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Yeltsin retires (Friday, 12/31/99)
Russian President Boris Yeltsin has chosen the last day of the century to retire from the presidency, assuming that you don't get too technical about it, and Yeltsin's action seems to pave the way for Putin. Some have worried that a premature departure on the part of Yeltsin could weaken the tentative stability of Russian democratic institutions, but things appear to be calm with no coups in sight. Yeltsin has been an eccentric figure, often leaving people confused about whether he has been ill or simply intoxicated, but he has played a key role in Russia's transitional period, displaying great courage and political acumen along the way. He leaves a still-troubled country, but the fact that Russia is beginning a new century as a democracy in any sense at all with a market economy, however distressed, is truly amazing, nonetheless, and Yeltsin has had a lot to do with both.

As this is written, it may already be 2000 where you are (Friday, 12/31/99)
It won't be the year 2000 in Minnesota USA for more than 12 hours yet. However, the transition from last year to next year is sweeping around the globe already, as are the celebrations.

Special section on the new millennium (Friday, 12/31/99)
Nearly everybody is looking back over the 20th century and also ahead. The great Wall Street Journal is no exception. Today's issue includes a special section on the new millennium. Many articles, and, as usual, all worth reading. Along similar lines, Dunstan Prial reports that most economists expect 2000 to be a good year in the U.S., and Sandra Cordon says similar conditions should prevail in Canada as well.

Expectations for the century ahead...from the perspective of 1900 (Friday, 12/31/99)
Here's what Washington Post writers were thinking as the 20th century was just getting started.

A brief explanation of Y2K (Friday, 12/31/99)
If you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, here's a quick description of the potential Y2K problem and why it arose in the first place.

Collaboration in the new workplace (Friday, 12/31/99)
The Chicago Tribune's Jon Van reports on research efforts to employ the new technologies to meet the novel collaboration needs of workers in the new economy, some of whom may even be on different continents as they're collaborating.

Finalist in the "last cuts of the century" competition (Friday, 12/31/99)
Inspire Insurance Solutions has not had a good 1999, and they're finishing it off by cutting 100 jobs. Happy New Year.

Settlements at Sprint (Friday, 12/31/99)
Six union locals had been threatening a strike at midnight. Tentative agreements have been reached with five of them.

Help-wanted ads slip a bit (Friday, 12/31/99)
The Conference Board's help-wanted advertising index slipped ever so slightly in November. The labor market will continue to be strong in the new year, though.

Finding your raise someplace else (Friday, 12/31/99)
Columnist Amy Joyce writes that frequent job changes are becoming the norm, and, if you want to make more money, a job change might be a better idea that arguing with your present boss about a raise.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Union Communications Services (Friday, 12/31/99)
Union Communications Services offers help to union leaders. More than 1,500 unions use their services, they say.

Can we expect more or less global stability during the century ahead? (Thursday, 12/30/99)
Now that the Cold War is slipping deeper into history, you might regard the world as a safer place. True, a final nuclear exchange that would end life on the planet seems considerably less likely now, but the frequency of armed conflict has increased, rather than decreased, according to a report from the National Defense Council Foundation. Almost twice as many countries are at war now as during the Cold War period, they say. That amounts to about a third of the world's 193 nations. This can be seen as another sign of the kind of chaos that can arise in an increasingly decentralized world where nobody's in charge. "Globalization" and its novel attributes aren't just about economic organization. Along similar lines, columnist George Will examines the triumphant mood on which the century seems to be ending and urges caution.

First-time jobless claims down again (Thursday, 12/30/99)
Jobless claims remained below 300,000 for the 12th consecutive week, according to the latest Labor Department data.

American gets its way on restraining order (Thursday, 12/30/99)
A U.S. District Judge has granted a restraining order prohibiting a work slowdown by the Transport Workers Union at American Airlines until about the middle of January. Here's more from Lila LaHood of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

A new paid holiday for UAW members (Thursday, 12/30/99)
The New York Times' Keith Bradsher reports that Election Day will be a paid holiday for 400,000 auto workers. It's in their new contract. Republicans and Democrats are arguing about the political impact of this new provision.

Perspective on the Internet revolution (Thursday, 12/30/99)
How deep, how fundamental, how widespread will the impact of the Internet turn out to be? Time will tell, but, in the meantime, here are some thoughts from New York Times writers.

Almost last chance for 20th century cuts (Thursday, 12/30/99)
Merisel plans to cut about 400 jobs, which amounts to about 15 percent of its workforce, and ISB Financial Corporation will cut 5 percent of its workforce, or 32 jobs.

Friday night guard shortage (Thursday, 12/30/99)
Here's the latest labor shortage, but it's likely to be fairly temporary. There won't be nearly enough security guards to go around on New Year's Eve, according to this story from Mike Schneider. As we've been reporting, many extra people will be on the job as the new year 2000 sweeps across the United States. Tyrone Beason and Dori Stubbs of the Seattle Times report on plans for the Seattle area.

Reports of record slightly premature (Thursday, 12/30/99)
Is the current economic expansion really the longest in American history? Well, not quite, but before long, it will be, assuming that Y2K doesn't bring things to a screeching halt during the next few days. The record-holding expansion is still the one in the 1960's, but that record is set to topple very, very soon, according to Peter Svensson in the Arizona Republic. Keep in mind that it's really all about averages, though. Not everybody is benefiting from the American economic boom, and, according to a new Harris poll, many Americans are feeling left out and alienated. Along somewhat related lines, Jason DeParle examines Wisconsin's much-discussed move to end welfare and how well it has worked. Less has changed for the poor than you might think, he says.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Electric Library, Business Edition (Thursday, 12/30/99)
For subscribers, the Electric Library offers unlimited access to millions of business documents of all types. A free 30-day trial is available.

Despite everything, Turkey expects good economic times (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
Two major earthquakes haven't been enough to derail Turkey's economy. Louis Meixler writes about the government's economic reforms and how they're likely to pay off.

Making people feel better about working late Friday night (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
A few people are still around who saw the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, but most of us have experienced only the 20th century. The move to the year 2000 is a fairly big deal for many people, so where do you want to be when it happens? Probably not at work, but, because of concerns with Y2K, many more people than usual will be on the job New Year's Eve. Brad Dorfman writes about what many employers are trying to do to make their affected employees feel better about it. Incidentally, do you know anybody who may be able to say that they've lived in THREE different centuries? There will be quite a few, given the tremendous increase in the number of persons living to 100 or beyond during recent years.

Clinton wants to expand housing aid program (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
Many low-income persons live in the cities, while many of the most interesting job opportunities are located in the suburbs. The federal government has a housing subsidy program to help some of these people move closer to where the jobs are. President Clinton wants to expand the program to include an additional 120,000 families.

Rough sledding at Value America (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
The online company will cut nearly half of its workforce in response to some disappointing numbers.

The case for foreign aid (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
This certainly won't be the first you have heard on this subject. Nonetheless, the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial writers tell why they think foreign aid is needed.

Evidence of more good times ahead (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
The Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators does a fairly good job of forecasting future economic performance, and, in November, reached its highest level in 40 years, suggesting that 2000 may be another very good year in the United States. How new is the new economy? Well, for one thing, it's the longest economic expansion since the United States was invented, and that's when many men were still wearing powdered wigs. To put things in perspective, Adam Smith published his seminal Wealth of Nations in the same year the Declaration of Independence was written.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Intel in Education (Wednesday, 12/29/99)
High-technology corporations have a vested interest in the effectiveness of the educational system and many are involved in one way or another. Intel's Andy Grove has talked a lot about the need to upgrade American education at all levels, and his company supports a number of initiatives, including ones in workforce development. Here's Intel in Education.

Japan offers a candidate for head of the IMF (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Traditionally, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund has been a European, but the Japanese are challenging that. They would like to see the job go to Eisuke Sakakibara. Incidentally, another sign of improvement in the Japanese economy is the latest unemployment statistic. Koichi Iitake writes in Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun that the unemployment rate declined a tenth of a percent from October to 4.5 percent in November. Again, to say that criteria for determining who is regarded as "unemployed" are not consistent across counties is to risk record understatement. A 4.5 percent rate in Europe would be met with delirious rejoicing, but it still represents a major problem in Japan, given that country's criteria.

Strike averted in Minnesota (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Negotiators worked deep into the night last night and came up with an agreement. The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and the State of Minnesota have a deal. MAPE represents more than 10,000 state employees.

American steel industry may be in for better times, but it won't necessarily mean more jobs (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Steel makers are raising their prices again, and, if they can hold them, the American industry's condition should improve. However, it isn't necessarily good news for workers, because the industry has been improving its productvity through the use of authomation.

