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January 1999

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Big strikes in Germany (Sunday, 1/31/99)
John Schmid reports in the Paris-based International Herald Tribune that a widespread demand for wage increases across Germany could reverberate across Europe.

Brazilian and IMF officials talk today (Sunday, 1/31/99)
The talks will be "frank," according to Jeremy Smith of Reuters. Brazil's problems are only part of the world's problems, of course, and Knut Engelmann has more on U.S. Treasury Secretary Rubin's efforts to encourage Europe and Japan to help more.

Oklahoma's Governor Keating critical of Clinton on welfare (Sunday, 1/31/99)
Governor Keating sees an Administration movement away from the idea that the states know best how to use federal welfare funds.

April 15 is the IRS' deadline, as well as yours (Sunday, 1/31/99)
The American Internal Revenue Service intends to reorganize itself, and April 15 is when the plans are supposed to be finalized.

How hi-tech hiring is beginning to resemble big-time commercial athletics (Sunday, 1/31/99)
When smaller high-technology companies identify a person who has exactly the skills they need, they're likely to find themselves competing with big companies that are willing to offer sky-high salaries, bonuses, and other incentives. The current edition of EE Times has the story.

Zeroing in on the gender gap (Sunday, 1/31/99)
The United States Department of Labor is beginning to enforce discrimination laws more aggressively, according to Davan Maharaj of the Los Angeles Times, at the same time that the Clinton administration also calls for more spending to support additional incentives for narrowing the gender gap. Here's that story from the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Columnist advises attorney with a lot of short career path stops (Sunday, 1/31/99)
The Washington Post's Kristen Downey Grimsley attempts to help the correspondent keep things in perspective and find ways to diffuse prospective employer concerns. Also in the Post today, Albert Crenshaw tells about the controversial trend toward "cash-balance" pension plans. Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn reports that the number of number of debt counseling services has been increasing rapidly along with the need. Finally, does your employer's health insurance plan cover acupuncture or massage therapy? Amy Joyce says that it may, because an increasing number of plans are pulling "alternative treatments" under their umbrella.

Mastering 3R's and a C (Sunday, 1/31/99)
President Clinton thinks that computer skills have become part of basic literacy for workers. Nancy Weil of CNN reports that the President has been emphasizing the need to close the computer skills gap a lot recently. Incidentally, do you think the Prez himself is a whiz on a spreadsheet or a word processor?

The Guthrie's curtain won't come down after all (Sunday, 1/31/99)
Stagehands at the famed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis have decided for the moment not to strike. They had authorized a strike which could have begun tomorrow, but have decided to extend the present contract in order to allow talks to continue as late as March 31.

Minnesota experiences less of a child care crisis than expected (Sunday, 1/31/99)
Jean Hopfensperger reports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune that last year's welfare changes have not impacted so heavily on the child care system as expected. Also in the Strib, Jon Tevlin reports on a court ruling that may strengthen employee privacy rights in the workplace and has employers worried.

A new MBA recipient is disappointed (Sunday, 1/31/99)
Michelle Cottle writes in today's New York Times that experience still counts for a lot in the workplace, despite strengthened credentials. Also in the Times, Steven Greenhouse writes about protests by Duke University and Georgetown University students over concern that clothing items bearing the universities' names could be made in sweatshops. A new code doesn't go far enough, they say.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: American Demographics Magazine (Sunday, 1/31/99)
What could be more significant for life in the new century than current demographic trends? American Demographics Magazine presents a tremendous number of their articles on line, free, but, if interested, they hope you will subscribe to the print edition.

Rubin speaks in Europe about the world economy (Saturday, 1/30/99)
United States Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, speaking in Switzerland to political and economic leaders, tells what he thinks it will take to bring the world economy out of its worst crisis in a half century. Help from Europe and Japan will be part of what will be needed, he says. Approximately 40% of the world is in recession or worse at the moment. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy continues to be an island of prosperity surrounded by troubles. In fact, the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 5.6 percent during the final quarter of 1998.

Will the U.S. follow Sweden's lead? (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Sweden already has been privatizing its retirement system in ways similar to what the Clinton administration and some in the American Congress would like to do. Varadarajan Chari wonders about the extent to which government should be involved in retirement preparation at all.

Australia's PM wants to link the dole to reading skills (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Many young people are about to be offered a very tangible incentive for learning to read. Here's that story from the Australian News Network.

A new spin on "intellectual property" (Saturday, 1/30/99)
In an information economy, can information workers themselves be regarded as "intellectual property?" Karyn Standen writes in Canada's Ottowa Citizen about a court case that is drawing a lot of attention.

How new grads can make their first full-time job the one they really want (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Columnist Amy Lindgren offers advice to soon-to-be graduates.

Will the tax changes affect you? (Saturday, 1/30/99)
They will if you're a farmer, a student, or a volunteer, says columnist Gary Klott.

You've got a fifty-fifty chance of hiring the right person; may as well flip a coin (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Author and consultant Bradford Smart tells how quality interviewing, among other things, can improve your chances of avoiding costly, very costly hiring mistakes in his book, Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People.

Job cuts at Medtronic (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Minnesota-based Medtronic will close half of its vascular products plants outside the state and cut 1,600 jobs in the process.

Advice on tracking down dishonest employees (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Several people from the daily biz world suggest what you should do if you suspect an employee of theft.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Students for Responsible Business (Saturday, 1/30/99)
Students for Responsible Business is an international network of the next generation of business leaders with an interest in using business to create a better world, socially, environmentally, and otherwise.

More from Greenspan on Social Security (Friday, 1/29/99)
The American Federal Reserve's Chairman Alan Greenspan emphasizes that making Social Security work for the long-term isn't going to be painless and will require hard choices. Mr. Greenspan also indicates his approval of plans to use part of the surplus to reduce the U.S. government's enormous debt. How much surplus can be expected? The Congressional Budget Office says to expect $2.6 trillion over the next ten years. Wheee!

Unemployment up in Brazil (Friday, 1/29/99)
Brazilian unemployment went up two percentage points last year, according to new government statistics. Also, Diana Jean Schemo of the New York Times reports that the World Bank has frozen loans to two Brazilian states that are in conflict with the central government.

Nurses suffering from managed care (Friday, 1/29/99)
Managed care has resulted in lower pay and restricted employment opportunities for nurses, according to a new study conducted by Harvard and Dartmouth professors.

Some of today's job cuts (Friday, 1/29/99)
Job cuts have been announced at PeopleSoft, Goodyear, and Unocal.

Top Canadian government workers want out (Friday, 1/29/99)
Kathryn May writes in the Ottowa Citizen about a report from the Centre for Research and Education on Women and Work at Carleton University on what may become an exodus of Canada's public service elite.

Why European unions worry about the euro (Friday, 1/29/99)
That's "European unions," not the "European Union." John Vinocur and John Schmid write in the Paris-based International Herald Tribune say that union leaders are concerned about cost disparities and downward competitive bidding on wages.

Workers protest pension cuts in China (Friday, 1/29/99)
According to Inside China Today, the Chinese government plans to cut the pensions of retired workers from the Fengjie County Sulfur Mine, and 200 of them have been protesting.

Labor costs inflated only a bit last year (Friday, 1/29/99)
Here's John Berry's Washington Post article on new data from the Labor Department. Wages and benefits improved for some, but not for all. Here's more from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Japan's unemployment picture improved slightly in December (Friday, 1/29/99)
It was still a record year overall, though, according to Hirotaka Tanaka in Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun. Also, Taro Karasaki writes about the grim picture for Japan's unemployed youth.

Hoffa keeps his victory (Friday, 1/29/99)
However, a federal monitor says Teamsters President James Hoffa's running mate cannot assume his office.

American teachers say they need help, training (Friday, 1/29/99)
A new survey from the U.S. Department of Education finds that a minority of American teachers feel that they're qualified to work in a modern classroom, given the technology revolution and the diverse needs of students.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Retirement Worksheets (Friday, 1/29/99)
How much will you need to save in order to retire comfortably? The Wall Street Journal organization offers help in making the necessary calculations with their Retirement Worksheets.

