the holdings of more than 50 universities, and was originally intended as a preservation initiative. However, it has grown to include several high-value services such as the Shibboleth download service. For further information: http://www.hathitrust.org
Oakland Museum of California Exhibit Goes Digital
The Oakland Museum of California's exhibit, "We Called It A Work Holiday: The 1946 Oakland General Strike,"is a popular special collection under Library oversight. In 2008, it was protected by archival-quality containers since 2009. Now the Library is ready to begin the digitization process of the exhibit.
Digitizing this exhibit will create three new and useful functions for this resource. First, it will establish a permanent digital copy that will be persistently available online, hosted by The University Library and the Online Archive of California. Second, users will be able to create copies that can be easily downloaded and printed–with permission, and not for profit–for use at receptions and conferences, and also for use as frame-worthy artwork for office decoration. This work is currently anticipated to be completed in fall 2011.
California Labor Federation Repository: Recent Advances
The publications and proceedings of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, now include proceedings through 2006. The newest files are being tested for compatibility and will appear later in summer 2011. From fall 2011 forward, the Federation will contribute a digital copy of its proceedings as they are created, and this copy will go into the repository. This enormously popular and heavily used resource will enable researchers to study California labor history both in its contemporary and its historical contexts.
Professional Presentations and Publications of IRLE Librarian
Book Chapter:
Convergence and divergence among digital libraries and the publishing industry. IN Digital Libraries: Methods and Applications. Vienna, Austria: InTech, 2011. 978-953-307-203-6
Open Source Access: http://www.intechopen.com
"Building Digital Libraries" Column:
Focusing the library web. Computers in Libraries 31, No. 2, March 2011
Hearts, minds, and the library's physical space. Computers in Libraries 30, No, 8, October 2010
Involving the community in digitization. Computers in Libraries 31, No 1, January/February 2011
Learning by watching library 2.0 community builders. Computers in Libraries 30, No. 7 September 2010
Library 2.0, meet the "web-squared" world. Computers in Libraries 31, No. 3, April 2011
Living and thriving in the long tail. Computers in Libraries 30, No 10, December 2010
The new ascendancy of metadata and taxonomy skills. Computers in Libraries 30, No. 9, November 2010
New metrics for academic social media users. Computers in Libraries 31,No. 4, May 2011
"Connecting Scholars with Information: Three Strategies." Presented at Internet Librarian International, London, October, 2010.
"Faculty Information Using Behavior: An Analysis of Ithaka S + R's 2009 Faculty Survey. Presented at Computers in Libraries Annual Conference, Washington, DC, March 2011
Labor Project for Working Families
Resources & Publications
New Web Site: –www.workfamilyCA.org –to promote and support the California Work & Family Coalition's policy agenda.
Two New Publications:
Guide to Implementing Paid Family Leave: Lessons from California with Berkeley Center for Health, Economic & Family Security.
New Approaches to Organizing Women and Young Workers: Social Media & Work Family Issues with the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and Cornell ILR.
Featured in two new books highlighting the role of unions in creating family friendly workplace programs: Workplace Solutions for Childcare, by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and The Custom-Fit Workplace, by Joan Blades and Nanette Fondas.
2010 Labor Media awards for General Excellence and Best Content from the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) for LEARN WorkFamily (www.learnworkfamily.org) –an online resource on bargaining for work family issues.
Presentations, Testimonies, Trainings & Events
May 2011:We co-sponsored two events in Los Angeles (with the UCLA Labor Center) and Berkeley (with Berkeley Center for Health, Economic & Family Security) to discuss employer and worker experiences with Paid Family Leave (PFL) in California. The events featured Ruth Milkman (CUNY) and Eileen Appelbaum (CEPR) discussing key findings of their landmark study Leaves that Pay.
April 2011:We were honored by the AFL-CIO Executive Council at a reception hosted in Washington D.C. Speakers at the event included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, and Labor Project Executive Director Netsy Firestein.
March 2011: The Labor Project and the California Work & Family Coalition testified for and rallied behind two bills being considered in legislative committees. AB 400, which would guarantee paid sick days for all California workers, was heard and passed Assembly Labor and Judiciary committees. SB 299, which would guarantee the continuation of health insurance coverage during a pregnancy disability leave, was heard and passed Senate Judiciary and Appropriations committees.
February 2011:We participated in the U.S. Department of Labor's 2nd National Women's Bureau conference on workplace flexibility, focusing in particular on dilemmas facing hourly workers. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis delivered the keynote address at the event that also featured First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke to the attendees via video.
In partnership with Georgetown University's Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, we brought together the top leaders from international unions to discuss labor's new ideas and proven strategies for building an economy that works for working families. The event featured a group of dynamic new labor leaders including the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President Larry Hanley, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry, Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) International President Veda Shook, and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler.
