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Cussed out, then sworn in (Friday, 1/31/03)
A couple of Democratic Senators had intended to try to hold up John Snow's appointment as the new Secretary of the Treasury, but they didn't get far. The Senate confirmed Mr. Snow late last night.

Japan's big stall (Friday, 1/31/03)
If Japan's islands were ships instead, they might be as stationary as they are now. Dead in the water. At least, that's the condition of its economy. Ken Belson reports from Tokyo how unemployment and spending declines are holding things back.

The new Bush budget plan (Friday, 1/31/03)
Alan Fram examines the $2.2 trillion budget the President is about to send to the Congress. It's just the beginning, he says.

A little something for future generations (Friday, 1/31/03)
All things considered, it's probably nicer for us to leave our children assets rather than liabilities. Andrew Cassel of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that a huge deficit can mean the latter.

Keeping the opposition busy (Friday, 1/31/03)
Gone are the days when many people believed that George W. Bush was a successor to Howdy Doody with Dick Cheney pulling all the strings. The President has joked about how he was a marginally-involved C student at one time, but that was before he underwent some sort of personal transformation when he was about 40 years old. He attributes much of the change to a religious conversion of some sort. In fact, it isn't necessary to be entirely cynical to see the latest version of a religious war going on now.

Bush seems to know exactly who the "evil" are and apparently believes that it's his responsibility to rid the world of them. Many of his enemies seem to know who the "evil" are too, and think it's their responsibility to rid the world of them. Incidentally, the latter group thinks they have met the evil enemy, and s/he is us.

It all suggests that leaders on all sides of this global conflict may be several centuries behind in their understanding of human nature and how the world really works. Saddam, for instance, in addition to inheriting elements of 20th century Nazi ideology, resembles some pre-Islamic despots from his part of the world.

Whatever the reasons, despite earlier appearances, George Bush, Jr. seemed more poised to grow rapidly into the presidency than even many of his fellow Republicans may have believed as late as September 10, 2001. He has become a very ambitious president and seems to be approaching his job with missionary zeal, which is what makes a lot of people very nervous. Religious zealots always KNOW they're right because God is on their side, and, of course, God apparently has been on both sides of many wars down through the centuries. Moreover, it's not new for people to invoke God in order to justify whatever it is they want to do for whatever reason or in order to justify their own or their followers' self-interest.

Mr. Bush is a high-stakes gambler, willing to put himself and his administration on the line in order to restructure the Middle East and much of American society...quickly. If things with Iraq turn out well, he'll probably be able to move ahead with much of his domestic agenda and may even bring about fairly permanent changes in American economic and social life. If things with Iraq turn out badly, start waving good-bye to another one-term President Bush.

At any rate, the President has made sure that his Congressional opposition, as well as his prospective Democratic opponents in the 2004 campaign, can't afford to spend all of their time focusing on the Administration's plans for consigning Saddam Hussein to history's book of the infamous. The President has been tossing out lots of major issues for them to worry about and possibly divide their attention. Susan Page of USA Today tells about one of these, the President's plans for offering a prescription-drug benefit by rolling back part of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society."

Bill Clinton, whom some Republican opponents once called one of the most gifted politicians ever, has been saying essentially the same thing about George W. Bush. So far, Bush and his organization have danced circles around the Democrats in the pure politics of it all. Problem is, the President seems to like to dance on high-wires too, so it ain't over 'til it's over. History probably will look back on George W. Bush either as one of America's most influential, visionary presidents, or as one of history's biggest and most destructive damn fools. Stay tuned, and swallow some more aspirin.

Cuts at Coke (Friday, 1/31/03)
Coca-Cola is consolidating some operations and says it will need 1,000 fewer workers as a consequence.

A few dollars short (Friday, 1/31/03)
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, an agency of the federal government, announced yesterday that it fell $3.6 billion short last year of what it needs to protect the retirement income of a great many workers. Speaking of retirement, California's system has just settled the biggest age-discrimination suit ever.

Strippers approve new contract (Friday, 1/31/03)
There is only one unionized strip club in the United States, and it is located in San Francisco. Union members have just ratified a new two-year contract.

Keeping workers happy is good business, according to Marriott leader (Friday, 1/31/03)
Houston Chronicle columnist L. M. Sixel describes John W. Marriott III's "management by walking around.". Meanwhile, another noted columnist, Diane Stafford of the Kansas City Star, tells what you can do to influence your own satisfaction on the job.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Environment and Trade: A Handbook (Friday, 1/31/03)
Environment and Trade: A Handbook is a joint project of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Environment Programme. It focuses on the interaction of issues relating to trade, environment, and economic development.

The Fed holds steady (Thursday, 1/30/03)
The Federal Reserve, apparently deciding to wait until the Administration's conflict with Iraq has been resolved somehow, has left interest rates at their 41-year lows. Gretchen Morgenson thinks that it means that the Fed isn't overly-concerned about economic peril.

Senate Finance Committee approves Snow (Thursday, 1/30/03)
The Senate Finance Committee has approved John Snow, the President's nominee to be Secretary of the Treasury. The appointment must be confirmed by the whole Senate, however.

Economy nearly stalls (Thursday, 1/30/03)
According to fourth quarter data, the American economy was still growing at the end of 2002, but only barely, at an annualized rate of 0.7 percent. First-time jobless claims increased last week, and employment costs were up during the 4th quarter of 2002. Inflation still isn't a problem, unless you're talking about the medical sector, and that's what Daniel Altman is talking about.

Chavez may be getting the upper hand in Venezuela (Thursday, 1/30/03)
There are indications that the 59-day strike begun as part of an effort to drive President huge Chavez from office and that has essentially stopped oil exports from Venezuela may be losing steam. Banks had joined in the strike started by state-owned oil company executives, but the banks have given way to pressure from Chevez's government.

Another milestone for China (Thursday, 1/30/03)
The world's second-largest economy has been stumbling for more than a decade, while China's economy has been surging. Moreover, and more specifically, China's manufacturing sector as been gaining particular strength, largely at Japan's expense. Here's more from Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun.

Bush, the big spender? (Thursday, 1/30/03)
Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post examines the grocery list of spending proposals put forth by President Bush in his State of the Union address. Who does he think he is, a Democrat or somebody?

Airline cost cutting (Thursday, 1/30/03)
Northwest Airlines, which continues to cut jobs, wants to talk with its pilots' representatives about further cost-cutting. Meanwhile, already bankrupt US Airways wants to make a new pension-plan deal with its pilots.

Shaky economic reforms in India (Thursday, 1/30/03)
India's Prime Minister seems to be trying to bolster struggling economic reform measures in preparation for next year's scheduled election.

The Postal Service wants to offer early retirement deals (Thursday, 1/30/03)
Some jobs in the Postal Service have been eliminated by automation, but the Service has to obtain approval before offering early-out deals to affected workers.

New council for the underprivileged (Thursday, 1/30/03)
President Bush is announcing his new Council on Service and Civic Participation today. A former NFL player will chair it. Another of the Administration's ideas has been set back a bit with a federal judge's ruling against discount pharmacy cards for Medicare recipients.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: World's Most Respected Companies (Thursday, 1/30/03)
The Financial Times and PriceWaterhouseCoopers have conducted a survey to determine the world's most respected companies.

Democrats hit Bush on economics following his State of the Union speech (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Washington state's Governor Gary Locke was given the job of presenting the Democrats' response to President Bush's State of the Union address last night, and emphasized that some of their principal differences have to do with how to fix the ailing American economy. Among the Democrats' concerns is the President's emphasis on tax cuts, which many major Democrats are saying haven't worked so far, and aren't likely to work in the future either. Among those defending the President's tax-cut plan is his nominee for Treasury Secretary, John Snow, a former top corporate executive who has both a law degree and a Ph.D. in economics.

Incidentally, you can take your choice: you can find plenty of people on both sides of this issue who haven't studied economics at all, as well as plenty of others on both sides who have towering professional credentials.

The American economy needs to have it over with (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Many economists, as well as many corporate leaders, are saying that the American economy isn't going to recover in a robust way until the Administration's relationship with Iraq is resolved, one way or another, because uncertainty is putting nearly everything on hold. Businesses don't want to invest in new employees or new plant and equipment while not know what will happen to the price of oil, for instance, and consumers, afraid for their jobs, also have lost a lot of their previous confidence. In fact, many worry that a new war with Iraq could be enough to send the American economy into the second part of a "double-dip" recession. Can the American economy better absorb the cost of a war than deal with current uncertainty?

Deficit picture gets uglier (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
The Congressional Budget Office expects the deficit to be worse than originally thought, even without additional spending or tax cuts. Whether you expect spending or tax cuts to help or hurt may depend, in part, on whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. If you have no compelling partisan affiliation, you may be prepared to acknowledge that nobody really knows.

More hard news from New York (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
New York City is suffering a major deficit for some of the same reasons as other localities, plus the special reasons having to do with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. The states have the roughest budget situation in a generation, and that includes the State of New York, where Governor Pataki is calling for major cuts in education and health care in order to help balance his state's budget, which, unlike the federal government, states are obligated by law to do.

The uneven distribution of unemployment (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
You'll find more unemployed people in some parts of the country than in others. Leigh Strobe reports on the high concentrations to be found in the American West.

One way to cope with mass-layoff is to stop counting them (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Mike Myers reports that the government has stopped issuing mass-layoff reports. As you might expect, there is disagreement as to the reasons.

Mexican union leaders accused of corruption (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
A landmark court case appears to be developing in Mexico where union leaders in a state-run oil company are likely to be brought to trial on charges of illegal campaign funding.