Protesters slow the flow in Canadian and Polish agriculture (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Government grain weighers are on strike in Vancouver, and farmers are blocking highways in Poland.

Clinton to announce his plans for increasing literacy and job training (Thursday, 1/28/99)
The President will speak in Virginia today, and will say that he wants to spend an additional $840 million next year to help displaced workers, as well as to increase literacy and job preparation.

Home ownership in a strong American economy (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Two-thirds of Americans own their own homes now, or, at least, are in the process of paying off a mortgage. It's the highest rate of home ownership in American history.

More evidence that the managed care solution really may not be a long-term solution (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Employers have been pulling back from HMOs, while costs have been increasing. Speaking of health issues, if you're old and have a heart attack, you're more likely to survive if you're treated at a teaching hospital.

Finally--we know why some older people seem confused (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn talks about the increasing complexity of retirement plans, which are enough to confuse anybody at any age. Speaking of issues having to do with the elderly, the New York Times' David Rosenbaum says you can expect that the most vigorous debate in Washington will be about Social Security during the months ahead. He also explains the basics.

Wanted--people who can count, and count, and count (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Representative Dan Miller of Florida would like to see Americorps people help with the year 2000 census.

Many Japanese want to do volunteer work overseas (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun reports that the Japan International Cooperation Agency has seen an increase in applications, perhaps pushed a bit by the recession in Japan. Also, the same paper reports that Fujitsu, Japan's largest computer manufacturer, is changing its policy to allow workers to collect retirement benefits while they're still working, if they choose. Company spokespersons say it's an effort to serve the needs of a more diverse workforce, which includes people who do not expect to work for the same employer throughout their careers.

Cathay Pacific workers say they won't strike (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Cabin attendants at the Hong Kong airline pledge not to strike, despite withdrawing from an agreement reached with the company's management last week.

The changing role of school nurse (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Carey Goldberg reports that school nurses in the United States find themselves spending more time dispensing medications.

Newsweek examines jobs in the new economy for the new century (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Newsweek, of one of America's leading weekly news magazines, has a major cover story this time on the changing career scene in the new economy and what the future is likely to hold.

Less can amount to about the same (Thursday, 1/28/99)
Less may or may not be more, but some workers are finding that cutting back on the number of work hours isn't hurting their career advancement. Here's Rex Huppke's report via ABC News.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: TAP: The Ada Project (Thursday, 1/28/99)
If you seek Internet resources for women in computer science, seek them here. This is The Ada Project, and it comes to you from Yale University.

Consumer confidence up in the U.S. (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
Scott Gerlach reports that the Conference Board's index of consumer confidence has hit a five-month high, fueled, in part, by a strong job market.

Brazil relieves its big headache a bit by pushing through reform measures (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
Brazil's government approved austerity measures yesterday, providing evidence to investors and others that the country is capable of doing what needs to be done to fix its economy and head off disaster.

Boeing follows through on job-cut plans, despite 4th quarter profit (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
The huge Seattle-based aircraft company has indicated that they will make big job cuts, and they're beginning to do what they said they would do.

International meeting in Dhaka to oppose sexual exploitation (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
There is a dark side to the new world economy, and that is a resurgence in various forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, including sexual slavery. Three-hundred activists are meeting today in Bangladesh to find ways to stem the tide.

Pope thinks U.S. could stand a bit more "moral vision" (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
Steve Pagani reports from St. Louis where Pope John Paul has renewed his concern about life in the United States as well as America's influence on the rest of the world. He's frequently expressed his misgivings about some of the unintended consequences of the highly competitive new world economy with its increase in extremes of wealth and poverty, but he has other things in mind as well.

Job stress may be a major national problem in the U.S. (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
According to a recent survey, 4 out of 10 American workers rate their jobs as "very stressful." If you're interested in knowing about the warning signs, NIOSH can offer some guidance.

What to do about the 2000 census, and why both major parties think it's so important (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
The Supreme Court has said that sampling techniques cannot be used in the year 2000 census, because the Constitution says an effort must be made to count everybody, and a statistical census is a different thing from a statistical sample.

However, nothing was known about modern statistical procedures by the founding fathers, and the entire American population at the time was about as large as the population of Minnesota today. Even the most imaginative among late 18th century persons probably would not have imagined an America containing more than a quarter billion people, let along what an effort to count all those people would mean.

It is true: modern sampling procedures can be considerably more accurate than a census, but the Constitution is the Constitution. James Dao writes in today's New York Times about why the fight over the next big census has gotten so partisan. Barbara Vobejda of the Washington Post says that part of the fight is over whether to produce two sets of numbers and how to use them if they're produced. Incidentally, the press is calling the sampling plan "controversial," but it's mostly controversial among people who don't know anything about modern statistics, or those who have a political vested interest in the one procedure or the other, and some of these are the same people.

Medicare panel split, but may be near a consensus anyway (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
As Amy Goldstein reports, a key argument has been over which benefits to guarantee, but Robert Pear says that the advisory committee on fixing Medicare seems to be getting close to an agreement about what it will recommend.

Clinton defends his uses of a major portion of the surplus for Social Security (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
In his State of the Union speech, President Clinton indicated that he would like to see much of the surplus used to help secure Social Security for the future. Today, he has more details, as well as a defense of his plan.

Hog farmers try to survive by cutting out the middle persons (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
Minnesota hog farmers aren't the first to take their pork products directly to consumers in an effort to survive historically low pork prices.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: American Translators Society (Wednesday, 1/27/99)
It's one world, and, increasingly, it's a single global economy, but it still contains a tremendous number of languages in common daily use. With people from all over the world working together or engaging in business transactions, there is a great need for professional translators. In the United States, many of them belong to the American Translators Society.

Albright tells Russians to get realistic (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
The American Secretary of State recognizes that the U.S. needs for Russia to succeed, and, on her visit to Moscow this week, she's renewing American pledges of support, but is also telling Russian officials that their present plans for fixing the increasingly disastrous Russian economy are unrealistic. Russia's vast population is living on resources typical of much smaller Western countries and those resources are shrinking fast. Many observers around the world worry that Russia could disintegrate politically as a consequence, and also worry about what would happen to the tremendous number of nuclear weapons from the old Soviet period that are still scattered around the country.

New Labor Department data on unionization in America (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Membership in unions has increased recently, but, still, a smaller proportion of the American workforce is unionized. Here's that story from the Washington Post and the New York Times.

No sampling in the 2000 census (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
House Republicans have won one, as the Supreme Court rejects a Clinton administration plan to incorporate sampling procedures into the year 2000 census in order to increase overall accuracy in minority communities where many persons presumably were missed last time.

Brazil's economic problems wash ashore in the Southeastern U.S. (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Darren McDermott writes in today's Wall Street Journal about the economic impact in parts of the U.S. of Brazil's troubles. Also, Diana Jean Schemo of the New York Times that Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Service estimates that there is one chance in three that Brazil will have to default on some of its debts.

Pope asks for help in dealing with conditions of new "global society" (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Pope John Paul has spoken about his concern with the growing have vs. have not gap in the new global economy many times. In a speech in Mexico City, he urges everybody to work toward the amelioration of social ills during the new millennium, asking that the new "global society" not be spiritual indigent.

Employers win one in the Supreme Court (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
The Supreme Court has ruled that employers need not share pension fund surpluses with their employees.

Eleven thousand people to lose their jobs at Ericsson (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
The job cuts will occur over a period of two years and will amount to about 11% of the big Swedish telecommunication company's workforce.

The argument against higher wages (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Higher wages mean pushing the unskilled out of the workforce, according to Thomas Dilworth in the Christian Science Monitor. Also in the Monitor, Abraham McLaughlin reports on a new low in the Twin Cities, and he's not talking about the temperature. Minnesota's metropolitan area has an unemployment rate of 1.5 percent, which essentially means full employment. But, most of the country is experiencing the tightest labor market in a long time, and in-demand workers are getting bolder. Daniel Mcginn and John McCormick offer some perspective in Newsweek, while Diana Kunde of Knight Ridder says that even Mary Poppins could negotiate for a big raise in today's economy. Still, according to Andrea Kay of the Gannett News Service, some employers are exercising too much power over aspects of employee lives not related to work. It's called "lifestyle discrimination," she says

Missouri judges to get another pay raise (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
For many, it would be the second raise in less than a year, according to Will Sentell of the Kansas City Star.

