Friday, July 27, 2012

New York Magazine, July 24, 2012, Tuesday

New York Magazine

July 24, 2012, Tuesday

New York Magazine (full article)

Mayor Bloomberg Flirts With Violating the Taylor Law

We're no experts in the Taylor Law, though, so we talked to a couple guys who are, such as Alex Colvin, the chairperson of the Department of Labor Relations, Law, and History at Cornell's School of Industrial Labor Relations. "He's certainly encouraging the police officers to violate the law, I think that's clear," Colvin tells us. However, Colvin adds, the prohibition on encouraging strikes was written with union members and union leaders in mind, not just any public employee with an opinion. "You could try to make an argument that a literal reading would suggest that, as a public employee, he's engaging in this," Colvin says, "but it's certainly going well beyond the original intent of the Taylor Act."

Labor Press, July 24, 2012, Tuesday

Labor Press

July 24, 2012, Tuesday

Labor Press (full article)

Public Perception Weighs Heavily on Con Ed Lock Out

The lock out of 8,500 members of Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America by Con Edison has entered its fourth week. The union will join the rally tomorrow, July 24 to show solidarity with low-wage workers as it continues to wage its own struggle for a new contract. LaborPress recently spoke with Ken Margolies, senior associate at the Worker Institute at the ILR School of Cornell University, who’s been following the lock out closely.

According to Margolies, Con Edison is taking a page out of the playbook of U.S.-based corporations who are playing hardball by demanding steep givebacks or concessions from their unionized workforces.

Buffalo News, July 19, 2012, Thursday

Buffalo News

July 19, 2012, Thursday

Buffalo News (full article)

Internships give students a chance to learn meaning of 'community'

"We have a lot of applications from outside Buffalo because the word is out that Buffalo is the hottest place to be - it's cool in the summer, and you can learn a lot, make a difference and just have a wonderfully good time, too," said Lou Jean Fleron, a member of the ILR School's emeritus extension faculty and co-chairwoman of the Partnership for the Public Good.

Bloomberg Businessweek, July 19, 2012, Thursday

Bloomberg Businessweek

July 19, 2012, Thursday

Bloomberg Businessweek (full article)

Wellness Games Encourage a Fitter Workforce

More employers are catching on to what Charlotte discovered: Tying workplace wellness programs to online games or social media lights a fire under workers as no number of posters in the break room can. “That social aspect creates some level of accountability,” says Brad Bell, an associate professor of HR at Cornell University. “You know that if you don’t show up, people are going to notice.”

Buffalo News, July 15, 2012, Sunday

Buffalo News

July 15, 2012, Sunday

Buffalo News (full article)

Happy ending follows a rare strike at Sorrento

"I think one of the reasons you see a little bit more activity is because of the stagnant wages and the impact of cutbacks on pensions and health care," said Lou Jean Fleron, an emeritus professor at Cornell University's Industrial Labor Relations School in Buffalo.

Plain Dealer, July 9, 2012, Monday

Plain Dealer

July 9, 2012, Monday

Plain Dealer (full article)

Susie Porter, who once ran the Town Fryer restaurant, is heading off to college -- at the age of 54

"It's huge," Porter says. "But even in its enormity it feels like you are just absolutely enveloped in this nurturing environment. It feels like it just wraps itself around you."

In February, she sent in her application.

Weeks later, on a Friday night, she looked down at her cellphone and saw she'd missed a call. She checked voicemail. Ian Schachner, the associate director for admissions for the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, wanted to talk to her.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Albany Times Union, July 12, 2012, Thursday

Albany Times Union

July 12, 2012, Thursday

Albany Times Union (full article)

Incoming PEF team cleans house

"It's not uncommon to clear house," said Lee Adler, a lecturer at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. "You want to get your own people around you and build a team that you feel can avoid what you argued were the mistakes of the previous administration."

The Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2012, Wednesday


The Wall Street Journal

July 11, 2012, Wednesday

The Wall Street Journal (full article)

Tally of Job Creation By Bain Proves Vexing

"I don't think that an investor should get credit for the jobs created beyond the ones where an investor has a position in the company," said John M. Abowd, a labor economist at Cornell University who donated to the Obama 2012 campaign.

The Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2012, Monday

The Wall Street Journal

July 9, 2012, Monday

The Wall Street Journal

ConEd Tackles Union Tasks

ConEd's strategy in dealing with the lockout isn't unusual. Utilities must take measures to continue operations during a work stoppage, said Ken Margolies, senior associate at the Worker Institute at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. That includes using supervisors, calling in retirees and borrowing workers from other utility companies.

But the approach could be risky. "It could have some bearing on safety in that when you're in a manhole with a crew, you all depend on each other," Mr. Margolies said. "People who know each other and communicate well with each other are safer than people who are just thrown together."

The New York Times, July 7, 2012, Saturday

The New York Times

July 7, 2012, Saturday

The New York Times (full article)

In Ads, the Workers Rise Up...and Go to Lunch

“It’s an effort by management to co-opt the Occupy Wall Street spirit and redirect it to promote its product,” said Harry Katz, dean of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “They are using it in a somewhat manipulative way.”

NPR, July 7, 2012, Saturday

NPR

July 7, 2012, Saturday

NPR (full story)

Adjustments Behind The Numbers Shape Job News

GLINTON: That all raises the question: Are us economics geeks missing the forest for the trees? Linda Barrington is a labor economist at Cornell University.

LINDA BARRINGTON: When we look at the monthly unemployment number, we are not just looking at the leaves instead of the forest. We're trying to predict the shape of a specific leaf.

GLINTON: Barrington says there's a really big question nobody is asking about this recovery. It's our third jobless recovery in 20 years. Why do we keep having them?

BARRINGTON: What's changing in the restructuring of jobs in the U.S. that is making it harder and harder for people to get back on their feet after a recession has hit? We're not going to answer that by looking at this month's numbers by everybody holding their breath to see what Friday's number is going to be.

Yahoo Finance, July 4, 2012, Wednesday

Yahoo Finance

July 4, 2012, Wednesday

Yahoo Finance (full article)

Looking for job security in a union shop

"People like the fact that the union is there to protect them and stand up for them," says Alex Colvin, associate professor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. "Wages tend to be higher by 15 (percent) to 20 percent in a union shop, and there is typically an even bigger difference in benefits such as health and retirement with union jobs."

WorldatWork's workspan magazine, July 2012

WorldatWork's workspan magazine

July 2012

An monthly column in workspan® applying scholarly research to the "real world" by ICS Director Kevin Hallock.

Paying Professors

Academic freedom or job with no pay raises

Forbes, June 30, 2012, Saturday

Forbes

June 30, 2012, Saturday

Forbes (full article)

Student Loan Rates To Remain Low, For Now

Doubling the subsidized rate could also have discouraged students from seeking federal aid or pushed many toward cheaper public institutions or two-year community colleges, said Ronald Ehrenberg, director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute and a professor of labor relations and economics. In the immediate future, Ehrenberg said maintaining low interest rates will help students leave school with lower debt, which will give them more freedom to consider occupations for reasons other than salaries.