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January 2000

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Poverty concerns Secretary Albright (Monday, 1/31/00)
The American Secretary of State is concerned that low living standards in areas that used to be parts of the old Soviet Union might increase vulnerability to authoritarian political movements. For instance, she's wondering about acting Russian President Vladimir Putin who has announced that he thinks Russians have gotten lax and that he intends to tighten things up and restore order with tough new laws. Well, okay, but how tough? Secretary Albright is in Moscow now for meetings.

Fundamentalist Summers speaks in Switzerland (Monday, 1/31/00)
The United States Secretary of the Treasury has been thinking about the economic ailments that swept over much of the world a couple of years ago, saying that the world's financial systems still need more work and that governments should concentrate on economic fundamentals. Also, the American economy has gotten more resilient, according to Secretary Summers, and probably will be able to weather future storms. Summers wasn't the only top U.S. official attending the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Secretary of State Albright was also there before leaving for meetings in Moscow, as well as the President of the United States himself. President Clinton continues to push for expanded world trade, but has told Forum attendees that enthusiasm for free trade has declined somewhat in the U.S. recently. Here's Joseph Kahn's analysis from the New York Times.

What went right with the American economy? (Monday, 1/31/00)
USA Today's panel of consulting economists and economic writers have identified 10 reasons for the American economy's unprecedented period of growth which sets a record as of tomorrow. The Christian Science Monitor's five-part analysis of America's remarkably good economic times continues as well. Here's part two from Peter Grier. Incidentally, in case you've been expecting things to slip a bit, Jeannine Aversa reports on new government data showing increased personal incomes as well as spending during December 1999, and Jerry Heaster writes in the Kansas City Star about how the American job-creation machine has been doing this month.

It's going to be harder to get around in France again (Monday, 1/31/00)
French truckers are about to express their displeasure again by blockading highways. Also, look for the public transport system to clog up a bit in Paris because of strikes.

Bloody merger in Japan (Monday, 1/31/00)
Two major banking organizations are coming together in Japan. It will mean a great reduction in the number of branches and the elminination of 3,000 jobs.

Cuts go better with Coke (Monday, 1/31/00)
Tammy Joyner writes in the Kansas City Star about the second half of the story about layoffs at Coca Cola. The company's severance package is quite generous, she says.

Weather isn't a problem when your commute takes you from one room to another with a stop at the coffee pot on the way (Monday, 1/31/00)
Amy Joyce writes about some workers who weren't particularly upset at last week's big snowstorm in the D. C. area. Telecommuting has its benefits, and some of these show up during the winter months.

Maybe the President didn't take a statistics course in college (Monday, 1/31/00)
Diana Furchtgott-Roth writes in today's Washington Post about an apparent misunderstanding that President Clinton seems to be perpetuating. Women who work outside the home make about 75 percent as much as men who work outside the home, on average. However, this does not mean that women are paid less then men for the same work, so why is President Clinton confused? Incidentally, the great majority of American mothers work outside the home, and Tara Parker-Pope and Kyle Pope of the Wall Street Journal have been hearing from some of them. It all arises in response to Tara's own decision to return to work following the birth of their child.

Are universities operating their own special kinds of sweatshops? (Monday, 1/31/00)
Famous universities use their celebrity to attract students and encourage them to go deeply in debt in order to study on their campuses. However, on most major campuses, the bulk of the teaching load is carried by graduate students working as teaching assistants, which, for undergraduates, may amount to some sort of "bait and switch." However, the teaching assistants don't necessarily benefit greatly from this arrangement either. Typically, they labor for long hours at low pay and with no benefits. Some are mad as hell and saying they aren't going to take it anymore. Nicole Ziegler Dizon reports on how unionization movements are gathering momentum on American campuses.

Why prescription coverage may come to Medicare this year (Monday, 1/31/00)
Polls are showing that American young people are among the least politically active in American society, so candidates tend to ignore them and their needs. The elderly, on the other hand, vote in large numbers and work hard to be heard. This is a presidential election year, and both parties understand the discontent that is building among Medicare recipients because of the very high cost of prescription medications. If you require more explanation as to why something is likely to happen soon, Alice Ann Love will be happy to provide it.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Human Rights Library (Monday, 1/31/00)
Many people would like to see human rights issues attached to agreements expanding world trade. Here are more than 6,000 relevant documents from the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Library.

Clinton speaks on behalf of those left out (Sunday, 1/30/00)
The revolutionary new economy needs to work for everybody, not just the few, according to President Clinton. Clinton spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A perfect meritocracy would not produce the distribution of wealth that we currently observe, so other explanations must be invoked for the growing have vs. have not gap. Moreover, everyone has a stake in it, even those who don't care about people. History teaches that extremes of wealth and poverty eventually lead to social or political upheavals, and this is an era during which instructions for making nuclear weapons can be found at the public library or on the Internet.

You're about to see the setting of a major record (Sunday, 1/30/00)
Within a few days, the current expansion of the American economy will become the longest in all of American history. Louis Uchitelle of the New York Times offers a thoughtful analysis of this momentous event and the reasons for it.

Why it would take a long time for Britain to adopt the euro (Sunday, 1/30/00)
The British public remains skeptical of any plan that would abandon the British pound, and, even if there were strong national desire on the part of the public to adopt the euro, it could still take years, according to the European Central Bank president. It would require that British an continental European economies be more in sync, according to Wim Duisenberg.

Quinn likes Section 529 college savings plans (Sunday, 1/30/00)
Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn thinks state Section 529 savings plans offer major tax advantages. They're a great way for parents and grandparents to enable their families' young people to attend college, according to Quinn.

Getting them started early (Sunday, 1/30/00)
Eileen Ambrose of the Baltimore Sun tells about teaching kids about investment early, while Joshua Kwan reports on similar efforts at helping the very young learn how to become entrepreneurs.

Task force wants stricter registration rules for sex offenders...and what does this have to do with the work world? (Sunday, 1/30/00)
The Katie Poirier Abduction Task Force was organized to urge the adoption of new legislation by the Minnesota Legislature. Katie Poirier was a 19-year-old who was abducted from a 24-hour gas station and convenience store which is located in an isolated area between the Twin Cities and Duluth along highway I-35. She has not been seen since her abduction last May, and it is presumed that she was murdered. The principal suspect, Donald Blum, once confessed to the abduction and murder, but later recanted his confession. Allowing a 19-year-old female to work alone late at night along side a major Interstate highway may have been the equivalent of painting a target on that young woman, given that, sooner or later, nearly every maniac in the state drives down Interstate 35. What does such a policy, legal or not, say about the extent to which we value the lives and well-being of our young people?

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: USDA Economic Research Service (Sunday, 1/30/00)
The United States Department of Agriculture conducts a good deal of agricultural research and also summarizes research done by others. The USDA's Economic Research Service on the web makes much of this available to you.

Feds change direction and acknowledge radiation exposure is linked to worker illnesses (Saturday, 1/29/00)
People who worked in nuclear weapons plants were exposed to radiation and chemicals and are now suffering various forms of cancer at unusually high rates, according to a report from the Energy Department and the White House. Meanwhile, another agency of the U.S. government is looking to Hollywood for help. Roberto Suro and Sharon Waxman report in today's Washington Post that the Department of Defense isn't satisfied with the fruits of its recruiting efforts and thinks Hollywood stars can help make military service more attractive to America's young people during a period of plentiful civilian job opportunities.

Clinton wants more money to help American farmers (Saturday, 1/29/00)
The Agriculture Secretary says the Clinton administration wants $11 billion for farm subsidies during a time of crisis for American agriculture. The President himself is in Switzerland selling global trade at the World Economic Forum. Business and government leaders are discussing many issues at their Davos, Switzerland meeting, including the growing have vs. have not gap in the new global information economy.

Strike possible at Boeing next Thursday (Saturday, 1/29/00)
Boeing's engineers may strike Thursday if the latest contract offer is rejected. Michael Martinez has additional details.

Lawyers ask judge to stop Coca Cola from requiring waiver clause (Saturday, 1/29/00)
Coca Cola is laying off a lot of its workers and are making larger severance packages contingent on a waiver of participation in a discrimination lawsuit brought against the company. Lawyers representing plaintiffs in the discrimination suit said that the company is taking advantage of the vulnerability of African American workers affected by the cut of 6,000 jobs and want the waiver requirement stopped.

What will happen to the business you've spent your life building? (Saturday, 1/29/00)
It's essentially to have a rational plan of succession, says Jane Applegate, but a new survey by the Family Firm Institute finds that as many as a quarter of people who are running the businesses they built don't have a plan and maybe not a clue about how to arrange for their own successor in a way that will produce the results they desire.

Perishable job offers (Saturday, 1/29/00)
Some employers are finding that it can sometimes help to put more pressure on applicants by making job offers that will expire quickly. Nationally syndicated columnist Carol Kleiman examines a number of the signs of the times in the new work world.