Portugeuse government proposes raise (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Diario Economico reports that Portugal's government is proposing a wage increase for workers in the private sector of up to 4%. Political debate begins today on both salaries and prices.

Remember the "new math?" (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
Allan Sloan of the Washington Post wonders if things will add up when it comes to President Clinton's plans for fixing Social Security and Medicare.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: A Legal Handbook for Nonprofit Corporation Volunteers (Tuesday, 1/26/99)
If you do volunteer work for a nonprofit, you may have wondered about your legal liability and other issues. A Legal Handbook for Nonprofit Corporation Volunteers is a book-length guide from attorney James D. DeWitt. A printed version is also available.

Brazilian government stands aside, for the moment (Monday, 1/25/99)
Shasta Darlington reports on the unliklihood that the Brazilian government will intervene further as its currency devalues. Larry Rohter of the New York Times writes about the resistance that Brazil's national government is getting from its state governors.

U.S. welfare rolls at 30-year low (Monday, 1/25/99)
The decline seems to be slowing in some states, though, as Laura Meckler of the Washington Post reports, and the Los Angeles Times' Carla Rivera offers an opinion via the Detroit News about whether welfare reform is really working well as intended, despite the numbers. To the north, David Fennario of the Monreal Gazette responds to a columnist and says that privatization of welfare hurts the working class. Mr. Fennario explains.

How to cut the work week without cutting pay (Monday, 1/25/99)
Peugeot has a plan for reducing the average work week to 35 hours without a reduction in pay, as the Paris-based International Herald Tribune reports.

Participants in class action suit against the USDA to get $50,000 each (Monday, 1/25/99)
Lawyers are saying that the U.S. Agriculture Department will pay about a billion dollars to settle a discrimination suit brought by black farmers.

How are things going in Hong Kong? (Monday, 1/25/99)
Ron Bosrock writes in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune that a crisis appears to be on the horizon in the once-very-hot Hong Kong economy, and it may be self-inflicted.

Many not taking advantage of the earned income tax credit (Monday, 1/25/99)
Greater awareness of its availability among low-income workers would help them and also help business in California where nearly 20 percent of the jobs are low income. Here's more from Peter Dreier of the Los Angeles Times.

An examination of the global economy's essentials (Monday, 1/25/99)
What matters and what doesn't? Moises Naim offers some perspective on current events.

China's new economy is hitting persons with disabilities hard (Monday, 1/25/99)
Erik Eckhold reports from Beijing on how China's effort to privatize inefficient state-owned industries is hurting disabled persons more than most. Also in the New York Times today, while President Clinton would like to see medications covered by Medicare, things seem to be going in the opposite direction overall. Milt Freudenheim says you should expect to be paying more for prescription drugs. Michael Janofsky reports that President Clinton wants more than a billion dollars to restore medical and other benefits to legal immigrants. Finally, William Honan tells how use of the Internet has become a way of life for today's American college freshmen.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Bizy Moms (Monday, 1/25/99)
For mothers who would like to start a business at home, here's information, advice, and a variety of other resources. Here's Bizy Moms.

Pope John Paul warns about dehumanizing effects of have vs. have not gap (Sunday, 1/24/99)
The gap between rich and poor has been increasing in the Americas, and the Pope is concerned about it. Steve Pagani reports from Mexico City where the Pope is visiting.

A major settlement at Northwest Airlines (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Settlement has been reached on a new contract that will affect 18,000 employees at the fourth-largest American airline.

Why Wall Street isn't as worried as Chairman Greenspan, and why it probably should be (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Pierre Belec reports that investors seem to be betting that Fed Head Greenspan will rescue them later, but that may not be the case.

Clinton urged to support an across-the-board tax cut (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Senator Rod Grams of Minnesota would like to see a 10 percent tax cut and thinks that the surplus is big enough to handle that and some of the other things the Administration wants to do as well. President Clinton focused on Social Security in his State of the Union message without mentioning a tax cut. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is nervous about putting so much money from the Social Security trust fund into the stock market, in part because of a concern with how politics is likely to influence investment decisions and the impact on the market as a whole. Here are some reflections on some of the relevant issues from Gretchen Morgenson, Kenneth Gilpin, and Diana Henreques, all writing today for the New York Times.

A turnaround brewing in South Korea? (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Sheryl WuDunn writes from Seoul that things may be starting to get better in the once-hot South Korean economy, and, at the very least, many people are beginning to feel better and more optimistic about the future.

The condition of Brazilian retirees (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Brazil's economic problems and the government's effort to control them have changed things for a great many government retirees.

Some perspectives on retirement in America (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Some think that the biggest domestic challenge to be faced by the United States during the 21st century will be America's aging population. Today's Washington Post contains several articles focusing on retirement. Amy Joyce and Stan Hinden examine the difference between how the late years looked during their youth vs. the realities later, and Michelle Singletary examines President Clinton's plan for "USAs."

How a tight labor market may be creating unfairness on the job (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Kirstin Downey Grimsley answers a correspondent who sees unfairness in the pay scale at work.

Quinn not enthusiastic about a tax credit for caregivers (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn doesn't think President Clinton's tax credit idea is the best way of dealing with America's growing long-term care problem.

An academic incentive for folks on the late shift (Sunday, 1/24/99)
United Parcel Service is sending hundreds of their workers to college.

Miner's strike ends, but not Romanian economic problems (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Peter Finn writes from Bucharest for the Washington Post about the recent violence and how the settlement with striking miners may aggravate the country's problems.

Writing for a machine (Sunday, 1/24/99)
If you're planning to apply at a top business school, you'll probably have to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test, and that will mean writing an essay. Guess who will be reading and evaluating your work? Actually, it won't be a "who." Linda Perlstein reports on the use of computers to grade essays.

Help in narrowing the generation gap at work (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Dick Youngblood writes about some consultants who are willing to try to help reduce potential conflicts between the boomers and the Generation X-ers.

The hard life for women in China's rural regions (Sunday, 1/24/99)
Elisabeth Rosenthal reports on the tremendously high rate of suicide among China's rural women.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: HeadHunter.net (Sunday, 1/24/99)
HeadHunter.net claims nearly 200,000 job listings on their site.

Miner's strike ends in Romania (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Protests by thousands of miners had turned violent, but agreement has been reached to end a strike that was getting close to three weeks long. Adrian Dascalu reports from Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania. Peter Finn of the Washington Post has more on the story.

French pork producers protest (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Low pork prices have been putting American producers in a very serious bind, but they're not the only ones. French pig farmers have taken strong action to make their situation visible by blocking a rail route in northern France.

Gore pushes for higher Medicare enrollment rates for eligible children (Saturday, 1/23/99)
The Vice-President says that too many children who are eligible for Medicare coverage aren't being enrolled. It isn't just children who slip through the net, though. Peter Kilborn of the New York Times says that many of America's poorest people of all ages are not receiving help to which they are entitled.

More gay military recruits discharged (Saturday, 1/23/99)
The rate of discharge of gay recruits in the American military has been increasing for five years. Here's the story from Dana Priest of the Washington Post.

Anxiety at 3M (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Minnesota-based 3M Corporation has had a long reputation as a good place to work, as well as a reputation as one of America's best-managed companies. In fact, it was singled out in Tom Peters' hit book, In Search of Excellence some years ago. Now, though, as the St. Paul Pioneer Press' Riccardo Davis reports, morale is suffering at 3M because of jobs cuts. Also in the Pioneer Press today, Janet Bodnar tells how to take the pain out of saving for college.

Finding executive jobs on the Internet (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Margaret Riley Dikel of the National Business Employment Weekly has some advice for interested correspondents.

British economy slows a bit (Saturday, 1/23/99)
The British economy continues to grow, but during the 4th quarter of 1998, it grew at its lowest rate since 1992. The UK government is expected to take further action in order to prevent a recession. A further lowering of interest rates is a likely possibility.