The boom is too speculative for Mr. Samuelson's taste (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Columnist Robert Samuelson thinks economic risks are increasing rather than decreasing in the new economy. He's still nervous about the American boom and expects to remain so through 2000. Many Americans apparently like what they see and, whether or not their feelings are well-founded, feel a little less at risk. Consumer conidence is at its highest level in a generation. Canadians are optimistc about the new year as well. Jayson Myers reports in the Toronto Star says that indications are that 2000 will be a good one in Canada.

"Poverty day" in Israel (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Yesterday was the day that official poverty statistics were published, and the numbers are larger this time around. However, Avaraham Tal writes in Ha'aretz that it's mostly because of a change in the criterias. Also in Israel, Dan Reznick reports that the country's public health system is wasting a billion shekels each year, according to the Finance Ministry.

Clinton to attend economic summit in Switzerland (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
The 30th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will be held in Davos, Switzerland on January 29, and the American president expects to be in attendance.

Arizona Commerce Department upgrades for the new economy (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
The Arizona economy has gotten a lot different, so the state's Department of Commerce needs to be different. Here's Hal Mattern's report from the Arizona Republic on the restructuring that's going on.

The warm feeling of being needed (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
The term "geek" is no longer a pejorative. For many, it's become a badge of honor, particularly with widespread Y2K concern. People seem to be expecting herogeek to ride in on a white horse and snatch them from danger if need be. "Who is that masked man?" Hi-ho gallium arsenide! Incidentally, Silicon Valley is getting more competition. Bruce Butterfield of the Boston Globe writes about a new study conducted by Computerworld that sees great techie job growth coming in Florida, Georgia, and New England. But wait--is it possible that there isn't a shortage of technical workers after all? The president of IEEE-USA thinks claims have been exaggerated. The problem is that available workers aren't being fully utilized, he says.

The biggest biz news stories of the 20th century (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
You may have your own, but here's a list from David Warsh.

Unemployment insurance frozen in Massachusetts (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
The state Legislature's action will prevent a $50 increase for employees which will save employers $120 million.

Beseiged community of scholars struggles to keep its mind on its work (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
Medellin, Colombia has been in the news a lot during recent years. Now, violent political conflict has the University of Antioquia caught in the middle, and things are not good. Here's more from Larry Rohter writing for the New York Times. Columbia's economic and political systems have been polluted by the drug industry for years, and stability and good times probably won't happen any time soon. If you work on a quiet campus, count your blessings.

Another privatization experiment (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
South Florida State Psychiatric Hospital in Pembroke Pines, Florida has been a mess that has now been turned over to the private sector. The for-profit company has been running prisons previously.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Resume Malaysia (Tuesday, 12/28/99)
There are tens of thousands of job sites on the Internet. Many have become more specialized either with respect to occupational categories or industries or with respect to geographical regions. Resume Malaysia is what it sounds like, so long as you understand that "resume" in this case refers to the thing you send to a prospective employer when you're applying for a job, not meaning that Malaysia is starting up again. Some accent marks aren't easy on the web.

What's the richest society in history going to do with its wealth? (Monday, 12/27/99)
Wealth, personal or societal, can make many wonderful things possible, but they don't happen by themselves. Robert Kuttner wonders if America will allow the rising tide to lift only the luxury ships.

Refresh or upgrade yourself with training (Monday, 12/27/99)
Washington Post columnist Amy Joyce offers some good reasons for taking advantage of training, even if it's not specifically related to your field of expertise.

Persons over 65 will be able to continue working at Fujitsu (Monday, 12/27/99)
The big Japanese electronics manufacturer is about to remove age limits on employment. Here's more from Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun.

Who has had the most influence in business during the 20th century? (Monday, 12/27/99)
Here's a list of the 50 most influential people and groups during the century that is drawing to a close, in the judgment of the Los Angeles Times. Also, here are some runners up. Speaking of influential people, here's one whose name you may not recognize if you're among our youngest readers. Amy Lindgren tells about Dale Carnegie. If you're not one of our youngest readers, you may be surprised that anybody could not have heard of Mr. Carnegie, but a high school teacher recently reported that she asked her class how many knew who Johnny Carson is. No hands went up.

Talking your way to success (Monday, 12/27/99)
Diane Stafford says that people who can grab the attention of a group or speak effectively one-on-one have an advantage, and these are things that one can learn to improve upon.

Perfect bosses, perfect employees (Monday, 12/27/99)
Carol Kleiman says that, in a perfect work world, this might be what bosses and employees would be like.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Business Communications (Monday, 12/27/99)
Here's help getting your message across. It's the Business Communications page from SBS, which stands for " Smart Business Supersite."

Very hard times in Syria, according to Israel (Sunday, 12/26/99)
Israeli intelligence is claiming that Syria's President Hafez al-Assad's refusal to implement economic reforms has resulted in a severe recession in that country. Speaking of Israel, Ha'aretz' Moti Bassok writes about proposed legislation that would reduce the number of foreign workers. Israel is second only to Switzerland in the proportion of its work force made up of foreign workers. Meanwhile, large numbers of people are being smuggled into Australia. Here's Barbara Cossette's story from today's New York Times.

HUD will distribute $900 million to programs for the homeless (Sunday, 12/26/99)
President Clinton announced the funding on his weekly radio address, expecting the money to help as many as 245,000 homeless people in the United States. Incidentally, if you believe that all of the homeless are drug dependent, mentally ill, and unemployed, you're responding more to stereotypes than facts, and Tom Kirchofer's story may be of interest to you.

Holiday cuts (Sunday, 12/26/99)
Flowserve Corporation will cut 9 percent of its workforce, which amounts to quite a lot of people, given that the big industrial plumbing contractor employs approximately 7,000 persons worldwide.

Compensation deal will benefit non-Jews as well (Sunday, 12/26/99)
Given the Nazi's effort to systematically exterminate European Jews, it's easy to forget that they were really an equal-opportunity persecutor, victimizing large numbers of non-Jews as well. Today's Washington Post has some editorial thoughts on the $5.2 agreement that was negotiated recently.

Former Labor Secretary looks at American aspirations (Sunday, 12/26/99)
The first thing is that the U.S. is richer than ever before and will get richer still. What's the second thing? Robert Reich is happy to answer that question, and it's a big thing, he says. Among the American communities currently enjoying great good times is Fort Worth, Texas. Mitchell Schurman of the Fort Worth Star Telegram says it's been a long time coming, and the past 100 years have been a wild roller coaster ride.

What will continue to provide resistance to increased liberalization of trade? (Sunday, 12/26/99)
Environmental and labor issues are a part of it, but only a part, according to Robert White. Key members of the World Trade Organization aren't quite ready to give up protections.

Hot occupational niche (Sunday, 12/26/99)
If you are a web consultant, your services are likely to be in great demand in an economy that may become largely driven by the Internet, and soon. Debora Vrana has details.

Longer will still be too long in some lines of work (Sunday, 12/26/99)
For a confluence of reasons, many Americans will be working longer, but there are some occupations that may continue to be for younger persons only. Among them may be construction work, according to Gina Edwards who writes from Naples, Florida. Fifty is still young in many fields, but not in some of the construction trades.

While some animals work for a living, others simply provide support (Sunday, 12/26/99)
More and more people are bringing their pets to work with them, and more and more bosses are thinking that it's a good idea.

Local cultural patterns begin to give way in global economy (Sunday, 12/26/99)
The vast array of cultural differences in the world are largely a consequence of the fact that, for most of the history of modern humans on this planet, groups of people lived mostly in isolation from one another. Now, in a world in which nearly everything will be connected to nearly everything else, geography is becoming largely irrelevant, and there will be increasing pressures to give up some local customs if they are fairly unusual or deviant from global norms. For example, the Spanish have long taken out about three hours during their work day for eating and sleeping. By Suzanne Daley writes about how things are changing in Spanish work life and why.

Time for figuring things out (Sunday, 12/26/99)
For many older persons with leisure they didn't have before they retired, it's a good time to learn for intrinsic rather than extrinsic reasons.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Quintessential Careers (Sunday, 12/26/99)
Quintessential Careers originally was started with the job-seeking needs of college students in mind by a professor at Florida's Stetson University. Now, it has a broader mission, intending to serve job-seekers of all types who are interested, not simply in jobs, but in building careers. Incidentally, does Stetson University have anything to do with hats? Well, sort of. Back in the 19th century, its founder named it after his friend of Stetson hats fame, but that's about all.

Immigrant teachers will be able to stay longer (Friday, 12/24/99)
With the growing shortage of teachers, educational systems are wanting to import them, and the federal government has agreed to grant the same status to teachers in technical fields and languages as many hi-tech workers have enjoyed. The Immigration and Naturalization Service will issue 50 special six-year visas per year to help the Chicago school system fill its vacancies.

Not all sweatshops are on dry land (Friday, 12/24/99)
Douglas Frantz of the New York Times reports on the grim work life of many who work on the big, luxurious cruise ships.