How comedy training might help you in your work (Saturday, 1/29/00)
Columnist Amy Gage reports that improvisational comedy requires some of the same abilities as working effectively with others on the job, so training on one can help on the other.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Mapping Your Future (Saturday, 1/29/00)
Federal Family Education Loan Program participating agencies sponsor this site. It provides information of interest to students or prospective students about careers, college, and, of course, about paying for college.

Clinton calls for tax cut (Friday, 1/28/00)
In his State of the Union speech last night, President Clinton said that he would like to see taxes cut by $350 billion over the next ten years, which is far less than many Republicans, including the Governor of Texas, would like to see. Clinton also asked Congress to join him in working toward more adequate solutions to the national health care problem as well as to help lower-income families finance college.

More big cuts at Lockheed (Friday, 1/28/00)
Lockheed Martin needs to cut costs, and the elimination of 2,800 jobs is expected to save about $200 million per year, according to the company's boss. Also, Amazon.com is reorganizing and will cut 150 jobs, mostly in the Seattle region. Amazon.com has helped lead the e-commerce revolution, which many experts expect may eventually change the way most people shop for nearly everything. However, despite dramatic growth and tremendous publicity, Amazon.com is not yet profitable. Among other cuts reported today are those at Japan Tobacco and Farmland Industries, an agribusiness cooperative.

Australian textile workers may have to wait a long time for their money (Friday, 1/28/00)
Andrew Clennell, Toni O'Loughlin, and Linda Doherty report in today's Sydney Morning Herald on the aftermath for 300 laid off textile workers following the closing of their plant.

How the welfare-to-work program has been working in Minnesota (Friday, 1/28/00)
Most welfare recipients are working now, but Jean Hopfensperger of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Minnesota still lags behind much of the rest of the nation.

Should Wall Street fear boomer retirements? (Friday, 1/28/00)
The baby boomers are not babies anymore, to indulge gross understatement. In fact, this huge population is among the "near elderly." Not only that, but these 70 million people hold a lot of stocks. What happens when they all start selling, and who are they going to sell to? Mike Meyers reports that one leading economist doesn't believe in the doomsday scario scenarios.

The American economy expanded by an annual rate of 5.8 percent during 1999's final quarter (Friday, 1/28/00)
To put things in perspective, if that rate of growth were to continue, the largest, richest economy in the history of the world would become twice as large in only about a dozen years. The latest data come from the Commerce Department, of course. This is expected to be a good year in the U.S. too, and Seven Gheobald of the Toronto Star reports that experts are expecting good things for the Canadian economy as well. Next month, the U.S. economy will reach a milestone: it will mark the longest economic expansion in the history of the United States. Why? What's going on? A major five-part report from the Christian Science Monitor may provide some insights. Here's the first in this important series. Check for later installments on the Christian Science Monitor's web site.

MBA or tool-and-die? (Friday, 1/28/00)
A pension administrator has decided to make a career change. Vanessa Lu reports that Joan Barnett is training to become a tool-and-die maker after plateauing in her familiar white collar world.

Learning how not to be rude and crude on the job (Friday, 1/28/00)
Marsha Low writes in the Detroit Free Press writes about a program to help young people entering the job market to learn how to avoid offending nearly everybody.

A good time to be one of Ford's workers (Friday, 1/28/00)
The profit-sharing checks are in the mail and are larger than they've ever been.

What bait should you use to hook a lawyer? (Friday, 1/28/00)
Money might do it. Anne Colden reports in the Denver Post on the competition for top young attorneys and how first-year salaries have moved near the stratosphere in some regions.

Firing without cause (Friday, 1/28/00)
You can't legally be fired if it violates discrimination statutes, but, short of that, as L. M. Sixel reports, just about any reason can be good enough, and your boss doesn't even have to tell you what it is. Have a nice day.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Entertainment Employment Guide (Friday, 1/28/00)
Job sites have gotten more specialized This one lists jobs in the entertainment industry.

The safety police won't be visiting your home (Thursday, 1/27/00)
OSHA has decided not to hold employers responsible for the safety of their employees who work at home after all. That is, if you insist on maintaining an unsafe work environment in your home, it won't be your boss' responsibility, which is to say that he won't be liable if you fall over your own mess, for instance.

Strikes averted at Sprint...maybe (Thursday, 1/27/00)
The big telecommunications company has reached agreement with five of six local unions that had been threatening to strike. The deadline had been set at midnight. Negotiations with a Florida local continue.

Greenspan puts in another word for low inflation (Thursday, 1/27/00)
He likes it. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve still has inflation on his mind and wants to be ready to head it off if necessary, because keeping inflation under control is the key to maintaining the soon-to-be longest economic expansion in the entire history of the United States, according to him. He also likes the idea of using surpluses to eliminate the national debt, which the CBO director thinks could happen faster than President Clinton has been proposing. Incidentally, did you know that the Federal Reserve produces comic books? Well, they do, and they've been doing so for a long time. Here's the explanation you may be seeking.

Ecudaor's new president wants help (Thursday, 1/27/00)
President Gustavo Noboa is looking to his country's Congress for assistance in getting the highly distressed Ecudoran economy back on track.

Worker entitlements about to get greater protection (Thursday, 1/27/00)
Toni O'Loughlin writes in today's Sydney Morning Herald that company directors and shareholders are about to be hit with stricter laws intended to provide greater protection to workers. Also in Australia today, Mark Todd reports that Ansett flight attendants apparently won't be buying half of their airline after all.

Cuts in Holland (Thursday, 1/27/00)
DSM NV is a Dutch chemical firm and is scheduled to cut 1,000 jobs in one of its divisions. This amounts to a third of the division's workforce.

Karoshi prevention plan (Thursday, 1/27/00)
Koroshi is "death from overwork," and it is an official category in Japan. The number of cases has increased during recent years in a country that has been known as a nation of "workaholics" in which vacations may be put off for years. A new insurance program is intended to prevent koroshi by making medical exams free for those who are vulnerable.

Union membership on the increase in Arizona (Thursday, 1/27/00)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the number of union members in Arizona increased by 11.4 percent in a single year, and that year was last year. Here's more from Janie Magruder of the Arizona Republic.

Pay mythologies (Thursday, 1/27/00)
Stanford University's Jeffrey Pfeffer has a special perspective on labor costs and is happy to describe what he believes to be several prevailing myths. Jim Barlow of the Houston Chronicle has more.

Texas jobs program mismanaged, says auditor (Thursday, 1/27/00)
The Texas Department of Economic Development is under fire following an auditor's report indicating significant financial mismanagement in a program intended to create jobs.

Psychiatric disorder in the workplace (Thursday, 1/27/00)
It isn't easy being normal, and that's not a joke. Among other things, maintaining normal psychological functioning involves maintaining a balance between internal and environmental forces, all of which may be changing in different ways and at different rates. Psychological problems that can interfere with the quality of life can also interfere with the quality of work performance, and the "whole person" goes to work, after all. Kansas City Star columnist Diane Stafford discusses psychological problems in the workplace today, and what employers and co-workers can do to help when help is really needed.

Two Hungarys (Thursday, 1/27/00)
Peter Finn of the Washington Post reports that post-Cold War economic development in Hungary has not been consistent across the country.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Tarki: Social Research Information Center (Thursday, 1/27/00)
Since 1985, Tarki has been a major resource for social scientists in Hungary.

More previews of his State of the Union speech (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
During recent days, President Clinton has been releasing various proposals for things he would like to see happen during the final months of his presidency. Among the latest are his plan for using $110 billion to help low-income families and small business obtain health insurance coverage. He's also saying that his next proposed budget would put the nation on track to eliminate the national debt by 2013. He's offered a proposal for strengthening student aid too, but the Washington Post doesn't think much of it. Their editorial writers aren't the only ones who have been wondering how many of these proposals represent things that Clinton really wants to implement, as opposed to giving Al Gore some issues on which to stick it to the Republicans during the presidential campaign. With the State of the Union address coming up Thursday, the Post looks at the speech Clinton delivered last year and checks to see how his proposals at that time have fared over the months since. You may have noticed that crude oil and gasoline prices have taken a big lurch upward lately, and that's been the case with home heating oil too. The President wants the government to help low-income families keep warm, but this is something he doesn't have to simply propose. Instead, he can order it done, and he's doing that. Millions of dollars will be released through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Six-thousand workers can take a long Coke break (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Disney isn't the only famous company that has been having troubles lately. Coca-Cola has been struggling a little, and has decided to cut some costs in an effort to put things right. In this case, cost cuts will mean job cuts. Approximately 6,000 jobs will go across the company's worldwide operations. Jennifer Friedlin of the New York Times reports that Quintiles Transnational will cut 800 jobs as well. Is anybody still hiring? You bet. For instance, Minnesota-based Best Buy Co. has become the leading American consumer electronics retailer, and they intend to add 2,000 workers at their headquarters in the Twin Cities over the next five years. Overall, the American economy continues to create jobs at a high rate, but, in a new economy with very new attributes, nearly anything you can think of is going on someplace, including layoffs.