Bias suit settled at Boeing (Saturday, 1/23/99)
The huge American aerospace company will pay $15 million to settle a race bias suit. Martin Wolk reports that Rev. Jesse Jackson helped bring the settlement about. Speaking of race in the workplace, Carol Pine examines Deborah Watts' new book, 101 Ways to Know You're `Black' in Corporate America.

How will hi-tech affect employment in Hollywood? (Saturday, 1/23/99)
High technology already has affected the work lives of a large number of production people in America's big film factory town. Film editors and others who had spent decades working with traditional technologies have had to make a major adjustment as the dream industry has gone digital during recent years. However, Maggie Fox reports that even actors may be displaced by hi-tech before too long. Incidentally, the Los Angeles Times reports that production of feature films, TV, and commercials is down in the L.A. region. To put things in perspective, Hollywood produces approximately 500 feature films per year for a variety of markets throughout the world, plus tons and tons of television product of all kinds. Detroit surely isn't America's only really big factory town, and film production has been occurring every day in Los Angeles since at least the middle of this century's second decade.

High mortality rate among retail workers (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Statistics indicate that workers in retail establishments are more likely to die a violent death than workers in general, but the risks are greater in some types of retail stores than others.

Many people work more hours than they would like, particularly parents (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Here are some of the results from a couple of new surveys presented at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Anaheim, California, first from Reuters, then from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

More companies are take a cue from academe and offer sabbaticals (Saturday, 1/23/99)
The Chicago Tribune's nationally syndicated columnist Carol Kleiman reports that the World Future Society expects corporate sabbaticals to become standard because of bottom-line benefits.

The importance of transferable skills in your career (Saturday, 1/23/99)
Transferable skills are ones that can be used in a variety of settings. Examples are computer skills, and, as columnist Amy Lindgren reports, writing skills. If you doubt the importance and generalizability of writing skills, just look around you at all of the text that somebody has had to write. An enormous amount of writing goes on in a large number of contexts every day and provides career opportunities for large numbers of people.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Hoover's Online (Saturday, 1/23/99)
If you'd like some information about a particular company, Hoover's Online may be a must. And, if you're in the market for a job, their Career Center may be especially helpful.

Brazil intervenes after all (Friday, 1/22/99)
The Brazilian real has been searching for its real value in the open market, but a sharp decline has brought the Brazilian government in to cushion what might otherwise have been a free fall that could pull the rest of Latin America along. Michael Astor reports on the weakness in Brazilian markets, despite a vote on austerity measures. Here's more on the vote in the lower house intending to reduce Brazil's budget deficit.

Worker violence in Bucharest (Friday, 1/22/99)
Mihaela Armaselu reports from Romania that thousands of unhappy miners have clashed with police in that nation's capital city, sending dozens of persons to the hospital with injuries. The miners have rejected a government offer to end a 17-day-old strike.

Clinton sends out the defenders (Friday, 1/22/99)
Earlier in the week, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan indicated his displeasure with the Clinton administration's plan for privatizing part of Social Security. Given Mr. Greenspan's stature with both Republicans and Democrats, he is the one man who may be able to stop an economic plan dead in its tracks. The Administration has gone into a protective mode, attempting to keep its Social Security proposals alive, while a prominent Congressional Republican is indicating that he's prepared to negotiate with the Administration on Social Security. Meanwhile, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post reports that Senator John Breaux will offer a blueprint today for restructuring Medicare. Finally, in the Post's editorial opinion, President Clinton made an inadequate response to the Medicare problem in his State of the Union address the other night.

How Zimbabwe's problems look from South Africa (Friday, 1/22/99)
South Africa's Financial Mail is critical of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe and blames him for that country's economic problems, among other things. Will the IMF help?

Belgium may be nicer to illegal aliens (Friday, 1/22/99)
La Libre Belgique reports that a governmental committee has been studying Belgium's treatment of illegal aliens, including the death of a Nigerian woman at the hands of police as she was undergoing deportation at the Brussels airport. The government intends to prohibit violence, and the committee urges "practical, social, and psychological support" for affected persons.

Big profit sharing checks will soon be in the mail at Ford in St. Paul (Friday, 1/22/99)
Lee Egerstrom reports that employees of the St. Paul, Minnesota Ford plant will soon share in the company's profits in a fairly big way. Also in the St. Paul Pioneer Press today, Dayton Hudson plans to outsource management of its mainframe computers, which will cost 110 technical jobs.

Japan attempts to look ahead to an eventual labor shortage (Friday, 1/22/99)
With a very sluggish economy at the moment, Japan's unemployment rate has been high. However, demographic experts are saying that the country will experience a labor shortage sometime in the future, so a panel advising Prime Minister Obuchi is discussing whether it will urge the government to relax immigration policy and allow more workers into the country. Nihon Keizai has the story today.

Big jury award against a California HMO (Friday, 1/22/99)
Aetna U.S. Health Care of California has been ordered to pay $120.5 million to a woman whose husband was denied an experimental treatment.

No longer full employment in Singapore (Friday, 1/22/99)
Unemployment has been increasing in the prosperous city-state, but as Michael Richardson of the International Herald Tribune reports, there seems to be no sense of emergency in Singapore.

China's unemployment challenge (Friday, 1/22/99)
Economic growth has slowed in China at the same time that huge numbers of workers have been displaced and new graduates are leaving the universities. The net affect, according to Inside China Today, will be 16 million unemployed this year.

How will the growth in electronic commerce affect American workers? (Friday, 1/22/99)
Howard Kleinberg of the Cox News Service says he's confused about the labor shortage in the face of widespread layoffs and expects that an increasing movement of American business to the Internet may give workers little to be optimistic about.

Skepticism about welfare-to-work's success (Friday, 1/22/99)
The Boston Globe's Derrick Jackson doesn't agree that it's the greatest antipoverty achievement since the Great Society.

Guess who's coming to television? (Friday, 1/22/99)
If you said "Dilbert," you're absotively, posolutely correct. Scott Adams' popular cartoon character is moving to UPN and will be moving. That is, Dilbert will be animated, according to USA Today.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Hot Resume How To's (Friday, 1/22/99)
There are many places where you can post your resume on the web. Here's some advice from the creator of one of them: The Monster Board. His article comes to you via Excite, which also offers 25 tips for creating effective electronic resumes.

Greenspan reports to House members (Thursday, 1/21/99)
Fed Head Alan Greenspan reported to the House Ways and Means committee on the state of the American economy yesterday, and generally still likes what he sees. He's worrying again that the stock market may be a little over-heated, but investors don't seem too nervous. Caren Bohan of Reuters reports that he doesn't like Clinton's plan for changing Social Security, though, and it's likely that Chairman Greenspan's opinion will carry a lot of weight with both Republicans and Democrats, given his almost mythic stature in helping to create the longest economic expansion in American history. Amy Goldstein and Steven Mufson of the Washington Post have more on Greenspan's reservations about Social Security, and their paper has some editorial concerns, as well. Meanwhile, Joseph Berger of the New York Times writes that President Clinton hit the road yesterday to test--and encourage--support for the proposals he outlined in his State of the Union address. He found enthusiastic support for his Social Security ideas in Buffalo, New York, for instance.

Steelworkers march in Washington (Thursday, 1/21/99)
What do the American steel industry and American agriculture have in common? Hard times, that's what, and yesterday, thousands of steelworkers and their supporters rallied in Washington in an attempt to get the attention of President Clinton and members of Congress.

Postal union organizes contractor (Thursday, 1/21/99)
It appears that the U.S. Postal Service will not be able to enjoy the services of non-unionized help by contracting out work. The American Postal Workers Union has achieved its first success in private-sector organizing.

"Single parent" often refers to dad now (Thursday, 1/21/99)
H.J. Cummins reports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune that an increasing number of working fathers are raising their children on their own. Also in the Strib, the Washington Post's Gabriel Escobar says a new study indicates that there are almost three times as many immigrants living in the United States now compared to 1970.