Update on those workers exposed to toxic chemicals in nuclear plants (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Many American workers were exposed to cancer-causing substances while working in Cold War-era nuclear plants. Those who have been waiting for compensation are still waiting, and time is running out for some. Here are details from Duncan Mansfield in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Bush is getting opposition from an unexpected direction (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Among those who disagree with President Bush's attitude toward the University of Michigan's admissions policy are heads of some of the America's largest corporations. Huh? Here's more from Greg Gordon in Washington.

American ambivalence towards its rich (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Abraham McLaughlin reports on the latest round of an ongoing argument about what society's most wealthy persons owe their society. Your attitude may depend, in part, on whether you assume that the distribution of wealth is a result of a "zero-sum game," or whether you assume that, because of economic growth, you can increase your wealth without decreasing somebody else's. Are thousands of people less wealthy because Bill Gates has tens of billions of dollars, for instance, or has he also benefited other people while benefiting himself?

Human bodies are meant to MOVE (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
Stephen Pincock in London reports that researchers have found that people who spend long hours in front of their computers may be at risk of developing blood clots as travelers who remain immobile on long flights may be.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Corporate Library (Wednesday, 1/29/03)
The Corporate Library is intended as a central resource on the nature of the global corporation with emphasis on governance and the relations among its principal constituencies.

No change expected in federal funds rate (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
The Federal Reserve's key Open Market Committee is meeting today and tomorrow, as many economists guess that interest rates will be allowed to remain at their 40-year lows at least until summer.

Their economy's a mess, but not expected to determine electoral outcome (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
The New York Times' Frank Bruni reports from Israel that the economy is not the top issue in the Israeli election.

U.S. manufacturing sector improves a bit (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
Factory orders were up a bit in December, but the American economy needs much more improvement in its manufacturing sector. Jeannine Aversa in Washington has details.

Examining trust (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
Governmental and corporate leaders from much of the world, as well as a lot of journalists and others, have gathered in idyllic Davos, Switzerland to discuss a variety of issues of common interest, and there has been no shortage of important topics. Naomi Koppel says that attendees are getting around to the conference's official theme: what needs to be done to restore public confidence in business.

Are you making it harder for the plane to get off the ground? (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
The epidemic of Type II diabetes is one indication that Americans may now be the heavyweight champions of the world. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration wants to weigh passengers as well as their luggage. Will you have to pay extra for extra pounds?

This year's graduates will finish school with far more debt (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
On average, graduating college students have three times the accumulated debt of students only a decade ago. Here's more from Greg Winter.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Rights@Work (Tuesday, 1/28/03)
The AFL-CIO offers Rights@Work to help you understand your legal rights as a worker and, if you feel you are being violated, how you can file a complaint with the appropriate government agency.

Delegates at Davos like long-term prospects better than short-term (Monday, 1/27/03)
Stephen Jukes reports from the big international economic meeting at Davos, Switzerland that representatives of the world's leading industrial economies say their countries really aren't doing all that badly, despite widespread criticism. The long-term looks pretty good, but they acknowledge that prospects for short-term growth are still unsatisfactory. Meanwhile, an organization of British business leaders has issued a report in which an estimate is made of the destructive impact on the American economy if a war with Iraq is not concluded quickly.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation comes up short (Monday, 1/27/03)
It's the federal agency that insures the pensions of tens of millions of Americans, and, like the federal budget surplus which some of our oldest readers may remember, the PBGC's surplus is gone. Here's more from Mary Williams Walsh in the New York Times.

Not all of the uninsured are unable to afford coverage (Monday, 1/27/03)
Some people go without health insurance coverage as a matter of choice, according to Kansas City Star columnist Jerry Heaster. Speaking of health, Billionaire Bill will see that research for the world's poor will get $200 million to work with.

Economic diagnostician (Monday, 1/27/03)
The Minneapolis Star Tribune' Mike Meyers writes about Tim Kehoe, a 49-year-old University of Minnesota economist who has become a leading authority on the causes and consequences of international economic problems.

Rest assured, changes in the Social Security system ARE occurring (Monday, 1/27/03)
Maybe they're not the kind that will be needed to keep the system solvent on into the later years of the century, but changes are happening anyway. For one thing, if you're turning 65 this year, you'll still have to wait awhile to collect full benefits, and that's a first. Also, Eileen Alt Powell says that about 4 of 10 Social Security recipients mostly depend on their benefits for their total income.

When the boss is a woman, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a hand up (Monday, 1/27/03)
Del Jones of USA Today writes that most top executive jobs are held by men, even when the CEO is a woman.

Think you're not among America's well-off? Are you sure? (Monday, 1/27/03)
Scott Burns examines some IRS data on the distribution of income in the United States. Pop quiz: what does it take to be among the top 10 percent of America's income earners? Mr. Burns' article will tell you.

AHP for hiring (Monday, 1/27/03)
The Analytic Hierarchy Process was developed at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. It systematizing the hiring process by combining qualitative and quantitative factors. The process is described in the new book, Decision by Objectives: How to Convince Others That You Are Right. Meanwhile, columnist Amy Joyce writes about some of the people who aren't searching for a job, opting, instead, to stick with the one they already have for the moment, even if they're dissatisfied.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The World Health Report 2002 (Monday, 1/27/03)
Here's the chapter index of the World Health Report for 2002. The full text of each chapter also is available on the site.

South Korea scrambles to squish worm before work week begins (Sunday, 1/26/03)
A rapidly replicating computer worm disabled much of the world's Internet system, but has hit systems in South Korea particularly hard. Kim Miyoung reports from Seoul that engineers have been working feverishly to get things back to normal before the start of work Monday.

Who has the world's largest information economy? (Sunday, 1/26/03)
The United States, of course, but that may change soon. A Chinese official has told leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland that China is gaining and is likely to surpass the U.S. by 2008.

The United States remains the only superpower with a hegemonic relationship to the rest of the world...at the moment, and if we confine ourselves to the use of conventional criteria formulated during the recent past, which already may be obsolete. Despite its economic and military power, we're seeing that the U.S. can't necessarily make things happen the way it might like.

Militarily, for example, the U.S. far surpasses any other nation in the world, and, in fact, spends more on armaments that the next fifteen countries put together. Still, there has been recent discussion about whether America could fight two wars at once without being overextended. What if there were, say, fifteen? Or thirty? Clearly, if the U.S. has too many enemies, there can be no effective military solution.

There are roughly as many people in China as there are Muslims in the world, and either dwarfs the U.S. population. The bottom line is that the United States has slightly less than five percent of the world's population, and, under altered conditions, could easily be swamped by superior numbers. China won't necessarily be a belligerent competitor during the remainder of the 21st century, but it will be a competitor, nonetheless, and clearly intends to become the world's dominant power long before this century ends. China is advancing quickly, while the Islamic world remains largely stagnant and highly resentful of the U.S. We can only hope that people like Osama bin Laden will not succeed in radicalizing all of Islam.

How will the U.S. find peaceful ways to relate to the rest of a changed world while maintaining its role as a "beacon of democracy" with something resembling its current standard of living? The 21st century may prove to be the most challenging in American history.

What are the merits of "merit pay?" (Sunday, 1/26/03)
Despite the power of "positive reinforcement," research psychologists long have known about the limitations of "token economies." It is true that you tend to get more of whatever behavior is recognized or rewarded and less of what is ignored. Still, what constitutes a "reward?"

People who are preoccupied with money tend to assume that everybody else is too, which helps them feel more "normal." People tend to generalize from their own immediate experience. But, is it really the case that everyone will respond to opportunities simply to earn more? If you spend all your time with people who give highest priority to building wealth, are you really exposing yourself to a representative sample of humanity as a whole? If you believe that "Americans want to make more money," it's useful to keep in mind that there are about 280 million Americans. How many of them have you talked to before arriving at your conclusions?

Sometimes, things are too large to be noticed. If you're standing on a mountain, it doesn't seem all that significant. Visit any academic library, and you will be surrounded by tens of thousands of books, most of which were produced through enormous effort by greatly talented people to who never expected to make enough to live on from that effort alone. Clearly, not everyone dances to the same fiddler, and not every worker responds to the same kind of incentive. In fact, there is growing evidence that one of the defining characteristics of the new economy is the increased diversity with respect to what people want from their jobs or careers, and this complicates things for employers. One size probably never fit all, and it seems to be even less true now.

For many people, particularly in the professions, their work is not a "job," but a calling. If you indicate that you're assuming that they're doing it only for the money, you will offend them deeply, and, if you leave the impression that you're trying to manipulate them by offering them more money, the result may be the opposite of what you intend. Social psychologists have referred to this boomerang effect as "reactance," and it is more common than you may believe. For many people, their "work is their life," and it's not because of an obsession with buying expensive toys or possessions with a lot of social "show-off" value.

President Bush doesn't like the civil servant seniority system which rewards the ability to take on "protective coloring" and outlast everybody else by being inconspicuous and, perhaps, uncreative. Instead, he would like the reward system to relate to performance, so he's setting up an incentive pay plan. Stay tuned for unintended consequences. Like many business executives who may be at least a century behind on behavioral research, the President may believe that he knows a lot about human nature.

However, he's not the only one. The biz school grads and accountants who run Kaiser Permanente have been setting up a similar incentive program for physicians. While some doctors undoubtedly chose to go to med school because they heard that American physicians tend to make a lot of money, there are others who could have had some sort of palace in a rich American suburb long before now, but, instead, are able to carry most of their possessions in a couple of boxes and suitcases. Some of these treat the poorest of the poor in regions of the world where there are no suburbs. Which kinds of human motivation do we most want to encourage?

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: CTD Resource Network, Inc. (Sunday, 1/26/03)
CTD Resource Network, Inc. is a California nonprofit organization supporting those with repetitive stress injuries with information and assistance.

