NY Daily News, September 20, 2013, Friday

NY Daily News

September 20, 2013, Friday

NY Daily News (full article)

MTA and transit workers union to have first contract negotiations in almost a year, with Hurricane Sandy response playing central role

An MTA-TWU contract could set the pattern for talks between City Hall and other municipal unions if accompanied by two conditions: The pact is deemed favorable by organized labor, and Democrat Bill de Blasio, the mayoral candidate unions largely support, wins in November, said Lee Adler, senior associate at Cornell University’s Industrial Labor Relations School.

“It would at least be the minimum, the floor, from which the conversation would begin between the incoming mayor and city workers,” Adler said.

WNBC New York, September 19, 2013, Thursday

WNBC New York

September 19, 2013, Thursday

WNBC New York (full article)

As Tuition Costs Rise, Public Teachers Don't Earn More

Professor Ronald Ehrenberg, a Cornell University labor economist who is also a State University of New York trustee, said state lawmakers were quick to slash higher education during the recession, leaving teaching payrolls vulnerable. Worse, Ehrenberg believes education cuts are much less likely to be restored than are cuts to health care. 

“When a state spends more on Medicaid, the federal government kicks in a lot of money,” said Ehrenberg. "When a state spends more on higher education, the federal government does not kick in more money. So as a result, higher education always loses out.”

The Buffalo News, September 19, 2013, Thursday

The Buffalo News

September 19, 2013, Thursday

The Buffalo News (full article)

Hamburg stamping plant expected to benefit from Ford’s $682 million investment in Ontario factory

When the new investments for the Hamburg plant were disclosed in fall 2011, elected officials at the time said they expected the labor agreement to lead to 120 laid-off workers’ being rehired and 400 new jobs’ being created.

Arthur Wheaton, an automotive industry expert with the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Buffalo, called the Oakville investment “great news” for the Hamburg plant.

Bloomberg Businessweek, September 18, 2013, Wednesday

Bloomberg Businessweek

September 18, 2013, Wednesday

Bloomberg Businessweek (full article)

Walgreen Joins Exodus to Private Exchanges After Obamacare

Disappearing are the days of the company owning their workers’ welfare, said Linda Barrington, the executive director of Cornell University’s Institute for Compensation Studies.

Retirement plans such as “401(k) and the like require more of employees than did the traditional pension, albeit they also offer more ’choice,’” Barrington said in an e-mail. “Choice can be good. But making the right choice requires educating oneself and discernment in the decision -- both which are responsibilities that take time, and maybe some talent.”

Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2013, Tuesday

Wall Street Journal

September 17, 2013, Tuesday

Wall Street Journal (full article)

Male-Female Pay Gap Hasn't Moved Much in Years

The wage gap narrowed steadily through the 1980s and 1990s but the convergence slowed in the early 2000s. That may signal that two factors credited with advancing gender pay parity — education and legislation — lost some of their firepower.

“Women’s increasing education is certainly a plus, but it’s not enough to totally change these trends,” said Francine Blau, an economics professor at Cornell University. “The really golden period was the 1980s, when the wage gap was consistently narrowing. Since then, progress has continued, but it has been more fitful and uneven.”

The Economist, September 14, 2013, Saturday

The Economist

September 14, 2013, Saturday

The Economist (full article)

New labour, alt-labour

The AFL-CIO’s move, says Lowell Turner of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labour Relations, merely reflects broader changes in the labour movement over the past 20 years. As traditional unions have floundered, so-called “alt-labour” groups, which agitate for workers’ rights in non-unionised sectors, have stepped in. (In 2003 the AFL-CIO created its own arm for non-union workers, Working America, through which much of its new activity will be channelled.) Demonstrations and strikes at Walmart and, most recently, a string of fast-food chains have won publicity and spread the idea of workplace organisation, even if results have been thin. The AFL-CIO hopes to tap this energy and, where appropriate, lend it institutional clout.

The Advocate, September 12, 2013, Thursday

The Advocate

September 12, 2013, Thursday

The Advocate (full article)

GE ex-labor chief shifts sides to back retirees as benefits fade

Lance Compa, a Cornell University labor professor who negotiated against Rocheleau as a union official with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, said his onetime bargaining opponent was "always very professional, very direct and very honest."

`High regard'

"Even though we were on opposite sides of the table and adversaries in the labor-management context, I always had a very high regard for him," Compa said by telephone.

