Monday, June 11, 2007

The New York Times, June 9, 2007, Saturday

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

The New York Times

June 9, 2007 Saturday

Late Edition - Final

SECTION: Section B; Column 6; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 1

HEADLINE: Investigating Mislabeling Of Workers

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/nyregion/09contractor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

BYLINE: By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

[See - "The Cost of Worker Misclassification in New York State" at http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/reports/9/ ]

BODY:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer is planning to step up enforcement against thousands of companies that illegally misclassify workers as independent contractors to cheat on taxes and skimp on employee benefits, the state labor commissioner said yesterday.

The commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, said the Spitzer administration was focusing on misclassification because it costs the state a significant amount in unemployment insurance taxes and workers' compensation premiums while denying many workers overtime pay.

''We are developing a plan to address this law-breaking practice, which has been left unchecked for 12 years,'' Ms. Smith said. She refused to disclose details because the administration has not finished developing the enforcement plan.

In February, researchers from Cornell University issued a report saying that 704,000 of the seven million private-sector workers in New York State were misclassified as independent contractors and that as a result the state was being shortchanged $175 million in unemployment insurance taxes each year.

Under the state's definition, independent contractors are not employees but are considered to be in business for themselves; employees are those hired to accomplish specific tasks as employers closely supervise their work and decide the hours, pace, place and nature of their labor.

When workers are classified as independent contractors, employers do not have to pay unemployment insurance taxes, workers' compensation premiums or the employer's portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes -- typically 7.65 percent of wages. In addition, independent contractors do not have a right to unionize and are exempt from minimum wage and overtime protections, as well as from most discrimination and occupational safety laws. They also do not usually receive the health and pension benefits that other workers receive.

''Misclassification is clearly a major problem in New York State, as it is nationally,'' said Fred B. Kotler, one of the writers of the Cornell study and associate director of the construction industry program at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations. ''It is a problem not only for the workers who get cheated, but it's a problem for the state's business climate. It creates an unlevel playing field because some companies are taking unfair advantage.''

When workers are wrongly classified, the state and federal governments also lose because the employer does not withhold employee income taxes.

After reviewing audits by state agencies, the Cornell researchers -- Mr. Kotler, Linda H. Donahue and James Ryan Lamare -- concluded that more than 39,500 employers misclassified workers each year.

The Cornell study found that misclassification is especially prevalent in the construction industry, concluding that 15 percent of the workers there are improperly classified. In explaining the high rate, the study noted that the construction industry is fiercely competitive, its profit margins are often slim, workers' compensation costs are high and many workers are employed for only a short time.

''We're most concerned about the problem in the construction industry right now, all around the state,'' Ms. Smith said.

In a report issued in April, the Fiscal Policy Institute, a labor-backed research group, estimated that nearly one-sixth of New York City's workers in the residential construction industry were misclassified as independent contractors.

When Mr. Spitzer was the state's attorney general, he acted vigorously against several companies that misclassified workers. He brought enforcement actions against two supermarket companies, Gristedes and Food Emporium, as well as their delivery companies.

The companies said their grocery deliverymen did not have to be paid minimum wage or overtime, under the theory that they were independent contractors and not employees. Each supermarket company settled for $3 million. Mr. Spitzer also took action against several well-known Manhattan restaurants and a company that provided them with bathroom attendants, accusing them of misclassifying the attendants as independent contractors and sometimes paying as little as $2.14 an hour, well below the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.

''Common sense tells you that low-wage workers are employees, but we're increasingly seeing that employers misclassify them as independent contractors, whether it's janitors, day laborers, delivery drivers or bathroom attendants,'' said Annette Bernhardt, deputy director of the poverty program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

In a forthcoming report about inadequate protection for low-wage workers in New York City, the Brennan Center found that one of the major problems those workers face is misclassification.

One of Mr. Spitzer's concerns is that when the state's Labor Department, Workers' Compensation Board or tax department found that a company had misclassified workers, it did not notify other agencies.

Sharing some of the same concerns, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey announced a plan last summer to battle misclassification. As part of that effort, the New Jersey Treasury Department and Labor Department adopted a unified definition of an employee and began holding quarterly meetings to coordinate their enforcement.

Each year New Jersey's Labor Department audits about 2 percent of employees, and in 2005 it found more than 26,000 misclassified. The state estimated that this resulted in $5 million in unpaid taxes.

As part of the New Jersey enforcement effort, state officials found that a national package delivery company was routinely misclassifying drivers.

To minimize the practice, the Cornell study urged New York State's government to conduct high-profile enforcement actions and to clarify its definitions of employee and independent contractor. The report also urged New York to do what a three-year-old Massachusetts law does: create a presumption that every worker is an employee, unless demonstrated otherwise.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com

The Record (Bergen County, NJ), June 8, 2007, Friday

Copyright 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.,

All Rights Reserved

The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

June 8, 2007 Friday

All Editions

SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. L01

HEADLINE: New boss eager to steer BCC;

Meadows campus a leading priority

BYLINE: By PATRICIA ALEX, STAFF WRITER, North Jersey Media Group

BODY:

Bergen Community College's new president said he looks forward to spearheading creation of a satellite campus in the Meadowlands.

G. Jeremiah "Jerry" Ryan, the former president of Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, will take over at Bergen on July 1. He was chosen by trustees on Wednesday, when the board also authorized $80,000 for design work for the new campus.

Ryan succeeds Judith K. Winn, who is retiring after 12 years at the Paramus school. Winn will stay on for another sabbatical year - at her annual salary of $186,000 - and aid in Ryan's transition. She also will work with the college's foundation.

Ryan will be paid $175,000 in the first year of his three-year contract. "I'm pleased to have at least three years to hit the ground running and hope to have many more," said Ryan, who is 57. He and his wife will begin house hunting in Bergen County, he said.