January 2011:Jenya Cassidy,Education & Training Coordinator, led an all day training The Family Friendly Workplace: How Unions Win It for UFCW Region 1 staff in Secaucus, NJ. The training brought together union representatives and organizers from New York and New Jersey to focus on ways to organize and bargain for workers with family responsibilities.
Netsy Firestein, Executive Director, joined national experts and Mary Beth Maxwell from the Department of Labor on a panel to discuss new research on Paid Family Leave in California and opportunities for similar policies at the national level. Netsy shared her experiences on organizing for Paid Family Leave in California and underscored the do's and don'ts for other states looking at paid leave programs. » View event video
Brandy Davis, Policy Coordinator, presented policy recommendations on paid sick days and family leave on behalf of the California Work & Family Coalition at the 2011 Working Families Policy Summit in Sacramento. The event was hosted by the California Center for Research on Women and Families.
October 2010: Netsy Firestein, Executive Director, spoke at the California Labor Federation Women's Conference entitled Breaking New Ground. She spoke about unions building the family friendly workplace through bargaining, organizing and public policy, with a focus on the California legislative agenda.
New Staff
Mischa Hedges, Online Engagement Coordinator, will help build and engage an online community to support our efforts to win work family rights in California.
Ferheen Abbasi, Administrative Assistant, provides program and administrative support for Labor Project staff.
Carol Joyner, National Policy Director, is based in Washington D.C. and engages labor unions in efforts to win and advance federal and state work family rights.
In The News
April 2011
Home run call? Local major leaguer chooses family over game
The Bakersfield Californian, April 21, 2011
March 2011
Standing up for a Family Friendly Economy
Huffington Post, March 8, 2011
February 2011
Union Leaders Discuss Workplace Flexibility, Family-Friendly Policies in Bargaining Context
Daily Labor Report, February 28, 2011
U.S. Department of Labor Addresses Workplace Flexibility at Pasadena Conference
Labor's Edge, February 18, 2011
January 2011
Despite Economic Woes, Sun Shines on California's Paid Family Leave Program
Sloan Work and Family Research Network, January 26, 2011
Viewpoints: Family Leave Program has Proved its Value, but it Could do More
The Sacramento Bee, January 25, 2011
Study: California Working Families Benefit from Landmark Paid Family Leave Law
Labor's Edge, January 20, 2011
Guide Offers Lessons from Nation's First Paid Family Leave Program
AFL-CIO Now Blog, January 16, 2011
December 2010
Reinvigorating the Middle Class from the Ground Up
The Nation, December 7, 2010
November 2010
Domestic Workers Seek Support from Unions
Labor's Edge, November 10, 2010
October 2010
Leading the Way: Unions as Family-Friendly Employers
MomsRising.org, October 15, 2010
Domestic Workers Seeking Rights Need Unions
AFL-CIO NOW Blog, October 13, 2010
August 2010
Enabling Working Parents to Attend to Sick Children and School Activities
New America Foundation Podcast, August 20, 2010
New America's director David Gray talks with Netsy Firestein, executive director of the Labor Project for Working Families, about California's work family policies.
Social Media: Tool for Balancing Work and Family?
AFL-CIO NOW Blog, August 12, 2010
On Deck For Unions: Reaching The Next Generation Of Workers
American Rights at Work, Blog at Work, August 9, 2010
New Approaches to Organizing Women and Young Workers
Labor's Edge, August 5, 2010
Sorry I Missed Your Anniversary! Thanks for Keeping Families Afloat
Huffington Post, August 4, 2010
Screw Work Life Balance: We Need Work Life Policy! Here's All You Need to Know to Join the Movement
BlogHer, August 2, 2010
July 2010
A Collective Solution to a 'Personal Problem' –Unions Fight for Paid Sick Days
MomsRising Blog, July 28, 2010
Donald Vial Center for Jobs in the Green Economy
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the Vial Center devoted its energy to the research, analysis, and eventual publication of the publication California Workforce, Education, and Training Needs Assessment for Energy Efficiency, Distributed Generation and Demand Response.
The report was widely endorsed at a press conference that was held in Sacramento on March 17, 2011. Participants included California Public Utility Commission president Mike Peevey, Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary Martin Morgenstern, and Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland). The study was mandated in the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic plan to provide recommendations to the CPUC and other agencies on the workforce strategies needed to achieve the state's ambitious energy efficiency goals.
The report continues to attract attention and provides a strong basis for further study of the interplay between policy, workforce development and green technology breakthroughs.
Report Overview:
- By 2020, energy efficiency policies will result in about $11.2 billion of public and private investment, resulting in 211,000 jobs.