Lights will go back on in India (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Thousands of electrical workers have been on strike in India for eleven days. They've called it off and the juice will begin flowing again. Here's more from Sharat Pradhan who reports from Lucknow.

Whatever happened to all those people who demonstrated at the Seattle WTO meeting? (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Quite a lot of them intend to reconvene in Washington, D. C. in order to express some strong feelings at the International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting. John Burgess has more in today's Washington Post.

Sweatshop conditions improve (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Consumers in rich countries such as the United States may sometimes wonder why clothing and footwear are so much of a bargain. One reason has been that these items are often produced in poor countries by people who have little alternative but to work at very low pay under sweatshop conditions. An international movement to bring about improvement for these workers appears to be paying off, according to Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times.

An analysis of the new economy from one of the world's great biz mags (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Here's a major story from Business Week on how hi-tech has been driving a very new economy in the United States. They think it's all working well in America, but will it work as well on a global scale?

Another link between economics and disease (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
The world's poor are more vulnerable to most of life's miseries, including various ailments. Now, Dan Vergano of USA Today reports on a University of Washington study showing that those growing up in poverty are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Good news about minorities and hi-tech (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Alexandra Marks of the Christian Science Monitor reports that a growing number of minority persons in America are unwilling to be left behind or become road kill on the information superhighway. A new study finds that the gap is beginning to narrow, at least so far as online involvement is concerned.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Great Economists and Their Times (Wednesday, 1/26/00)
Great Economists and Their Times is mostly what it sounds like, and comes to you from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The economists surveyed are from times ranging from the 18th century through the late 20th century.

Protests in Japan (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
Nissan Motors has announced job cuts, and a lot of people don't like it. Thousands of union members are demonstrating in Japan. Speaking of cuts, Lockheed plans to eliminate a significant number of jobs at its corporate headquarters, and the company that used to be Woolworth is still struggling. Venator plans to close 358 stores and cut 3,700 jobs.

New president to give highest priority to his country's economy (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
Ecuador's military took control of the government and almost immediately turned it over to a civilian, President Gustavo Noboa, and he will try to fix an economy that is out of control.

Clinton wants to expand the earned-income tax credit (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
Today's Washington Post editorializes on Clinton's "reverse income tax."

Will there be "bankruptcy reform?" Should there be? (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
What will happen to the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2000? We should know soon. A vote is coming in the Senate. The bill was intended to make it harder to walk away from debts, because bankruptcy filings had reached record levels. However, recent data indicate that the rate at which people are declaring bankruptcy has diminished sharply, so many are saying that a change in the law isn't necessary and may do more harm than good.

Northwest and its flight attendants will try again (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants have "enjoyed" one of the most tortured relationships in the commercial airline industry in years. They've continued without a contract for years, in fact. Representatives are heading back to the bargaining table...again...along with federal mediators.

Treasury Secretary supports globalization (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
Secretary Summers says that the benefits of globalization greatly exceed its costs, and not just for Americans, according to him.

Why are so many of Philadelphia's firefighters ill? (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
At least 130 firefighters in the City of Brotherly Love, and possibly a good deal more, have been infected with hepatitis-C because they came into contact with tainted blood in the course of their official duties. The city of Philadelphia has agreed to the allocation of millions of dollars for their treatment.

How executives in the new economy are paid (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
People who really know how to run Internet companies are in great demand, and they're most likely to be willing to come on board if they can have a piece of the action. Here's more from Patrick McGeehan of the New York Times.

Silicon Valley South (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
California has one of the world's largest economies and has led the global hi-tech revolution. However, as the San Jose Mercury News reports, it isn't all concentrated in the valley separating San Francisco from San Jose. High-technology is driving the Southern California economy to a greater degree too. And, incidentally, if you're thinking that computers are in the north and movie making is in the south, that's getting blurred in other ways too, as Hollywood relies more and more on sophisticated technical effects in the production process.

Crisis in American health care (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
George Carmany writes in today's Boston Globe that a crisis is coming. Others think it's already here.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Association of Private Enterprise Education (Tuesday, 1/25/00)
If you believe that the market system tends to distribute resources more justly and efficiently than any central planner could do and that social needs are better served by a system in which individuals pursue their own ends than by government mandate, you will find many kindred spirits in the Association of Private Enterprise Education. The APEE has been working toward greater public understanding of private enterprise for two decades and is guided by a number of university professors, Federal Reserve officials, and others of like mind.

Additional perspective on income inequality (Monday, 1/24/00)
Edward Lotterman writes about two new studies on income inequality in the United States which are likely to pour gasoline on an already hot controversy. Mr. Lotterman says that it's important to examine the methods by which data are collected when trying to interpret the data, which seems reasonable. WHAT we know depends entirely on HOW we know it, so methodology is always uppermost. Despite old jokes about how if all the statisticians in the world were laid end-to-end...it would be a good thing, it is true that you can prove anything with statistics...but only to people who don't know anything about statistics. Dave Beal also examines the same new studies. Finally, the Washington Post reports on a new study from the Federal Reserve that shows that it's really a matter of the haves vs. the have nots vs. the other have nots. Some of America's poor are doing better; others are doing worse.

Student stress levels seem to be increasing (Monday, 1/24/00)
A new study finds that the current generation of college freshmen are more stressed than their predecessors. Among the things that can make being a student stressful is finding the money to pay for college. Ken Berzof reports that the financial aid rush is on.

Street protest in Israel (Monday, 1/24/00)
Israel's teachers have been on strike for eight days and they're set to demonstrate in front of the office of the Prime Minister. Also in Israel, Zohar Blumendrantz reports that El Al Airlines has announced that its cockpits will be open to women, but it will still be a while before women are piloting the aircraft.

Why world trade is so important (Monday, 1/24/00)
C. Ford Runge thinks that the world's ability to feed itself throughout the 21st century will depend on vigorous international trade, so we'd better get on with it.

The President's latest initiative: real parity for women in the workplace (Monday, 1/24/00)
Given the centuries during which women have been at an economic disadvantage, there is no particular reason that this gap could not have continued unmodified for several additional centuries. Progress has been made in the U.S. and elsewhere, but parity has not yet been achieved. President Clinton is proposing stronger enforcement of the 1963 law that is supposed to guarantee women equal pay for equal work. He wants $27 million to pay for the stepped-up enforcement.

If you're an AT&T executive, check your mailbox (Monday, 1/24/00)
Pink slips will be distributed to as many as one-fourth of AT&T's executives before long, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The retirement of Sam Gindin (Monday, 1/24/00)
Sam Gindin is a very influential Canadian who is not widely known, and neither has been accidental. He has worked mostly behind the scenes in the Canadian Auto Workers union for 26 years and has done much to keep worker wages relatively high. Vanessa Lu of the Toronto Star reports that he's calling it quits after a long and productive career.

Among the hottest of the hot jobs (Monday, 1/24/00)
If you are prepared to be an Internet executive, careful that you don't get trampled by company reps wanting to hire you. Knowing how to run E-commerce companies can put you in the best position of all. On the other hand, if you've been specializing in Y2K problems, you may want to revise your resume. It all comes from a new survey conducted by Christian and Timbers of Cleveland.

Some of the new IRS tax rules may affect you (Monday, 1/24/00)
Gary Klott reports on various tax changes, including a larger home-office deduction.

How to make a boomer fidget (Monday, 1/24/00)
Arrange to have him/her get rich. James Schembari of the New York Times reports that many members of the huge baby-boom generation are feeling somewhat uncomfortable with wealth, and that might be a good thing for others. On the other hand, if your problem is located on the other end of the scale somehow, Charles Jaffe has some advice for digging your way out from under a pile of debt.

For career success, follow somebody who knows the ropes...closely (Monday, 1/24/00)
St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Amy Lindgren offers some good advice about finding and making effective use of a mentor.

Whoops...remember that noncompete agreement you signed (Monday, 1/24/00)
People working in the talent part of radio and television are very familiar with noncompete clauses in their contracts. But, as Audrey Williams reports, they're becoming increasingly common in other lines of work too, and they can be good news and bad news.

A degree in entertainment? (Monday, 1/24/00)
In effect, many students have been "majoring" in entertainment for years...their own, that is. However, the University of Southern California is legitimizing the academic study of the entertainment industry with its new program. The entertainment sector has become huge, and, thus, very important economically. However, for many years, entertainment organizations have had attributes that are now becoming part of the definition of the new global economy overall.