Ryan said he expects to be active in fund raising for the college and hopes to expand the school's already formidable role in workforce development.

Ryan said the Meadowlands campus, near Giants Stadium, provides a "real legacy opportunity for me and the trustees" and will make it easier for students from the southern portion of the county to attend BCC.

Bergen is the largest of the state's community colleges with nearly 15,000 full-time students. The other finalist for the presidency was Barbara A. Viniar, executive director of the Institute for Community College Development at Cornell University. Edward J. Yaw, president of County College of Morris, withdrew his candidacy in May.

Ryan was at the helm of Raritan Valley from 2000-06. This past year he has worked for a consulting firm, the Alman Group of Westfield, advising non-profit institutions.

He was president and chief executive officer of Quincy College in Massachusetts from 1996 to 2000.

He has a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College, a master's from Stanford University, a master's from the University at Albany, State University of New York; and a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University. In the 2005-06 school year, Ryan, on sabbatical, was a postdoctoral fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where he studied the politics and leadership of the non-profit sector.

"Jerry Ryan impressed us with his vision, experience and energy," said Stephen J. Moses, president of Bergen's board.

E-mail: alex@northjersey.com

GRAPHIC: PHOTO, RYAN

House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, June 6, 2007

Copyright 2007 Congressional Quarterly, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CQ Transcriptions

"All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ Transcriptions. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content."

June 6, 2007 Wednesday

TYPE: COMMITTEE HEARING

COMMITTEE: SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, REFUGEES, BORDER SECURITY, AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

SUBCOMMITTEE: HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

HEADLINE: REP. ZOE LOFGREN HOLDS A MARKUP TO ADOPT RULES OF PROCEDURE AND STATEMENT OF POLICY FOR PRIVATE IMMIGRATION BILLS, AND RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR PRIVATE CLAIMS BILLS; AND A HEARING ON GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVES ON IMMIGRATION STATISTICS

SPEAKER:

REP. ZOE LOFGREN, CHAIRMAN

LOCATION: WASHINGTON, D.C.

WITNESSES:

REP. CHARLES B. RANGEL, D-N.Y.

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER, R-CALIF.

ELLEN WASEM, SPECIALIST, IMMIGRATION POLICY, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE

RON BIRD, CHIEF ECONOMIST AND DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ECONOMIC POLICY AND ANALYSIS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

MICHAEL HOEFER, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF IMMIGRATION STATISTICS, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

CHARLES OPPENHEIM, CHIEF, VISA CONTROL AND REPORTING DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF STATE


[excerpt]

....

I'm also pleased to introduce Michael Hoefer, the director of the Office of Immigration Statistics, or OIS, in the Policy Directorate on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Hoefer began his work with OIS in 1982 and has led the office since 1997.

He began his career in public service with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and was detailed at the U.S. Commission of Immigration during its operation.

He graduated from Cornell University in 1976 with a degree in industrial and labor relations with a concentration in statistics.

....

Chicago Tribune [online], May 31, 2007, Thursday

Chicago Tribune

U. of I. chases funding goal of $2 billion
Goal among largest U.S. fundraisers
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070531illinois-funds,1,3789790.story

By Jodi S. Cohen
Tribune higher education reporter
Published May 31, 2007, 10:12 PM CDT

The University of Illinois on Friday will kick off a $2.25 billion fundraising campaign, among the largest goals ever for a public university, on a scale typically reserved for the nation's wealthiest private institutions.

The "Brilliant Futures" campaign, expected to continue through 2011, will focus on raising money to boost student scholarships and faculty salaries, a change from fundraising efforts that historically focused more on new buildings.

To pull it off, many university employees will now focus on fundraising.

About 200 staff members will work on the campaign. Another 750 people will volunteer. Deans and chancellors will be involved more than ever, soliciting gifts from alumni as far away as India and China.

With the notion that it takes money to get money, the budget to run the campaign will be about $18 million a year, a 20 percent increase over what is typically spent by the University of Illinois Foundation, the university's private fundraising arm.

About $350,000 in private funds will be spent on a semiformal gala Friday night for nearly 1,200 people on Navy Pier, the formal kickoff of the campaign.

"We are off and running [Friday] night," said U. of I. President B. Joseph White, who was hired in part because of his past fundraising success. Referring to an announcement this week of a $100 million anonymous donation to the University of Chicago, White said: "The University of Illinois is going to take a back seat to no one when it comes to fundraising."

While the size of the campaign is staggering—only 10 ongoing or completed university campaigns are larger—the goal is lower than it might have been. During the last year officials had discussed setting a target as high as $3 billion.

"This goal is a more fact-based goal, rather than an extremely rough estimate," White said. "We have done a lot of work to home in on what will be [a] stretch, but [an] achievable goal for our campaign, and this is the result."

The campaign so far has brought in more than $990 million in donations or pledges during the "quiet phase" that began in 2003. That means that over the next 41/2 years, the university will have to raise on average more than $750,000 each day to reach the target.

More than ever, reaching that goal will rely on courting donors who can give millions. While the fundraising adage used to be that 80 percent of the money came from 20 percent of the donors, the figure now is closer to 90 percent or 95 percent of the money coming from 5 percent or 10 percent of donors, experts said.

U. of I. officials estimate they will need to persuade 295 donors to give $1 million or more. So far, they have received 173 gifts or pledges of at least $1 million.

"As the numbers get bigger, the campaigns become more and more reliant on major donors," said John Lippincott, president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. "To achieve billion-dollar goals, you are going to have to identify some very major donors. Quite frankly, you are not going to get there with your $25 phone-a-thon gift. That would be a heck of a lot of phone calls."