- Two-thirds of the jobs that are directly related to energy efficiency work are in the traditional construction trades, and one-sixth are in professional jobs such as architects and engineers; only a tiny number of the jobs are in new specialized "green jobs."
- Poor quality installation of energy efficient equipment some sectors is undermining the achievement of energy efficiency goals and is directly linked to low-wage labor markets which do not reward workers or businesses for investments in training.
- California has over 1,000 training and education programs training in the key forecasted occupations, but the lack of widespread industry-recognized certifications lead to confusion and lack of coordination in the workforce development system.
Report recommendations:
- Continue and expand the state's energy efficiency policies in order to meet the state's ambitious energy efficiency goals and create good jobs.
- "Green" existing training programs for traditional occupations by incorporating energy efficiency skills and knowledge into curricula, rather than promoting stand-alone, narrowly focused green training programs.
- Use our public and ratepayer investment to promote high quality work and good careers for Californians by:
- Setting high quality skills certification standards for workers; and
- Enforcing building codes and requiring other strong quality standards for contractors.
»Read the UC Berkeley News Center Press Release


text:
Until renovations are completed inside the Jersey City Medical Center's emergency room, the hospital will be operating a mobile emergency department courtesy of Hackensack University Medical Center.
Flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy has made renovations necessary in sections of the Downtown hospital's emergency room.
The New Jersey Mobile Satellite Emergency Department, or NJ-MSED, was deployed by Hackensack University Medical Center in partnership with the State of New Jersey and is part of the New Jersey EMS Task Force.
"Thanks to Hackensack Medical Center, we'll be able to continue serving our patients," said Mark Rabson, spokesman for the Jersey City Medical Center.
Joseph Feldman, chairman of Hackensack University Medical Center's emergency services, said the mobile unit will be parked outside the Downtown Jersey City hospital until it is no longer needed.
The unit can be attached to two other units, creating the capacity to treat 30 patients at a time, he said.
JCMC's Emergency Department director Michael Bessette said the unit will provide extra capacity while the facilities are being fixed.
Bessette added the emergency department is still seeing the same number of patients, but they are "much sicker" in the wake of Sandy due to the lack of heat and access to their medications.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Courtney Hanlon scored from the right circle a little less than six minutes into overtime off tri-captain Kate Dennett's feed, giving Amherst College a 2-1 victory in the New England Small College Athletic Conference women's hockey final in Amherst. The second-seeded Jeffs, 21-2-4, earned an automatic entry in the NCAA Division III Tournament, whose field will be announced Monday. Third-seeded Trinity (21-4-2), which should receive an at-large bid, took a 1-0 lead on Celia Colman-McGay's first-period goal. Amherst got even when tri-captain Kirsten Dier struck in front midway through the next period.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: University of Massachusetts senior guard Ricky Harris made third-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference, the only Minuteman to be honored. Harris averaged 19.7 points and was the heart and soul of the young Minutemen. Richmond guard Kevin Anderson was voted A-10 player of the year by the coaches, and was joined on the first team by Temple's Lavoy Allen, Xavier's Jordan Crawford, Duquesne's Damian Saunders and Dayton's Chris Wright. Temple's Fran Dunphy is coach of the year, and Fordham's Chris Gaston was chosen rookie of the year. .¤.¤. Second-seeded Elms College captured its first ECAC championship after a 94-71 victory over host and top seed Eastern Connecticut at Willimantic, Conn. Senior point guard Juan Maldonado of Holyoke poured in a game-high 29 points for the Blazers and was named Most Outstanding Player. Elms finished with a 24-6 record and on an 11-game winning streak. Maldonado deposited two 3-pointers to trigger a 16-3 run to a 66-46 second-half lead. Javon Mathis added 19 points and five rebounds for the victors.


text:
Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities
On May 29, 2012, 22 Attorneys General cosigned a letter led by Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway. APSCU believes several points in the letter are inaccurate and misleading. The following is a response to several of those points. Read the response: APSCU Response to May 29 2012 AG Letter


text:
The company ASV has its registered seat in the city of Solnice, Eastern Bohemia, 4 km from the city of Rychnov nad Kněžnou, 40 km from the city of Hradec Králové and 1 km from the plant ŠKODA AUTO a.s. Kvasiny. The company is concerned with metalworking focused on the wire programme intended mainly for the automotive industry.
More about our company Technology
Pass the cursor over the map to display the distance.
Why ASV?


text:
You'll pass a group of six distinctive buildings along the way, including Britton Cottage, the oldest building in the village, dating back to 1670, and Guyon-Lake-Tysen House, of 1740s vintage.
One-acre Mill Pond is located on the north side of Richmond Road, between St. Patrick's Place and Richmond Hill Road. The spot is marked by an authentic split-rail fence constructed with timber from indigenous trees, the posts Black Locust and the rails White Oak.