If you're a reservist, you're more important now (Monday, 1/24/00)
Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times writes about the American military's increasing dependency on its reserves and what this means for the people who serve.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Union Network International (Monday, 1/24/00)
Union Network International is oriented to the new global economy and is itself new. It is a network of 900 unions with more than 15 million members across many countries.

Fed official warns against erecting trade barriers (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Thomas Hoenig is President of the Kansas City Federal Reserve. Speaking to a Kansas City business group, Mr. Hoenig said that U.S. prosperity depends on free trade, as does the prosperity of many other countries.

Update on welfare reform (Sunday, 1/23/00)
The Minneapolis Star Tribune has been following three families to see how things have worked out during the era of welfare reform. Here's the latest rather mixed news. Also, the Twin Cities paper editorializes today about President Clinton's one-step-at-a-time antipoverty plan.

States expected to scramble on health care (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Carey Goldbert writes from Boston for the New York Times that health care bills in state legislatures during 1999 made up about 27,000 of 140,000 bills altogether. A number of basic concerns about the health care system are likely to result in states putting health care bills even closer to the top of their agendas this year.

Prepare to be impacted by higher interest rates (Sunday, 1/23/00)
The Federal Reserve continues to be concerned that a strong American economy could turn into an overheating American economy. Recent interest rate increases, with more likely to come, are intended to keep things under control and head off inflation, and they are likely to affect nearly everybody before long.

Employers adjust 401(k) plans to the needs of an increasingly sophisticated workforce (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Albert Crenshaw of the Washington Post tells how employees are getting more choices and control 20 years into the history of 401(k) plans.

Careful of unintended consequences when you make your will (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn tells about mistakes that can happen so that intended beneficiaries won't benefit.

Candidates dream the impossible dream (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Mike Meyers reports that economists seem to agree that what might be politically popular during an election year may be impossible in practice. Here's more on the unpopular changes that may be needed to fix Social Security.

What occupation has more than a half-million members and can cost more than it pays? (Sunday, 1/23/00)
William Marino reports on the sometimes high-cost of running for public office.

Is a widening income gap a necessary attribute of the new global economy? (Sunday, 1/23/00)
This article from The Economist argues that emerging economies may be able to grow at an even faster rate than the U.S. economy because of the information revolution.

On making it independently (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Scott Burns responds to a correspondent who is trying to make it as a sole practitioner, telling why most new small businesses fail, and what can help prevent failure.

Nestle makes cuts (Sunday, 1/23/00)
Nestle intends to lay off 1 percent of its workforce in the United States, which will amount to 225 of 19,000 workers.

Standard of living depends on productivity, which depends on... (Sunday, 1/23/00)
...Innovation, according to the Toronto Star's columnist, David Crane. He describes a report by two scholars from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management that says Canada may have wasted much of the 1990s.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: EngAPPLETS (Sunday, 1/23/00)
EngAPPLETS stands for "engineering applets" and are intended to help students understand engineering principles. These come from the National Science Foundation.

Chile's second Socialist president (Saturday, 1/22/00)
Attitudes have changed, though. Ricardo Lagos says that he will head a European-style government in a country with a free market.

The job of IMF head is still open (Saturday, 1/22/00)
The New York Times' Joseph Kahn says that the Germans know who they would like to see head the International Monetary Fund, but there is considerable competition for the job.

Children can still play soldier, but not be the real thing (Saturday, 1/22/00)
An international agreement has been reached to prevent children from working in military roles in combat. The agreement had been held up for a while because of opposition from the United States, which may require explanation.

More evidence that the President is still the president (Saturday, 1/22/00)
Whatever you think about President Clinton's personal attributes, you'll probably have to agree that he does show up for work each day and doesn't waste much time on the job. Now that he has less than a year left in office, he seems to be making a particular effort to sprint to the finish line. Among his latest proposals are a full-court press when it comes to Medicare fraud and a plan for reducing the gap between digital haves and digital have nots.

Congratulations to all us rich guys (Saturday, 1/22/00)
In case you've haven't given the world's seven richest industrial nations credit for global economic growth, they've decided to give it to themselves. Representatives of the G7 are meeting briefly in Tokyo.

Corruption in AFSCME (Saturday, 1/22/00)
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is intolerant of people intending to rip off the union, and its officials have been working with other authorities to identify corrupt practices. They've found quite a lot, they say. Incidentally, AFSCME represents a lot of state employees, among others, and they may be wondering whether they're protected by ADA. The Supreme Court will decide.

If you're holding down two jobs, where are you likely to be from? (Saturday, 1/22/00)
You're most likely to live in Minnesota or North Dakota, according to research from the United States Department of Labor.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Back to College: Resources for Re-Entry Students (Saturday, 1/22/00)
Perhaps one of the principal strengths of the American higher education system is its relative flexibility and that it allows multiple opportunities. If you attend here, and it doesn't work, then, you can try over there. If you don't succeed now, maybe later. If life circumstances or family responsibilities require that you drop out, you're not out of luck for the rest of your life. If you're heading back to campus after being away for a while, Back to College can help.

Better times in Japan (Friday, 1/21/00)
Japan's Economic Planning Agency says that the Japanese economy is on the mend. Not everybody is satisfied, though. In fact, U.S. officials would like to see deregulation soon. U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has been in Japan for meetings. Japan's neighbor a few miles to the west is doing quite well, thank you. The South Korean economy is looking like a "miracle" again, and is attracting considerable investment from the U.S.

Racial discrimination alleged at Mitsubishi in the U.S. (Friday, 1/21/00)
Jay Hughes reports that Mitsubishi's Normal, Illinois plant became well-known to the public because of sexual harassment issues. The company seems to be dealing with those nicely now, but some of their workers are claiming that there is a racial discrimination problem at the plant. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission has new rules intended to increase minority hiring by American broadcasters.

Florida lieutenant governor gets office back (Friday, 1/21/00)
Two Florida lawmakers have ended a sit-in protesting (the other) Governor Bush's plans for ending affirmative action. Bush has agreed to postpone that action for the time-being.

No more hunger in the world's richest nation? (Friday, 1/21/00)
Ah, well, no. A Tufts University study finds that the number of hungry Americans has not decreased during the past four years.

Will interest rates go up again soon? (Friday, 1/21/00)
Many economists seem to think so. Here's more from Steven Syre and Charles Stein of the Boston Globe.

Highly permeable picket line in Australia (Friday, 1/21/00)
Strikers at BHP have been disappointed at the number of people who are choosing to go to work. David Reardon offers an analysis of what it means for the union movement. Meanwhile, the teachers' strike continues in Israel, and strikes are spreading in India, where three different labor disputes are giving in the Indian government fits. A strike of a very different kind has been going on for nine months in Mexico City. The paralyzing strike at Latin America's largest university isn't about being paid, but, instead, about having to pay...tuition.

Intel and Microsoft contribute to education, but they're not the only ones (Friday, 1/21/00)
Two of the world's most important computer companies are contributing a lot of equipment to help 400,000 teachers get up to speed in making use of computers in their classrooms. Kenneth Cooper of the Washington Post reports that hi-tech corporation gifts to education are running at record levels overall.

Employers are watching Congress with trepidation (Friday, 1/21/00)
Many people would like to see patients have the right to sue their HMOs for malpractice. However, employers see potential liability for themselves and are saying that, if it happens, they are likely to cut health benefits for employees.

WTO attempts to regroup, return to the drawing board (Friday, 1/21/00)
The movement to make trade freer throughout the world has been stalled for the moment, and leaders of the World Trade Organization says the debacle in Seattle has caused some re-thinking about where to go from here.

Are you a stress junkie? (Friday, 1/21/00)
If you assume that everybody is trying to reduce their overall stress levels at work, you're probably mistaken. Some people think they thrive on stress. Here are some tips from the Chicago Tribune. Actually, researchers have known for a long time about the difference between "good stress" and "bad stress." Everything has a name, and psychologists refer to good stress as "eustress." There is an optimal level of stress that is associated with maximum quality of performance. Too little, and you're not sensitized and sharp. Too much, and it starts wearing you down.

Many students think multiple degrees will increase their employment chances (Friday, 1/21/00)
Julia Baird and Clarie O'Rourke write in the Sydney Morning Herald about students who are combining areas of concentration in order to boost their employability in the Australian economy. Meanwhile, Ms. Baird reports that some university courses are hard to sell and there are vacancies on many campuses.

The big year 2000 count begins (Friday, 1/21/00)
It's starting in Alaska, where Census Bureau personnel may have to use flashlights this time of year.

Big cuts coming to Qualcomm (Friday, 1/21/00)
Hundreds of job cuts are one consequences of Qualcomm's selling off its mobile phone manufacturing division.

Flexibility in corporate life (Friday, 1/21/00)
One thing about the new economy is a movement away from a "one-size-fits-all" mentality. There is more diversity of all kinds as well as less conformity. People are feeling less pressure to pretend that they're more alike than they really are. Shelley Donald Coolidge of the Christian Science Monitor writes about one aspect of this--the increased flexibility in work scheduling arrangements and settings.