There are currently more than two dozen universities in the midst of campaigns of at least $1 billion, including the University of Chicago, which expects to conclude its $2 billion campaign by June 2008, a year later than originally anticipated. The University of Notre Dame recently announced a $1.5 billion effort.

Only four other public universities—Michigan, UCLA, Virginia and Washington—have completed or are in the middle of campaigns of more than $2 billion.

Of U. of. I's multibillion-dollar goal, about $1.5 billion is targeted for the Urbana-Champaign campus, $650 million for the Chicago campus and $28 million for the Springfield campus. The goal for the university and University of Illinois Foundation is $72 million.

Among the largest gifts counted toward the U. of I. campaign so far:

•$11.5 million from Doris Kelley and Jay Christopher for the Family Resiliency Program and Christopher Hall in Urbana

•$7.5 million from investor Michael Tokarz for the College of Business in Urbana

•$4 million from an anonymous donor to the Springfield campus

•$1.5 million from UIC alumnus Rick Hill to fund three endowed engineering professorships in Chicago.

As late as Thursday, university officials were working to finalize three major gifts before Friday's launch. Two donations would be at least $10 million, and a $3 million to $5 million gift would fund the first endowed dean's position, said Sidney Micek, president of the University of Illinois Foundation.

Doris Christopher, founder of the Pampered Chef, a direct-sales kitchen-tools company, and one of the university's major donors, said she's excited to see what changes U. of I. can make after receiving billions of dollars through the campaign.

"It is huge and very lofty, but society in general will be better because of what they are going to do with this," said Christopher, a graduate from the university 40 years ago. "My kind of dream for this . . . is to think about what they can do if they are equipped with the resources."

U. of I., with 70,000 students on three campuses, increasingly relies on private money, as state funding makes up a smaller portion of the operating budget. About 21 percent of the university's $3.3 billion annual operating budget comes from the state. Twenty years ago, that portion was 41.5 percent.

"The great public universities have to behave like great private universities" in their fundraising efforts, said Ronald Ehrenberg, director of the Higher Education Research Institute at Cornell University. "The states have barely been able to increase state appropriations over long periods of time."

jscohen@tribune.com

The Post-Standard (Syracuse), May 27, 2007

The Post-Standard (Syracuse)

'Feminine Mistake' has moms talking
Sunday, May 27, 2007
By Gina Chen
Family Life editor
http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1180342597125880.xml&coll=1

When Melissa Newton, of Clay, read about "The Feminine Mistake," she says she was miffed at first.

Same for Babs Taeckens, a Manlius mom of three.

"On some level, it made my blood boil a little," says Taeckens, 36.

The book that came out last month has gotten moms talking - and much of the talk is full of emotion. "The Feminine Mistake" challenges the economic viability of moms who don't work outside the home and re-ignites the battle over whether mothers serve their children better by working or staying home.

"It hit the hot-button with people," says Barbara Fiese, professor and chair of psychology at Syracuse University. "It often hits these mythic images we hold about family life."

In the book, author Leslie Bennetts, a contributing writer for Vanity Fair, lets women tell their own stories. The stories support her argument that mothers who give up careers could face economic ruin if their husbands die or leave them and will see setbacks in their career if they try to re-enter the workforce.

The book is stirring up commentary on the Internet and in the media. And it has become a topic of conversations at moms' gatherings around Central New York.

Newton, 33, says she objects to Bennetts' seeming one-size-fits-all approach. Newton quit working four months ago to care for her children, ages 2 years and 6 months.

"I was a little upset," she says. "The way that everybody was talking .¤.¤. was like: She didn't offer a choice. It was: You need to. You should. You have to. That's it. End of story."

The author, who didn't respond to requests for an interview, writes in her prologue that she was influenced by feminist Betty Friedan's book, "The Feminine Mystique."

Friedan's 1963 book is credited with igniting the contemporary women's movement. It details the lives of women who were expected to find fulfillment primarily through the achievements of their husbands and children, according to the National Women's Hall of Fame Web site.

But a cornerstone of Friedan's belief was that women should have choice - whether to work outside the home or not, says Francine Moccio, director of Cornell University's Institute for Women and Work. Friedan was a visiting professor at the institute until her death last year.

"That's what the whole feminist revolution is about," Moccio says. "Men should have a choice, too, if they want to stay home."

Moccio argues that the workplace needs to change to accommodate parents better by offering flex time, telecommuting and more part-time work. Then the workplace will lose fewer mothers who choose not to juggle a high-powered job and a family.

Kelly Carter, of Onondaga Hill, says choice is what's important to her. She worked full time teaching in the West Genesee school district until she got pregnant with twins. She switched to a four-days-a-week schedule, teaching remedial mathematics. The arrangement fits her family fine.

"Everybody has to make that decision based on their own family. I don't think there's a right or wrong for it," says Carter, 33, whose daughters are 2. "I don't think it's fair to judge."

Moms acknowledge that Bennetts makes some good points: Women need to brush up on skills, contacts and education before they try to re-enter their field. And they may see a delay in their career, depending on how long they're out of the workforce.

Dawn Pucak, of Manlius, says reading about the book made her realize that when she returns to work, she'll have to burnish her skills and start more at the bottom. She quit her job as an office manager five years ago, just before the birth of her first child.

"It was like: Wow. I never thought of that. I think there is a lot of validity to the article. It made me think," says Pucak, 38, whose children are ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. "Did I take a computer course and am I going to go back to work tomorrow? No."

Taeckens had a high-level job, running a cardiac unit at a Detroit hospital and then doing consulting for hospitals before she decided to stay home when her oldest child was born in 2002.