Argentina gets its loan (Saturday, 1/25/03)
The International Monetary Fund has approved a $3 billion loan for Argentina.

A little more privatizing (Saturday, 1/25/03)
The Bush administration is considering tying some Medicare recipients into government-subsidized private health coverage in order to solve the prescription medication problem.

No festivities at Davos (Saturday, 1/25/03)
Leaders from throughout the world have congregated at Davos, Switzerland in order to discuss the global economy and are finding little to celebrate. Generally, the world is waiting for a strong U.S. economic recovery, and that's probably being impeded right now by the uncertainties in the international situation, particularly what might happen in Iraq and how it might affect world oil prices. The President's State of the Union address is likely to emphasize economic issues, as well as the Iraq situation, many observers are saying, and Donna Smith writes from Washington about an alternative economic plan developed by Congressional Democrats. Meanwhile, Christopher Farrell says that the recovery has been impersonating a recession, and Donald Luskin has been thinking about just how dismal economic science really is.

Microsoft to add jobs (Saturday, 1/25/03)
The world's largest software company intends to hire another 1,500 people to help staff and promote services for corporate customers. The net gain for the American economy is less, though, because at about the same time, United Airlines is laying off about 700 flight attendants. United is bankrupt, while Microsoft has tens of billions of dollars in the bank and recently announced its first stock dividend. The two companies represent a microcosm which reflects the very mixed picture of the American economy overall. Some sectors and companies are doing very well, while others are in horrible shape.

Employees to get fair warning (Saturday, 1/25/03)
Tens of millions of Americans with 401(k) plans will get 30 days' notice before employers can block access to their accounts. The changes begin next week.

Lawyer sues legal publisher (Saturday, 1/25/03)
West has been publishing law books for a very long time, and now offers online services to lawyers and law firms as well. One of their own lawyers has filed a $20 million discrimination suit again the Twin Cities-based company. Here's more from today's Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Employers begin an attempt to recover lost productivity due to surfing (Saturday, 1/25/03)
Many workers spend much of their time on the Internet at their boss' expense, according to studies, and employers are starting to try to do something about it. CNet News says that cutbacks on surfing at work could affect web company profits.

New perspective on 1997 (Saturday, 1/25/03)
Newly released transcripts show that a battle was going on at the Federal Reserve over how much the economy was overheating and what should be done about it.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Global Employment Trends (Saturday, 1/25/03)
Here's the ILO's press release summarizing their new 108-page report on Global Employment Trends.

Hunger on the increase again in Ethiopia (Friday, 1/24/03)
Danna Harman writes from Ethiopia that a new hunger crisis means that emergency aid is needed.

Another dismal BOJ report (Friday, 1/24/03)
The Bank of Japan still sees little to cheer about in the Japanese economy. The big central bank's assessment is downbeat for the third month in a row.

Teachers in short supply in New Zealand (Friday, 1/24/03)
Vivian Hutchinson reports in his widely read and widely regarded The Jobs Letter that the number of ads for teaching positions in New Zealand's The Education Gazette number 316 compared to 170 at the same time last year.

Bankrupt! Time for a bonus (Friday, 1/24/03)
Rachel Beck writes about the executives and managers who seek bonuses after their companies blow up to the disadvantage of stockholders and workers. Along similar lines, Erick Berger of the Houston Chronicle reports that Enron--remember them?--is asking the bankruptcy court to approve $29 million in bonuses to be distributed to about 900 employees. Presumably, these aren't all executives. If they are, we have yet another indication of why the company had trouble.

Agreeing while disagreeing (Friday, 1/24/03)
The Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, who is about to leave, and the new Governor of Pennsylvania both spoke at a Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce meeting, and agreed that the American economy is in strong need of assistance, but they couldn't disagree much more on what should be done, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Andrew Cassel. Meanwhile, Senator Daschle, recently freed from the additional responsibilities of being either Senate Majority Leader or a presidential candidate, has had time to work up his own ideas for stimulating the U.S. economy.

Fair to partly cloudy (Friday, 1/24/03)
Meteorological and economic systems have quite a lot in common in the sense that both are highly complex and subject to influence by a very large number of variables which probably interact in ways nobody really understands. In fact, both probably are nonlinear complex dynamic systems subject to interpretation with the mathematics of chaos theory, which originally arose in meteorology. Meteorological and economic forecasting not only share similar limitations as a consequence, but also can be perplexing or frustrating. Rebecca Gomez reports that the Conference Board's famed Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased in December for the third month in a row, but unemployed continues to be devilish, as the uncertainty of the international situation continues to cast a pall.

Incidentally, unemployment is a growing global problem, according to a new ILO report. Across the world, about 20 million persons have lost their jobs during the past two years. George Fowler has more details and reports that the total number of unemployed in the world now has reached 180 million. That's 6.5 percent of a global labor force of 2.8 billion persons.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: US Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection (Friday, 1/24/03)
Much of the history of American industrialization as well as the history of Gary, Indiana are documented through the use of 2,200 photographs available on the web. Here's the US Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection, 1905-1971.

Demographic history has been made (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
African Americans no longer make up the largest minority group in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. The Hispanic population is now larger and growing more rapidly, and, in fact, is expected to have immediately political consequences. For instance, if President Bush gets the same percentage of the Hispanic vote in 2004 as he did in 2000, he will lose by several million votes. The black population plus the Hispanic population together make up about one-quarter of the entire U.S. population.

However, there is reason to expect that such traditional categories will become less meaningful as a greater share of the population becomes more obviously "blended." Tiger Woods, whose ancestry is both black and Asian, as well as Colin Powell, whose ancestry is black, Caribbean, Native American, and Irish, among other things, are current examples. There was a time during the not too distant past when most Caucasian Americans tended to identify themselves as "German," "Polish," "Irish," "Norwegian," and so on. Fewer do that now, and think of themselves simply as "Americans," which is the way it's supposed to be. Could anyone possibly be more American than, say, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Henry Kissinger?

Miners die in West Virginia (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
An explosion in a mine shaft has killed three miners and injured three others.

German doctors protest pay changes (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
The United States is not the only place where healthcare costs are escalating at a dizzying rate, and a German-style healthcare system may be looking somewhat less like a solution to reformers in the U.S. at the moment. The German government has plans for changing their country's system, and many physicians don't like what they're hearing. Kerstin Gehmlich reports from Berlin on the walkout of thousands of doctors.

Bush takes time out from war planning to meet with economists (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
The President called 15 mostly conservative economists to the White House for a chat yesterday, which Andrew Cassel of the Philadelphia Inquirer takes as a sign that the Administration feels that the Bush tax-cut plan is in trouble. R. Glenn Hubbard is one economist who doesn't need convincing. In fact, the Bush tax plan is much his idea. Several Business Week writers report that corporate CFOs feel that the elimination of taxes on stock dividends who have a major impact on how companies would conduct their business, but they're still not sure what it would be. If President Bush has been expecting a grass-roots political surge in favor of big tax cuts, he may be disappointed at results from a new poll that finds that half of Americans don't feel that income taxes are too high.

States dial 911 (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
State and city budgets are in terrible shape, and Will Lester writes that local and state leaders are making an emergency plea for help from Washington.

Another airline thinks it needs a break (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Northwest Airlines' big $488 million quarterly loss has the company thinking about asking its unions for concessions. Here's more from Martin Moylan.

More job cuts at Kodak (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Eastman Kodak is caught, not only in a weak economy, but also in an historic transition from chemical-based to electronic imaging. Photography is changing rapidly, and Kodak is trying to change with it. Still, it's been a struggle, although the company regained profitability in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, they expect to cut as many as 2,200 additional jobs in order to cut costs and become a slightly smaller company now that they're having to compete, not only with traditional photo firms, but also with most of the major electronics companies.

Agreement at Sprint (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
A strike has been averted at Sprint Corporation. Workers in five states were prepared to walk off their jobs. Here's more from Amy Shafer in Kansas City.

The market's impact on college endowments (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Last year was grim for many colleges that depend on endowments. In fact, it was the worst year in more than a quarter century, according to Justin Pope.

China certainly isn't welcoming Korean refugees (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
What a difference a half century makes. During the Korean War, China made a major military commitment and came into the conflict on the side of North Korea. In recent years, North Korea's Stalinist system first became calcified, then began shattering, while China, although still autocratic, may be "communist" now in name only. The U.S. government is hoping that Japan, Russia, and China are no more enthusiastic about the idea of a North Korea with nuclear weapons than America is, which probably is about right. China's governmental leaders aren't sweet, altruistic, social worker kinds of guys, but, unlike North Korea's rulers, they're very smart and highly rational, and give every indication of knowing exactly what they're doing.

In the meantime, millions of North Koreans are in danger of starving, and China clearly doesn't want them coming across their border in search of a better life. Those who are making it across the Chinese border are being hunted down and sent back home.

Help and self-help for the unemployed (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
During the early 1990s when corporate structural changes were occurring that displaced a huge number of middle-class workers, including large numbers of middle managers, various support groups and resource centers sprung up around the country, often with the assistance of churches. That's happening now too. Kansas City Star columnist Diane Stafford lists some of the available centers and groups in her metropolitan area. Generally, finding a job when you're unemployed IS your full-time job, and it requires many of the same persistent, organized activities as employment itself. Problem is, it's not very rewarding, particularly when you've sent out hundreds of resumes and still haven't gotten an interview. It's easy for motivation to run down, and, if you simply end up spending many hours each day in front of the TV, failure in the job-search process will be self-fulfilling. Resources and practical advice can be helpful, but so can the sort of support that can help you keep going.