Why young people aren't rushing to federal government careers (Friday, 12/24/99)
Paul Light says it's not just the pay, but also the work itself that can put many young people off in an economy offering lots of choices.

Nice profit-sharing checks from Marvin (Friday, 12/24/99)
Marvin Windows will pay $6.9 million out to its employees, which will amount to about $2,200 each, on average.

Betrayal (Friday, 12/24/99)
Psychologist Ilene Philipson says she has identified one of the psychological consequences of work life in the new economy. People are feeling betrayed by their work.

Philadelphia newspapers reach agreement with 11 unions (Friday, 12/24/99)
Contracts will be extended until late in 2006 rather than next year.

Liberation for necks (Friday, 12/24/99)
For quite a long time now, large numbers of men have felt obligated to wear a totally useless and not even particularly ornamental piece of cloth around their necks at work, which may contribute to doubts about the existence of intelligent life on earth. Actually, the neck tie has been functional. Otherwise, it would have disappeared years ago. Its functions have been symbolic--mostly of conformity and status. However, Simon Johnson of MIT says the tie is taking on new meaning now, and this may also mean that few men will want to be caught dead wearing one before long.

Canada in the 20th century (Friday, 12/24/99)
Tony Wong of the Toronto Star examines the economic history of Canada during the 20th century and finds that things have been mostly good with some lapses. Mr. Wong also finds similarities between the end of the century and its beginning. Technology is now and was then a principal instrument of change. How about the year ahead for Canada's huge neighbor to the south? Ron Scherer expects 2000 to mean continued economic strength in the United States, but maybe not as spectacular as much of this year.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Great Depression Gallery, Michigan Historical Museum (Friday, 12/24/99)
We're in the last few days of the 1900s, so it may be a good time to try to put some of the principal events of the 20th century into perspective. Among those principal events certainly was the Great Depression of the 1930s. Here is a virtual tour of the Depression Gallery at the Michigan Historical Museum.

Workers strike at Euro Disney, but visitors not particularly inconvenienced (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Caroline Brothers reports from Marne La Vallee, France that unions are saying that about 30 percent of the workers stopped working, but Disney's estimates are far lower.

Gore pledges support for the family farm (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Presidential candidate Al Gore says he will quickly re-do federal farm policy if he is elected president.

Slight rise in jobless claims (Thursday, 12/23/99)
The rise in first-time jobless claims during the latest week appears to be a ripple, not a wave or tide. Jobs are still plentiful in the United States. Personal incomes have increased too, but spending has increased more.

Fed may raise interest rates early in the year (Thursday, 12/23/99)
The third-quarter surge is making it more likely that interest rates will go up again fairly soon, according to experts.

Workers demonstrate at Nissan in Japan (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Nissan Motors is having serious problems and plans to cut thousands of jobs. As many as 3,000 people are demonstrating at a plant that is scheduled for closure.

The special problem of working on January 1, 2000 in Israel (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Israel is concerned about Y2K and will need technical experts standing by. However, as Zvi Zrahiya and Avi Blizovsky report in today's Ha'aretz, a Sabbath work permit is required.

The high cost of EU membership (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Turkey would have to give up kokorec in order to join the European Union, and that may be a big issue. Kokorec is a sandwich sold on the streets, and it's all about EU health standards.

Why Wal-Mart doesn't want holiday charities in its stores (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Judith Graham of the Chiago Tribune says that Wal-Mart is concerned about unionization efforts and doesn't want people in the stores handing out literature to employees. Wal-Mart operates 2,941 non-unionized stores.

Is Christian group helping or hindering the slave trade? (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Officials representing Christian Solidarity International claims that the Swiss-based organization has bought the freedom of another 5,514 slaves in Sudan. Critics say such action encourages slavery.

Fed workers make record contributions to United Way (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Federal employees have contributed a record $42 million to the Combined Federal Campaign this year.

Americans seem to be relaxing about Y2K (Thursday, 12/23/99)
There seems to be less public concern about computer malfunctions as the year 2000 begins, but more about possible terrorist attacks. Here's more from Steve Alexander of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Ford executives will have to earn their perks (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Charlotte Craig of the Detroit Free Press reports that Ford Motor Company is going to make executive perks merit-based. Ten percent of the execs will get no perks at all. Meanwhile, Dave Carpenter reports on the decline of holiday bonuses in American corporations.

The rewards of simple labor (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Columnist Diane Stafford writes that menial work can be rewarding for many of those who do it, so long as it is recognized for what it is: honorable work.

Mean streets (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Being homeless has very little to recommend it. Now, as Evelyn Nieves reports from San Francisco, violence is also an increasing concern. That is, the homeless are more likely to become victims.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Explorations in Social Inequality (Thursday, 12/23/99)
Sociologist Michael Kearl of Trinity University offers an overview of social inequality with numerous links to statistics and research. Where is Trinity University? San Antonio, Texas USA.

Wow! American economic growth hits 5.7 percent during the fall quarter (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Fall-quarter growth exceeded the government's estimates. The timing is interesting, because the Federal Reserve had its final meeting of the year (and of the century, and, depending on how you count, of the millennium) yesterday and decided not to raise interest rates again. Mr. Greenspan's inflation phobia may be shared by the rest of the board, though. Actually, it isn't a phobia unless it's irrational and unrealistic, and few experts are prepared to make that claim in such a hot economy. It's a NEW economy in many ways, but it is not necessarily the case that all the familiar old rules have been repealed. Probably not, in fact. Stay tuned.

White House says Greenspan probably will be able to keep his job (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Assuming that he wants it, that is. President Clinton seems inclined to reappoint the Fed Head. Is everybody happy with that? Well, no. Ron Hutcheson reports that Greenspan, whom some think is the most powerful man in America, could even become a campaign issue this time around. Clinton likes Greenspan. We don't know whether Greenspan likes Clinton or not, but they do have some things in common. Same political party? No, Clinton's a Democrat; Greenspan is a Republican. However, there IS a connection. They are kindred spirits. We know what it is, and, now, you're about to know too. They both play the saxophone. You may remember candidate Bill practicing safe sax on the old Arsenio Hall TV show during his first presidential campaign (Bill's, not Arsenio's), and Alan once was a student at Julliard in New York. Not only that, Dr. Greenspan once toured with a big dance band. So there. And you've been thinking that you can't learn anything by reading NewWork News each day. Shame.

Strike authorized at Sprint (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Members of the Communications Workers of America have authorized a strike at Sprint in five states.

NRLB judge rules that newspaper workers must be re-hired (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
The Detroit newspaper strike that began in 1995 seemed to last forever, and it did last for 19 months. Here's the latest: a judge has ruled that 50 workers are entitled to have their jobs back.

The SSA is taking no chances (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
The Social Security Administration will send out checks a day early just in case Y2K really would delay payments to the nation's seniors. The Christian Science Monitor has gathered reports from around the world on Y2K preparations in various countries. A lot of people will be working during this particular New Year's Eve because of Y2K, and Janet Fix reports that some employers are going to try to make things special for them. Incidentally, here's another labor shortage: In many regions, there won't be nearly enough baby-sitters for New Year's Eve this year, according to Martgha Mendoza. Finally, how will the 20th century stand out in the history books? It's been a century of enormous technological advance, of course, and it's been the century when modern, totalitarian societies brought industrial efficiency to killing. But, economics writer Robert Samuelson thinks that it will be remembered most as the century of freedom.

Australia's State Rail Authority to cut nearly a third of its managers (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Robert Wainwright of the Sydney Morning Herald writes that 386 jobs are set to go, but not quietly. Major resistance is brewing up from the Australian Services Union.

Gov workers to get a raise (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
President Clinton signed an executive order yesterday that will raise the salaries of federal workers in the Washington-Baltimore region by 4.94 percent beginning next month. Speaking of government workers, they're aging, on the average, and the current edition of Business Week contains an article on a new study from the Rockefeller Institute of Government that says that states and cities, in particular, are going to have monumental problems with staffing during the next few years. Speaking of staffing problems, a lot of good jobs remain unfilled across Europe, despite very high unemployment rates. In the Middle East, Israel is a country that has been trying to move from an essentially agrarian economy to a hi-tech economy without going through the traditional industrialization phase in between. Now, though, according to an official of the Kesselman & Kesselman accounting firm, a high-tech brain drain is going on. Here's more from Ben Zion Citrin of Ha'aretz.

What is being done about the disadvantages inherent in being a part-time worker? (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Nothing in some places; quite a lot in others. Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun compares the second-class citizen status of part-timers in Japan with their situation in Holland.

Who's benefiting from the boom? (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Business Week has conducted a poll that finds many average Americans feel that they're being left out during the greatest period of wealth creation ever experienced by this or any other country.