Her job involved long hours and overseas travel that would have been tough to keep up while having young children, she says. But when her children, ages 5 and 3 years and 19 months, are older, Taeckens says she'll be able to find a satisfying job because of her education and work history. It's OK with her if the job isn't as intense as her work before children.

"I think you can have it all, but I don't think you can have it all at once," Taeckens says. �

What do you think? Want to share a comment about the book or the controversy it's stirring up? Post one on The Post-Standard's Family Life blog at http://blog.syracuse.com/family/. Or you can reach Family Life editor Gina Chen at gchen@syracuse.com or 470-2172.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Pittsburgh Tribune Review, June 6, 2007, Wednesday

Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company

All Rights Reserved

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

June 6, 2007 Wednesday

HEADLINE: Newsmaker: Carmelo Mesa-Lago

BODY:

Residence: Squirrel Hill

Age: 72

Family: Wife, Elena; daughters, Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido, Ingrid Mesa-Gibbons and Helena Mesa

Occupation: University of Pittsburgh distinguished professor emeritus of economics and Latin American studies

Education: Bachelor's degree in law from the University of Havana; master's degree in economics from the University of Miami; law degree from University of Madrid; doctorate in labor relations from Cornell University.

Background: Has been a Pitt faculty member since 1967 and is the former director of the University's Center for Latin American Studies, where he founded and edited the journal Cuban Studies; authored more than 60 books and more than 200 articles published in eight languages in 33 countries.

Noteworthy: Will receive the inaugural International Labour Organization Decent Work Research Prize on June 15 in Geneva. He is sharing the award with Nobel laureate and former South Africa President Nelson Mandela. The prize recognizes Mesa-Lago's major scholarly contributions for the advancement of decent work. He has had a significant impact on social security and pension reform in Latin America.

Quote: "The nomination for this award was done by 10 former graduate students of mine -- some from Pitt, some from Germany, some from Spain, some from Latin America. They occupy important positions in international organizations. So, for me, the nomination by itself was a great honor. But to receive this first award at the end of my working academic life is the best honor I could receive."

-- Bill Zlatos

The Providence Journal (Rhode Island), June 6, 2007, Wednesday

Copyright 2007 Providence Publications, LLC

The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)

June 6, 2007 Wednesday

All Editions

SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. B-05

HEADLINE: COMMENTARY - The immigration battleground

BYLINE: FROMA HARROP

BODY:

WHICH SIDE are You On?" was the great labor song of the 1930s. The question in its title remains relevant in today's immigration debate. Back then the two sides - the union or thugs from the mining company - made for an easy selection. Now, workers have to choose between their own economic security and more immigration, which the unions used to oppose.

The new options are more painful because today's immigrants, legal or otherwise, are mostly good, hard-working people and potential union members. But the law of labor supply and demand states - and history confirms - that wages and union power fall in times of high immigration.

The issue causes political vertigo as diversity liberals and cheap-labor Republicans combine to oppose cultural conservatives and poor blacks. In recent decades, organized labor's official stance has moved toward the open-borders position.

Vernon Briggs has been hacking through this confusion for a long time. A labor-relations expert at Cornell University, Briggs is a pro-union Democrat. He recently told the House immigration subcommittee that the ongoing flood of workers into the United States hurts organized labor. This puts him at variance with many of today's union leaders, though not their predecessors.

"Historically, the labor movement has been able to distinguish between the immigrant agenda and the agenda for American workers," Briggs told me. "It's traditionally pushed for the agenda that favored American workers, even though many of them were immigrants."

Samuel Gompers, who founded the American Federation of Labor, was himself an immigrant (English-born of a Dutch Jewish family). But Gompers did not hesitate to oppose the then-enormous inflow of foreign workers from Europe. "We immediately realized that immigration is, in its fundamental aspects, a labor problem," he said in 1892.

The AFL-CIO passionately supported the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, particularly the part calling for fines against employers who hire illegal workers. (Its demand for a counterfeit-proof system to verify eligible workers was cut out of the final bill.)

Thereafter, labor leaders started to cave on immigration. The AFL-CIO made little fuss when the Immigration Act of 1990 raised the number of legal visas by 35 percent to about 700,000 a year. At its 1993 convention, members passed a resolution that accused immigration-reform advocates of launching "a new hate campaign" that made immigrants "the scapegoats for economic and social problems."

Why the about-face? The unions figured that the federal government wasn't going to control immigration so they might as well try to organize the newcomers. Problem is, the swelling tide of new labor competition has undermined their ability to improve the workers' lot.

"I'm in favor of unions," Briggs said, "but it's more than getting people as union members. It means doing something for them."

And it's true that recent "victories" in unionizing low-skilled workers have produced paltry gains. For example, the Service Employees International Union managed to organize janitors in Los Angeles, but Briggs notes, "at wages way below what they were back in the 1970s." The strange part is that L.A.'s janitors were highly unionized (and mostly African-American) until the '70s, when a surge in illegal immigration destroyed their bargaining power.

The union last year organized janitors in Houston. For all these efforts, this largely Hispanic workforce saw its pay rise from a pitiful $5.25 an hour to a pathetic $6.25 - which is lower than the minimum wage in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Wages in the contract's later years will barely exceed the new federal minimum.

This is an unattractive chore, but the American people have to choose sides. It's either continued massive immigration or providing relief to their downwardly mobile workers. They can't have both.

Froma Harrop is a member of The Journal's editorial board and a syndicated columnist.

AFL founder Samuel Gompers

Journal archives

WNED-AM 970 NEWS (Buffalo), June 5, 2007, Tuesday


WNED-AM 970 NEWS
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wned/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1092694

Workers Say American Axle Plant Will Close


Chris Caya


BUFFALO (2007-06-05) Production at American Axle's East Delevan Avenue plant could come to a screeching halt in about nine-months.