Taking a chance at work (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Gambling has become a major American pastime, and, with the Internet, you can place a bet nearly anyplace. The Christian Science Monito's Gregory Lamb tells about people who are gambling both at home and at work, and, in many cases, getting in over their heads.

Packages for biz travelers (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Vacationers have long been attracted to package plans that include some combination of air, hotel, food, cruise, or tour. Barbara De Lollis reports that marketers are intending to target business travelers in some of the same ways.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Best Hospitals (Wednesday, 1/22/03)
Here's the alphabetical index of what U.S. News & World Report regards as the best hospitals in the United States, given the criteria they've chosen to use, which are explained on the site.

Republican governor wants BIG tax increase (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
With many states having their worst budget problems in a half century, it's a rough time to be a governor. When deficits occur, the standard Republican response is that there is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. However, Nevada's Governor Guinn is taking a different path, announcing that he wants nearly a billion dollars in new taxes. He believes that to do otherwise would be running from his duty as the state's top governmental leader.

Boom within a context of bust (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
The Dow went from its high about three years ago to its low last October, and there's even some question about whether the American economy really has been growing at all recently, however unimpressively. However, one sector that has been doing quite nicely has been housing construction which had its strongest year in 2002 since 1986.

Despite everything, some corporations are investing for better times ahead (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
Overall, business spending hasn't picked up, which has been holding back the economy, and many companies are particularly reluctant to commit major money now, given the uncertainties of the international situation and what that could mean for oil prices a bit later. However, Matt Krantz of USA Today says there are corporations that are swimming upstream and finding money for R&D so as to be in position when things turn around.

Is it time to begin worrying about inflation again? (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
Deflation has been affecting a number of economies throughout the world, and there has been some concern that it could begin afflicting the U.S. as well. At the very least, inflation hasn't been a problem for sometime. However, as Tom Petruno of the Los Angeles Times reports, there are signs that could be changing.

Paying taxes on taxes (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
Scott Burns agrees with the Administration that ending double taxation could stimulate the economy, but he's not talking about taxes on dividends.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Job Market Research (Tuesday, 1/21/03)
The New York Times regularly conducts job market research in conjunction with a variety of other organizations.

Music industry jobs threatened (Monday, 1/20/03)
Online piracy is putting 600,000 music industry jobs in jeopardy, according to Jay Berman International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, speaking in Cannes, France.

Twenty-year-old fight nears settlement (Monday, 1/20/03)
Lawyers representing New York City's homeless have been suing the city for twenty years, but, as Leslie Kaufman reports in today's New York Times, final agreement seems nearer now.

Do the feds really penalize you for being married? (Monday, 1/20/03)
Vows to eliminate the so-called "marriage penalty" make for good campaign rhetoric, but is it really true? Edmund Andrews of the New York Times says, well, it is and it isn't. Everything considered, you probabaly make out less well if you're single, he says.

Similarly, the term "death tax" has a nice ring to it if you're campaigning and want voters to think that you will try to help them save them money. Marilyn Geewax reports that there are many people who would like to see a complete repeal of the estate tax so that all of a family's accumulated wealth could stay in the family across many generations, assuming that, as often happens, a generation doesn't come along that screws up and loses most of it.

However, not all of the richest families are in favor of the idea. For instance, the richest individual in the world, Bill Gates, has said all along that he doesn't believe in dumping vast riches on the family's younger generation. He intends to give away most of his billions, and, even though he is not yet 50, Bill and his wife's giving is already well underway.

Incidentally, even if you're not a billionaire, Ronald Lipman reports that recent changes mean that you can give away more now than before without tax consequences. Beverly Goodman writes in The Street.com that the new year brings beneficial changes affecting retirees too.

Taking a chance on health (Monday, 1/20/03)
Alex Polier reports that many young people without health coverage are holding their breath and trying to remain uninsured for a while. They're betting that it will cost less to pay cash for any necessary medical service than to pay the high cost of insurance coverage, and, for many, so long as major illness or accident don't set in, it can be a reasonable bet.

Early training in business ethics (Monday, 1/20/03)
We've reported that many university business programs now have added basic instruction in business ethics, but Steve Rosen of the Kansas City Star says that some are getting it before they arrive at the university. Junior Achievement is offering an ethics training program for children in grades 4 through 12.

Mortgage boom begins to slow (Monday, 1/20/03)
The Wall Street Journal's Ruth Simon says there are indications that 2003 should be a different kind of year for the mortgage market than 2002.

Job slump in America's hi-tech valley (Monday, 1/20/03)
A new report shows the extent of job loss in Silicon Valley, the hi-tech corridor between San Francisco and San Jose.

Borrowing for consumption in Russia (Monday, 1/20/03)
For additional evidence that Marx and Lenin are really, really dead, Sabrina Tavernise writes from Moscow that Russia's gradually enlarging middle class is learning to live beyond its immediate means. Taking out loans for consumption purposes, as opposed to investment, has been a major feature of modern capitalist economies for quite a long time, although it doesn't necessarily imply imprudence. It makes sense to add the cost of interest to the purchase price for homes and sometimes cars if you would otherwise have to save until your need for them is almost over before being able to afford them.

Travel cuts (Monday, 1/20/03)
One reason the airine industry is suffering is that businesses have tried to cut costs by cutting back on business travel. Here's more from Stephanie Armour in USA Today. Jon Swartz reports that many companies are cutting back on their technology purchases too, which could be to their long-term disadvantage, he says.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Safe Work (Monday, 1/20/03)
The International Labor Organization's Safe Work site focuses on safety and health at work and the environment. The ILO is an agency of the United Nations now, but is older than the UN itself.

Surprised auto workers (Sunday, 1/19/03)
The profit-sharing checks are smaller than GM and Ford workers have been used to, but the surprise may be that there are any at all this year. Here's more from John Porretto in Dearborn, Michigan.

Have CEO's been earning their money? (Sunday, 1/19/03)
Lisa Baertlein reports from Palo Alto on a close look at the relationship between stock options offered to corporate CEOs during the booming '90s and bottom-line earnings. The relationship isn't strong or impressive, say the authors of the new book, In the Company of Owners.

The U.S. needs thousands of nurses (Sunday, 1/19/03)
Nurses are needed throughout the United States, and the need is likely to increase dramatically over the years ahead. Here are some findings from the New York Times Job Market research organization on issues relating to demand, qualifications, and working conditions. If you're presently qualified, it won't take much effort to find a job. Basically, it will be mostly a matter of announcing your availability, but be careful so that you won't be trampled by employers wanting to hire you.

It may be time for a creative resume (Sunday, 1/19/03)
If you've sent out hundreds of copies of your conventional resume and nothing has happened, it may be time to try something a bit unorthodox, according to Georgia Tech's Ralph Mobley. Maria Mallory White has more from Atlanta.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Free Online Filing (Sunday, 1/19/03)
According to the Internal Revenue Service, many American taxpayers will qualify to use free online software and also file their taxes electronically at no cost. Here's where you need to go in order to take advantage of this new opportunity.

Has the U.S. economy gotten smaller? (Saturday, 1/18/03)
It may be time to stop worrying about the American economy's low rate of growth. Some economists think that contraction may have occurred during the final quarter of 2002. If that's true and it also happens this quarter, the conventional criterion for a "recession" will have been met. Given the uncertainties associated with what appears to be an increasingly likely war in Iraq, American business is still holding back on spending, with the manufacturing sector, in particular, remaining the weakest link, according to Jeannine Aversa. American consumers appear to be losing a little of their confidence now too, according to the latest numbers from the University of Michigan. Incidentally, the America's isn't the only economy being influenced by war fears. C. J. Civers reports from northern Iraq on what's happening in the Kurdish-ruled region.

The poor may have more limited access to medical services (Saturday, 1/18/03)
The Bush administration has tightened guidelines so that if hospitals allow people on Medicaid to use emergency rooms for non-emergency services, they may have to cover the cost themselves. In a health care system that seems increasingly broken, escalating costs and widespread lack of access to services seem to be getting more attention from nearly everybody. Theresa Agovino reports on how health insurance issues have moved to the forefront of labor negotiations across many industries.

Good idea, bad timing? (Saturday, 1/18/03)
The New York Times' Hal Varian thinks the idea of tax-free stock dividends makes sense, but that it won't provide short-term stimulus to the economy.

Hundreds of oil workers to be laid off (Saturday, 1/18/03)
BP will eliminate more than 500 jobs, 350 of them in the Houston area.

Banana workers to sue over pesticide exposure (Saturday, 1/18/03)
DBCP was used in banana fields over much of the world long after it was banned in the United States, and workers are suing. Here's more from David Gonzalez and Samuel Lewenberg.

Alternative ways for millions of Koreans to die (Saturday, 1/18/03)
Why is the U.S. government preparing to go to war in Iraq, which probably doesn't yet have nuclear weapons, but isn't preparing to attack North Korea, which probably does? It's a common question among those opposed to the Bush administration's foreign policy.

It may or may not be a good idea to attack in Iraq right now, but it should be fairly clear why no U.S. government would want to get into Korean War II at this point. Seoul is one of the largest, most congested, and also modern cities in the world, and it is within sight of the North Korean border where sufficient artillery for destroying Seoul is located, along with more than one million North Korean soldiers. To put things in perspective, Seoul has about four times as many people as the metropolitan Twin Cities region, and millions of them could die if war were to break out on the Korean peninsula.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that literally millions of North Koreans may be facing starvation.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: North Korea (Saturday, 1/18/03)
The 2002 World Factbook from the CIA offers an overview of North Korea and its current situation as one of the last decayed remnants of the Cold War, including a grotesque government and catastrophic economy.