Want a career in education? Now might be the time (Thursday, 1/21/99)
Many areas of the United States can expect a teacher shortage during the next several years, as tremendous numbers of teachers retire at about the same time. However, President Clinton would like to see more teachers in American classrooms and would also like to see them better prepared. He will announce the details of his plan at the White House today.

Hi-tech job cuts (Thursday, 1/21/99)
Western Digital intends to cut 750 jobs, while Manugistics will lay off 400 workers.

IMF acknowledges that it could have handled things better in relation to Thailand (Thursday, 1/21/99)
The International Monetary Fund has been criticized for its handling of the Asian crisis over past months, and, in a newly released report, appears to agree with some of its critics. The IMF doesn't think it made things worse, though.

More fallout from China's vast unemployment problem (Thursday, 1/21/99)
About a quarter of the earth's people live in China, and a large proportion of those have been displaced as a consequence of that country's efforts to privatize huge, inefficient state-owned firms. John Pomfret writes from Beijing that one consequence has been a great increase in crime across China.

How are things in regions around the U.S.? (Thursday, 1/21/99)
Here's news from the latest report of the Federal Reserve's 12 district banks.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Careers of the future: Working on the Web (Thursday, 1/21/99)
CNET is a major hi-tech information source on the web and offers advice on how to turn the exploding Internet phenomenon into a career opportunity for yourself. Here's CNET's Careers of the future: Working on the Web.

Clinton outlines ambitious plans (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
President Clinton talked like a man who expects to finish out his term last night in his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Here's the Washington Post story via the Minneapolis Star Tribune and also a story from USA Today. Among other things, he followed through on reported plans to work toward privatizing part of Social Security, saying that the strong American economy should be leveraged to assist the elderly, not only in relation to Social Security, but also Medicare. Also, here's more on the President's plan for helping the vast number of Americans who lack health insurance.

Austrian political parties plan Thursday meeting about unemployment (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
Der Standard reports that the two parties making up the ruling coalition in Austria intend to meet tomorrow with the hope of developing a plan for reducing unemployment and creating more jobs.

French plan free health care for the poor (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
France's cabinet will receive a draft for a law that would give free health care of France's poorest citizens by the beginning of next year. The country's social security system would share the cost of such a program with French health insurance companies, according to Les Echos.

Striking miners head for Romania's capital (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
Hundreds of striking miners are taking their protest to Bucharest by bus and on foot.

Greenspan reports to Congress again today (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
A major effort to keep things steady and neutral is expected, given the Brazilian situation. Diana Jean Schemo of the New York Times writes about Brazil's fears that hyperinflation could return.

Effort to deal with the shortage of physicians in rural areas (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
There are too many physicians in many metropolitan areas, but too few in some rural regions. Here's news of a program that intends to help with the latter condition.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Directory of Economic, Commodity and Development Organizations (Wednesday, 1/20/99)
The Directory of Economic, Commodity and Development Organizations is about what it sounds like, and comes from the International Monetary Fund. Links to web sites maintained by the organizations are organized alphabetically.

Top minister calls it a "crisis" in Japan (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
It's language that many economic experts over the globe have been using in relation to what is happening in Japan, but, given the nature of governmental roles, there is some additional significance when a top official says it, and the head of Japan's Economic Planning Agency is saying it. Japan is in an genuine economic crisis, according to him.

Devaluation won't cure Brazil's troubles (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
John Miller explains why the Brazilian government's decision to allow its currency to find its value in the market will have mixed effects. The nation with the world's eighth-largest economy has a long way to go to fix its problems, he says. Elsewhere in Latin America, an economic forum opened yesterday in Havana.

Clinton will propose another billion dollars to help welfare-to-work efforts (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
Judith Havemann and Walter Pincus tell about another thing to expect from President Clinton's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress tonight. Also, Robert Pear of the New York Times says that Clinton's proposal for a tax break for parents who stay home to take care of their children will please many Republicans.

Camp workers not exempt, according to Labor Department (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
John Hughes reports in the Anchorage Daily News that hundreds of workers at Forest Service campgrounds are about to get a raise.

Ohio tallies up mass layoffs (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
Last year, nearly 350 Ohio workers lost their jobs each week due to layoffs of more than 50 workers at a time. Here's the story from Andrew Welsh-Huggins in the Akron Beacon Journal.

Shadowing on Groundhog Day (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
National Groundhog Job Shadow Day is coming up on February 2. It's when young people all over the country will learn more about the world of work. Gilbert Chan reports for the Sacramento Bee.

Big discrimination suit settled at UPS (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
United Parcel Service will pay $12.1 million to settle a suit claiming racial discrimination.

Hong Kong poor soon to move out of cages (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
Yes, cages. That's where Hong Kong's very poor have been living for years, and the former British colony has decided to do something about it. Here's the story from Tan Ee Lyn. Also in the Nando Times today, Marilou Eldred has advice on how to choose a college without letting money be the determining factor, and Karen Gullo tells about an increase in worker complaints in the federal workforce. Finally, David Crary says not to expect the North American countries to follow Europe's lead in the development of a common currency anytime soon.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Journal of Poverty (Tuesday, 1/19/99)
The Journal of Poverty advocates a broader understanding of the concept of poverty than has been in prominent use in the United States during recent years, not limited to insufficient financial resources, but with social and political dimensions as well as economic.

Brazil goes into problem-solving mode (Monday, 1/18/99)
Brazilian officials have been meeting with each other as well as with officials from the U.S. and IMF to explore ways to avoid a full-blown Asian-type economic experience, and the Brazilians are saying that talks with IMF officials have been going well. Mary Milliken reports that Brazil intends to intervene in the trading of the real from now on only to "cushion abrupt movements." Otherwise, the market will be allowed to determine the Brazilian currency's value. Gail Marksjarvis of the St. Paul Pioneer Press answers a correspondent's questions about why a nation would choose to devalue its currency. Diana Jean Schemo writes from Rio de Janeiro about how devaluation amounts to change in Brazil's plans for making the transition from a developing country to a modern new-economy powerhouse. Finally, Robert Samuelson writes in today's Washington Post about how the Brazilian experience amounts to a reality check for those who have been thinking that the world economy has been healing itself.

Some of what to expect in Clinton's Tuesday speech (Monday, 1/18/99)
President Clinton will give his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday at about the same time his legal representatives will be trying to make a strong case for why he should not be removed from office. Among the things Clinton will call for are a child care tax credit and a program to help do something about the tens of millions of Americans who do not have health coverage.

Paying your dues on the way to the job you really want (Monday, 1/18/99)
Columnist Amy Joyce has some thoughts about first jobs following graduation and what you should be willing to put up with in order to position yourself for Dream Job. Meanwhile, Chicago Tribune columnist Carol Kleiman advises a single mother over 40 who lacks skills. Finally, columnist Jane Bryant Quinn tells about how to save for college and get a tax break.

Helping those whom globalization is hurting (Monday, 1/18/99)
Mike Meyers feels that globalization is resulting in net benefits for American workers, but what about those who are losing out because of it? He has some thoughts about how they can be helped.

If you're a biz traveler, expect to pay more (Monday, 1/18/99)
Travel costs are expected to rise an average of 5 to 7 percent this year, according to Edwin McDowell of the New York Times.

Labor shortages, but not everywhere (Monday, 1/18/99)
Tammy Williamson reports on the difficulties that Chicago-area employers are having finding the workers they need, Auren Hoffman writes in the San Jose Business Journal about how we can expect a shortage of labor to be one of the principal characteristics of the 21st century American economy. On the other hand, Jill Krueger, writing in the Orlando Business Journal, says that hiring will be chilled considerably in the Orlando, Florida area this year.

Nearly of the fifth of China's vast working population is unemployed (Monday, 1/18/99)
The Australian News Network reports that China's real unemployment rate is probably up near 17 percent, if everybody's counted who should be counted.