Shreveport Times, September 12, 2013, Thursday

Shreveport Times

September 12, 2013, Thursday

Shreveport Times (full article)

Cornell soccer player writes about being gay to help others

Atticus DeProspo and Beth Livingston, an assistant professor in the Human Resource Studies department at Cornell, co-founded the school’s Athlete Ally chapter. DeProspo was in Livingston’s Intro to Human Resource Management class last fall, and the two developed a strong relationship that lasted through the spring, when he was beginning to think seriously about coming out.

The Nation, September 10, 2013, Tuesday

The Nation

September 10, 2013, Tuesday

The Nation (full article)

AFL-CIO Pledges Prison Reform, Partnerships and Accountable Organizing Plans

Kate Bronfenbrenner, who directs labor education and research at Cornell University, compared the resolution’s passage to a pledge made at an AFL-CIO Organizing Committee meeting in the early ’90s, at which she said unions agreed to provide confidential reports regarding the percentage of their international unions’ budgets devoted to organizing. According to Bronfenbrenner, she was tasked with drafting a survey to actualize that pledge, but once she presented it to the group, that plan fizzled, because some union leaders “really didn’t know how much they spent,” and others “were uncomfortable.”

Reuters, September 9, 2013, Monday

Reuters

September 9, 2013, Monday

Reuters (full article)

Labor giant AFL-CIO, at 'crossroads,' seeks reinvention

The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.2 million workers, said in August it was leaving Change to Win to rejoin the AFL-CIO. UNITE HERE and the Laborers' International Union of North America, LIUNA, reaffiliated in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Trumka praised the UFCW's decision to "unite with the broader labor movement" to challenge the "new normal" facing low-wage workers.

Cornell University's Richard Hurd, a labor studies scholar and longtime AFL-CIO observer, said, "Trying to create interest in collective action, trying to address wage equality, trying to address abuses, that can help the labor movement."

CNBC, September 5, 2013, Thursday

CNBC

September 5, 2013, Thursday

CNBC (full article)

It's OK to be an older worker; just don't lose your job

It's the best—and worst—of times for older workers.

The unemployment rate for Americans 55 and older is lower than for any other age group the government tracks, and far below the national average. But if an older worker loses a job, the length of time that person will stay unemployed is typically much longer than for any other age group.

"There's a much higher prevalence of unemployment among young people, but the time that you spend in that state is much shorter," said Linda Barrington, executive director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University.

The Record, September 3, 2013, Tuesday

The Record

September 3, 2013, Tuesday

The Record (full article)

The US labor movement is changing its game plan

Another recent effort by unions has focused on supporting janitors in office and retail establishments, and in Colorado some unions have started representing workers in the medical marijuana industry.

While restaurant workers have been labeled a "nontraditional" group for unionization due to high turnover rates, labor historian Jefferson Cowie from Cornell University said the fast-food worker demonstrations are not unprecedented and demonstrate how representation shifts based on changes in the workforce.

People & Strategy, September 3, 2013, Tuesday

People & Strategy

September 3, 2013, Tuesday

People & Strategy (full article)

Performance Management: Reconciling Competing Priorities

There is a lot of talk in organizations about whether Performance Management is working effectively or ever has.  What do you think Performance Management is?

Chris Collins, Cornell Center for Advanced HR Studies: This may be the question of the year.  Performance Management has become everything and therefore nothing.  It serves so many purposes - compensation, feedback, talent development, succession, etc. - that it may not serve any purpose very well.

Al Jazeera America, September 3, 2013, Tuesday

Al Jazeera America

September 3, 2013, Tuesday

Al Jazeera America (full article)

Big labor reaches out to non-union workers

“What’s interesting is what comes out of the convention: whether the decisions made influence the organizational behavior of the affiliates afterward,” said Jeff Grabelsky, associate director of the worker institute at Cornell’s ILR School.

The Economic Times, September 1, 2013, Sunday

The Economic Times

September 1, 2013, Sunday

The Economic Times (full article)

Ever revealed your earnings to a coworker?  Your answer will depend on your age

Have you ever revealed how much you earn to a coworker? Your answer to that question may depend on your age.

Comparing salaries has long been a social taboo in the United States, but members of the Millennial generation - people born in the 1980s and 1990s - are changing that, according to Kevin Hallock, director of Cornell University's Institute for Compensation Studies.