Argentina clinches rollover deal (Friday, 1/17/03)
Argentina has avoided default by reaching a debt rollover agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

It's getting safe to get sick in Hawaii again (Friday, 1/17/03)
Fourteen-hundred nurses at three Honolulu hospitals were on strike for more than a month. However, settlement on a new contract seems to be happening one hospital at a time.

Miners keep their health benefits (Friday, 1/17/03)
The Supreme Court has ruled that coal companies are required to contribute to a pool that will support health care services for retired miners.

Ethics training as a fundamental part of business education (Friday, 1/17/03)
Here's part of Business Week's Jennifer Merritt's conversation with Professor Thomas Donaldson of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Progress report (Friday, 1/17/03)
Gail Russell Chaddock of the Christian Science Monitor says that multiple indicators show the progress that has been made by African Americans, but 250 years of slavery followed by Jim Crow and segregation continue to cast a long shadow.

Free filing (Friday, 1/17/03)
If you've been using commercial tax preparation software, or, even if you haven't, you might find the IRS' new offer attractive. Not only is the online software free, you can file your return electronically at no cost as well, assuming that you qualify. Here are some details from the Houston Chronicle.

A major paper attempts to count the bears and bulls among its readers (Friday, 1/17/03)
The Washington Post has been asking its readers what they expect of the American economy during 2003. We know that you'll be astonished to learn that they don't all agree. Here's a bit more on the results.

The lingering problem of titles (Friday, 1/17/03)
The marriage institution originated in male property rights, and, like the brands on cattle in the open range of the old American West, traditional titles applied to women have indicated their marital status. Such has not been the case with men. "Mr." simply indicates gender, not whether a man is married or not. "Miss" and "Mrs." communicate much more than gender, and this is why "Ms." has come into common usage during recent years. However, things usually aren't simple in business or social life. Stephen Wilbers offers a little guidance in how to address women in the workplace. Hint: no matter what you do, somebody probably won't like it.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: School of Public Policy and Social Research (Friday, 1/17/03)
The School of Public Policy and Social Research at UCLA has three main divisions specializing in the school's three concentration areas: social welfare, policy studies, and urban planning.

Plaintifs in Michigan affirmative action case have a friend in the President (Thursday, 1/16/03)
President Bush believes that the University of Michigan's admission policies are unconstitutional. The Supreme Court will decide the case. Here's a brief history of affirmative action in the United States.

Argentina misses a deadline (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Anna Willard and Simon Gardner report that International Monetary Fund default may be imminent.

More indications of stagnation (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Two new government reports out yesterday add to the growing gloom about the American economy. This, combined with Germany's lowest rate of economic growth in a decade plus Japan's continuing struggles, means that the global economy isn't likely to be doing very well for the foreseeable future. The U.S., Germany, and Japan have the world's three largest economies, respectively, and are the principal engines driving everything else.

Airline workers strike for a day (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Stephen Graham reports from Berlin on the one-day strike of thousands of Lufthansa workers hoping to increase pressure on management in a pay dispute.

Federal deficits expected to expand (Thursday, 1/16/03)
The Bush administration is acknowledging that the deficits are likely to reach $200 billion to $300 billion over the next two years. Under these conditions, critics are saying that the Administration's call for huge tax cuts is ill-timed, while the White House believes that the best way to reduce the deficit is to grow the economy, and that tax cuts will have a stimulative effect. Argument continues over how much stimulation can be expected, and how much of the tax-cut plan is simply an opportunistic effort to bring about permanent structural changes in line with conservative Republican ideology.

Dribble-down economics (Thursday, 1/16/03)
When parents become unemployed, it isn't long before their children feel the effects. Here's more from USA Today about the family consequences of long-term joblessness.

Is China's economy overheating and ready to blow up? (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Business Week's Dexter Roberts examines the arguments of the authors of an article in The New Republic and finds them wanting. China's economic miracle is real, not a "house of cards," he says.

Youth takes advantage of low interest rates (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Many Americans as young as their early twenties are able to buy houses now with interest rates at their lowest levels in more than a generation.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Consumer Price Indexes (Thursday, 1/16/03)
Here's most of what you've ever wanted to know about the Consumer Price Indexes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor.

Another 37,000 Kmart jobs are set to evaporate (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
Listen up, Kmart shoppers. You're going to have fewer places to shop. Kmart Corporation expects to emerge from bankruptcy several months early, but as a much smaller company, deciding, apparently, that a discount retail universe dominated by Wal-Mart and Target can't support a third discount chain the size Kmart once was. Hundreds of stores will be closed, and another 37,000 jobs will be cut. Here's more from today's New York Times.

The company that became Kmart operated throughout the 20th century, as well as a bit of the 19th and also a bit of the 21st so far, according to this quick history. Interestingly, Kmart was established in the early 1960s at about the same time that Wal-Mart and Target started. Over the years since, Wal-Mart has become the world's largest retailer, and Target became the tail that wags the dog, even replacing "Dayton's" as the name of its parent corporation.

NBER not sure recession has ended (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
The "quick 'n dirty" measure of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, but that criterion isn't good enough to satisfy the National Bureau of Economic Research. Instead, they use complex formulas, and they're not sure that the American economy has emerged from its most recent recession yet, despite widespread assumptions and political pronouncements to the contrary.

Cuts may come to Goodyear (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
The world's largest manufacturer of tires is warning that it may have to cut jobs in order to cut costs.

Congress, the Administration, and nearly everybody else await new economic data (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
Jonathan Fuerbringer of the New York Times says that data set to be released soon may determine whether the Bush tax plan will fly through Congress and on to the President's desk for signing. Meanwhile, Leigh Strope examines that part of the Bush plan that would provide $3,000 in "re-employment" money for more than a million unemployed persons.

Pilots' pensions face cuts (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
Bankrupt US Airways wanted more time to beef up the funding of its pilots' pension fund, but it's not going to get it. As a consequence, pension benefits are likely to be cut as much as three-quarters, according to Anitha Reddy of the Washington Post.

High Court will define limits of family leave law (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that may help determine the boundaries of the federal law that guarantees family leave time under certain circumstances. Here's more from Anne Gearan in Washington.

More evidence of work-world discrimination (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
A new study finds that if your first name suggests ethnicity, it can affect how likely you are to receive a response when you apply for a job.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Center for International Private Enterprise (Wednesday, 1/15/03)
The Center for International Private Enterprise intends to strengthen democracy throughout the world by promoting private enterprise. Among other things, the organization attempts to help policymakers develop successful economic strategies.

Two-day strike underway at GE (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
It appears that approximately 20,000 General Electric workers are participating in a two-day strike to protest an increase in health care co-payments. The strike is scheduled for today and tomorrow.

Ratification vote completed (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
It will be another week before we will know the results of the ratification vote just completed by 10,500 longshoremen. If the new six-year contract is approved, it will end the dispute that shut down many West Coast ports for 10 days toward the end of 2002.

Feds take control of company's pension plans (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
About 1,100 workers and retirees from National Refractories and Minerals Corporation will be affected by the federal government's takeover of six retirement plans. Even though there are special circumstances in this case, pension concerns are sweeping across much of American industry, including largely healthy sectors such as the automotive industry as well as greatly troubled sectors such as the steel industry, about which the Wall Street Journal offers a special report.

The sometimes huge cost of overtime violations (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
A common practice in recent years has been to give people "manager" titles even though they may not manage anything. The reason is that companies feel they can avoid the additional cost of overtime pay, but the Labor Department has been taking a dim view of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act as a result of misclassifying workers. Kansas City Star columnist Diane Stafford has some details about companies that have had to pay millions of dollars to settle their cases.

Restaurant required to return money to its employees (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
The United States Department of Labor says that Sam's Boat restaurant has been requiring its wait staff to give 3 percent of tips to managers. The company will pay more than $100,000 to its workers to settle the issue. Here's more from L. M. Sixel in Houston.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Connecticut's Job First Program (Tuesday, 1/14/03)
Connecticut's Job First Welfare Reform Program was established in 1996 and has undergone evaluation since. Here's the final report from a study conducted by Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation.

Frist expects Bush to win, mostly (Monday, 1/13/03)
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist indicates that he thinks the President's economic package will be passed by the Senate, but he won't rule out the possibility of various changes.

Most GE workers report, sez the company (Monday, 1/13/03)
A two-day strike has been going on at General Electric, as workers protest increases in their healthcare co-payments. Nonetheless, 95 percent of GE workers are on the job, according to corporate spokespersons.

Job creation isn't keeping pace (Monday, 1/13/03)
The stock market has come back somewhat from its most depressing lows, and the American economy seems to be growing a bit. However, job creation continues to lag, according to Adam Geller. It's really not new, though. Previous recessions have resulted in structural reorganization as employers have learned to do more with less labor. However, part of the reason is that many employers are afraid to commit to new workers given the uncertainty of the times. What if war in Iraq happens, for instance, and oil prices sky-rocket? As they say, risk can be quantified, but uncertainty can't.

Pension funds that are bear-ly holding their own (Monday, 1/13/03)
In fact, following three years of a bear market, many pension funds have suffered greatly, putting the futures of millions of workers at risk, and many corporations are spending to bolster them.

Whistleblower sues GM (Monday, 1/13/03)
A General Motors worker claims that the company retaliated after he threatened to report safety defects.

The "air-rage virus" spreads: losing it at 35,000 feet (Monday, 1/13/03)
As an another indicator of how much the American workplace is overheating, the Wall Street Journal's Brooks Barnes tells about flight-crew air rage.