At what point does a temp become permanent? (Monday, 1/18/99)
Microsoft has been in the news a lot lately because of its policy toward temporary workers. Heather Fitzpatrick and Janie Lee write that many high-technology companies are nervous about their legal liabilities when temps stay a long time.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Innonet's Entrepreneur Test (Monday, 1/18/99)
Given the decrease in job security and permanence, many people are deciding that, if they're going to have to accept risks an insecurity anyway, they may as well have the potential benefits of running their own businesses. Are you an "entrepreneur type?" Innonet from Switzerland may help you decide with their Entrepreneur Test. Has it been researched to determine if it is statistically reliable and valid? We don't know.

Brazilian finance minister to meet with Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Summers today (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Brazil is seeking support from the U.S. and the International Monetary Fund. The Brazilian currency, the real, has been devalued by more than a fifth during the past few days. Larry Rohter of the New York Times tells how the Brazilian crisis is affecting workers in that country.

Republicans to get what they want from Clinton (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Congressional Republicans want Clinton to offer a plan for fixing the American Social Security system for the long-term, and indications are that he will do just that in his State of the Union address next week.

The developmentally disabled benefit from employment in numerous ways (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Chuck Abadie tells about the psychological importance of work.

Good times in Orange County (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Orange County, California has its lowest unemployment rate in 20 years. Here's more from Don Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

Not all parents work from 9 to 5, so what about their children? (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Here's George Davis' Akron Beacon Journal report on the need for daycare that isn't necessarily provided during the day.

Montgomery Ward shrinks (Sunday, 1/17/99)
The famous old American retailers intends to close 39 stores and cut 4,000 jobs.

New kiosks in malls intend to help people find jobs (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Amy Joyce of the Washington Post tells about the Adecco Job Shops that are showing up in shopping malls around the United States.

The Y2K dilemma faced by nonprofit organizations (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Because of their own computer problems, the helpers may be less able to help in case Y2K disasters occur. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Steve Alexander explain why nonprofit social service agencies are among the most vulnerable as the year 2000 approaches.

Chinese power balance could be upset by unemployment and social unrest (Sunday, 1/17/99)
While most countries count in millions, China often counts in hundreds of millions, and the country's effort to privatize vast, inefficient state-owned industries has left mind-boggling numbers of persons displaced from the new Chinese economy and also very unhappy about it. Jennifer Lin writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Chinese political leaders have been getting particularly hard-nosed lately because they fear that growing unrest could threaten their rule.

Now, the tax changes kick in (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Albert Crenshaw of the Washington Post tells how recent tax changes will affect you, and George Hager presents the IRS' top-ten list. It's the top ten mistakes made by American taxpayers. Also, here's news about the growing number of states that are taking advantage of tax changes that allow new tax-deferred college savings. In related news, nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn says you'll have to move fast in order to consolidate your school loans, because an important deadline is approaching.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Tax and Accounting Sites Directory (Sunday, 1/17/99)
Now that you're beginning to think about April 15 again, you may also be wondering where you can find information about taxes. There are an awfully lot of tax sites on the web, and Professor Dennis Schmidt at the University of Northern Iowa is willing to point you in the direction of dozens and dozens of them. Check his Tax and Accounting Sites Directory.

Further Brazilian currency devaluation boosts stocks (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Stocks are helped, not only in Brazil, but also throughout the world, as Brazil allows the real to find its value in the open market. Sylvia Nasar of the New York Times explains what the Brazilian government has done and why. Reuters' Michael Christie writes that Brazil is looking to the International Monetary Fund and the United States for support, but, as Richard Stevenson reports, IMF and U.S. officials are emphasizing the need for the Brazilians to follow through quickly on spending cuts and tax increases in order to avoid what could turn into an economic free-fall for the big South American country. Other members of the G7 are offering similar advice. The World Bank may speed up its loan payments to Brazil, and, given the importance of the world's eighth-largest economy for Latin America generally and, ultimately, for the U.S. economy, observers are expecting that the Brazilian crisis will be very much on the mind of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve when he reports to Congress next week.

Mixed messages on the American economy's prospects (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Federal Reserve officials expect the Brazilian crisis may slow the U.S. economy somewhat, while an official of Goldman Sachs expects things to remain fairly good through the year 2000.

IMF probably won't help Russia with its solvency problems (Saturday, 1/16/99)
The Russian prime minister is emphasizing that his country intends to pay its debts, but, without IMF assistance, it's difficult to see how that will happen, and further IMF help does not it appear to be forthcoming. Meanwhile, Russia's neighbor to the east--a much smaller country with a much larger economy--has its own problems, but Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi claims that his new coalition government is up to the task of making the "post-war miracle" a bit miraculous again. Finally, John Pomfret reports that China seems committed to doing whatever is necessary to repeat the economic experience of much of the rest of Asia as well as Brazil. Here's what they have plan to do about some big debt loads. China has a tremendous number of people who have been displaced from the economy as state-owned enterprises have undergone privatization, and, as Elisabeth Rosenthal reports, large numbers of Chinese farmers have their own complaints and have come into conflict with authorities.

Lockout ends at ABC (Saturday, 1/16/99)
A tentative agreement has been reached between ABC Television and 2,400 technical staff who had been locked out for 10 weeks. Here's that story from Eric Wahlgren of Reuters and Jodi Wilgoren of the New York Times.

Jackson extols the bottom-line virtues of investment in underserved areas (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Jesse Jackson returns to Wall Street on behalf of diversity and underprivileged neighborhoods. His project has the support of President Clinton, incidentally.

Personal development as an employment benefit (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Carol Pine of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tells about a company that is sending 8,000 employees back to school. Also in the Pioneer Press today, Chris Farrell examines the old question about the relation between unemployment and inflation. Low rates of the one aren't necessarily related to high rates of the other, he says, and we see evidence of that in the current American economy.

Gender gap persists in American medicine (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Female physicians still earn less, according to Natalie Angier of the New York Times.

Lawmakers see Social Security privatization as too dangerous (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Forty Democratic lawmakers have signed a letter to President Clinton indicating that they oppose the privatization of Social Security. Meanwhile, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health shows that the great majority of Americans see the saving of the Social Security system as a top priority.

Job stress may shorten menstrual cycle (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Here are details from a study reported in the current edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Japan Information Access Project (Saturday, 1/16/99)
Despite its current problems, Japan's economy remains the second-largest in the world, and people the world over have a stake in how well the Japanese do in the new economy. If you would like to know more about Japanese business, technology, and more, the Japan Information Access Project, a Washington, D.C.-based "think tank," may be able to help.

The latest on the crisis in Brazil (Friday, 1/15/99)
Larry Rohter writes from Rio de Janeiro for the New York Times about Brazil's deeping financial crisis and its effect on markets around the world. Here are some editorial thoughts from today's Washington Post.

Will hard times lead to the breakup of Russia? (Friday, 1/15/99)
Prime Minister Primakov insists that they won't allow it to happen. There has been some concern because of the growing isolation and autonomy of some regions because of the desperate state of the Russian economy.

Today's cuts (Friday, 1/15/99)
Among those companies announcing new job cuts are Ford Motor Company, Canada's Northern Telecom, and ARCO, which will cut more jobs than originally announced.

Unemployment declines in Australia (Friday, 1/15/99)
Australia's unemployment rate fell 0.5 percent between November and December to 7.5 percent.

Judge critical of Microsoft's attitude toward temporary workers (Friday, 1/15/99)
Here's Aviva Brandt's report on a pending lawsuit arising from Microsoft's policies affecting temporary workers at the big software company.

India soon to have a new national commission on labour (Friday, 1/15/99)
It's been 30 years since India's first National Commission on Labour. The second is about to be born, according to The Hindu.

More career opportunities in law enforcement, if Clinton has his way (Friday, 1/15/99)
President Clinton wants to spend $6.4 billion to hire more police over the next five years. The President also wants $750 million next year to stimulate the creation of jobs in poor areas.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: National Business Education Association (Friday, 1/15/99)
Here's a national professional organization for those who work to educate people for business in the new economy. It's national convention is held in the spring, so will be coming up soon. Here's the National Business Education Association.

Brazil delivers a shocker (Thursday, 1/14/99)
World financial markets reel from Brazil's devaluation of its currency. Mary Milliken reports that markets have regained a little of their footing today, compared to yesterday, but everybody's on alert. Steven Mufson of the Washington Post says the crisis hitting the world's eighth largest economy is one that can influence the entire globe. If you've forgotten how one thing has led to another in Brazil, the St. Paul Pioneer Press offers a chronology.