Workers at the 70-year-old factory tell the Buffalo News that the company has "unofficially" told them that the plant will close when the United Auto Workers union contract expires in March of 2008.

Officials at American Axle refuse to comment, however in April the company did announce that the plant was close to losing a production line. And at the time the UAW warned its members that the plant could close unless new work is found.

A recent notice from the union is also warning workers to prepare for a possible strike when their contract expires in March.

Cornell University School of Industrial Labor Relations Education Specialist Art Wheaton says there is a reason no one is talking.

"They still have the right to compete for new work, so if they can compete for new work, then they can change their mind. It's not over until they officially announce it, but the time frame is already governed by the national contract, so they can't officially close until next year," Wheaton told WNED.

However, Wheaton says the plant could be idled before then.

The American Axle plant on East Delevan employs about 650-workers. The company's other local facilities in Tonawanda and Cheektowaga are not expected to be effected if the Buffalo plant is shut-down.

Staten Island Advance (New York), June 5, 2007, Tuesday

Copyright 2007 Advance Publications, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Staten Island Advance (New York)

June 5, 2007 Tuesday

SECTION: ENGAGEMENTS; Pg. C07

HEADLINE: Diana Strasburg, Arkady Nisman

BODY:

Joan and Joseph Strasburg of Richmond Valley have announced the engagement of their daughter, Diana Rachel Strasburg, to Arkady Nisman of Huguenot. The prospective bridegroom is the son of Nora and Semyon Nisman.

Miss Strasburg is a graduate of Tottenville High School. She earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., where she was named to Phi Sigma Pi national honor fraternity and the dean's list. She is a June 2008 candidate for a juris doctorate from St. John's University, Queens.

Mr. Nisman is also a graduate of Tottenville High School. He earned a bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in biology from Binghamton (N.Y.) University, and is a May 2008 candidate for a doctor of pharmacy degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn.

The couple plans to marry in September 2009.

GRAPHIC: Nisman-Strasburg

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, June 4, 2007, Monday

Copyright 2007 Dolan Media Newswires

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly

June 4, 2007

SECTION: NEWS

HEADLINE: Charlotte School of Law boosts faculty

BYLINE: North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff

BODY:

The Charlotte School of Law has hired seven new, full-time faculty members who will begin teaching in the Fall 2007 semester - in time for an expected 75 percent increase in the size of the student body.

"Each of our new faculty members has significant legal practice experience and a commitment to Charlotte Law's mission pillars of a focus on students, preparing 'practice-ready' lawyers, and serving the underserved," said Eugene Clark, dean of the school.

The new faculty members are expected to help the school advance its scholarship goals and "add to the innovation base of the region," Clark said.

All will be active in the legal profession and the Charlotte community, he said.

The new members are:

Cindy Adcock: Adcock will serve as director of experiential learning. Adcock most recently served as senior program manager of leadership and research at Equal Justice Works in Washington, D.C., where she developed The E-Guide to Public Service in America's Law Schools, an online resource launched in August 2006 on Newsweek.com. An experienced teacher and capital post-conviction practitioner, she taught a death-penalty clinic, legal ethics, and a pro bono program at Duke Law School from 1995 to 2000. She has represented death row inmates in North Carolina since 1993. She received a J.D. and a master's in public policy from Duke University and a master's of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

H. Beau Baez: Baez comes from Liberty University School of Law, where he was an assistant professor. Baez was director of the tax law program at Concord University School of Law and counsel for the Multistate Tax Commission. He received both a J.D. and a masters of laws in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He was a law clerk for the U.S. Attorney's Office. He authored several international tax chapters as compensation and benefits coordinator for the Research Institute of America. He has done presentations and symposiums for institutions such as Liberty Law School, the National Lawyers Association, and the University of Richmond Second Annual State and Local Tax Institute.

Phyliss Craig-Taylor: Craig-Taylor has been a professor of law at North Carolina Central University since 2002. She has focused her areas of research and publication on land loss in the African-American community and discrimination and disparity in the design and application of laws for minority groups. She is currently working on a book about land loss. Craig-Taylor was a partner in the law firm of England and Bivens, P.C., in Tuscaloosa, Ala., served as a judicial clerk for the Alabama Supreme Court, and was assistant to the county manager in Durham. She received her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and her L.L.M. from Columbia University School of Law.

Anthony Ketron: Ketron has practiced law with Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson since 1999 as a civil litigator with an emphasis on complex matters involving commercial litigation, bankruptcy, pro bono representation, employment and creditor rights. He formerly clerked for Judge Karen L. Henderson of the federal Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit. Ketron received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Before law school, he was a senior analyst and plant supervisor for Shell Oil Co. He is a major in the Army Reserves.

John Kunich: Kunich, an environmental and biodiversity law expert, comes from Appalachian School of Law. He has twice testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on issues relating to environmental and biodiversity law. He is the author of five books and many published articles on topics including endangered species, human cloning, genetic engineering, and legal responses to mass extinction. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he founded the Raoul Wallenberg Philanthropic Society. He has an L.L.M. in environmental law from George Washington University School of Law and bachelor's and master's degrees in biological science.

David S. Levine: Levine comes from Stanford Law School, where he is a Residential Fellow at the school' Center for Internet and Society. His research interests include impact of copyright law in the arts and the operation of intellectual property law at the intersection of the technology field and public life. Maintaining his affiliation with CIS as a Non-Residential Fellow, he will continue to host "Hearsay Culture," a weekly law and technology discussion radio program. He earned a bachelor's degree in science from New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and graduated in 1998 from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Roberta (Bobbie) Studwell: Currently professor and law library director at the University of Nevada's William S. Boyd School of Law, she joins Charlotte School of Law as associate dean of library and information services and as a law professor. Her areas of expertise include development of academic technology resources, legal research, overall planning, and administrative responsibility for staff development and space allocation. Studwell received her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

UPI, June 4, 2007, Monday

Copyright 2007 U.P.I.