Capital's advantages over labor (Monday, 1/13/03)
Mike Meyers asks if work should be taxed at a higher rate than dividends. It's part of a larger, longer-term argument over whether there is a bias against people who earn their money from work as opposed to those who earn money from their money. It can be seen as part of the residue from the old aristocratic culture that dominated for centuries in Europe and for which the great American experiment was intended as at least a partial antidote. European aristocrats didn't work, because they owned the land. That great all-men-are-created-equal man, Thomas Jefferson, didn't work either, at least, not on his huge land holdings, because he had slaves for that. Another lingering example is that Social Security recipients between the ages of 62 and 65 are limited in how much money they can earn from work and still collect full benefits, but there are no such limitation on "unearned income," which may be an ironic name for it.

Some non-obvious benefits of saving (Monday, 1/13/03)
Scott Burns says that saving provides multiple benefits for those who don't expect to die with their boots on. Not only will it contribute to retirement income, saving also means that you're learning to live on less and, so, likely will need less to live on during the years following work.

The upsides and downsides of tech (Monday, 1/13/03)
It probably wasn't too long after the hammer was invented that somebody noticed that it can be used, not only to build things, but also to smash things. Each new round of technology seems to bring new problems as well as possible benefits. For instance, email has been a standard fixture of the American workplace for years now already, but, as Deborah Caulfield Rybak reports, many people still seem unclear about what's acceptable use and what isn't. Here's something much newer: Steve Alexander tells about how employers are suddenly having to decide what to do about wireless networking, and some are even banning it, despite all the "gee-whiz miracles."

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: International Labor Rights Fund (Monday, 1/13/03)
The International Labor Rights Fund is based in Washington, D.C. It advocates enforcement of international labor rights to protect workers in the global economy, in which production is being moved to poor countries. Millions of people, including an estimated 250 million children, work under inhumane conditions, according to the ILRF.

Sabotage alleged in Venezuela (Sunday, 1/12/03)
Officials of the state-run oil industry in Venezuela are claiming that strikers have inflicted damage on refineries and computer systems in the country's oil fields. President Hugo Chavez vows that he will not be driven from office and he has threatened retaliation against teachers who join the strike. Opposition as well as supporters of the government have been demonstrating, leading some to wonder if the stalemate, which began with the strike on December 2, could degenerate into civil war at some point.

New contract at Domino (Sunday, 1/12/03)
Sugar, not pizza. At any rate, workers at Domino Sugar struck for a month, but have just ratified a new three-year contract. Meanwhile, there's been ratification at US Airways too, but of a somewhat different kind. Members of two unions have agreed to a second round of pay concessions at the bankrupt airline.

"Rich" is a relative state of mind for some people (Sunday, 1/12/03)
Well, sort of. If you're well off, you can always find somebody who has more, so if you're dedicating your life to having more money and "stuff" than anybody else, you're squandering precious life's energies on a futile pursuit that may be pretty meaningless as well. Nonetheless, Mark O'Keefe reports on the problems associated with claims that President Bush's tax-cut proposal would mostly benefit the rich when "rich" remains undefined. Bill Bischoff provides some more specific information about how the Bush plan may affect you. Meanwhile, many Americans don't have to wonder too much about whether they're really poor. Here's more from Diana Henriques in the New York Times about women who are stuck in the REALLY dirty fun-free jobs.

All in the family (Sunday, 1/12/03)
The New York Times examines the question of fair remuneration for members of a company's founding family when the family's still in charge.

More women buy the cars than sell them (Sunday, 1/12/03)
Women make up a major portion of the automotive market in the United States, but relatively few are dealers, although those who are in the car sales business tend to do well.

The debate over bonuses for some of the unemployed (Sunday, 1/12/03)
The Administration is proposing that unemployed who qualify be given $3,000 to assist in returning to work. Shannon Buggs writes in the Houston Chronicle about the debate that has ensued.

Off the track (Sunday, 1/12/03)
A rough job market makes it harder for parents to stay on the so-called "mommy track." Bonnie Miller Rubin of the Chicago Tribune has some details.

Remember that school yard bully? (Sunday, 1/12/03)
He's probably not changed his ways, but simply his location. He may be terrorizing you at work now. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Mike Meyers tells what companies are doing to deal with workplace bullying and why it pays.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: HillSearch (Sunday, 1/12/03)
HillSearch is a new online business service from the James J. Hill Library in St. Paul, Minnesota. If you've forgotten a little of your railroad history, here's some information about James J. Hill and why there is a library named after him.

Something else that's the worst in a half-century (Saturday, 1/11/03)
Experts are saying that state budgets are in the worst condition in about 50 years. Now, it appears that the rate at which jobs are being created in the American economy is similarly dismal. Here's more from Daniel Altman of the New York Times. A new survey from Challenger, Gray & Christmas finds that job seekers expect to have a harder time in 2003 than last year.

Kansas City Star columnist Jerry Heaster is afraid the economy's growth possibilities in 2003 may be undermined by the grim jobs picture. But, the Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter expects an improved U.S. economy this year, despite everything. A lot of people throughout the world are hoping that this turns out to be correct, because the global economy hasn't been firing on all its cylinders lately. With Germany fumbling and Japan still in its long slump, the American economy is about all that will be driving the world's economy for the foreseeable future. Japan's latest "recovery," such as it is, may turn out to be the most frail since the Second World War, if the latest index of coincident economic indicators is any true indication.

Chavez gets tougher (Saturday, 1/11/03)
Venezuela's embattled President has fired 700 oil workers and is threatening to order the military to take over food-production plants if workers there join in the 40-day-old strike that has essentially shut down oil production and exports. Meanwhile, James Cooper and Kathleen Madigan of Business Week take a look at the overall oil picture and wonder if it will hamper chances for the U.S. economy to undergo a vigorous recovery.

Cutbacks at J. C. Penney (Saturday, 1/11/03)
J. C. Penney has played an historic role in the modern history of retailing, but the company has been losing momentum for years within a drastically changed competitive environment now dominated by major discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target. In the Internet age, their catalog business has been particularly weak. Three catalog facilities will be closed and 2,000 jobs cut. Retailing had a weak holiday season, but the entire sector hasn't been suffering like telecommunications or the airline industry, which continues cutting jobs. For example, American Airlines will cut 343 flight attendants.

Nurses continue strike in northern Michigan (Saturday, 1/11/03)
About 300 nurses walked off the job on November 13, and the sides remain far apart in their negotiations. Here's more from John Gallagher in Petoskey.

Congressman weighs in on steel company pensions issue (Saturday, 1/11/03)
Representative John Conyers is asking for the help of the President and the Congress to protect the pensions of 10,000 retirees from bankrupt National Steel. U.S. Steel wants to buy National, but not take over its pension plan.

What to do about top workers? (Saturday, 1/11/03)
One of the most basic, consistent findings from research on learning in both humans and many other species is that you tend to get more or whatever gets recognized or rewarded and less of whatever gets ignored. So, it's a very good idea not to ignore a worker's good performance. However, as columnist Diane Stafford writes, it's hard to find the means necessary for rewarding top employees in today's economy.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Fortune's 100 Best (Saturday, 1/11/03)
Here's the latest list of 100 best companies to work for from Fortune magazine.

TSA says "no" to collective bargaining (Friday, 1/10/03)
The Transportation Security Administration says it is banning airport screeners from collective bargaining, but organizers say they will continue their organization efforts. Meanwhile, throughout the American economy, rising health care costs are among the key issues underlying conflict between unions and employers.

2002 ended on a sour jobs note (Friday, 1/10/03)
The American economy lost 101,000 jobs during the final month of last year, which was the greatest number in ten months. However, the overall unemployment rate in December held steady at 6 percent.

Strike averted in Germany (Friday, 1/10/03)
Nearly three million public employees in Germany will not be going on strike, but it was a costly deal for the government that will aggravate its budget problems. However, a strike would have hurled the country's economy into recession. Here's more from Kerstin Gehmlich in Potsdam.

U.S. will try to intervene in Venezuela (Friday, 1/10/03)
Actually, the Bush administration isn't planning unilateral action, but, instead, will try to pull together a coalition of nations with the hope of reaking the stalemate that has all but stopped the flow from what is ordinarily the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

Court orders temporary pay cut (Friday, 1/10/03)
United Airlines machinists have been the holdouts on a proposed cost-cutting pay cut deal, but a bankruptcy court has ordered a temporary 13 percent pay reduction. United is in Chapter 11, as is US Airways, but other major airlines are scrambling to reduce costs as well. The latest is Delta Airlines which has announced the shedding of 4,000 jobs.

What the feds give, the states may take away (Friday, 1/10/03)
With state budgets in their worst condition in a half century, the tax cuts that the Administration wants may be offset by tax increases in many states. Interestingly, it seems to be the reverse of an late 18th century compromise that resulted in the federal government's taking over state debts in exchange for permanently locating the nation's capital on the border of the largest, richest, most influential state of the time, Virginia. Alexander Hamilton favored a strong central government, and used the financial agreement to consolidate federal power at the expense of the states.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Tenant Net (Friday, 1/10/03)
If you're a tenant in New York City, you'll find Tenant Net's information to be particularly helpful, and you may also enjoy its irreverence.

The benefits extension is law (Thursday, 1/9/03)
A bill extending unemployment benefits had to be signed by the President by today in order to avoid an interruption of checks for large numbers of job-seekers. Time was tight, because the Congress reconvened just last Tuesday. However, the legislation moved through both houses of Congress with lightning speed and reached the President's desk in time, and he signed it into law yesterday. However, as Dawn Gilbertson of the Arizona Republic reports, the new law won't benefit everybody who is unemployed. Here are some of the details contained in the emergency extension legislation.