Meanwhile, in other areas... (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Serge Kovaleski writes from Caracas in the Washington Post about how things are going in Venezuela, and it's not pretty. Also, as Chris Seper reports, Cambodia's economy is on the ropes as well, and university graduates protest again about the lack of jobs. However, Argentina has been doing quite well, thank you. Here's more, including details about the skillful work of that country's president over the past ten years.

Class-action suits target major clothing firms (Thursday, 1/14/99)
A conspiracy to maintain sweatshops is alleged. Here's the story from WCCO News in the Twin Cities as well as from the Washington Post. Elsewhere, another suit claims that people were fired for complaining about a hostile work environment.

Boomers may not bust Medicare and Social Security after all (Thursday, 1/14/99)
A new report from the National Academy on an Aging Society suggests that we may be exaggerating the likely impact of the huge and now aging boomer generation.

Here's another unusual work benefit (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Columnist Amy Gage reports that a St. Paul sheet metal company is offering English lessons.

Whoops...more embarrassment at the Labor Department (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Time-sensitive data have been released prematurely by the U.S. Department of Labor for the second time in a couple of months. With hi-tech, it is now possible to make more mistakes more efficiently than ever before.

California's welfare law attracts the attention of the Supremes (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Under the law, new residents receive benefits at a different level than old residents.

End of lockout may be near at ABC (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Technical workers have been locked out at the big American television network for ten weeks. The dispute may be near its end, according to this report from Steve James.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Senior Law (Thursday, 1/14/99)
Is there a legal specialty having to do with the needs and circumstances of older people? There is indeed, and it's called "elderlaw." A New York law firm, Goldfarb & Abrandt, maintains Senior Law on the web where you can find information on legal issues having to do with Medicare, Medicaid, estate planning, trusts, the rights of the elderly and disabled, and much more.

Things get worse in Brazil (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
Brazil's economic crisis worsens. Among the consequences are the resignation of the president of the country's Central Bank and a shakeup in global financial markets. For instance, Leonard Santorelli writes about the negative impact on European stocks.

Unions can require membership (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
USA Today reports on yesterday's Supreme Court decision.

EU Commission doesn't approve of Austria's budget (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
It's budgetary targets should be tougher, according to EU officials, in order to allow the country to cope with an unexpected slowdown and also to qualify for the European common currency. Kurier reports today.

Many advertisers avoid minority radio (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
Radio stations that serve primarily minority audiences regularly find themselves the target of discrimination on the part of advertisers, according to a Federal Communications Commission study.

Clinton's plan for encouraging the employment of people with disabilities (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
President Clinton would like to use $2 billion dollars over five years in multiple-faceted program to make it easier for people with disabilities to work. Meanwhile, Vice-President Gore plans to announce an Administration's plan for increasing the number of empowerment zones in order to develop disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

Fed head's reports to Congress may end soon (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
The Federal Reserve Chairman has been reporting to Congress twice a year for twenty years, but, as Joanne Morrison reports, that practice may end soon.

Physicians in conflict with each other over Medicare reimbursement (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
The result could be higher costs for Medicare recipients. Incidentally, the head of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and others said yesterday that major changes to Medicare may not come for nearly a decade, and today's Washington Post editorializes about how the commission charged with studying the possibilities for putting Medicare on a solid financial footing may be developing less ambitious goals for itself.

Japanese employers' association emphasizes job security (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
Today's Japan Times has news of the latest labor report from the Japan Federation of Employers' Association. Also from Japan today, Takayuki Umemura writes for Asahi Shimbun about how finding a job often turns into a full-time job in itself.

Pennsylvania workers need a raise, writer says (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
C.A. Peters Jr. writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the need for an increase in the state's minimum wage.

The Administration has job training plans (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
Vice-President Gore announced those plans yesterday from George Washington University. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County intends to launch a job-training from for the unemployed. Here's more from Pamela Johnson in the Los Angeles Times.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: CIO: The Web Career Research Center (Wednesday, 1/13/99)
From CIO Online, a publication for information executives, here are job openings and articles having to do with web careers. It's CIO Online's Web Career Research Center.

Job cuts at Revlon (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
The big cosmetic company is restructuring and expects to cut as many as 1,200 jobs.

Lansing, Michigan in the running for new GM plant with union assistance (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
A union has agreed to renegotiate its contract to help the city get a new General Motors plant.

Free MBAs (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
The Washington Post's Kirstin Downey Grimsley explains how it might be possible to obtain full tuition reimbursement at a top business school in return for working for a major consulting firm. Meanwhile, the Detroit Free Press says that a tight labor market is encouraging other employers to offer higher pay in order to obtain the workers they need.

The controversy over jobs in Cambodia (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
Michael Richardson writes for the Paris-based International Herald Tribune that what some see as a favorable employment trend is seen by others as governmental support for sweatshops.

More use of contract workers (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
A new survey indicates that major companies expect to make increased use of contract workers, as opposed to permanent employees, over the years ahead. The "just-in-time-workforce" is becoming increasingly characteristic of the new economy.

Incentives for small biz to provide health coverage for employees (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
President Clinton would set aside $44 million over five years to support incentives for businesses with fewer than 50 employees to provide health plans.

You may have to be older to receive Medicare benefits before long (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
Here's more on the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare plan to raise the age of eligibility for Medicare.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: 54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless (Tuesday, 1/12/99)
54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless is a full-length book by Rabbi Charles A Kroloff, and the whole manuscript is available on the web, as well as in a conventional bound version. Rabbi Kroloff's suggestions have been endorsed by former President Jimmy Carter.

Air France agrees to comply with limit to work week (Monday, 1/11/99)
La Tribune reports that Air France has signed an agreement to reduce the work week to 35 hours, expecting that this may result in the creation of 4,000 jobs. Neighboring Germany also has a major unemployment problem. The head of the OeTV transport and public sector workers' union believes that employers should compensate workers with time off for overtime rather than extra pay in order to encourage the hiring of more workers. Bild Zeitung has this story today.

Another rough year expected for American farmers (Monday, 1/11/99)
Farm prices are likely to remain low during 1999, increasing the pressure on American farmers, according to experts at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Albuquerque, N.M.

Maybe your new business needs a little incubation (Monday, 1/11/99)
So-called "incubators" are offering protection for fledgling businesses during their most vulnerable early periods. The Washington Post's Shannon Henry tells about an example at the University of Maryland.

Fewer new jobs in Silicon Valley last year (Monday, 1/11/99)
John Markoff of the New York Times reports on the cooling of Silicon Valley's economy during 1998, in part as a result of Asia's difficulties. On the other side of the ledger, though, is Canada which experienced solid job growth last year. Here's more from Eric Beauchesne of the Ottawa Citizen.

Staffing agencies helped by hot job market (Monday, 1/11/99)
Linda Carron Ray reports in the Raleigh-Durham Triangle Business Journal that employers often need help in getting the help they need. The Atlanta Business Journal's Jenny Noller says that temp agencies are having offer more in order to attract those temporary workers. For instance, benefits are becoming more and more a part of the temp work picture. Speaking of benefits, Amy Gage of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that an increasingly popular benefit provided by many employers is training in the management of money. Finally, Anna Navarro reports that, among the major changes in the new economy's workplace, are longer hours but increased flexibility.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: ICOHTEC (Monday, 1/11/99)
Given its importance in the revolutionary new world economy, many people are interested in putting technology into historical perspective on a global scale. The International Committee for the History of Technology contains some of these people from many countries. This organization had its origins in the Cold War, but has extended itself right on into the new era.

Americans more optimistic about race relations than health care (Sunday, 1/10/99)
According to a new national Harris poll, Americans expect improved race relations during the 21st century, perhaps, in part, because increased overall diversity makes it more difficult to maintain traditional dichotomous black-white stereotypes. Americans are not similarly optimistic about health care, though, according to the poll.

Another type of "federal express" (Sunday, 1/10/99)
If you get checks from the U.S. government regularly, they would like you to use direct electronic deposits in order to reduce the cost of paperwork.

UK students try to get used to tuition (Sunday, 1/10/99)
The English aren't used to paying for higher education. It's still a major bargain by American standards, though.

The increasing professionalization of fire departments (Sunday, 1/10/99)
Even small town fire departments are relying more on full-time firefighters, as volunteers fade from the picture.

Now HERE"S an example of a career change (Sunday, 1/10/99)
Patricia Kitchen, Newsday's career columnist, says that Minnesota's new governor seems to possess attributes common to those who make successful career changes. One is an ability to imagine oneself doing something entirely different. If you would like to know more, here's an in-depth look at Jesse "the bodily guv" Ventura from Pat Doyle and Mike Kaszuba of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. If a career change is in the works for you, columnist Amy Lindgren has a 12-step plan for you.

Persons to whom "managed" and "care" are dirty words (Sunday, 1/10/99)
Managed care is about as popular among American physicians as anthrax is among farmers, and they're starting to do something about it. The physicians, that is.

Whoops! "Alternative minimum tax" not working as intended (Sunday, 1/10/99)
A tax that was intended to prevent wealthy people from avoiding income taxes altogether has been snaring members of the middle class. Here's more from today's New York Times.

How much should you worry about Y2K? (Sunday, 1/10/99)
Steve Alexander is very specific: it depends. With less than a year to go, though, the pace of bug extermination in American computers certainly is picking up.

What makes home work family-friendly? (Sunday, 1/10/99)
Nationally syndicated Chicago Tribune columnist Carol Kleiman examines the necessary conditions for making a home office work to the benefit of your family.

Recruiters struggle a bit in a strong American economy (Sunday, 1/10/99)
A worker shortage in most industries is making things harder for job recruiters.

"Payday lenders" become legal in 19 states (Sunday, 1/10/99)
John Hendren writes about lenders that are able to charge up to 800 percent interest, and how they've been surviving legal challenges in many states. For some reason, the following story seems related somehow: Selwyn Raab writes in the New York Times about extortion in the New York construction industry.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: International Investment Promotion Network (Sunday, 1/10/99)
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, which is affiliated with the World Bank, maintains a database on business opportunities in 150 countries. Here's the International Investment Promotion Network.

Clinton changes the subject (Saturday, 1/9/99)
President Clinton is behaving in public as though his impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate is the farthest thing from his mind. However, he's happy to talk about the tremendously strong American economy, which may be a major reason that the majority of Americans do not want him removed from office. The President also warns against complacency, though. Tim Smart reports that December's jobless rate was the lowest since 1970, while the overall 1998 job market was the strongest since 1957.

Hog farmers to get more help than originally expected (Saturday, 1/9/99)
Vice-President Gore had indicated that the Administration would be making $50 million available to assist struggling American hog farmers, but, today, it appears that the federal government will provide $150 million in assistance overall. Historically low hog prices are threatening the survival of many American hog producers.

Big increase in rate of immigration (Saturday, 1/9/99)
The Washington Post's Gabriel Escobar writes that the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey shows that there are three times as many immigrants in the U.S. than only a generation ago.

Postal union approves contract (Saturday, 1/9/99)
Leadership of the American Postal Workers Union has been divided, but members have approved a new two-year contract anyway. In other labor news, a union dispute has resulted in a Qantas jet flying without passengers from Sydney to Los Angeles.

The critical importance of training (Saturday, 1/9/99)
Quality training in the new economy is costly, but not nearly so much as the neglect of training. Here's more from Carol Pine of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

What biz leaders have been reading (Saturday, 1/9/99)
Here's a list of the top 25 business books during 1998.

Waiting list for child care subsidies near record level (Saturday, 1/9/99)
Jean Hopfensperger of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that Minnesota has made $95 million available for child care subsidies, but a strong economy has encouraged many more people to seek employment, which has lengthened the waiting list.

How independent contractors can prepare for retirement (Saturday, 1/9/99)
A St. Paul Pioneer Press article advises a correspondent who wonders about options for tax-deductible retirement plans for independent contractors.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Educause (Saturday, 1/9/99)
The Educause web site is a major resource for those interested in information technology and higher education.

Austrian unemployment highest in 40 years (Friday, 1/8/99)
Unemployment in Austria reached its highest level during 1998 since the 1950s, according to Die Presse.

Inflation down in Greece (Friday, 1/8/99)
Greece may be getting close to participating in the European common currency now that its inflation rate has hit a 26-year low.

Unemployment down, payrolls up in December (Friday, 1/8/99)
The U.S. had its strongest peacetime labor market in 40 years last year. Here's the story from Reuters and the New York Times. Still, many observers are concerned about the high level of job cuts in the United States during the year. Speaking of cuts, BP Amoco Plc has announced that it intends to cut 900 jobs in England and Scotland. The company is a newly-formed joint UK-US venture. However, one U.S. island of employment difficulty, the nation's capital, has started to turn things around. Here's more from Peter Behr and Sarah Schafer of the Washington Post.

U.S. government to help hog farmers, steel companies (Friday, 1/8/99)
American hog farmers can expect to receive a check in the mail to help them stay in business, while the Clinton administration intends to help struggling American steel companies with a tax break.

Negotiators head off rail strike in the Netherlands (Friday, 1/8/99)
Algemeen Dagblad reports today that officials of the Dutch railroad company has agreed to allow workers to use days off accumulated over the past two years, and, as a consequence, a strike has been averted.

More evidence of an interconnected global economy (Friday, 1/8/99)
Katherine Ellison writes from Rio de Janeiro that Brazil's economic problems are reaching in many directions. For instance, many American individuals and companies are being affected. Here's her story in today's St. Paul Pioneer Press.

More Medicare cuts coming (Friday, 1/8/99)
The Clinton administration intends to make further cuts in Medicare payments to U.S. hospitals for inpatient care of the elderly. At the same time, the Administration is beginning to move toward the development of a system whereby people can prepare for the high cost of long-term care, and one major newspaper thinks it's a good idea. President Clinton would like to use some of the budget surplus to help people begin making more adequate preparations for retirement overall.

Sexual harassment at Ford, says the EEOC (Friday, 1/8/99)
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it has uncovered evidence of harassment of female employees at Ford plants in the Chicago area.

Washington Post approves of settlement with black farmers (Friday, 1/8/99)
There's little doubt that African American farmers have been long-term victims of discrimination, the paper says, and, despite the possibility of holding out for a legalistic victory, the government did the right thing.

Why are fewer Minnesotans going straight to college? (Friday, 1/8/99)
Mary Jane Smetanka reports that the proportion of high school graduates going right on to college has declined in Minnesota, but it's not a national trend.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The World's Economic Outlook (Friday, 1/8/99)
This isn't quite what it might appear to be. Oh, yes, it is an examination of the world's economy, but not from the perspective of 1999. Instead, The World's Economic Outlook is a classic article written by John Maynard Keynes in 1932 and published in the Atlantic Monthly. Keynes' ideas about fiscal policy led to responses ranging from "We can't spend ourselves rich" toward the beginning to "We're all Keynsians now" years later. Very recently, American officials and others have been advocating a more vigorous Keynsian approach to stimulating the Japanese economy.

NBA settlement leaves basic issues unsettled, writer says (Thursday, 1/7/99)
Even though an impeachment trial involving a president begins in the U.S. Senate today for the first time in more than 130 years, that may not be the big news to some sports fans today. The National Basketball Association lockout has ended, but the settlement may not do much to resolve underlying problems that threaten big-time commercial athletics in the United States.

American health care nothing to brag about, journal says (Thursday, 1/7/99)
The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine begins publication today of a series of articles analyzing the viability of the American health care system. It's the most expensive and inadequate in the developed world, they say. Meanwhile, Medicaid doesn't look too good to some health plan officials either. Finally, as Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post reports, a federal commission studying Medicare sees the necessity of some significant changes, including raising the age of eligibility. This may be a good time to fix anything that will cost money, because, as President Clinton announced yesterday, the budget surplus will be larger than expected, and his administration has some plans for usin