Which Democratic candidate has the solution to America's health care mess? (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Neither, according to a Washington Post editorial coming to you today via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Moreover, both Bradley and Gore are likely to acknowledge this off-the-record. The richest country in the history of the world is experiencing its best economic times in at least a generation, and more than 40 million Americans are without health care coverage. Moreover, those who have it seem to be getting less satisfied with it, and a growing number of health care professionals don't like the present system either. Is this some sort of cosmic joke, or what?

No more excuses (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
The results of the recent Russian parliamentary election should mean that some important things will begin happening now, according to Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial writers. Among them should be needed economic reforms. If not, somebody really isn't trying, because it should all mean an important opportunity to strengthen both Russia's democratic political institutions as well as the new Russian economy. Another member of the old Soviet-era eastern block continues to struggle. Donald McNeil writes in today's New York Times that prosperity certainly doesn't seem just around the corner in Romania ten years after Ceausescu.

Asleep at the wheel (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
Do you work at night? Do you hold down more than one job? Then, you're at greater risk of having an accident, according to researchers. Here are details from Chris Fletcher writing from Houston.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School (Wednesday, 12/22/99)
The Avalon Project is a large collection of primary documents not focusing on economics, but many are of economics relevance.

Railroad merger brings more job fears in Canada than in the U.S. (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Sarah Lunday reports that the merger between Burlington Northern Sante Fe and the Canadian National Railway isn't expect to cost too many of the 43,000 U.S. employees their jobs, but John Spears writes from Toronto about fears north of the border.

Strike at Disneyland Paris scheduled for Thursday (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Five unions plan to walk out following a meeting with management yesterday.

Bad news from new motorcycle company (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle Manufacturing has stopped manufacturing motorcycles and is laying off most of its workforce as it files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Why "kinder and gentler" should make you nervous (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Newsday columnist Robert Reno isn't entirely happy with apparent changes in the way the Internal Revenue Service is doing things. In fact, he finds the whole thing pretty scary. Meanwhile, David Cay Johnston of the New York Times reports that a former IRS employee is alleging that a top official has shown favoritism to some people with money or political connections.

Workers and former workers want to broaden suit against Coca-Cola (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for a racial discrimination suit and want to expand it by adding more employees and more allegations. Meanwhile, it appears that a $7.6 million settlement has been reached in a bias suit against a big supermarket chain the Chicago area.

Is your employer a winner as well as a loser? (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Nationally syndicated columnist Carol Kleiman tells about an annual contest in which some of the winners are the worst. Also in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Amy Lindgren suggests vagueness when asked about your earnings history, and here's an explanation for the Social Security Administration's new annual statements.

No minimum wage increase imminent (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Vivian Hutchinson reports in The Jobs Letter that New Zealand's prime minister says there will not be a rush to raise the minimum wage in that country. First, the government needs to conduct a study in order to determine what the increase should be. Also, the latest Morgan and Banks survey forecasts job growth in New Zealand. About 40 percent of the more than 1,100 employers surveyed indicated that they intend to add permanent staff during the next six months.

Poverty on the rise in Israel (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Einat Fishbain of Ha'aretz reports that government data show more households below the poverty line. The PM's office is blaming the previous administration.

Hi-tech job hunting in the UK (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Here's news of a pilot program that will utilize the Internet as well as pagers to help people find work in Britain.

Fed meets today for the last time this century (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
No new interest rate increase is expected for a while, though, according to experts.

Britain is increasing foreign aid (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Assistance to developing countries increased 14 percent over a year earlier. Meanwhile, Japan is taking it slow on the planned resumption of food aid to North Korea. It won't be unconditional, they indicate.

Putting a face on the statistics (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Bill McGraw of the Detroit Free Press tells one former slave's story and why she wants Ford to pay.

The widening have vs. have not gap within corporations (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
Workers have been doing fairly well in the new American economy, but CEOs have been doing a LOT better, according to columnist Diane Stafford of the Kansas City Star.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: OZJAC (Tuesday, 12/21/99)
OZJAC is from Australia and produces software that can enable you to match courses with jobs with the needs of employers.

WITNE starts today (Monday, 12/20/99)
WITNE: Women in the New Economy, edited by Teresa Callies, starts today on BNWW. Gary Johnson offers an introduction.

Russian Communist Party makes gains, and the government is pleased? (Monday, 12/20/99)
However, unlike years past, the Russian Communists have had to compete for votes with everybody else. The results of the parliamentary election are pleasing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Yeltsin, though. Investors seem fairly pleased too, because they expect economic reforms to occur more rapidly now. President Yeltsin is nearing the end of his term, and, for him to leave office as a consequence of due process should strengthen Russia's nascent democracy a bit. The day that George Washington left office and went home to Virginia was one of the most important days in the creation of American democracy, so it's easy to underestimate the importance of these things. Here's more from Celestine Bohlen of the New York Times on how the Russian election's outcome strengthens Yeltsin forces in the Duma.

McCain says a gay president would be okay, but not gay soldiers (Monday, 12/20/99)
Along with health care, the issue of gays in the military is beginning to gain momentum as a major issue in the presidential campaign. Alan Elsner reports on what Senator McCain and other candidates have to say about it. Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune editorializes about whether "don't ask, don't tell" is an improvement over what had gone before.

Big health care premium increases (Monday, 12/20/99)
Many individuals and organizations in the D. C. area are about to undergo sticker shock. David Hilzenrath writes in today's Washington Post about premium increases of from 50 to 100 percent. The plan comes from George Washington University.

Toyota is hiring in the U.S. (Monday, 12/20/99)
Japanese automaker Toyota has four factories in the United States, and they intend to add 2,000 workers. Speaking of big car companies, a new agreement has been ratified overwhelmingly at Saturn. Union leaders see it as an important victory for organized labor. And, speaking of labor, here's news of family help from a non-profit social service agency of the AFL-CIO.

Syria prepares to join the new world economy (Monday, 12/20/99)
Donna Bryson writes from Damascus about the changes going on in Syria where the government apparently wants to open up the economy.

Outsourcing the tough jobs (Monday, 12/20/99)
The Toronto Star reports on a company that has found opportunity in dirty deep fryers.

Lawyers are changing jobs more frequently now too (Monday, 12/20/99)
Anne Colden of the Denver Post reports that attorneys are not an exception to the general tendency of people to change jobs more frequently in a hot economy filled with interesting opportunities for professionals and other highly skilled workers.

The Times surveys the American economy (Monday, 12/20/99)
Here's the annual survey from the New York Times, which finds that the Internet is making a difference which is likely to become a bigger difference as time passes. Also in the Times today, Richard Stevenson reports on how Alan Greenspan's thinking has evolved. The man most in charge of piloting the American economy is recognizing that it really is new in some important ways, and he's examining familiar assumptions. It's still possible to become "irrationally exuberant," though, so cautious Alan continues to be cautious. Finally, Louis Uchitelle writes that a labor-tight economy can do more to tap available women and potential immigrants.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Economics and Philosophy (Monday, 12/20/99)
Economics and Philosophy is an academic journal published in the UK under the direction of a multi-national editorial board. The journal looks like an interesting effort to link the two fields, but their web site doesn't offer a great deal of information, except that you can apply for a free copy. One page lists what apparently are supposed to be links to tables of contents of previous editions but aren't. They're not links, that is. Economics and Philosophy is published twice per year.

Canadian Labor Congress calls for boycott of newspaper (Sunday, 12/19/99)
Canada's largest labor organization is offering its support to strikers at a Calgary newspaper. In other labor news, agreement on a new four-year contract has been reached between GM and the UAW at the big auto company's Lordstown Ohio plant. Also, some airline industry observers think that holiday travel disruptions may be possible as a consequence of the continuing acrimonious relationship between Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants. Others say not a chance. Northwest's flight attendants have been working without a contract for three and one-half years.

Why too-kay? (Sunday, 12/19/99)
What were people worrying about as they approached January 1, 1900? Victoria was still on the British throne presiding over a vast colonial empire, and the Boer War had just started. Mount Rainier National Park had been created in 1899, and President McKinley had just sent a fact-finding commission to the Philippines to find--surprise, surprise--that the Philippine people wanted eventual independence, although U.S. policy was unaffected by that information.

Now, 100 years later, the return of Macao to China after a half-millennium symbolizes the end of colonialism, and many people are wondering if anything will work as the year 2000 begins.

Why Y2K? Computer memory was very scarce at the time many still-in-use programs were written, so programmers conserved it by using only two digits to represent years, rather than four. It's not that they didn't anticipate that the year 2000 would eventually arrive, but they couldn't imagine that these programs would still be in use so many years later. Many of them still are, and it's evidence that, despite popular conceptions and rapid change in some areas, not everything changes overnight, even in computerdom.

Jennifer Beauprez of the Denver Post tells about the many people involved in preparations for midnight January 31, while Steve Alexander of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes about the extra people who will be on duty New Year's Eve because of Y2K. Judith Whelan of the Sydney Morning Herald tells about efforts to be sure there will be sufficient medical personnel on duty. Some doctors will be offered as much as $600 per hour to be available.