Jobless claims down, but... (Thursday, 1/9/03)
First-time jobless claims fell by 19,000 last week, but the overall jobs picture is still quite weak. Joanne Morrison reports from Washington on why improvement will take time. Meanwhile, Stephanie Armour says that a coalition of support is building for the President's idea of providing $3,000 in job-seeking assistance, but there is concern about how it would work. Laurence McQuillan offers some perspective on the mechanics of the plan.

Workers won't ask for pay raise (Thursday, 1/9/03)
In recognition of Japan's continued economic problems, workers at Toyota Motor Company have announced that they will not demand a raise in pay for the next fiscal year.

United's machinists hold out (Thursday, 1/9/03)
Four unions at bankrupt United Airlines have agreed to emergency pay cuts in order to help the company work its way out of Chapter 11, but the machinists union isn't among them. Along with US Airways, United Airlines is one of the two major airlines already operating under bankruptcy court protection. American Airlines is trying to avoid that fate by cutting costs, and CEO Don Carty apparently thinks that sick time is being abused at unnecessary expense to the company.

Who would be the principal beneficiaries of the President's tax-cut plan? (Thursday, 1/9/03)
Of course, the Administration would say that everybody will benefit because the American economy will grow as a consequence. However, Sandra Block and Thomas Fogarty examines the question of who the immediate beneficiaries will be, and conclude that rich people and families will feel the beneficial effects first and most. Incidentally, families wouldn't necessarily get immediate rebate checks, as some assume. Here's more from Mr. Fogarty of USA Today.

No class-action status for suit against Cracker Barrel (Thursday, 1/9/03)
Minority restaurant workers are suing Cracker Barrel, alleging discrimination on the job. A decision in U.S. District Court has denied the suit class-action status.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Reinventing Undergraduate Education (Thursday, 1/9/03)
The Boyer Commission issued its original report on undergraduate education in 1998. Here's a follow-up report from the Reinvention Center at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

A quick leap toward extension (Wednesday, 1/8/03)
Yesterday, new Senators were barely sworn in before having to vote on a bill that would extend jobless benefits. The Congress is moving quickly so that the President can add his signature and provide 2.5 million unemployed Americans with another 13 weeks of assistance while they search for new jobs. Congressional Democrats wanted a longer extension, but the Republicans now control the Congress.

Will Bush's tax cut cut it? (Wednesday, 1/8/03)
Mike Meyers of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says that economists are debating the merits and demerits of President Bush's wished-for tax cuts. In fact, nearly everything about the Administration's economic plan probably is being debated by nearly everybody, including some people who actually may know what they're talking about. Columnist Andrew Cassel of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks that big tax cuts could cause a big tax migraine, while Elisabeth Bumiller writes from Chicago about the boldness and riskiness of the President's plan, reinforcing other observations about how Bush is willing to take big risks, meaning that he can either win or lose BIG. He won in the midterm elections. The jury's still out on the economy and, of course, on Iraq and North Korea. Dirk Van Dongen writes in USA Today that the President is aiming directly at the economic bull's eye and is likely to hit it.

Much of this would be hilarious if it were not so deadly serious. Economics is at least as technical as medicine, so asking most of us what government policy would be best for stimulating the American economy and creating jobs is a little like asking us which procedure should be used to treat pancreatic cancer. Of course, the difference is that this is a popular democracy, and our elected representatives don't have responsibility for deciding on specific medical remedies. We all not only have a right to an opinion, but we also have an obligation to participate in the processes, whether or not we really know what we're talking about.

Also, of course, if you want to talk to somebody who thinks the President's proposal is either just dandy or just nuts, you can easily find people with either opinion who don't know a single thing about economics. Come to think of it, it's probably easy to find people with either opinion who have expert credentials too.

Factory orders down (Wednesday, 1/8/03)
The American economy needs for its manufacturing sector to pick up some speed, but the opposite has been happening, according to a report from the Commerce Department. An example of an industrial organization with problems is Alcoa, the company that former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil headed for so many years. The big aluminum company had a loss during the fourth quarter, and will cut jobs, among other things.

Another health organization in trouble (Wednesday, 1/8/03)
Cigna is the nation's third-largest health insurer, and it has problems. It's laying off 3,200 workers. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new report shows that health care spending in the United States reached $1.4 trillion in 2001, which was an 8.7 percent increase.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Human Nature Review (Wednesday, 1/8/03)
Human nature is a large subject and Human Nature Review attempts to cover it by reporting research conducted by scholars from more than 160 countries.

Why bother conducting research on the topic, if, as is commonly remarked by politicians as well as participants in barroom conversations, "human nature hasn't changed?"

The answers is that, while this assertion may be largely correct--e.g., the brain of modern humans appears to have remained largely unchanged for tens of thousands of years--our KNOWLEDGE of human nature has changed enormously, and we're just now barely scratching the surface, despite widespread assumptions to the contrary. For instance, compare common traditional beliefs about gender and "racial" differences which persist to the present day with our best current knowledge about these issues (e.g., one cannot tell what "race" a person is by examining his/her DNA, and IQ score distributions for males and females are an almost perfect match). Also, the human brain has as much to do with thinking, feeling, attitudes, beliefs, etc., etc., as legs have to do with running, but before neuroscience research of the 1990s (the "decade of the brain"), we knew almost nothing about how it works.

As we've said repeatedly, since at least the time of Copernicus and greatly accelerating during the 20th century, there has been a growing divergence between our best knowledge of nature, including human nature, as well as the past, on the one hand, and most people's beliefs about these things, on the other. Genuine verifiable knowledge and common popular belief have been getting further and further apart. One important implication is that any randomly selected traditional belief has a high probability of being flat-out wrong, no matter how popular. Of course, any new belief with the same foundations is equally likely to be wrong. An important way in which our period of modernity differs from all previous eras is that humanity has learned a lot about WHAT IT TAKES to arrive at trustworthy answers to empirical questions. WHAT we know depends entirely on HOW we know it.

The official unveiling (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
Many of the main features have been known for several days, in part, because the Administration, as most would do under similar circumstances, deliberately provided leaks and floated trial balloons in the press in order to have an opportunity to gauge likely public response. However, the President's $674 billion plan for building the American economy officially sees the light of day today for the first time. Richard Dunham says it's the President's economy now, not the one he inherited from the Clinton administration, and Mr. Duham has some ideas about what the Administration can do. Martin Crutsinger says that many experts expect the U.S. economy to improve this year, but much depends on whether there will be a war in Iraq and how it will go. If a war happens and goes badly, lasts too long, costs too much, all bets are off.

Child slaves soon to be slaves no more (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
Twelve-hundred children sold into slavery in Ghana are likely to be freed soon and returned to their families.

Euro-zone unemployment remains mostly steady (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
Twelve European nations use the euro as their currency. Overall, unemployment held at 8.4 percent in November, but worsened in some of the larger economies, such as Germany.

Dockworkers make a deal in Hawaii (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
Tentative agreement has been reached on a new contract that would affect 480 dockworkers in Hawaii. Here's more from B.J. Reyes in Honolulu.

Why aren't more women working in construction? (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
It can be very tough, dirty work for which many women are not routinely prepared by virtue of skills or attitudes as they're growing up, but it pays very well compared to many of the other kinds of jobs that are heavily populated by women. Dave Donelson of the Christian Science Monitor examines the issues.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: ItCertifiedProfessionals (Tuesday, 1/7/03)
ItCertifiedProfessionals offers to post information technology job openings free for 60 days.

Germany's already troubled economy may be slammed by a big strike soon (Monday, 1/6/03)
Three million public sector workers in Germany could walk off the job soon following rejection of an arbitrator's compromise pay proposal. In the United States, a strike over health care may be coming at General Electric.

The rationale behind the Bush stimulus plan (Monday, 1/6/03)
The Christian Science Monitor's Ron Scherer says that the Bush administration's plan for boosting the American economy is intended mostly to make business more confident so that it will step up spending and hiring. Many Democrats, as well as some Republicans such as Senator John McCain, think that it would make more sense to put more disposable money in the hands of lower and middle-income people in order to increase demand for the kinds of products and services that businesses provide, which would then make them increase spending and hiring. It's a chicken and egg question, really. A affects B, and B affects A, so, if you want to influence the process, should you try to intervene by influencing A or B? We really don't know either, but we're happy it's not up to us to decide. We believe that it's not particularly helpful simply to sling partisan epithets, though. Oh yes, we forgot. Another major election will be approaching soon, which means that professional politicians won't necessarily be saying in public what they're really thinking.

How long will it take to extend those jobless benefits? (Monday, 1/6/03)
Unemployment benefits ran out just after Christmas for hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been seeking but not finding jobs, given the increase in the number of long-term unemployed that seems to characterize the U.S. economy's current condition. Nearly every official in Washington, including the President, has been saying that there should be quick action on an extension of benefits right after Congress reconvenes. But, does that mean it will happen quickly, or does it mean that the devil's still in the details? The Christian Science Monitor's David Francis has been looking into the possibilities.

Incidentally, if you can only wait a few years, you may find that abundant jobs will be looking for you again. Workforce expert Joyce Gioia and the Labor Department expect a big labor shortage by 2010. In the meantime, you might want to seek out opportunities to volunteer in order to support your confidence and sense of value.

Cuts coming to AT&T (Monday, 1/6/03)
The telecommunications business still is a rough business to be in. AT&T plans to cut 3,500 jobs.

The long-term effects of asbestos on health as well as the economy (Monday, 1/6/03)
One of humanity's major recent screwups, based on insufficient knowledge, was the widespread use of asbestos as a building material. We now know that it is a carcinogen, but it takes some persons who have been exposed to it a long time to get sick. David Phelps explains why those familiar asbestos-related lawsuits are likely to be a feature of American life for a long time to come.