Y2K put a crimp in hiring at many companies (Friday, 1/21/00)
Many corporations had to divert significant resources to heading off the Y2K disaster that could have occurred, and that meant less hiring for a while, according to L. M. Sixel. Incidentally, is there a "word museum" where antiquated, obsolete terms are kept in storage for the benefit of future scholars? If so, "Y2K" is likely to join other old-fashioned, quaint-sounding terms like "leisure suit," "quadraphonic," and "Studebaker."

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Travel Jobs Network (Friday, 1/21/00)
According to best estimates, there are tens of thousands of web sites that list job openings. The early ones tried to be all things to everybody, but, more recently, many sites have been more specialized, either to serve certain economic sectors or regions. Travel Jobs Network is both. It lists jobs in the travel and tourism industries in Australia and New Zealand.

Taking another swing at it (Thursday, 1/20/00)
You'll remember "Billary's" ambitious plan to reconstruct the American health-care system early in the Clinton administration. The whole idea went down with a resounding crash that might have been heard on the moon, if there were any air there. It even gave control of both houses of Congress to the Republicans for the first time in 40 years. Still, years later, the problems persist, except that there are more persons without health insurance coverage and more and more of those who have it are dissatisfied with managed care, to say nothing of the increasing surliness of physicians who seem to dislike HMOs about as much as the people they serve.

Perhaps as part of an effort to demonstrate that he is a duck not yet too lame, President Clinton is making another push to broaden access to health care in the United States. He wants the federal government to budget $138 billion over ten years for this purpose. Still, it would provide coverage for only about 5 million of the more than 40 million Americans who lack it at present. He also will be pushing his tax credit plan for helping people pay for college.

Incidentally, a year from today, there will be a new president moving into the White House. Time is running out for the still-young man who relishes the job, and, in the judgment of millions of Americans, is quite good at it, despite his poor choice of extracurricular activities. We don't know whether Mrs. Clinton had surveillance cameras installed in the White House before moving to New York or not. Well, probably not. Still, the move seemed delayed a bit for a while, so there may have been some loose ends to tie up in D. C. Speaking of Washington, federal employees got a day off today because of snow. How many is that? Approximately 365,000 workers.

American labor unions gain membership again (Thursday, 1/20/00)
A far smaller proportion of the private sector workforce is unionized in the U.S. now than 40-50 years ago, and unions have lost political and economic clout as a corollary. However DOL Bureau of Labor Statistics research shows that membership has been gaining again. Here's more on that story from Frank Swoboda of the Washington Post, and here's an example from Diane Lewis of the Boston Globe.

Redesigning the hi-tech work environment (Thursday, 1/20/00)
Who wudda thunk a few years ago that a major portion of the workforce would be spending 2,000 hours per year staring at computer monitors? Julie Iovine writes in today's New York Times about efforts to make what could be a hi-tech sweatshop into something a bit more humanizing.

More evidence of continuing U.S. economic strength (Thursday, 1/20/00)
Inflation still isn't a threat, although the Fed is keeping a close eye on it. Overall, as John Berry reports, the American economy is still chugging along with considerable momentum. The Chicago Tribune reports that executives have been among those benefiting from an economy that is the envy of the world. There are growing labor shortages in many sectors and regions of the country, including health care and K-12 education. Business Week reports that jobs in the new economy are getting to be quite different, but that it's easy to exaggerate the changes so far. Quite a lot of workers are still doing familiar things in familiar ways. Greater and more fundamental changes may be on the immediate horizon, though. That same great business magazine presents a major analysis of the AOL-Time Warner merger and what it signifies for the 21st century. Incidentally, did you notice that AOL's chief wore a tie at the press conference, but that Time-Warner's top guy did not? Is this significant, and wouldn't you expect it to be the other way around, if AOL represents the "new economy" to a greater extent? Rick Main of the New York Times has been trying to read the necktie signals. Finally, the author of The Death of Economics has a new book that suggests that the new economy is giving economics a bad case of vertigo.

Putin doesn't have many choices, according to Post writer (Thursday, 1/20/00)
The only option available to Russia's new leader now is to plod on toward improved economic conditions, writes Masha Lipman. The New York Times' Michael Wines tells about the nervousness that many democrats are experiencing because of Putin's decision to form an alliance with the Communists. Many are wondering if this former KGB official is really a democrat himself, or would he like to try to turn back the clock somehow?

Depression on the job (Thursday, 1/20/00)
If somebody told you that something affects about 20 percent of the entire population, you'd expect to find it nearly every place you go, right? It would be like trees. There are so many of them scattered all over the place that it's hard to miss them. Well, the recent Surgeon General's report reinforced something that mental health professionals have known for a long time. At any particular time, approximately 1 out of 5 Americans would meet diagnostic criteria for one or more psychological disorders, however, severe or mild, and, like physical illness, psychological illness run the full range. Among the serious ones with a major incidence is depression. America is experiencing an epidemic of major depression as well as the "low-grade" kind that is not totally disabling, but, nonetheless, limits quality of life as well as one's effectiveness. A new survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Foundation for Brain Research finds a lot of depression in the American workplace. Managers should be better trained to identify it so that treatment can be obtained. And, if you think that treating depression is costly, it's nothing like the cost of not treating it. The cost in terms of lost work time and efficiency is enormous.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Workforce Investment Act (Thursday, 1/20/00)
President Clinton signed the Workforce Investment Act into law almost a year and a half ago. Among other things, it was intended to bring order out of the chaos of a zillion different training programs and also tailor governmentally-funded training to the needs of localities by involving people close to local communities in the decision process. If you would like more information, you'll be happy to know that the Workforce Investment Act has its own web site.

The average American household has gotten a lot better off, and quickly (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
An analysis conducted by the Federal Reserve finds a significant increase in the net worth of many American households, and much of the credit goes to the stock market surge. Here's more from Albert Crenshaw of the Washington Post. Richard Stevenson of the New York Times also has this story.

Supreme Court tells lower courts to take another look at equal pay rulings (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Lower courts have said that states have to conduct their affairs in a way that is consistent with a 1963 federal law mandating that men and women receive equal pay for equal work. However, last week's high court decision saying that state employees don't have the protection of a federal law that prohibits age bias may have implications for the equal pay law as well. Analysts see these events as representing a strengthening of states' rights.

Clinton proposes tax credit for long-term care (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
With an aging population, the total number of persons needing long-term care will increase. President Clinton is proposing that $28 billion be set aside to help out over a 10-year period.

Debt-free in fifteen years? (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Now that there's a surplus, is it time to pay off the national debt? The Speaker of the House of Representatives thinks so, and has a plan. The U.S. could be debt-free by 2015, he thinks.

Bankruptcy crisis ending, researcher says (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
A University of Maryland economics professor says that it doesn't seem necessary to toughen personal bankruptcy laws, because the number of persons getting into trouble and needing to walk away from their debts is decreasing rapidly.

The use or abuse of testing in the hiring process (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Columnist Kirstin Downey Grimsley responds to a correspondent who didn't take a quickie "psychological test" seriously and didn't take the test, only to find that the employer apparently did take the test seriously, and, so, didn't take this applicant, despite what had been said in advance.

IHS blames late pay on computer glitch (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Two-thousand employees of Integrated Health Services weren't paid on time, and, though the company is having problems, they're saying that they didn't meet the payroll because of a computer problem.

Proclaiming the Internet to be the biggest deal in the universe may be premature (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Yes, current technological changes are remarkable, but columnist Robert Samuelson thinks this is a good time to put things in perspective. It's easy to exaggerate the significance of the changes we're closest to and underestimate the impact of changes that have already occurred. Most current generations take things for granted that even recent ancestors couldn't have dreamed of, he says.

Workplace conflict flu hits Reuters in New York (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Reuters is the world's largest news wire service. However, their newsroom in New York City isn't buzzing as usual today, because most employees called in sick. It may be related to negotiations over job security that haven't been going particularly well.

Columnist likes Michigan Governor Engler's college savings plan (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
It would meet the state's needs in ways that the old 1988 Michigan Education Trust doesn't, she says.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: VolunteerMatch (Wednesday, 1/19/00)
Want to help out? There are many opportunities for volunteers in all parts of the United States and elsewhere. VolunteerMatch helps get volunteers and those needing help in touch with each other. You can do searches in more than two dozen major American cities.

Income distribution problem worsens in the U.S. (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute finds that the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. Still, it's not the only place in the world where this is happening or where the gap is largest. A reason for concern, even if you don't care about people, is that great economic inequalities have led to social and political upheaval over and over throughout history. Still, America's poor look positively affluent to the poor in many other parts of the world, and, despite the problems of the poorly skilled in the new American economy, the U.S. continues to attract large numbers of people who feel they will have a better chance at a satisfactory future in America than at home. For instance, Sam Dillion writes in today's New York Times about the flood of impoverished Mexicans coming across the Mexican-U.S. border, and it takes more than a finger in the dike to stop them.