The entire 950-acre Richmond Creek watershed flows into Mill Pond, according to the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Start the walk at Town Bridge, where Richmond Creek flows under Richmond Hill Road, just past the intersection with Richmond Road.
Constructed in 1845, it is Staten Island's only surviving example of an early stone arch bridge, according to Historic Richmond Town. "It replaced an earlier wooden bridge over Richmond Creek on the major route from the north shore to Richmondtown and points south," the museum notes.
The historic bridge "would not be large enough to carry the storm water flow from future development," DEP reported, so "it became necessary to construct a 'by-pass' pipe to handle this extra flow. This creative design step allowed the bridge to retain its integrity while allowing future excess flows to pass over the new Side Weir (dam) to prevent flooding."
Throughout the restoration project, "significant effort was made to replicate details and techniques seen in 1800s-era Staten Island stonework, thus respecting the historic integrity of Historic Richmond Town," DEP explained.
The new stone walls of the Side and Main Weirs were constructed from "local fieldstone, retrieved from old stone piles that existed on-site," and "decorative old-style metal grilles" were used to screen Side Weir openings, the agency reported.
Historic buildings situated near Mill Pond were relocated from other sections of Staten Island.
Britton Cottage was built in New Dorp Beach, and the museum believes that the main section of the building "may have served as Staten Island's first government building during the 1600s."
The large Guyon-Lake-Tysen House first stood on Joseph Guyon's farm in New Dorp. "It retains most of its original woodwork, including both Georgian and Federal styles of paneling," according to the museum. "Records suggest that the Lake family may have owned several slaves, who may have been housed in the rooms above the kitchen," it notes.
The Kruser-Finley House, dating to 1790, with 19th century additions, was relocated from Egbertville.
The 1810-vintage Basket Maker's House was moved to the village from New Springville.
Jacob Crocheron, a native Islander who was a merchant in Manhattan, built the house in Greenridge, circa 1819, as his retirement home. "Details of its exterior and interior structure show the influence of Federal-period architecture of the lower Hudson Valley," according to the museum.


text: Tropical Shiatsu Acupressure Insoles Deal of the Day | Groupon Free on order $15 or $2.99 shipping fee Flag this deal What's the matter? Choose a reason Dead deal Duplicate Bad link Spam Inaccurate No value Alive again Edit deal RealPage16 Apr 22, 2013 These looks very comfortable and insoles are great this is a good deal Reply tanush6 Apr 22, 2013 one of my shoes badly need a sole. will see if this one fits the bill Reply Load More Comments


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The San Antonio Spurs, whose line-up features Argentine guard Manu Ginobili, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team of Spanish guard Ricky Rubio, will play a regular season game on Dec. 4 in Mexico City, the NBA announced.
"It will be the second NBA regular season played in Mexico since 1997, when the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks played," the National Basketball Association's vice president for Latin America, Philippe Moggio, said in a press conference at Arena Ciudad de Mexico.
"This game is one of the NBA's most ambitious efforts. The NBA is showing that it wants to keep growing and taking the game to other countries outside the United States," Moggio said.
The clash between San Antonio and Minnesota at Arena Ciudad de Mexico "will be a good opportunity to experience an NBA game like it's experienced in the United States," Moggio said.
San Antonio, coming off its loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, will be playing in Mexico for the fifth time, while Minnesota will be making its first appearance in the country.
"We are looking for the experience of the teams and fans to be the same as in any other regular season game and the Arena Ciudad de Mexico was key to considering Mexico for a game," Moggio said.
Ticket prices for the Spurs-Timberwolves game will cost from $13 to $423.
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SillEnt DeAtH
- Total Points:
- 46,461
- Rank:
- Great Bambino
- Last Visit:
- 01/04/2007
- Currently:
- Offline
- Sex:
- Location:
- Cheese, CA
- Xbox: Halo 2&1,unreal championship 2&mor
- PSP: Starwars battlefront 2,more
- Xbox 360: outfit,Fullauto,graw,perfect dark
My Favorites
Favorite Music:
Punk Rock,
some rap
Favorite Books:
Favorite TV Shows:
Family guy,
King of the hill,
Whose line is it anyway?
Favorite Movies:
Sillent hill,
Nacho libre,
Favorite TV Shows:
Family guy,
King of the hill,
Whose line is it anyway?
Favorite Movies:
Sillent hill,
Nacho libre,
My Interests
Interests:360, games, B-ball, Hangout, get dumped in saliva
Where I work:Saliva Factory
What I like to do:Play games, go on this website, Play online
My Tastes:Gamer, Girls, christian, Computers
My Clubs
1957 members
The End is Nigh! We can all feel it coming. The end of one gaming...
488 members
This club is dedicated to the Halo fan who simply can't get...