Your boss may be willing to throw you a lifeline (Monday, 1/6/03)
If you're drowning in debt, you may appreciate any help you can get to keep your head above water. Jane Kim reports that an increasing number of employers are trying to help their employees get their finances under control.

A new trend in family takeovers (Monday, 1/6/03)
Executive control of family-owned firms is being passed to daughters rather than sons more often now, according to Jim Hopkins of USA Today. Speaking of families, Marvin Walberg would like to see more family assistance and support for job seekers, and has other wishes for the new year as well.

Flex is popular among American workers (Monday, 1/6/03)
Labor Department data show that about one-third of American workers have flexible schedules now, but some aren't authorized.

Boomers are about to affect everybody again (Monday, 1/6/03)
The huge baby boom generation has impacted on American society in a variety of ways all the way from the beginning. Peter Svensson says experts are nervous about how these people will affect the markets as they move into retirement.

Good-bye resumes (Monday, 1/6/03)
Traditional paper resumes, at least. More and more people are using "e-folios" instead.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Institute of Industrial Relations Library (Monday, 1/6/03)
The Institute of Industrial Relations Library is located on the University of California Berkeley campus, but it is used by people throughout the UC system.

Bush plan makes him a bigger target (Sunday, 1/5/03)
The President's economic package could cost as much as $600 billion over the next decade. It's intended to stimulate growth of the American economy, but Democrats, including various presidential hopefuls, say it won't do that. Instead it, would just help the rich without helping anyone else very much. The Democrats aren't very enthusiastic about the President's plans for changing Medicare either, according to Janelle Carter in Washington. And, in case you're not surprised so far, there is not yet great public Democratic support for Bush's desire to spend an additional $1 billion to boost educational opportunities for the poor.

All it means is that both major parties have to operate simultaneously on two tracks now that it's only about 14 months before the next Democratic presidential candidate is likely to be determined. Both parties will have to work in order to create new legislation, while at the same time competing to influence public perceptions which will have major political consequences over the next couple of years.

Incidentally, among the Democrats who seem to want the presidential nomination are people who have been quite liberal over most of their careers, such as former Senator Gary Hart, who, in addition to many other things, once managed the presidential campaign of George McGovern. Hasn't that brand of politics been out of fashion now for quite a while, given, not only a very popular President Bush, but also the Clinton-Gore administration, which, in some respects, resembled traditional Republicans?

The sudden death of Senator Paul Wellstone, the Republican sweep two months ago, plus the almost-overnight fall of Trent Lott, show how fast things can change in American politics. What has seemed rock-solid can suddenly dissolve, and, if you want to be a player, it's important to be in position if things suddenly happen to swing your way. If Bush attacks Saddam's regime and deposes him within a few days with little loss of American life and also manages to get the American economy going, he will be essentially unbeatable in 2004. On the other hand, if a war in Iraq goes badly and the economy gets worse, nearly anybody will be able to make Bush a one-term president like his father, and it probably won't be possible for a any of the current Democratic contenders to be liberal enough.

West Virginia hospitals struggle to meet critical patients' needs (Sunday, 1/5/03)
Surgeons at four hospitals in West Virginia are on strike to protest the high cost of liability insurance. Some patients are being sent out of state as a consequence.

United cuts back (Sunday, 1/5/03)
Bankrupt United Airlines will cut 1,700 jobs and close all of its ticket offices in order to cut costs.

Spreading miseries: how a weak economy hurts nearly everybody (Sunday, 1/5/03)
U.S. stockholders are about $7 trillion poorer than they were three years ago. Surpluses are becoming an increasingly distant memory as the federal government runs deficits again with the possibility of a hugely expensive war looming on the horizon. State budgets are in their worst shape in a half century. All in all, it means that America is not as wealthy as it was recently, so there won't be enough money for everything. Here are some examples: Patricia Horn of the Philadelphia Inquirer tells how tight budgets are hitting Philadelphia's creative life. Mike Crissey tells how recruiters and consultants are being hurt by a slow economy with too few jobs to fill. Finally, Jason Straziuso tells how unemployed persons are seeking help wherever they can find it now that their jobless benefits have expired. However, those benefits seem likely to be extended very soon, and perhaps retroactively. Still, many people need money or help NOW.

Will 2003 be the year of new hires? (Sunday, 1/5/03)
Business Week has been examining the new year's hiring prospects. Here's Part 1 of their report, and here's Part 2. Meanwhile, if you're in need of a job, lots of scam artists are out there looking for you. Julie Flaherty of the New York Times tells how to avoid being taken in by people who will be happy to take financial advantage of you during your very vulnerable time.

New econ officials resisted reparations plans (Sunday, 1/5/03)
The Bush administration's new Treasury and SEC heads turned away slavery reparations plans in their former corporate roles. Here's more from Pete Yost in Washington. Some plaintiffs are claiming that descendants of persons who were forced to work without pay are entitled to that portion of the companies' present value that resulted from the economic benefits provided by unpaid labor.

How to handle one of the hardest parts of a manager's job (Sunday, 1/5/03)
Barbara Young Iverson discusses the impact of sudden death in the workplace, and how leaders should respond.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Executive Pay Watch (Sunday, 1/5/03)
The AFL-CIO wants to call attention to the recent disconnect between executive pay and executive performance, as well as what it regards as various double standards in relation to non-executives in the same corporations. In their Executive Pay Watch section, you can examine their perspective on the issues and also compare your own pay with that of top corporate officials.

Strikers take a day off (Thursday, 1/2/03)
Strikers trying to bring down Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are resting today, but have vowed to continue. Ordinarily, the country is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, but with things ground to a halt, they've had to import energy for their own use. Meanwhile, in Germany talks have started up in an effort to avert a strike by almost 3 million public service employees.

Jobless claims up last week (Thursday, 1/2/03)
First-time jobless claims increased last week by an amount that surprised many people. Meanwhile, an economy that has been waiting for increased corporate spending may not have to wait too much longer, even though, as Shannon Buggs reports, investors seem only very cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a better 2003, given the uncertainties that the U.S. economy still faces. Incidentally, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Don Steinberg suggests that one way to feel better about the American economy's present condition is to compare it with 1992.

BLS drops report (Thursday, 1/2/03)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics at the United States Department of Labor has decided to discontinue its Mass Layoffs Statistics report because of insufficient funding, and a lot of people don't like the idea.

Already lean and mean (Thursday, 1/2/03)
While some big companies that haven't been able to get lean still have managed to be mean (and, what the heck---one out of two ain't bad), many smaller companies already are in fighting trim and are even hiring. The layoffs are going on in big companies, for the most part. Here's more from Business Week.

Personal bankruptcies more common in Japan (Thursday, 1/2/03)
In a culture in which "saving face" is a high priority, declaring bankruptcy is particularly hard and painful. Nonetheless, Ken Belson reports from Osaka that people are having to do what they're having to do. An economy is like an airplane in flight. It can't stand still. It either has to keep moving ahead or lose altitude, and Japan's economy has been struggling for more than a decade.

Big law firms slice end-of-year bonuses (Thursday, 1/2/03)
At many firms, it was either a matter of cutting back on bonuses or reducing salaries, or, presumably, cutting staff, according to the Arizona Republic.

Boom and re-boom (Thursday, 1/2/03)
Over the next ten years, the original baby boom generation will begin moving into retirement, probably with consequences for the entire society. Also, during this time, a new boom generation will be hitting the colleges. Here's more about that from Anthony DeBarros of USA Today.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Slaves and the Courts (Thursday, 1/2/03)
Slaves and the Courts 1740-1860 contains about 100 publications from 1772 to 1889 compiled by the Library of Congress.

Striking doctors (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
West Virginia surgeons have walked out in protest of high malpractice insurance costs.

What would a war in Iraq cost? (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
No one knows for sure, and experts are debating the likely cost, but agree that it would be many billions. Still, President Bush says the costs will be much greater if Iraq initiates an attack with weapons of mass destruction. In fact, the entire global economy would be hurt, he says.

Iraq's wealth gap (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
Iraq has huge economic resources, so it should be a wealthy country overall, but, all along, only a few have been privileged to enjoy its riches. Most live in poverty. Here's more from John Burns of the New York Times.

Whoops! Confidence measure provides a surprise (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
It was widely expected that the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index would be up again this time, but that's not what happened, according to Brad Foss' report. Experts are also forecasting relatively good growth for 2003 as well, so we'll have to wait to see what really happens. David Francis of the Christian Science Monitor says ordinary Americans are still feeling squeezed in their daily lives, as holiday shopping statistics indicate. Nonetheless, Joan Lowy writes that experts are emphasizing that holiday spending didn't decrease. It just didn't increase as much as many people would have liked. Still, a lot of Americans are feeling a lot less wealthy now following three years of net overall stock market declines. The Dow reached its peak early in 2000, and it's been a downhill slide ever since.

A high-level labor shortage (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
The number of bankruptcy cases has increased by hundreds of thousands in recent years, and that has resulted in a shortage of bankruptcy judges, according to the Chief Justice of the United States.

IBM replenishes pension system (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
IBM's pension plan in the United States lost considerable value with stock market declines, so the company has decided to put $3.95 billion into it in order to bring its value back up.

Welfare rolls on the increase again (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
The movement of people from welfare to work proceeded quite nicely during the boom period when there were plenty of jobs. Recently, however, the low wage jobs into which many former welfare recipients move when they enter the work force have been less plentiful, and that means a slight increase in the number of people applying for welfare assistance since last summer in three-quarters of the states.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Measuring America (Wednesday, 1/1/03)
Measuring America is a report from the Census Bureau on the development of the American population as reflected in the Census from 1790, when 3.9 million persons were counted, to 2000, when the American population totaled 281.4 million.

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