Standard of living: early 20th century vs. late (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
The Cato Institute calls the 20th century The Greatest Century That Ever Was. In fact, that's the title of a book written by Stephen Moore and Julian Simon, which makes the selective case for the good stuff. If one is sufficiently selective, nearly any complex thing can be made to look either very good or very bad. Surely, the 20th was the century during which enormous numbers of people enjoyed tremendous improvements in health, life-expectancy, and standard of living, among many other things. It's also the century in which the modern totalitarian state brought industrial efficiency to persecution and killing. For example, compare the complaints 18th century American colonists had about Britain with the reasons many oppressed 20th century peoples have had for resenting their rulers; e.g., the Nazis, Stalin, Pol Pot, and so on.

Is G8 about to become G9? (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
The "Group of 7" is made up of the world's richest industrial countries, while G8 includes all of those plus Russia. Linda Sieg reports that a growing number of leaders think China also should have a seat at the table the next time G8 leaders talk in July. In fact, Japan would like a visit from the Chinese premier in advance of that summit. Russia is included, not because it is rich--it is anything but rich--but because modern history has taught the world that it is a mistake to ignore Russia. Similarly with China, which contains a quarter of the world's population and is expected to have more and more economic and political influence as the 21st century progresses.

A tribute to mankind's capacity for distorting reality (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
Cornell psychologist David Dunning that, while you may believe that a person is incompetent, s/he is highly likely to disagree. What you regard as clear facts may make little difference.

Why is the CIA succeeding while the military continues to struggle? (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
America's big spy agency apparently is doing an effective recruiting job. Qualified young people are being attracted to the CIA, even though the U.S. military and many civilian federal agencies continue to have difficulty recruiting the people they need.

Northwest's flight attendants try again (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
The conflict between Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants has been one of the most protracted in the airline industry, and, even after several years without a contract, a solution has not seemed imminent recently. Contract seem about to start up again, though, and the flight attendants have a new proposal to take to the table. Coincidentally, Minnesota is also where it starts costing local school districts if they have not reached an agreement with teachers by a state-imposed deadline, and Dick Anderson writes in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that this seems to give teachers a bargaining advantage.

Is managed care an experiment that will be abandoned? (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
David Warsh examines the wider implications of the mess at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in today's Boston Globe.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Birkman Career Style Summary (Tuesday, 1/18/00)
The Birkman Career Style Summary is a brief survey intending to help you make career decisions and match yourself with work and work settings with which you are most compatible. Does it rest on research demonstrating its statistical reliability and validity? We have no idea, but we do know that this is an important question.

Slim Socialist victory in Chile (Monday, 1/17/00)
Ricardo Lagos has been elected president of Chile, but just barely. Here's more from Clifford Krauss of the New York Times.

Teachers strike in Israel (Monday, 1/17/00)
The strike enters its second day. About 100,000 educators have left their classrooms.

What to do about the American underclass (Monday, 1/17/00)
David Finkel writes from Davenport, Iowa in today's Washington Post about the hopes and dreams of Americans who aren't benefitting from the current boom. Dan Balz is in Iowa as well, and reports that Presidential candidate Senator John McCain is offering his tax-cut plan with the growing have vs. have not gap in mind.

Job interviewing in the new economy (Monday, 1/17/00)
The Boston Globe's Diane Lewis reports that you may be surprised by what prospective employers as requiring as part of the interviewing process, particularly in the hi-tech sector.

Nearly every human weakness can present a business opportunity (Monday, 1/17/00)
Shelley Emling of USA Today writes about an unusual business. It's Ace Alibi, and it is in the business of selling lies.

Big increase in workplace bias suits (Monday, 1/17/00)
Private lawsuits claiming workplace discrimination have tripled in a year, according to Michael Sniffen.

The cost of merging (Monday, 1/17/00)
Sprint and MCI WorldCom are merging, and, as Ted Sickinger of the Kansas City Star reports, significant job cuts are a strong likelihood despite company efforts to head off alarm.

The cost of studying (Monday, 1/17/00)
If you graduated from college last spring, you're about to start repaying your student loans. Shannon Buggs reports that many students finish school with major debt, but that it doesn't have to be disabling. Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed, but, by all means, don't default. Speaking of former students, here's how things have turned out for some who made predictions about their futures 17 years ago.

The cost of caring (Monday, 1/17/00)
A new study from MetLife finds that persons who care for parents and others can incur overall costs of as much as two-thirds of a million dollars as a consequence.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (Monday, 1/17/00)
This Labor Department site offers advice and assistance for both employers and job-seekers, as well as information on application laws and regulations. Here's the DOL's Employment and Training Administration.

Guess what Microsoft and Time-Warner have in common (Sunday, 1/16/00)
Washington Post columnist Kirstin Downey Grimsley reports that the Labor Department has gone after both companies for mis-classifying some of the people who have been working for them. The problem is in pretending employees are independent contractors or other temporary workers whom the employer can exempt from costly employee benefits. There are strong financial incentives for employers to prefer temporary or contract people to full-time employees. It's easy to run afoul of existing regulations, though, and the Department of Labor has been getting more aggressive in its pursuit of employers engaged in this practice when it violates the law.

Financial advice from the Jesse Jacksons (Sunday, 1/16/00)
Clergyman and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has helped to raise several highly educated, highly successful sons, one of whom is Jesse Jackson, Jr., a member of Congress from the state of Illinois. Now, father and son are co-authors of a new book intending to help people learn how to get out of debt and build financial security, which they regard as the next step for persons who want to be truly free. Incidentally, Jesse, Sr. knows a thing or two about money himself. In addition to being an important American political figure for decades, he's also essentially been an independent entrepreneur for many years, as well, and is used to upper-income brackets. His services as a writer, speaker, and media commentator have been very much in demand since he was in his 20s. While the Jacksons may be aiming their new book at American minorities who have not quite achieved the American dream yet, additional financial and economic literacy across American society can't hurt, so you might want to read their book too, even if you're among the privileged. This story from the Houston Chronicle tells how even the initially well-off can get themselves into all sorts of financial trouble, in part for want of basic knowledge about how economic things work.

Another shortage you may not have thought about (Sunday, 1/16/00)
Labor shortages have been showing up in various sectors and regions. The highly-skilled are particularly in demand. Lisa Foderaro tells about one shortage that is reaching desperation levels. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are pulling out all the stops in an effort to recruit young women to become Roman Catholic nuns. Not all sectors of the economy are suffering shortages, though. The New York Times' Jane Hodges reports that many Ph.D.s are having trouble finding the sorts of tenure-track positions they've been preparing for over many years. Scholars or artists without financial security? What else is new? Historically, many persons specializing in things which are "useless but indispensable" have had to struggle at least a bit, unless they've had a rich prince as a patron. Many scholars pay a high price in order to be able to do their work, which may be taken as a measure of the work's value, at least in the judgment of many persons who may be in the best position to know.

On your way to work, or are you already working? (Sunday, 1/16/00)
In addition to the very long hours that Americans tend to work, one reason for the heightened concern about work-life balance lately is that hi-tech makes you "always available." You can take your work with you on the plane. Your boss can call your cell phone without having to know here you are, and you may be fishing. For many persons, the boundary between work and the rest of one's life has been dissolving. If you've considered your car to be a refuge from all this, except for the celluar phone, prepare to begin thinking of your car as another extension of your office. Even having to keep your hands on the steering wheel won't necessarily mean that you won't be able to dictate a business letter, for instance. Robyn Meredith tells about cars you'll be talking to and which will be talking to you.

Balancing with the books (Sunday, 1/16/00)
Columnist Amy Gage has some suggestions for wintertime reading, including a number of books for persons wanting more balance in their work and personal lives. Ms. Gage also passes along some thoughts about holiday workplace parties from a consultant who has helped plan all kinds. For instance, what are they for, and when are they a good idea?

Can you be at risk if you take on the role of executor? (Sunday, 1/16/00)
You can indeed, according to Albert Crenshaw. It's possible that the Internal Revenue Service may try to collect taxes owed by the estate from you personally. Honest. Mr. Crenshaw offers an example that won't make a very good bedtime story if you want to get any sleep.

The digital divide of Silicon Valley (Sunday, 1/16/00)
This New York Times story describes how immigration and changing demographics are altering patterns of life in America's great hi-tech corridor and are contributing to a "digital divide."

Opportunities are still strong in the health-care field (Sunday, 1/16/00)
The health-care industry is one of the largest in the American economy and includes a very wide assortment of occupations, including many you may not have considered for yourself. You surely don't have to become a doctor or nurse in order to have a rewarding health-care career. Amy Lindgren offers some details and suggestions.