851 members
Welcome to our little family, here. I'm not your usual grandma,...
812 members
Please post links to any clubs or member pages you find...
866 members
This Club is for everybody that Likes/Loves Psp
I Love X-BOX
I Love X-BOX
Sep 10, 2006 10:59AM PST
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April 2010
Johnny Damon and the Camera
Johnny Damon during a photo shoot with Ambassador Magazine this afternoon.
Donate to Gloves For Kids and meet Austin Jackson!
The first appearance of 2010 will be:
- May 15th 12:30-1:30PM
Scheduled to appear: Austin Jackson
ABC Warehouse – Mt. Clemens
35330 Gratiot
Clinton Twp., MI 48035
Meet Willie Horton!
Tigers great Willie Horton will be signing copies of his autobiography "The People's Champion" at Gate A on the following dates:
May 15, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
June 12, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
June 19, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
July 10, 2010 – 2:30PM – 3:30PM
July 24, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
Sept. 11, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
Sept. 25, 2010 – 5:30PM – 6:30PM
Game notes for tonight's Tigers/Rangers game:
Detroit Tigers Player At-Bat/Entrance Music
If you've wondered about the music played when certain players are at-bat or when a pitcher comes into the game, you can find out by clicking here.
We are still trying to track down song names and artists for a few players and we will post them as soon as we can.
Meanwhile, here are the game notes for tonight:
Spanish Pocket Schedules
The Spanish Pocket Schedule is being printed, but you can print one right now by clicking here:
Here are the notes for tonight's game in Anaheim.
Upcoming Giveaways and Todays Notes
Here's a quick sample of some of our upcoming giveaways with today's game notes and "Tigers Today"
2010-2011 Tigers Team Calendar: May 1st to the first 10,000 Fans
Magglio Poster – May 2 to all kids (14 & Under)
Kids Opening Day
Kids Opening Day is today!
The first "Sunday Kids Day" of 2010 is here, which means it's "Kids Opening Day!"
All kids (14 & Under) receive a free "Foam Paw", free rides on the Comerica Bank Carousel and Ferris Wheel, and can run the bases after the game!
Here's today's game notes and "Tigers Today" to get you in the mood.
Opening Day!
It's Opening Day! Here are today's Media notes and Tigers Today:
Coming to Comerica Park for Opening Day? Here's your guide to all of the concessions at the park:


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This album chronicles the return of my hair to its natural glory.
My last relaxer was on February 9th 2004 and I did the "Big Chop" on September 9th 2004, thus I transitioned for seven months. I did a second big chop for scab hair on April 21st 2005.
I decided to go natural while at grad school in London. The difference in climate really weakened my hair and I wore weaves and braids most of the time in an attempt to curb breakage. I was fed up of spending so much money on treatments for my hair, just to keep it from falling off my head! I knew that I needed to do something about my hair and I didn't want to keep relaxing. Then a friend introduced me to www.nappturality.com and the knowledge and skills I learnt from that site strengthened my desire to go natural.
It was not the first time that I had grown out my relaxer (I had also done so during my teens but soon relaxed again) However, I think it was the first time that I had done so much research into the correct way to deal with my hair in its natural state. For the first time I realise how many lies I had been fed about natural hair, whether deliberately or by persons who didn't mean any harm but really didn't know better.
I understand now that natural hair doesn't have to be difficult to handle if you have the necessary knowledge, skills and tools and if you have the right attitude towards your hair. I realise that I can be creative and express myself with my natural hair and it doesn't have to be boring. For the first time I understand that I don't have to straighten my hair to "look professional". I don't have to alter my hair to be beautiful … what God gave me is just fine.
There are many persons who may go through this album who may have made the choice to wear their hair straightened or chemically altered in some way; you have made your choice I have made mine – to each his/her own.
Enjoy your time here. Please feel free to browse all the albums. If you have any comments, please post them in the albums and sign the guest book before you leave.
God's Richest Blessings,
Beenie Girl
Enjoy your time here. Please feel free to browse all the albums.
If you have any comments, please post them in the albums and sign the guest book before you leave.
God's Richest Blessings,
Beenie Girl


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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here's what has happened during the second-half of "The Walking Dead's" fourth season – A whole lot of nothing.
I've been as loyal to "The Walking Dead" as anyone,
defending its willingness to not have a real endgame in sight (we will never find out what's going on in the rest of the world) and its subtle, character-driven
episodes. However, the latter used to be a rarity instead of the regular, boring occurrence it has become in Season 4.
"The Walking Dead" began its television run with a focus on character-driven drama. The series premiere, "Days Gone Bye," was all about Rick waking up in a world that was nothing like the one he used to know.