All Rights Reserved

UPI

June 4, 2007 Monday 9:57 AM EST


HEADLINE: Study: Most call centers locally based

DATELINE: ITHACA, N.Y., June 4

BODY:

Most call centers handling phone and Internet queries for U.S. customers are based in the United States, not overseas, a university study found.

In fact, most countries' call centers, except for India, serve their own domestic markets and consumers, the study by Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations said.

Two-thirds of all call centers are in-house operations, serving a company's own customers, the study found. Subcontractors operate the remaining third.

In-house centers in all countries have lower turnover rates and higher-quality jobs than subcontracted centers, the study found.

U.S. turnover rates range from 25 percent to more than 50 percent, depending on the sector. Taking lost productivity into account, replacing one worker equals three to four months of an average worker's pay, the study said.

Most U.S. call-center workers are not unionized, but more than half the centers in the rest of the world have some form of collective representation, the study found.

The research project -- the largest ever examining call-center management and employment practices -- was a collaboration of more than 40 scholars from 20 countries, Cornell said.

Researchers studied almost 2,500 call centers in 17 countries in Asia, Africa, South America, North America and Europe.

Hindustan Times, June 2, 2007, Saturday

Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd.

All Rights Reserved

Hindustan Times

June 2, 2007 Saturday 2:01 PM EST

HEADLINE: Not all call centers heading for India, some still in the U.S.

BYLINE: Report from the Asian News International brought to you by the Hindustan Times

DATELINE: Washington

BODY:

Washington, June 2 -- Not all call centers are headed or based in India. According to a study carried out by Cornell University, some call centers still operate in the United States, handling telephone and Web-based inquiries.

According to the study titled: "The Global Call Center Report: International Perspectives on Management and Employment," The large majority of centers around the world - except India - serve their own domestic markets and consumers.

The study's other findings included the following:

There is no common global face to call centers, since they tend to take on the character of their respective countries and regions based on that country's or region's laws, customs and norms.

Most call centers are relatively new and have emerged across the globe at about the same time, within the last five to 10 years.

Two-thirds of all call centers are in-house operations, serving a firm's own customers.

Sub-contractors operate the remaining one-third of centers. In-house centers across all countries have lower turnover rates and higher quality jobs than subcontracted ones.

Staff turnover rates and costs are high. Turnover rates in the United States range from 25 percent to over 50 percent per year, depending on the sector.

More than 50 percent of centers have some form of collective representation.

The study was a collaborative effort involving over 40 scholars from 20 countries.

Rosemary Batt, the Alice H. Cook Professor of Women and Work and Professor of Human Resource Studies at Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations School, the study covered nearly 2,500 centers in 17 countries.

Batt said that call centers have become a major source of employment and job creation both in the United States and in other parts of the world.

"Consumers want good service, and they typically express the lowest levels of satisfaction with call centers," said Batt.

"There is growing evidence that centers that invest in the skills of the workforce and provide discretion to solve customer problems have lower turnover, better service quality and higher revenues," she added.

The study was funded, in part, by the Russell Sage Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Hans Boeckler Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council of the United Kingdom.

Published by HT Media Ltd. with permission from Asian News International.

Teacher Librarian, June 1, 2007, Friday

Copyright 2007 Gale Group, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

ASAP

Copyright 2007 Scarecrow Press, Inc.

Teacher Librarian

June 1, 2007

SECTION: Pg. 48(2) Vol. 34 No. 5 ISSN: 1481-1782

HEADLINE: Best sites for summer adventures;

web wonders;

Website list

BYLINE: Troutner, Joanne

BODY:

With thoughts of ending a school year, catching up on reading during the summer, and preparing for a new school year, this column offers a selection of sites that will help with all three activities. Peruse at your leisure, read, ponder, decide which to share with your colleagues, and think about new ways to share the information, such as through a blog, a teacher-librarian wiki, or a set of favorites/bookmarks on a social bookmarking site such as Backflip (www.backflip.com) or del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/). Have a prosperous summer of learning and sharing!

Start by reading A Portrait of "Generation Next" developed by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press (2007) at http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/300.pdf. This 45-page report provides insight into the thinking and views of young people between the ages of 18and 25. Information was collected via phone interviews on the topicsof worldview, technology, lifestyle, politics, and social issues. Once you read the report, consider investigating the data sets available at http://people-press.org/dataarchive/ for use as teaching activities.

Next, visit Wired Science, www .pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/, for a wealth of fascinating science information explained in the same styleas that of Wired magazine. Learners can easily watch episodes via the web site or iTunes. The site includes information on the science behind plasma screens, rocket belts, and many other engaging topics. The design of each learning experience is a great model for student projects as links to further information, and an activity is included for each. Be sure to investigate the blog link as well.

Check out the wonderful digital library of Samuel Clemens's, or Mark Twain's, writing about the Mississippi River, housed at http:// dig.lib.niu.edu/twain/. Here are indexed primary source materials, ranging from the text of Twain's works to audio and video dips of scholars discussing the works, along with various images. Concise information written in a scholarly fashion is included on the history surrounding this time, on Twain's life, and on cultural tourism. Students willfind the site useful for selecting primary source materials and quick validated references on Mark Twain's view of the Mississippi River.

Poetry Daily, www.poems.com/, is another useful literature site. This site offers two poems for each day, biographical information on the day's author, and information about the featured book of poems. The archives can be accessed by poet, date, and title. Links for news and special features reveal a number of fascinating learning options for literature students. Also offered is the option to subscribe to a weekly e-mail newsletter, which highlights new publications and various authors. This site will work well in a literature classroom as a discussion spark or as a bell-ringer activity.