What's the hardest part of being boss? (Sunday, 1/16/00)
Jim Barlow writes in today's Houston Chronicle that it's dealing with employees, some of whom are difficult to deal with, almost by definition.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: law.com Career Center (Sunday, 1/16/00)
law.com Career Center offers news, advice, job listings and more for lawyers wanting to make the most and best out of their careers.

Frantic efforts underway to save trapped miners in China (Saturday, 1/15/00)
Thirty-three miners have been trapped underground in a flooded mine for five days more than a thousand feet below the surface.

Prospects improve for adding prescription coverage to Medicare (Saturday, 1/15/00)
President Clinton regards the change of attititude on the part of the pharmaceutical industry as well as Congressional Republicans to be a sign that a breakthrough could come this year. Both Republicans and Democrats seem fully aware that it is an election year and that the large population of American elderly tends to be politically aware and quite active. In other Medicare-related news, many hospitals that were expecting Medicare payment cuts may be able to breath easier. Meanwhile, Glenn Howatt of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on changes in Minnesota governmental policy that are intended to allow health insurance companies to offer more limited policies for small business.

Summers wants Europe and Japan to rev their engines and start pulling more (Saturday, 1/15/00)
The U.S. Treasury Secretary is tired to having most of the responsibility for fueling growth of the global economy and thinks Japan and Europe should do more.

Violence among job seekers (Saturday, 1/15/00)
In East Timor, violence broke out as 7,000 people waited to be interviewed for 2,000 United Nations jobs.

Arizona bill would give employers an additional weapon for combatting workplace violence (Saturday, 1/15/00)
Non-employees who may be threatening could be kept away from workplaces. Employers would be able to obtain injunctions. Currrently, individuals have this remedy available to them, but not employers.

Former consultant wants to change the nature of business education (Saturday, 1/15/00)
Ron Lieber of Fast Company tells why Roger Martin has taken a big pay cut in order to guide MBA students at the University of Toronto. He wants to see business education changed and is trying to do something about it.

EEOC finds bias at Lockheed Martin (Saturday, 1/15/00)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has determined that some African American employees at the big aeronautics company may have been denied promotions according to their seniority and experience.

Another indicator of change in Japanese business (Saturday, 1/15/00)
Shihoko Goto writes from Tokyo about reduced expense accounts and diminished willingness of Japanese companies to pay for wining and dining.

Big New England retailer to cut jobs (Saturday, 1/15/00)
Connecticut-based Ames Department Stores will lay off about 500 workers.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Center for Labor Economics (Saturday, 1/15/00)
The Center for Labor Economics is located at the University of California Berkeley and was formed in 1997 to support research. The Center also conducts a weekly seminar series and sponsors visiting scholars.

Greenspan worried about "imbalances" (Friday, 1/14/00)
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan spoke in New York yesterday, saying that the American economy is doing remarkably well, but that he's concerned that imbalances could mess things up. His remarks were widely interpreted as signaling that another interest rate increase may not be far away.

Will there be a teachers' strike Israel? (Friday, 1/14/00)
Union officials are meeting with government representatives in a last-minute effort to head off a strike that could come within a few days and take 85,000 educators out of their classrooms.

Drug industry wants to cooperate with Clinton and Congress on Medicare changes (Friday, 1/14/00)
Executives in the drug industry have decided not to oppose prescription drug coverage under the Medicare program. They're saying now that they'd like to see it happen this year.

Cuts, cuts, cuts (Friday, 1/14/00)
The new American economy is very strong, still growing, and still creating jobs. However, one of its defining characteristics is its flexibility and the "churning" that's going on. Despite growth and strength and the plentiful supply of jobs in many sectors and regions, jobs are being lost too. For example, for a variety of reasons, jobs are about to disappear at First USA, Merrill Lynch, Quaker Oats, SCI, Methodist Health, IBM, and at New Century Energies and Northern States Power because of a planned merger of the two utility companies.

Protest by retired employees of U.S. West (Friday, 1/14/00)
The big telephone company is being accused of misusing pension funds, among other things.

Hoffa joins in to help boost three-month old strike (Friday, 1/14/00)
The Teamsters struck Overnite Transportation about three months ago. Teamsters President James Hoffa led a rally in Kansas City on Wednesday in an effort to re-energize the troops in their conflict with the company.

If not now, when? (Friday, 1/14/00)
President Clinton believes that the strong American economy offers a "magic moment" for assisting the poor in the United States.

Japan to ease regulations to allow more foreign workers into the country (Friday, 1/14/00)
The Japanese government is responding to appeals from companies that want to hire foreign nationals as interns. Meanwhile, the Japanese PM is predicting that Asia will drive the global economy through most of the 21st century, despite recent problems, including the sluggishness of Japan's economy.

Busing students in Denver (Friday, 1/14/00)
In this case, it's a whole busload of people who will soon have Harvard MBAs, and they're exploring Denver's job possibilities.

Writer thinks it's time to tell the Labor Department which century we're in (Friday, 1/14/00)
L. M. Sixel of the Houston Chronicle writes about Secretary Herman's stated intention to upgrade governmental policies and regulations for the new economy and why she may still have a long way to go, judging from two recent events.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Kenneth G. Fisher Library (Friday, 1/14/00)
The Kenneth G. Fisher Library at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business offers access to various online resources, including many journals.

Clinton's new plan for developing poor communities (Thursday, 1/13/00)
President Clinton is expected to announce a new plan to encourage private investment in depressed urban and rural areas of the U.S. Meanwhile, Kimberly Blanton reports in the Boston Globe on the results of a new study from the Women's Educational and Industrial Union indicating that 25 percent of the families in Massachusetts are having difficulty making ends meet, despite a booming American economy.

Africa's suffering (Thursday, 1/13/00)
Africa is an awfully large and highly varied continent, so it's difficult to generalize. Nonetheless, some regions are suffering greatly. In addition to widespread AIDS throughout some regions, famine in Ethiopia is taking the lives of at least a half-dozen small children each day, and Evelyn Leopold writes about 6 million homeless Africans.

Education's brain drain (Thursday, 1/13/00)
About 20 percent of new teachers in the U.S. bail out of the profession within three years, and, in many cases, it's the more academically qualified who are leaving the field for other opportunities, according to a new analysis of federal data. The detailed results are published in Education Week's annual report.

Slower population growth during the 21st century (Thursday, 1/13/00)
The Bureau of the Census has been studying American population trends and has published a preview of the next 100 years. Growth will be slower than through much of the 20th century, they say.

Executives and conflict-resolution skills (Thursday, 1/13/00)
Here's Beth Fitzgerald's story about a consultant who helps managers learn how to cope with and deal constructively with conflict in the workplace, and there's a lot of it.

What little difference a century makes (Thursday, 1/13/00)
Eileen Boris and Nelson Lichtenstein write that the recent flap over whether employers are responsible for home-based working conditions sounds very familiar. In fact, some of the same language was being used just about a hundred years ago, they say, when many persons worked at home under essentially sweatshop conditions. While the OSHA advisory was withdrawn, Diane Stafford says the issues aren't likely to go away. New regulations may be needed in the new economy, and you can play a role in helping to develop them.

Contrary evidence on immigrant entrepreneurship (Thursday, 1/13/00)
It's common assumed that immigrants are more likely to start their own business than persons born in the U.S. A report from the Center for Immigration Studies says this does not appear to be the case.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Time's Top 100 (Thursday, 1/13/00)
Here's Time magazine's 100 most important people of the 20th century.

States enjoy immunity to federal age discriminiation suits (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
You can sue your employer in federal court if you are a victim of age discrimination...unless you work for one of the states, that is. Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times has details of a new Supreme Court ruling that bolsters states' rights.

Gays no longer to be banned from service in the British military (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
The British government is expected to lift the ban in response to a European Court ruling.

Deal reached between French trucking firms and the government, but... (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Matthew Green reports on efforts to end a blockade that has disrupted trucking in and out of France following agreement on labor issues and fuel prices. However, things remain chaotic, because, while barriers have been coming down at some border crossings, they remain in place at others.

What's next? (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Steve Lipin and Nikhil Deogun of the Wall Street Journal say that now that AOL has acquired Time-Warner, we may see pigs fly. Well, no, that's not what they're saying, but nearly anything may be possible from now on as the economy reorganizes in very unfamiliar ways. Expect many more startling mergers, say Jacob Kaiser and Andrew Zajac of the Chicago Tribune.

Help may be coming for the working poor (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
President Clinton wants to boost tax credits for the working poor by $21 billion.