Sure, we got a
glimpse into what his wife is doing (or who she was doing), but the real compelling moments came when Rick met Morgan and Duane Jones. The father and son were trying come to terms with tragedy that had transpired in their own lives, giving us the first set of characters we could relate to.
The moment where Morgan sits in an upstairs room with a rifle aimed at his zombie wife remains one of the most moving moments in "Walking Dead" history. And "Days Gone Bye" remains arguably the show's best episode.
Season 2's tensions between Rick and Shane, as well as the rest of the group, drew a lot more viewers in. Then, Season 3 brought things (and ratings) to a new level, when we knew a battle was brewing. A war in zombie land? Sign me up.
Yet, Season 4 has brought everyone back to earth. The ratings remain high, as fans can't help but be invested in characters like Rick, Daryl and Michonne. However, the action has been at a standstill.
Sure, "Too Far Gone," where The Governor chops off Hershel's head and raids the prison remains one of the most action-filled episodes of "The Walking Dead." However, it served as an anomaly during a season that's focused on building individual character's storylines.
The two Governor-focused episodes prior to "Too Far Gone" hold the title for the two most boring episodes of "The Walking Dead" we should ever hope to see. Sadly, the second-half of Season 4 seems to be making a run at the crown.
"After," the episode where Rick and Carl struggle with father-son issues before reuniting with Michonne, wasn't so bad. At least we got a deeper view into Michonne's soul.
The two episodes that followed gave us the return of Carol and some time with Abraham's crew. That was enough to hold me over. However, after last Sunday's "Still," which was all about Beth trying to drag Daryl out of his misery (can you turn that energy my way?), I find myself wondering how much more I can take.
Like I said before, character-driven episodes are nothing new on "The Walking Dead," but they've always worked best as a one-off. Season 3's "Clear," which saw the return of Morgan, was one of the show's best episodes. It was a subtle escape from the tension and violence. And the following week, we got the intense face-to-face showdown between Rick and The Governor.
So what's next on Season 4 of "The Walking Dead?" This is the longest stretch of slow-moving episodes we've seen. It has to be building to something, right?
Internet rumors have persisted that someone major will die. Often times, a show's seemingly stale plot can payoff in the form of a killer finale.
However, I'm starting to wonder if "The Walking Dead" has that kind of payoff left in it. What are they going to do, kill Rick, Daryl or Michonne? It might take something that drastic to snap the show out of its coma.
What do you think? Are you over "The Walking Dead?" Do you
think the latest run of boring episodes will have a major payoff? Help me keep my sanity.


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Cash Flow Management
by Doris Dobkins
Related Articles
My Story: A Different Way to Budget
Simplify Your Budget
My Story: Budget Diet
True financial planning involves learning how to handle your cash flow. It involves setting some personal goals and objectives and then making sure your money management methods will help you achieve them.
The lack of knowledge and discipline is what keeps people from properly managing their cash flow. Taking some time to learn and then implement simple money management tips is important.
I'm going to share with you right now one of the simplest and easiest ways to demonstrate control over your cash flow. This is a guaranteed way to make you feel in charge of your finances.
Each month, starting this week, have 10% of your money automatically withdrawn from your paycheck or checking account before you see it or have a chance to spend it. When it is automatically deducted, it becomes very easy for you to adjust your spending and forget about it. If you don't believe me, read on.
Think about the last raise you received. How quickly did you adjust to the increased income? If you're like most people, you were dependent on that extra income within days of receiving the raise. This is the same concept but in reverse.
Many people will say they can't do this and don't have enough money. All I ask is that you try it. Without these monies showing up in the balance, you might just surprise yourself at how easily and quickly you adjust to this reversal of funds.
This is called "Paying Yourself First" and it works! If you want to get control of your cash flow and truly manage your money like the wealthy, then take this first step.
Doris Dobkins is a money saving expert, author and speaker and has helped thousands of people find ways to save money and get out of debt.
Take the Next Step:
- If your employer offers direct deposit, ask them to deposit 90% to your checking account and 10% to a savings account.
- Are you getting the best CD rate? Use our simple CD tool to find out. It's completely private, easy to use and you'll know what rate is available to you in seconds!
- Get the interest you deserve! Compare money market rates with our best rate finder. It only takes a minute and your privacy is completely protected.
Debt from my past is preventing me from saving for my future! Tell us: Yes, debt is hindering my ability to save and I could use help dealing with it! or No, debt is not a problem but I am trying to get ahead financially!
More Money Tips & Tools
- 10 places to look for $500 in savings
- 9 savvy strategies to save for a rainy-day fund
- 5 big bills you can cut fast
- Money-saving secrets of the rich and frugal
- Should I use automatic bill payments?
- A smart way to save for larger purchases
- 6 ways to build a healthy relationship with money
- This week's Readers' Tips


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Next week I'm participating in Kid's Clothes Week for the first time, and I'm really excited! It's a simple concept: a bunch of people sign up to spend an hour a day for seven days sewing clothing for your kid. I've "watched" it happen online a couple times now, and I'm joining in on the next one (which starts April 7).
I decided to go ahead and prep everything I'm planning. All the cutting is the worst part, so I wanted to get it out of the way so I can focus on just the sewing...as you can see I may be a bit overambitious!
I'm planning to make an Oliver + S trench coat, a Bimaa hoodie (two if all goes well!), and the Oliver + S Art Museum Vest and Trousers, which will be Joey's Easter outfit. It's funny to be heading into spring and planning mostly outerwear, but spring is off to a cold, wet start here and Joey needs a few jackets.
I'm so excited about all these projects that I'm having a hard time waiting a week to get started! So I started a new quilt to distract me.
(Don't mind me, just a little administrative business to claim my blog on BlogLovin: Follow my blog with Bloglovin!)


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WEST WINDSOR — It could be construed that Tuesday's match between West Windsor-Plainsboro South and Princeton didn't mean anything. It was the season finale for the Little Tigers. The Pirates have one remaining. Counties and states are history, with WW-P South winning the county tournament. Both teams won state sectional titles; Princeton went one match further in the state group tournament. Both squads showed up with the exact-same 20-1 record for a match that had been postponed some four times.
If anything, bragging rights were on the line, and it was WW-P South that took the match 3-2 to establish its rightful place on top of the Colonial Valley Conference. However, it wasn't easy. Three flights went the three-set distance, and the outcome wasn't a given despite the fact that South won over Princeton in four positions at last month's county tournament. Both rosters won most of their individual matches this season, and the quality of tennis was quite high Tuesday.
Fresh off a victory making her the state singles champion, Christina Rosca is a sure point for Princeton. In a duplicate match-up from the MCT first-singles final, the champ won over Claudia Siniakowicz, 6-4, 6-2. Haley Rich was victorious in straight sets at second singles, and the bottom three positions were up for grabs.
Caroline Zhou's undefeated record at WW-P South was in jeopardy after winning the first set over Katelyn Hojeibane, 6-2, then dropping the second 0-6. Zhou recovered in time to win the third set 6-2.
"In the second set, I didn't know what I was doing; I was kinda out of it," Zhou said. "In the third set, I had people cheering me on, and I realized I had to win, not for myself, but for the team. I was more patient and didn't lose my temper. It feels really good, because it's an accomplishment to be undefeated. It's a big deal to me."
It was also a big deal for Princeton's second-doubles team of Allison Hubert and Nikhita Salgame to squeak by Margaret MacArthur and Angela Weng, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, in the longest match of the day. Lots of hugs and excitement prevailed following the second tiebreak of the match.
"After the second set, we knew we could do it. We had to play our absolute best," Hubert said. "We were so determined. We really wanted to win this."
It was a good way for Hubert, a senior, to end her high school career, and her enthusiasm showed.
"We had a great year. We won sectionals, we were state finalists, it ended on a good note for us," she said.
South's Sanjana Ravi and Angela Li won South's third point by virtue of a close 6-4, 7-5 at first doubles. They were down 4-5 in the second set and won the next three games to close it out.
"It fell into place," said WW-P South coach Carla Crawbuck. "It doesn't mean much, because we're in a different (division), but it still meant a lot to pull through this. We did win the county tournament, so it's supposed to be our match, but you never know. We lost to them last year. You have to work hard when you play against them."
WW-PS (21-1) 3, Princeton (20-2) 2
Singles: Christina Rosca (P) d. Claudia Siniakowicz, 6-4, 6-2; Haley Rich (W) d. Rory Lewis, 6-2, 6-2; Caroline Zhou (W) d. Katelyn Hojeibane, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2.
Doubles: Sanjana Ravi/Angeli Li (W) d. Zhenia Dementyev/Gilliam Samios, 6-4, 7-5; Allison Hubert/Nikhita Salgame (P) d. Margaret MacArthur/Angela Weng, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6.
CONNECT WITH US: On mobile or desktop: • Like Times of Trenton Sports on Facebook
• Follow @TimesofTrenton on Twitter


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MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- If you're into mega-music festivals over the Fourth of July weekend, you have your pick on either side of Lake Michigan.
Milwaukee's Summerfest, billed as one of the world's largest music festivals, runs through July 6, on 75 acres along the shores of Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee.
In West Michigan, Rothbury, a first-time, big-ticket music festival headlined by the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer and featuring about 70 other acts, will descend on the Double JJ Ranch north of Muskegon. Organizers are expecting a small, intimate gathering of 40,000 on portions of the 2,000-acre resort.