Educate your students about the Triangle Factory Fire that happened on March 25, 1911. By visiting the web site developed by the Kheel Center at Cornell University, www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/, learners will hear from fire survivors, read letters and trial transcripts, and explore the actual newspaper accounts of the event. Developing a mock trial or investigating the reforms that resulted from the event are engaging activities for middle school and high school students. Superb primary source options are featured on this site.

The U.S. government provides a treasure trove of resources at the National Atlas site, http://nationalatlas.gov/index.html. This site offers tools for easily creating customized maps and accessing a number of already designed printable options. In addition, the site has information and a number of premade maps indexed by topic, such as agriculture, biology, climate, history, water, and transportation. Be certain to check out the interactive options, and consider using them inyour school library to spark student interest.

Think about using the "photos of the year" feature from a variety of news sources, including Time magazine, Reuters, Toronto Star, and World Press as visual literacy activities for the upcoming school year. You can find links to a number of resources, including some excellent teaching ideas and tips, at www.frank wbaker.com/photos_of_the_year_2006 .htm. Take the time to explore the "Reading Photographs" link, which explains how to decode a photograph. This is a wonderful educational site that you can use to grab students' attention and slip inthe information literacy skills that you want to reinforce.

Explore the world of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at a masterful website crafted by the Maine Historical Society, www.hwlongfellow.org/index.shtml. Learners can find concise information about Longfellow's life, as well as primary source documents from various periods. Information on his various homes, family members, and aspects of the celebration of the poet's 200th birthday are included. A database of poemsis well indexed and provides quick access to the full text of works.The teacher's section contains 20 lesson plans crafted by teachers from Maine and Massachusetts that cover a variety of content areas andgrade levels.

Venture into the world of collaboration with over 100 universitiesat the Open Courseware Consortium web site, http://ocwconsortium.org/about/index .shtml. Here, you will find a collection of high-qualitydigital learning materials. Explore a brain science course from MIT with audio files and lecture notes, or examine the world of human-animal interactions via the vet school at Tufts University. Learners will find materials from a number of U.S. universities as well as from colleges in China, Japan, and numerous other countries. You, your colleagues, and your high school students will find many options to continue lifelong learning experiences. Consider starting a group learningexperience in the school library during lunch by using the resourcesfrom this site.

Finally, take time this summer to either reacquaint yourself or visit for the first time the Reading Rockets site, www.readingrockets .org/. This national multimedia project comprises PBS videos and the web site. Information and helpful tips for teaching reading, helping struggling readers, and reading research reports are easily accessible, and Podcasts and video downloads are available via the site. The "For Teachers" section includes useful ideas for first-year teachers aswell as suggestions for veteran educators. Check the "Families" linkfor ideas to share through your building literacy program.

AFX International Focus, May 31, 2007, Thursday

Copyright 2007 AFX News Limited

AFX International Focus

May 31, 2007 Thursday 7:26 PM GMT

HEADLINE: Pro-union bills are veto bait for Bush

BODY:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Labor legislation that is a priority for Democrats has become the definition of 'veto bait' for the White House.

Five of the 24 veto threats President Bush has issued since Democrats took control of Congress target bills with provisions that benefit unions and their members.

Measures passed by either the House or Senate making it easier for unions to organize workplaces, stiffening penalties for union busting or establishing more collective bargaining rights for federal employees are among those under veto threats. Often they're tucked into the fine print provisions and not the major subject of the bill itself.

'There's really a lot of examples where he's looked at legislation, it seems, from the perspective of, 'Will this help workers?' 'Will this help workers win representation?' And if the answer is yes, he finds a reason to veto it,' said William Samuel, the AFL-CIO's chief lobbyist.

Unions spent more than $66 million in the midterm election cycle, most of that money going to Democratic candidates. Republicans grouse that Democratic leaders now in charge of the House and Senate are simply repaying their benefactors.

'What we see going on is directly related to the partisanship of a political party winning power and paying back the union bosses for their support for all these years,' said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas.

The bills are 'in fact sort of an earmark to Big Labor interests and a payback to Big Labor,' said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla.

Democrats reject the insinuation that they're paying back labor for help in the election, saying that is more the way Republicans ran Congress.

'That is why you lost your leadership, because they were paying back their supporters,' said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and has a 99 percent pro-labor voting record. 'The fact of the matter is, that is not the way we are doing business.'

Bush's supporters encourage him to continue to hold the line against organized labor.

'The American people need to know that these union leaders are consumed with a power grab,' said Richard Berman of the Washington-based Center for Union Facts, a group critical of organized labor. 'I think most people should be glad that Bush is in the White House with the attitude that he has.'

The president has been no friend to unions since winning the White House.

He suspended Clinton-era rules that required the government to favor union-organized companies with federal contracts, rolled back overtime pay rights for some 6 million workers, enacted the Central America Free Trade Agreement that unions blame for exporting U.S. jobs and repealed ergonomic safety standards.

Most of the time, Clinton was dealing with a Republican-controlled Congress. The new Democrat-controlled Congress is pushing forward on issues that received little attention from the GOP the previous six years, leaving only two ways to stop labor bills: Senate filibusters or White House vetos.

'Labor has not been at all shy about their opposition to the Bush administration and his policies, and his response has been in kind,' said Richard Hurd, professor of industrial and labor relations at Cornell University. 'He's been very clear in his opposition to unions and so it's not at all surprising. He's not going to budge just because he doesn't have control; he has enough control to stop legislation.'

Bush has vetoed only one bill this year -- a measure with more than $90 billion to continue wars in Iraq and Afghanistan tied to a timetable for withdrawing troops from the former, but also including the first minimum wage increase in a decade. Once Democrats removed the withdrawal timetable, he signed the bill, with the minimum wage increase.