On a special kind of child labor (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
If the idea of children working in sweatshops bothers you, you might also be bothered by children serving as combatants in dicey military situations in which people routinely are maimed or die. There are as many as 300,000 child soldiers serving in about 30 military conflicts in the world, according to estimates. A treaty is under development that would intend to regulate this practice, but not eliminate it. In fact, the U.S. wants conscription to be limited to persons 18 or over, but to allow younger people to volunteer.

People with problems can BE a problem for everybody in the workplace (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Columnist Kirstin Downey Grimsley responds to a correspondent who is concerned about the impact of an employee who is disabled by depression and alcoholism.

An unexpected effect of stock options (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
You may have to pay your workers greater overtime pay if you make stock options available to them. Albert Crenshaw of the Washington Post reports on a new advisory from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Harassment suit at ink company (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
The EEOC claims that Illinois' Apollo Colors failed to protect employees from racial harassment.

In what jobs should former drug users be able to serve? (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
If it's okay to have a vice-president, Supreme Court justice, or a governor who once used illegal drugs, is it okay to have former drug users working as police officers? Jeff Kass writes about this issue from Denver for the Christian Science Monitor.

Michigan attempts to catch up on college savings (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
The Detroit Free Press' Susan Tompor says that Michigan is behind other states with respect to college savings plans, but the governor and others intend to do something about it.

Hoffa gets aggressive on cleaning up the Teamsters (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Teamsters President James Hoffa wants to get the government out of his union's business. He hopes that governmental supervision of the long-troubled union will end if his plan for combatting corruption and organized crime involvement is implemented.

Some of today's layoffs (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Here's news of job cuts at Bank One, Fidelity Investments' Community Newspaper Company, and International Paper.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Akamac (Wednesday, 1/12/00)
Akama Michio of Japan's Ehime University has compiled links to a great many full-text versions of well-known economic and social works available on the Internet.

Engineers may strike at Boeing (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
It would the very first stike by Boeing's second-largest union, and it could come Thursday. In other labor news, workers at a Wal-Mart store in Jacksonville, Texas are asking the NLRB for permission to form a union. It could be a breakthrough for organized labor in a company that has remained mostly non-unionized.

Supreme Court backs temps at Microsoft (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Many employers prefer to rely on temporary or contract workers in order to avoid the cost of benefits and other perks to which full-time employees are often entitled. Thousands of temporary workers at Microsoft claimed in a suit that they are entitled to be able to buy their company's stock at a discount, as full-timers can do. They won, Microsoft appealed, and, now, the Supreme Court has rejected that appeal. The case may send reverberations throughout the American economy. In other Supreme Court action, unions won't be able to sue tobacco companies for the cost of treating smoking-related health problems.

Putin wants economic strength, but also military (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Whether he thinks the two are related or not, the man who is now calling the shots in Russia not only wants to fix the ailing Russian economy, he wants to restore Russia as a superpower as well, according to this New York Times report.

Retirees oppose telecommunications merger (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Retired workers from US West are in dispute with the company over pension fund issues and are hoping to block the merger with Qwest Communications International.

Army to investigate how "don't ask, don't tell" is being applied (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Charles Aldinger reports that the Secretary of the Army has ordered the branch's inspector general to conduct a study of how well the official policy is being implemented in the U.S. Army. Meanwhile, a woman who has challenged a constitutional provision limiting the roles women can play in the German military now has the backing of the European Court.

Another WTO round has a chance, according to U.S. officials (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Despite the Seattle debacle, the U.S. is still trying to maintain optimism about a new round of world trade talks this year.

The status of worker rights in China (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
The Washington Post's John Pomfret writes from Shenzhen that worker rights are routinely ignored in a country where economic modernization and efficiency are taking highest priority. However, some victories are being won.

Here's a notice of retirement that may be highly premature (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Some people may think it's time for the Pope to retire, but the Vatican is making it known that it doesn't care what people think. Despite health problems, it appears that John Paul II intends to stay on the job.

NSW police to reduce the number of sergeants (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Linda Doherty and Mark Robinson of the Sydney Morning Herald report that the New South Wales police seems prepared to cut 471 sergeants out of 2,655.

Take the training to the people, lawmakers say (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
People who need upgrade work skills in the rural areas of Minnesota can obtain training in the Twin Cities if they are willing and able to disrupt their lives considerably. U.S. Senator Wellstone from Minnesota joins the state Senate majority leader in saying that technology training centers should be build in the rural areas to serve rural populations.

Cheating on your taxes is going to get harder (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Well, it may be just as easy to cheat, but doing so and not getting caught is going to get harder. The Internal Revenue Service is installing highly sophisticated software that will make it very hard for cheaters to hide.

Clinton wants billions to get kids signed up (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
President Clinton intends to ask Congress for $2.7 billion to make it easier for states and families to get health coverage for children who are eligible for federal programs.

Family priorities may be gaining (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
When the needs of work and the needs of family are in conflict, many people are tilting in the direction of their families. A new study finds that almost as many people report having changed jobs to spend more time with their families as to make more money.

Greenspan solidly installed as the Clinton presidency begins circling the drain (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
Chris Lester of the Kansas City Star examines the long-term influence of Alan Greesnspan who is likely to remain on the job at the Fed when there is a new occupant at the White House.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Firing and Termination (Tuesday, 1/11/00)
When you have to fire somebody, it's important to know your legal limitations and obligations. Quicken and Excite offer information about Firing and Termination.

What? Steve Case is Ted Turner's new boss? (Monday, 1/10/00)
If you've been having doubts about whether there is anything new about the American economy, today's megamediamerger should dispel them. Only a few years ago, America Online was a proprietary online service lagging behind Compuserve from which few people expected all that much. Now, AOL is buying Time-Warner and AOL's thirty-something Steve Case will head the whole enormous damn thing, which includes print publications such as the venerable Time magazine, the entire CNN empire, the Warner Brothers feature film factory, a major part of the cable TV system, and much, much more. Steve Case? STEVE CASE? He's even going to be Bugs Bunny's boss and Arnold Swartzenegger will have to deal with him whenever he wants to make another film on the huge Warner Brothers lot in Burbank. A new century is one thing, but maybe we've all been moved to an unfamiliar planet as well. Little from only about a decade ago is still recognizable.

What will Russia look like after a few months, years, with Putin in charge? (Monday, 1/10/00)
If you haven't expected that Steve Case would be running Time-Warner, you should REALLY be surprised that Vladimir Putin is running Russia and will probably become its new president before long. Putin came from nowhere and owes everything to Boris Yeltsin who apparently saw something in him that he liked. The current international edition of Business Week examines Putin's likely impact on the Russian economy and most other things Russian.

Hiring at a furious rate in Australia (Monday, 1/10/00)
Toni O'Loughlin writes in the Sydney Morning Herald reports that experts expect Australia's unemployment rate to decline to 6.5 percent by June. Also in Australia, Laura Tingle reports that there is a controversy over whether Christian agencies can discriminate in their own hiring policies. A warning has gone out to one such agency from the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business.

The Education Secretary is alarmed (Monday, 1/10/00)
The United States is facing one of its worst shortages of genuinely qualified teachers in a very long time, and better pay and better professional training are needed. A quarter million people are working in American classrooms without proper preparation, according to Richard Riley, the former South Carolina governor who has been U.S. Secretary of Education throughout the Clinton era.

Coke to cut jobs at its corporate headquarters (Monday, 1/10/00)
Coca-Cola has been maintaining its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, but wants to restructure so as to become more decentralized. Thus, there will be job cuts at its present main office.

Who's paying more, who's paying less for health care? (Monday, 1/10/00)
The government's paying less, according to a new study, which means that the private sector is paying more.

Workers contribute their sick time to colleagues who need it (Monday, 1/10/00)
Diane Scarponi writes about the increasingly common practice of pooling sick time.

Paying for college (Monday, 1/10/00)
Gene Myer of the Kansas City Star discusses the various ways of preparing for the high cost of college, and one size certainly doesn't fit all. Sally MacDonald Ooms says that some people are fortunate enough to have an employer that is willing to help.

Is somebody out to get you at work? Probably (Monday, 1/10/00)
Columnist Amy Joyce says that the emphasis on teams in the new economy doesn't mean that all back-stabbers have been domesticated. Good to become realistic about and adept at workplace politics, she advises.

Yes, you may be entitled to unpaid leave, but... (Monday, 1/10/00)
Baruch College researchers find that taking unpaid leave tends to have a negative impact on the careers of manager.

Is it a real victory for the undocumented nine? (Monday, 1/10/00)
People who are working in the United States illegally are vulnerable to exploitation by employers who can always threaten to turn them in. Doug Grow of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes about a victory, of sorts, for nine Mexican workers who have been awarded $8,000 as compensation for this kind of exploitation. But, they're still in the U.S. illegally, and the INS is still intent on doing its job. The case may set an influential precedent, though.

Badly out of balance in public (Monday, 1/10/00)
Nationally syndicated Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman tells the story of working mother Jane Swift whose problems