Summerfest has 11 stages with 700 bands performing during the 11-day festival (which started June 26). Festival admission is included in the price of reserved seat tickets for performances at the Marcus Amphitheater in Henry Maier Festival Park. Headliners and prices:
-- Tonight: Steve Miller Band with Joe Cocker. Tickets are $55, $50 and $40. A limited number of free wristbands will be available the day of the show.
-- June 30: Rascal Flatts with opener Taylor Swift. Tickets are $75, $60, $50 and $35.
-- July 1: Alicia Keys with opener Stephen Marley. Tickets are $80, $70, $55 and $35.
-- July 2: John Mayer with opening acts Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen. Tickets are $66, $56, $43.50 and $31.
-- July 3: Tim McGraw with openers Jason Aldean and Halfway to Hazard. Tickets are $85, $70, $55 and $35.
-- July 4: Stone Temple Pilots with opening act "Black Francis" (Frank Black of the Pixies). Tickets are $55, $45 and $30. A limited number of free wristbands will be available the day of the show.
-- July 5: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers along with Steve Winwood. Tickets are $99.50, $85, $65 and $40.
-- July 6: The Jonas Brothers. Tickets are $56, $46 and $31. Six ticket limit.
For more information, including prices for general festival admission only, go to summerfest.com or call (414) 273-2680.
While driving is one way to get to Milwaukee, another option is to hop aboard the Lake Express high-speed ferry, which departs from Muskegon and drops passengers near the music festival site.
For information on lodging in the Milwaukee area, go to www.milwaukee.org/visitors.
On this side of the lake, Rothbury runs July 3-6. Performers include Snoop Dogg, Widespread Panic and Modest Mouse on Friday night, Dave Matthews Band on Saturday night and John Mayer and Phil Lesh on Sunday night and many more.
Tickets start at $244.75 for four-day passes (no single-day tickets), and include rustic camping. More information: rothburyfestival.com.
Travel writer Andrea Tamboer, who is attending the event, suggests printing out the Rothbury schedule (rothburyfestival.com) and planning which concerts you want to attend, since many are playing simultaneously on the three stages. Besides the concerts, Rothbury, which bills itself as a green event, will host several think tank discussions, featuring Stanford University professor and scientist Dr. Stephen Schneider, on climate change and energy solutions for the 21st century. Visitors also can participate in yoga classes, sample vegan cuisine and watch circus-type performers throughout the event.
(And if you just can't get enough music, stop at Muskegon Summer Celebration, which runs through July 6 at Heritage Landing. Headliners include Sean Kingston, today, Miranda Lambert, Monday and Staind and Hinder, Friday. Info: (231) 722-6520, summercelebration.com.
Readers tales
Judy Baldwin-Mate has a tip on what she calls suitcase food for those heading to the Olympics in Beijing this summer: Peanut butter.
"I was in China for a month last summer, visiting as well as traveling the country with my daughter, who lives there.
"The food in China is very healthy, but sorely lacking in the nutrients, to which Americans are accustomed," she wrote in an e-mail.
"I was grateful I had a jar of ... peanut butter packed into my carryon. The daily dose of good protein helped this retired woman in her 70s maintain my energy, particularly in the hot and humid Beijing weather, with temps and humidity well into the 90s."
She's particularly fond of peanut butter, she wrote, because, "it can be spread on anything, anytime, anyplace."
Packing note: She lived out of a carryon for a month because the two suitcases allowed internationally were full of presents and provisions for her daughter's family of six, who live in Shangri La, about two hours from the border of Tibet.
Clock-radio winner
When Denise Dettloff and her family go camping this year over July 4, she'll be taking along a new suitcase. Dettloff, of Hamilton, is the winner of the travel alarm/clock radio, a replica of a 1930s leather suitcase, offered in a random drawing to readers whose cheap travel tips were published in this column.
Thanks to everyone who took time to write. Keep 'em coming.
Got a travel tip? Know of a great, hidden destination? Contact Sue Schroder at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Would your DH tattoo your name on them self?
- 75 Replies
Would you get your DH's name tattoo'd on you?
probably not, but we did get matching ring tattoos, close enough for me.
One of my upcoming pieces will be my ex dh's name. We have been divorced for 5 years but he is still my family and always will be. He wouldn't get mine though because he is done. We both have our dd's name on the inside of our left wrist and he has one other one but he has said for about 6 years that he won't get anymore. I on the other hand have 16 and will probably never be finished.
Nope. One of my friends has her ex husbands name on her wrist and hers on his.
Their marriage lasted four years.
I still laugh about it.
I'll get his name as well.


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Parish, NY -- Residents of the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown school district have one more chance tonight to hear about the construction project vote set for next week.
The public forum is from 7 to 8 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria.
Residents will vote Dec. 16 on changing the scope of the construction project.