Bezos symbolizes the new economy (Sunday, 12/19/99)
The founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, has been selected by Time magazine as its Man of the Year. Is it still possible to create an Internet business out of thin air and make it work? Samuel Fromartz offers an example of a young man who done just that. Finally, Dick Youngblood writes about "anti-consultants" who are available to help business people find their way rather than wandering aimlessly on the info highway.

Another candidate explains his health care plans (Sunday, 12/19/99)
Republican presidential candidate John McCain told an attentive audience of seniors in New Hampshire what he would do to fix the ailing health care system in the U.S.

The nutsiness behind much of college choice (Sunday, 12/19/99)
For most of the history of modern humans on this planet, there was actually a shortage of information. Centuries ago, for instance, there really was no way for a young person to find out what major books contained without going to one of the major universities where the few books that existed tended to be kept. Thus, it was critically important whether one could get accepted by Oxford or Cambridge. After Gutenberg's movable type printing press came on the scene, books became much more freely available, and we began to see large numbers of historically influential intellectual figures who did not attend a university at all.

Now, at the end of the 20th century, most persons in many developed countries have almost unlimited access to information, knowledge, and ideas. Moreover, it's still what the individual does that is the principal factor determining educational outcomes.

Nonetheless, many people persist in believing that their child's future will be desolate if s/he does not get accepted by a "good" college, and "good" usually means "famous and expensive." If junior can only receive the official blessing of an overpriced, reputation-inflated school, his future will be assured, whether he really knows anything and can really do anything or not.

It may be time to give up the remnants of an increasingly ancient feudal and aristocratic past as we begin a new millennium. For whatever reason and by whatever means, does one really know anything and can one really do anything or not? If the answer to those questions is "yes," there aren't any other important questions. If the answer is "no," there aren't any other important questions either.

It's time to focus on realities rather than symbols and empty rituals, we think. Still, Albert Crenshaw reports on the continuing college-choice agonies in today's Washington Post, and Thomas Fogarty writes in USA Today about the growing number of states that are helping people save huge amounts of money for college, rather than encouraging them to ask whether this should be necessary in the first place.

The costs of the boom in Michigan (Sunday, 12/19/99)
Lisa Singhania writes in the Detroit Free Press about the upside and downside of a strong economy that has not left a key old industrial state behind. Meanwhile, Evelyn Nieves writes from San Francisco for the New York Times about being homeless during a period that is very good for most people.

Needed for the new millennium: the right attitude (Sunday, 12/19/99)
Harvey Mackay's article comes to you via the Arizona Republic. Harvey has something to tell you about your attitude, and, yes, this is THE Harvey Mackay.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Biz/ed (Sunday, 12/19/99)
Biz/ed provides resources and services for students and teachers in business and economics and comes to you from the United Kingdom.

A big advance for persons with disabilities (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Individuals with disabilities will now be able to work without fear of losing their federal health benefits. The Washington Post reports that President Clinton signed the bill into law yesterday. Here's more from today's New York Times.

UK government in a forgiving mood (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Britain has decided to forgive millions of dollars of debt owed by some of the world's poorest countries.

We don't wanna talk about it (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Representatives of the WTO nations are talking in Geneva, or, at least, trying to, but the mood hasn't improved greatly since Seattle. So far, they haven't been able to agree on whether to discuss what went wrong two weeks ago or what to do to make things better. Nonetheless, John Burgess and Martha Hamilton of the Washington Post report that U.S. and European reps seem optimistic that some issues can be settled quickly.

Bradley attempts to turn up the heat on Gore with regard to health care (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Former Senator Bill Bradley got more aggressive in a debate with the other major candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination by trying to find holes in Gore's plans for fixing the American health care system. Incidentally, the Canadian system once was regarded by some Americans as what should be adopted in the United States, but, as Steven Pearlstein reports, many Canadians are getting very dissatisfied with it themselves, and some think it's running out of gas entirely.

Aluminum workers at risk of cancer (Saturday, 12/18/99)
The risk may be greater than originally thought, and Alcoa is notifying past and present workers.

Growth expected next year in Japan (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Officials say that the Japanese economy should grow by about 1 percent during the year 2000.

Bias complaint undergoes setback (Saturday, 12/18/99)
A group of African American employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have alleged racial discrimination within the agency, but an EEOC administrative judge says there is no evidence of it.

Going to the store for fun and relaxation (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Not necessarily as a shopper or browser, though; maybe as an employee. Melissa Stanton reports that some people find retail jobs to offer a welcome stress-reducing break from other endeavors.

Record low unemployment in Kansas City (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Unemployment went to a record low of 2.5 percent in October. Here's more from Randolph Heaster of the Kansas City Star.

Bad times on Canadian farms (Saturday, 12/18/99)
Or, at least, on many of them. American farmers aren't the only ones feeling great pressures in the new economy. James Brooke writes from Manitoba for the New York Times on stresses and hard times in Canadian agriculture.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: British Airways Travel Clinics (Saturday, 12/18/99)
If you plan to travel for business or pleasure, you may have good reason to be concerned about health issues. The British Airways Travel Clinics can alert you to hazards that await you at a variety of destinations and what you can do about them.

Compensation deal finalized today (Friday, 12/17/99)
It's official. Former Nazi-era slaves will receive 10 billion marks compensation. Here's more from today's New York Times.

G7, G8, G20, gee-whiz, what's this all about? (Friday, 12/17/99)
G7 refers to the seven richest industrial nations in the world. G8 is these plus Russia, which is the opposite of a rich nation at the moment, but the world has learned from sometimes bitter 20th century experience not to ignore Russia, and that it's usually in the world's enlightened self-interest to wish Russia prosperity and good times. G20 is a group of the rich nations plus a group of the poor nations. Meetings are going on in Berlin right now to see if there may be ways to promote the development of the global economy for the benefit of everybody and also prevent another round of "Asian flu" kinds of disruptions. Among the nations that would like to avoid being hit by another Asian crisis is Australia, and Geoff Kitney of the Sydney Morning Herald tells what the Federal Treasurer thinks will be required in order to do that.

Meanwhile, the U. S. Secretary of State is on her way to Berlin to join in the meetings, but, in her case, it's mostly for political reasons, rather than economic. She will express American concern to Russia about the loss of civilian life in Chechnya. Russia is likely to care what some of the rich nations think, because it will continue to need help in its effort to climb out of its deep, dark economic pit.

Workplace illnesses and injuries hit a record...low (Friday, 12/17/99)
Here's more on the latest good news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor. You're less likely to get sick or have an accident while on the job, but, as we've reported earlier, workplace violence has been on an upswing lately.

Labor laws may change because of telecommuting (Friday, 12/17/99)
The current edition of Investor's Business Daily reports that many people expect that the Fair Labor Standards Act will have to change in order to accommodate the likely fact that more than 30 million Americans will be telecommuting by 2005, which would be a quarter of the entire workforce. Currently, the law places limits on workweek scheduling and paid time-off options in lieu of overtime that may not be consistent with the flexibility that many home workers and their employers prefer. Also, a study from the Gartner Group finds productivity increases associated with telecommuters of from 10 to 40 percent.

Check the streets--is it safe to talk? (Friday, 12/17/99)
With the Seattle experience fresh in their minds, representatives of the World Trade Organization are meeting again in Geneva. The Christian Science Monitor's David Francis has been thinking about why the Seattle talks became such a debacle and would like to share. Mike Carter and David Postman of the Seattle Times also look back and find unrest at the top among those who had been preparing for the crowds for months.

Employers do their best to please (Friday, 12/17/99)
But what incentives will workers find pleasing during a time when there is so much competition for their loyalty and service? Shelley Donald Coolidge tells about the advice that consultant Bob Nelson has for employers.

One of life's ironies (Friday, 12/17/99)
Not so many years ago, most Americans lived on farms which were mostly subsistence operations true to Mr. Jefferson's vision. However, as you know from early American history, Hamilton and Washington's vision for an industrialized America won out, with the considerable advantage that their America would not require slave labor as agriculture in the South seemed to at the time. Now, so many years later, most Americans never get anywhere near a farm and, so, have no real idea what happens in those places. Many still seem to believe in the "country bumpkin" stereotype, while, in actual fact, American agriculture led the economy in post-war mechanization and productivity, and has become a hot bed of hi-tech in recent years. If you want to become a farmer today, you'll need more than a straw hat and a pitchfork. You might want to start with a degree in agricultural science followed by an MBA and some training in information science. John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press will help bring you up to date on what's been happening on the American farm and how it's a dramatic example of how required skill levels have escalated in the new economy.

Houston joins the national expansion (Friday, 12/17/99)
L. M. Sixell writes in today's Houston Chronicle about the big Texas city's economic turnaround after a period of sluggishness.

Feuerstein faces negligence charge (Friday, 12/17/99)
The man who continued to pay his workers after his Malden Mills factory burned down is having new troubles. Thirteen of his workers are claiming that they suffered injuries in the fire, in part, because of company negligence.

Unisys wants more help (Friday, 12/17/99)
Unisys intends to hire an additional 4,000 workers in order to more effectively compete with IBM in the computer services area.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Embark (Friday, 12/17/99)
Embark offers LOTS of help with college, including how to find the right one, how to help the right one find you, and how to cope with academic life once you and your dream school have found each other.

Venezuela will get a new constitution (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Overwhelming support for the adoption of a new constitution represents an endorsement of President Hugo Chavez and a shift to the left that is making investors nervous.

No imminent change in policy on gays in the military (Thursday, 12/16/99)
The Secretary of Defense doesn't see a change coming during the remaining year of the present administration.

Crisis prevention meeting in Berlin (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Representatives of 20 leading industrial and developing nations are getting together today to discuss how to protect the global economy from another Asian-style crisis.

Passengers happier than transit workers in New York City (Thursday, 12/16/99)
A tentative deal has prevented a paralyzing transit strike in the Big City, but, as Larry McShane, some transit workers aren't happy with the settlement.

AMA says candidates should emphasize health care (Thursday, 12/16/99)
The next president should recognize that health care is the major concern of Americans, according to the president of the American Medical Association.

Maryland's entrepreneurship course more popular than ever (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Professor Andrew Sherman thinks some aspects of entrepreneurship can be taught, but the fire must come from within, and some people have it, while some people simply don't.

Whoops! First Union discovers it sliced through the fat and on into the muscle and bone (Thursday, 12/16/99)
First Union Corporation is acknowledging that it weakened itself by making staff cuts that were too deep. Now, it's trying to hire more workers..

There's something vaguely familiar about this columnist (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Adam Smith explains himself in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune. Yes, this is THE Adam Smith. Don't bother sending him a letter with your comments. He wrote this piece at roughly the time of the American Revolution. Here's something that wouldn't surprise Adam: Who can you count on to be altruistic? Well, maybe that's the wrong question. Who can you count on for an ongoing volunteer commitment? Those whose participation serves their self-interest, mostly. Here's more from columnist Diane Stafford in the Kansas City Star.

The 40-foot commute (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Jim Barlow writes in today's Houston Chronicle that 21 million Americans do home work, and they're not students.

Why vote? It just encourages 'em (Thursday, 12/16/99)
Here's Celestine Bohlen's New York Times article about Russia's entrepreneurs and their distaste for Russian politicians, old or new.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Commercial Law League of America (Thursday, 12/16/99)
The Commercial Law League of America has been providing professional services to the credit industry for more than a century. On their site, you will find information relevant to collections, bankruptcy, and more.

Agreement reached on compensation (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Former Nazi-era slaves will be paid $5.14 billion to compensate them for their miseries. Of course, nothing can compensate people for anything like that, and it's really not about money, but money is the best that anybody can do at this point. Here's more from Edmund Andrews writing from Berlin for the New York Times. The money will be paid by the German government as well as many companies that made use of slave labor during Germany's most barbarous period. In order to pay its share, the German government will sell off stock in state-owned companies.

The people movers will keep moving people in New York City (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
An agreement has ended the threat of a crippling transit strike in New York City that would have caused 3 1/2 million people to search for alternative ways of getting from point A to point B every day.

First Seattle, now China (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Some of the same people who helped derail the WTO talks in Seattle don't like the agreement reached between the U.S. and China and intend to try to do something about it. The coalition intends to convince Congress that the agreement that would move China toward World Trade Organization membership isn't a good idea. Here's the story from Les Blumenthal and Adam Entous. Speaking of countries aspiring to membership in one thing or another, Turkey very much wants to join the European Union. Now that the Muslim nation has been accepted as a candidate in an organization that has never included a Muslim nation, it is trying to make it easier for persons who make the final decision to decide in Turkey's favor. Amberin Zaman writes from Ankara about a concession that should please a lot of people, including the Kurdish minority in Turkey.

What a presidential candidate would do about health care (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Senator John McCain has acknowledged that America's health care problem is complex and defies easy solutions. As president, though, he would have to try to do something about a mess that only seems likely to deteriorate further if left on its own. Edward Walsh of the Washington Post reports on McCain's health care proposals. Among other things, the candidate would find a way to help the elderly pay for their prescription medications. In other health-related news, the federal government says that some states have been denying Medicaid benefits to poor families who have slipped off welfare, and that's illegal.

Australian firefighters to receive bonus (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Mark Robinson reports in today's Sydney Morning Herald that the $700 bonus is part of an agreement to bring an end to four months of "industrial action" in New South Wales.

Northwest's flight attendants to begin picketing today (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Flight attendants at Northwest Airlines have been working without a contract for years, and talks have broken down again. They will picket Northwest's hub airports today.

Raise your hand if you think that Y2K will cause a worldwide recession. Or, raise both hands in despair, if you like (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Economist Edward Yardeni thought so last month, but has backed off...a little. However, Elisabeth Eaves reports that most economists expect only a slight disruption, at least in the UK.

Helping clients through tough times (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Washington Post columnist Kirstin Downey Grimsley responds to a correspondent's question about how to help a client through the grieving process.

Don't use the unemployment insurance system for this purpose, paper says (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
The Minneapolis Star Tribune editorializes that President Clinton's plan to enable states to allow workers taking family leave to collect jobless benefits is a bad idea, although the paper recognizes the problem and the need for a solution.

Some of today's job cuts (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
The new economy keeps on churning. New jobs are being created every day, and many sectors and regions are experiencing labor shortages. But, while all this is going on, jobs are being lost too. For instance, ExxonMobil is cutting jobs. In fact, the newly merged entity will cut 7,000 more jobs than they originally expected. Honeywell, which was sold not long ago, is also restructuring in various ways, and an additional 480 jobs are set to go.

Some women are finding their way through or around the "glass ceiling" (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
A new study from Catalyst finds that one-tenth of the seats on the boards of America's largest companies are now occupied by women. Of course, slightly more than half of the total population is female, so, as Eileen Alt Powell reports, there is still room for improvement.

Would you like to wrap this purchase yourself and also ring it up, please? (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
There are a lot of willing shoppers this holiday season, but not nearly enough retail sales personnel. Here's more from Kris Axtman and James Thurman of the Christian Science Monitor. Also in the Monitor today, Howard LaFranchi writes that poor people in Venezuela may approve a new constitution today, and that would make a still-popular president more powerful. Finally, Justin Brown explains why the Panama Canal doesn't matter to the U.S. as much as it used to, and it all has to do with cyberspace and markets in the new global economy.

The latest numbers paint a now-familiar picture (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Rollin', rollin', rollin'. The American economy just keeps rollin' along toward a record expansion.

'Tis the season to find a job (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Most people might not be thinking about job hunting during the holiday season, but, for many, it's the best time to do so, according to Sherman Associates.

North Koreans may still be cold, but a little less hungry this winter (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
Japan and North Korea have decided to resume talks aimed at establishing diplomatic relations. Also, Japan will start shipping food to North Korea again. Food aid had been suspended more than a year ago. Meanwhile, a UN agency reports that food will be particular short in East Africa for the foreseeable future.

The odds of an IRS audit are shifting (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
You're more likely to be audited if you make a lot of money, right? Not any more. David Cay Johnston reports in today's New York Times that the Internal Revenue Service will spend more time looking for cheaters among the working poor.

Many NYC construction sites are becoming towers of Babel (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
What happens when people are working together but don't share a common language? Sometimes disaster happens, particularly if it's on a major construction site with a lot of heavy equipment and dangers of all kinds. Tina Kelley has more.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Center for International Health Information (Wednesday, 12/15/99)
The Center for International Health Information provides a variety of technical and analytical services to support USAID programs throughout the world.

More evidence that the Israeli economy is still struggling (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
Unemployment in Israel continued its upward march in October, reaching 9.2 percent. Moti Bassok has the story in Ha'aretz. Also, Haim Bior writes about why pension fund managers would like to see the retirement age raised to 67.

Transit workers prohibited from striking at Midnight Wednesday (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
A judge has stepped in to issue a temporary restraining order as talks continue. About 3 1/2 million persons ride the New York City transit system each day.

Big car retailer to cut jobs (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
AutoNation will cut 1,800 jobs. The company will close a lot of used-car stores too. In Canada, Call-Net is having its troubles too and will cut its workforce by five percent.

Defense Secretary orders investigation of harassment of gays in military (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
Cohen orders investigation that will take about 90 days. Meanwhile, candidate Al Gore says he will change the policy if he becomes the next president. In Japan, a new anti-harassment and sexual discrimination law has prompted a number of lawsuits. Kathryn Tolbert of the Washington Post reports on the resolution of a major case that involves the largest award to a plaintiff in a sexual harassment case in Japan. The person who will pay $107,000 to a 21-year-old student is also a major Japanese politician.

A deal on the compensation of former Nazi slaves may be imminent (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
An agreement could come within a few days, according to Germany's chief negotiator. The sides have agreed that Nazi-era slaves should be compensated, but they've remained far apart on the amount.

Greenspan re-appointment likely (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
Indications are that President Clinton will reappoint Alan Greenspan to head the Federal Reserve, assuming that the Chairman wants to keep the job.

New study finds that HMOs often place arbitrary limits on mental health services (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
The study of managed care cost-control policies appears in the current edition of the journal Psychiatric Services. Meanwhile, a major report from the United States Surgeon General's office finds a high incidence of psychological problems, a great proportion of which are never treated. At any particular time, approximately 20 percent of Americans suffer from some psychological disorder, according to the study, but mental health professionals have known that for sometime. That amounts to approximately 50 million Americans per year, incidentally. Overall, health insurance costs are on the way up again, but employers are likely to pick up the tab in a seller's market for labor. David Hilzenrath of the Washington Post says that the costs are hitting small businesses the hardest. You'll recall that the Canadian health system was used by some Americans a few years ago as a model of what should be adopted in the United States. However, as Ruth Walker of the Christian Science Monitor reports, Alberta is re-examining its system, thinking that the private sector should have a greater role. So far, nobody seems to have figured out just what to do about health care and health care costs.

Student strike in Mexico City grinds on (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
Soon, only the older people on campus will be able to remember when the student strike at Latin America's largest university began, and those who have been waiting for it to end will have to wait a little longer. Talks have broken off.

Secretary Summers doesn't like long-term IMF loans (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury wants to see the International Monetary Fund scale back its lending.

What is/was hot and what not. (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
The Detroit Free Press compares the really hot jobs at century's beginning and end.

If you have something to sell, don't overlook women biz owners (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
The National Association of Women Business Owners emphasizes that women who own businesses buy a lot of things not ordinarily associated with women, so it's a broader market than you may think. Besides, there are a lot of women business owners. In fact, more new businesses are being started by women now than by men.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Entrepreneurial Edge (Tuesday, 12/14/99)
On Entrepreneurial Edge, entrepreneurs learn from each other and share.

Who's afraid of the big bad Y2K? (Monday, 12/13/99)
Surveys indicate that most Americans don't seem too concerned. It remains to be seen how much of this attitude arises out of the sort of residual 1950's-style naivete about technology--that it can only provide benefits, never costs or risks. Not everybody is so blase about the onset of the new year, though. Philip Shenon writes about dozens of professionals who will be on duty and watching closely from Washington, D. C. as January 1, 2000 sweeps around the globe. Will we be at the familiar place on your screen New Year's morning? We really have no idea. If we're not, you can be sure that it will not be because we've chosen to accept an invitation to lead the assault on Minnesota livers the night before. We'll prepare NewWork News as usual New Year's morning. Whether it will reach you will be up to the cyberelves. Incidentally, January 2 will be the 4th anniversary of NewWork News. The BraveNewWorkWorld site was four years old last October.

Does the new millennium begin on January 1? (Monday, 12/13/99)
Not really, but President Clinton says he's willing to join most Americans who think it does and celebrate anyway. Any reason for a party is good enough. After all, there's a certain arbitrariness to calendars anyway. If our ancestors had chosen to use some calendar other than the Gregorian a few centuries ago, there wouldn't be any talk of a "new millennium" this year or next. Now, why does the new millennium start at 2001, you might ask? After all, a baby's life doesn't begin on his/her first birthday, right?

Basically, it's because there was no "zero year," so we will not have completed the second thousand years of this era until next year. That is, on our present calendar, our ancestors went directly from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D, to use the traditional labels. If you don't like those, you can call them B.C.E and C.E, respectively. Isn't this fun? Incidentally, if you'd like to count Americans for the Census Bureau, they'd like to hear from you. David Peterson reports that recruitment is slow in the community that consistently has had the lowest metropolitan unemployment rate in the U.S. during a time when national unemployment is at its lowest in a generation.

If your computer really were to take you back to 1900, what would things be like New Year's morning? (Monday, 12/13/99)
American life has been transformed during the 20th century. The Bureau of the Census provides some interesting comparisons between then and now. Care to speculate about how things will be as the world approaches New Year's Day 2100? As fundamentally as the Internet may change everything, Frederick Zimmerman says that history would suggest that we try to be a little sober in our assessments. It is in the nature of social creatures to stimulate each other to excessive levels of enthusiasm now and then. Incidentally, despite all of the late 20th century's marvels, millions of the world's children continue to suffer grievously. Why is that? This isn't the end of the 14th century, after all. UNICEF officials say that it certainly isn't because the world lacks to means to improve the lives of children.

To share or not to share (Monday, 12/13/99)
When things are rough at home, who should you tell at work? Columnist Amy Joyce has some suggestions.

Economists battle for control of Chile's government (Monday, 12/13/99)
The right-wing candidate has made a strong showing in Chile's presidential election, so a run-off seems to be on the way. Both leading candidates are economists, suggesting that economists certainly don't agree on everything, in case you were wondering.

Guess who's running TV ads in an effort to persuade (Monday, 12/13/99)
Yes, it's Russia's Communist Party. Old Uncle Joe wouldn't have bothered with something like this. Times really have changed. Many persons in the West will find it difficult to believe that anybody could look back on the Soviet period as the "good old days," but the fact is that the Russian GDP has diminished by about half during the 1990s. The Communists' TV ads are emphasizing economic issues in the parliamentary campaign, as you might guess. Speaking of elections, Business Week tells why the Mexican economy may not take its customary hit this time because of the presidential election.

Americans begin to get their financial houses in order (Monday, 12/13/99)
Personal bankruptcies and delinquencies have been on the way down. Here's more from Christine Dugas of USA Today. The Detroit Free Press has some advice on how you can use the remaining days of the year to reduce your tax jolt next April 15.

What price ignorance? (Monday, 12/13/99)
Economic ignorance can be very costly. Anjetta McQueen reports on an interesting learning exercise from which some high schoolers are benefiting.

Some of today's labor news (Monday, 12/13/99)
A tentative agreement has ended the occupation of Molson Breweries Barrie, Ontario plant, but a strike of airport workers has grounded planes in Israel. Things are looking a bit better in New York City. Three and one-half million transit passengers may not have to walk after all, as optimism builds that a transit strike may be avoided. Finally, Christopher Torchia reports that the labor movement in South Korea may be getting less radical, despite last week's violence in the streets.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: AMA Seminars (Monday, 12/13/99)
Here are one- and two-day training seminars from the American Management Association.

The vast economic impact of AIDS (Sunday, 12/12/99)
AIDS is consuming the workforce over large areas of Africa.

China pins its job-creation hopes on WTO membership (Sunday, 12/12/99)
China's population is so vast that nearly anything one can say about it defies the imagination of persons who are used to smaller numbers. For instance, as China has attempted to restructure or shut down the huge, inefficient, money-losing state-run industries from that period when their system still had some relationship to Marxist ideology, tens of millions of persons have been thrown out of work, and further restructuring is on its way. Now, it is expected that membership in the World Trade Organization will put nearly 10 million farmers out of work. So, why on earth do they want to join the WTO? Because they're hoping that membership will result in the creation of large numbers of new jobs which are more relevant to the needs of the new world economy.

Bill decides Hillary is right (Sunday, 12/12/99)
The President agrees that "Don't ask, don't tell" hasn't worked. Charles Aldinger writes that the whole issue of gays in the military may become a major issue in the presidential campaign.

Employment-wise, 1999 has been a very good year (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Newsday's Robert Reno examines the government's final employment report of the year and says the American economy is in very good shape for the start of a new millennium.

Israeli government officials get a raise (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Zvi Zrahiya reports in Ha'aretz that senior officials in Israel's government will get raises amounting to twice the rate of inflation.

The role of flight attendant is hazardous for its own special reasons (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Deb Riechmann reports on efforts by flight attendants to obtain more stringent health and safety protections. There are other occupations with their own hazards too, some physical, some psychological. Dirk Johnson writes from Rockford, Illinois about the harder parts of being a firefighter. This might be a good time to remember those workers who deliberately expose themselves to situations most people don't want to go near, suggesting that these situations are probably "toxic" in some way and that workers in them should take the risk of "burnout" seriously. In addition to firefighters, these include emergency room personnel, police officers, social workers, psychotherapists, and more.

In sickness and in health, but...in business? (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Elaine Carey of the Toronto Star writes about the special stresses and rewards of being in business with your spouse. Meanwhile, columnist David Crane discusses a problem that is not exclusive to Canada in the new economy--how to find a way to distribute the benefits of globalization in a more equitable manner.

The benefits of flexibility (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Who ever said that things are best accomplished on a rigid schedule? Many things which may or may not have been functional in the old economy surely aren't in the new. Over the past several years, we've reported on the decline of hierarchy, close supervision, narrow spans of control and other characteristics of the old, mechanical industrial economy which were taken for granted for years. However, the new economy is SO new in so many fundamental ways, that it's requiring a zero-based re-thinking of what will work well and what won't. The Boston Globe's Juliet Brudney tells why many employers and employees are finding that it is in their enlightened self-interest to abandon the 9-to-5 mind set. However, there are other ideas whose time has not yet quite come. One is the corporate sabbatical, according to Janet Kidd Stewart of the Chicago Tribune.

GM offers $25 million to workers who sued for fraud (Sunday, 12/12/99)
They were tricked into retiring early, say 208 former employees of General Motors.

Many workers no longer need conventional offices (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Nationally syndicated columnist Carol Kleiman writes about the rise of the "virtual office," meaning that you can do your work and conduct your business nearly anywhere with the help of the new technologies. With a laptop, cell phone, and organizer, your office can be a table at your favorite restaurant, or your car, or a park bench, or a client's reception area.

Why etiquette is still important for your career (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Looking for an explanation for why your business failed? It may have been because of a lack of manners.

Getting your blood pressure under control during a group interview (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Being interviewed by a whole group of people at once can feel like an interrogation by the KGB. Columnist Amy Lindgren has some advice on how to handle a situation that is all but inevitable at least once or twice during your career. Meanwhile, another major columnist has some advice for pumping yourself up if you're among the downsized out, and, despite all the stories about all the new jobs, the labor shortages, and so on, there are still many persons who are being displaced and are hurting.

New mission for the Rockefeller Foundation (Sunday, 12/12/99)
One of the oldest and best-known foundations will concentrate its attention on helping to provide jobs, food, and health care for the world's poor.

Who will be the next president's economic advisors? (Sunday, 12/12/99)
The rock-solid stability of American political institutions is legendary throughout the world and is one of the principal reasons so many of the world's people would like to come to the U.S. or, at least, invest their money in the United States. For example, we can be as sure that there will be a new American president as that the sun will come up in the morning, and we know exactly when it will happen, even though we don't know who that person will be. Given that there are a number of realistic possibilities, you might want to familiarize yourself with their principal economic advisers. Richard Stevenson wants to tell you about Lawrence Lindsey who is advising the governor of Texas who might be moving from Austin to Washington in a little more than a year.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Peace Corps (Sunday, 12/12/99)
Since 1961, more than 150,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in a total of 134 countries around the world. Young people often find that Peace Corps service can help them sort out their long-term career goals and acquire valuable perspective on the "real world" outside their own mostly privileged communities. However, some Americans choose to serve following their retirement.

Violence in the streets of Seoul...again (Saturday, 12/11/99)
One-hundred-sixty persons have been injured as demonstrators clash with police in South Korea's largest city. It was supposed to have been a huge but peaceful labor rally protesting government policies and persistently high levels of unemployment despite a vigorous recovery of the South Korean economy.

How long before the Internet will be driving the entire American economy? (Saturday, 12/11/99)
Hi-tech generally seems to be doing that already, as recent spectacular stock market advances seem to reflect. However, a Cisco Systems study conducted at the University of Texas in Austin says that the Internet economy grew 68 percent from the first quarter of 1998 to the first quarter of 1999. Internet companies in the United States now employ 2.3 million Americans, according to Telephony, and a third of these businesses did not exist before 1996. The current edition of Newsweek reports that more and more venture capital is going into Internet startups, and an increasing number of college grads, new MBAs, and lower-level executives from large conventional companies are being drawn to Internet companies.

Turkey moves toward becoming part of the European Union (Saturday, 12/11/99)
Turkey is a Muslim nation and the first such nation to become part of the European Union which is expected to include 500 million people early in the next century.

Will New Yorkers soon be walking? (Saturday, 12/11/99)
Mayor Giuliani is threatening strong economic and legal action in an effort to head off a possible transit strike in the Big City.

A study in contrasts (Saturday, 12/11/99)
During recent months, the Twin Cities has often enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. among large communities, but, as Mark Brunswick of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, Minneapolis also has a homelessness problem that has reached crisis levels.

Japan's economic disequilibrium (Saturday, 12/11/99)
The post-war Japanese economic miracle, which was the envy of the world in the later years of the old economy, is slipping ever more deeply into history. As James Flanigan reports in the Houston Chronicle, Japan is restructuring for the new economy, but it's still very much an incomplete process, and there is disorder all around.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Wyoming Job Network (Saturday, 12/11/99)
According to the latest studies, there are literally tens of thousands of web sites that list jobs. The Wyoming Job Network is one which concentrates on opportunities in this western state, offers training information, and a good deal more.

German companies may have more money for compensation after all (Friday, 12/10/99)
Negotiations on the compensation of Nazi-era slaves have been stuck on the total amount of money that German companies should pay. Erik Kirschbaum reports that Germany companies that used slave labor during Germany's darkest period may be prepared to raise their offer in order to move the deadlocked negotiations toward settlement. U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat fears that the talks could break down entirely and urges calm and flexibility.

The South Korean economy is coming back, but unions aren't happy (Friday, 12/10/99)
Unemployment remains high in South Korea, and labor unions are stepping up the pressure. South Korea's big neighbor to the east isn't enjoying such a brisk expansion, but Japanese government officials are saying that recovery is continuing, such as it is, and business confidence seems to be on the rise.

Hillary disagrees with Bill on "don't ask, don't tell" (Friday, 12/10/99)
The New York Senatorial candidate doesn't believe that the American military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy has worked, and thinks that it contributes to abuse of gays in the military. A recent murder case for which an Army private has been sentenced to life in prison has drawn additional attention to the policy. Meanwhile, the American military continues to have difficulty attracting and holding the quality personnel that it needs during a time when there are a lot of civilian job opportunities. Roberto Suro of the Washington Post reports on the latest effort to provide attractive incentives. This time, it will be an opportunity for privates to earn a college degree online. Australia's military is also having recruitment problems. Peter Cole-Adams of the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Australian Navy is going to offer a $35,000 bonus and other benefits to persons who serve two years on its submarines.

What to do about the "temp-ing of America?" (Friday, 12/10/99)
Actually, as we've been reporting, an increased reliance on temporary or contract workers seems a fairly common attribute of the new economy over much of the world. A major reason is that eligibility criteria for employee benefits were fashioned in the old economy. In the new, which greatly values flexibility, including a "just-in-time" workforce, the principal benefits of using "independent contractors" or temps accrue to the employer. Tony Push writes about a set of issues about which you are likely to hear far more during the next year or two.

Marchers in New York protest continuing use of sweatshop labor (Friday, 12/10/99)
Students and union leaders marched in New York City last night to urge major retailers to end their use of sweatshops and abusive child labor .

New protocol on women's rights (Friday, 12/10/99)
Women will be able to file complaints with the UN on sexual discrimination and exploitation under a new agreement to be signed today by at least 18 countries.

Education Trust's report says American high schools have to do more (Friday, 12/10/99)
More than two-thirds of American high school graduates go on to additional schooling, but many are unprepared for the demands of college or the expectations of employers in the new economy, according to the new study. Meanwhile, here's one aspect of the new global economy that hasn't gotten much public attention: The U.S. is carrying on a lot of international trade in higher education. That is, more Americans are studying overseas, and more people from other countries are studying in the United States.

It's gotten a lot harder to make a living harvesting lobsters in Long Island Sound (Friday, 12/10/99)
Some sort of exotic disease has been killing the lobsters and also killing a lot of careers. Here's more from Frank Eltman in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Bank employees to get their overtime pay after all (Friday, 12/10/99)
U.S. Bank will pay workers who were wrongly categorized as ineligible $3.8 million in back overtime pay.

Here's how to be appreciated: show your appreciation (Friday, 12/10/99)
L. M. Sixel of the Houston Chronicle tells how creative employers are finding ways to reward their employees. Money is always nice, as well as any other nice surprises that can make special people feel special.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Federal Trade Commission (Friday, 12/10/99)
The American Federal Trade Commission is a government agency that sees its role as helping markets function competitively, free of undue restrictions. It does this by enforcing federal antitrust and consumer protection laws, among other things.

The new haves and have nots (Thursday, 12/9/99)
In a global information economy, access in information and information technologies will have an increasing amount to do with determining who will be among the economic haves and have nots. At the moment, a disproportionate number of the people on the Internet are in the United States, although much of the rest of the world will begin to catch up fast during the years immediately ahead. Not all American population sectors have equal access, though, and this concerns the President who has a tour scheduled for the spring to call attention to the need to connect all Americans.

Help for the homeless pays off (Thursday, 12/9/99)
John Poirier writes