But he's issued 24 other veto threats, four of them to House-passed bills that favor unions. Another veto threat was leveled at a Senate anti-terrorism bill that would provide whistleblower and collective bargaining rights to 45,000 airport screeners whose jobs were federalized after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The most glaring pro-union measure of the five is a House-passed bill that Democrats labeled the Employee Free Choice Act. It would require employers to recognize a union without any election once more than 50 percent of its work force had signed union cards. With enough votes to win a filibuster fight, Senate Republicans vow it will never reach the president's desk.

Other House-passed measures that Bush has said he would veto include:

--A renewal of the Clean Water Act that would require state and local governments getting federal grants for water treatment plants to pay 'prevailing' local wages often tied to pay scales for unionized building trades workers. Non-unionized construction firms say that would give their unionized rivals a competitive advantage in winning contracts.

--A massive defense bill for 2008 that discards a new Pentagon personnel system that opponents say curtails bargaining rights for as many as 740,000 civilian defense workers.

--A homeland security bill covering 2008 that includes a Democratic provision that would give the department's 170,000 federal employees greater bargaining rights. The White House said to change the department's current system would 'deny the president authority to manage Executive Branch employees when faced with national security concerns.'

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York), May 31, Thursday

Copyright 2007 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

All Rights Reserved

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York)

May 31, 2007 Thursday


SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 8D

HEADLINE: Company wins 13 ad awards

BODY:

{}Preferred Care/MVP Health Care has been nationally recognized by two health care advertising competitions.

The company received 13 awards, including six golds, at the annual Healthcare Advertising Awards and the Aster Awards.

The company was honored for its contribution to the health care advertising and marketing industry.

The campaign, which was created for the 2006 fall enrollment season, was a series of outdoor, print and television ads that focused on the accessibility of the company and living healthy.

The company was honored for its total advertising campaign, television spots, Web site and print ads.

MVP Health Care and Preferred Care formally merged in January 2006.

{}Stuffed toy on auction block

{}Cornell Cooperative Extension will auction a limited-edition Webkinz stuffed animal at the Friend of Extension Gala on June 7.

One version of the stuffed toy, Sherbert Bunny, is retired and fetching about $50 on eBay. Interested people can also bid online on Webkinz and other items at www.cce .cornell.edu/monroe.

{}Call centers staying in U.S.

Most call centers serving U.S. customers continue to be operated in the United States, not in India or other foreign countries, according to a new study.

Call centers generally remain in-house operations that serve a company's customers in their domestic markets.

The study was done by more than 40 scholars from 20 nations, with the lead author being a researcher at Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School. It looked at 2,500 call centers in 17 nations.

Call centers typically handle telephone and Web-based customer service questions.

{}Payroll service goes paperless

Rochester-based {}USA Payroll Inc. introduced a new paperless payroll service to its clients last week.

USA Payroll's Payback program allows employers to receive payroll reports within hours of submitting data.

Employees will have the option of viewing their check stubs through e-mail on payday. For those without bank accounts, pay can be deposited into a USAPayCard, a MasterCard that can be used as a debit or credit card.

Staff reports

Star-Gazette (Elmira, New York), May 31, 2007, Thursday

Copyright 2007 Star-Gazette (Elmira, NY)

All Rights Reserved

Star-Gazette (Elmira, New York)

May 31, 2007 Thursday

1 Edition

SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 7C

HEADLINE: Local briefs

BODY:

{}elmira

{}Downtown group plans annual meeting

Elmira Downtown Development will host its 17th annual meeting and reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The meeting will be held at the River Club above Los Panchos at 250 W. Water St.

Business owners in Elmira's business who would like to attend the meeting can call Jennifer Herrick at (607) 734-0341.

The annual meeting will run from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by cocktails and snacks at $15 a person.

{}ITHACA

{}New study finds call centers rife in U.S.

Most call centers serving U.S. customers continue to be operated in the United States, not in India or other foreign nations, according to a new study.

Most call centers continue to be in-house operations that serve a company's own customers in their domestic markets.

The study was done with more than 40 scholars from 20 nations. The lead author is a researcher at Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School.

It looked at 2,500 call centers in 17 nations.

Call centers typically handle telephone and Web-based customer service questions from canceling credit cards to ordering products.

{}Schuyler County

{}Chamber seeks award nominees

The Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 2007 Leader in Business Award.

The candidate must be a member of the chamber and must have made a contribution to the county business community in the past decade.

The candidate also should be creating new job opportunities as an entrepreneur.

The award will be presented July 18 at the chamber's Summer Fundraiser at Carol Bower Catering at 4015 Cass Road in Montour Falls.

Nominations must be submitted by June 29.

US States News, May 31, 2007, Thursday

Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd.

All Rights Reserved

US States News

May 31, 2007 Thursday 4:06 AM EST


HEADLINE: JOEL RUDIN NAMED JOURNAL EDITOR

BYLINE: US States News

DATELINE: GLASSBORO, N.J.

BODY:

Rowan University issued the following news release:

Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor of management/MIS in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, has been named editor of the Journal of Workplace Rights, published by Baywood Publishing Company, New York. The journal, formerly named the Journal of Individual Employment Rights, according to its publisher features "studies on the struggle to secure human rights at work and is dedicated to the proposition that human rights should not be compromised by employers."

Rudin, of Cherry Hill, is the coordinator of the Human Resource Management specialization at Rowan and advisor of the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. He earned a Ph.D. in human resource management from Cornell University and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Rudin's research in part has focused on the persistence of sex and race discrimination in employment. His articles have been published in journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Social Psychology, Labor Law Journal and Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal.