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  Institute of Industrial Relations Library
   Labor and Employment Weblog
   University of California, Berkeley
Updated 9/4/2003; 3:41:45 PM

Tuesday, August 05, 2003

Censored labor article makes list

A labor article by David Bacon, "Unions Face National Insecurity", published by War Times, October/November 2002, has been chosen as the #5 story on Project Censored's list of Top 25 Censored News Stories of 2002-03  - see http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2003/index.html

Source: UC Berkeley Institute of Industrial Relations


3:37:03 PM    comment []

The Association for Union Democracy has moved-  new address: AUD 104 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11225; USA; 718-564-1114. Please update your
address lists.
The AUD e-mail and website remain the same, http://www.uniondemocracy.com/

3:34:22 PM    comment []

Job opening at UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education (Labor Center)Labor Center Strategic Campaign Researcher-Temporary One Year position

UC Berkeley Labor Center:  The Center provides educational, research,
and other programs that increase the California labor movement's
capacity to:
.       Organize and represent workers in new and traditional
industries.
.       Reach out to immigrants, young workers, people of color, and
women
.       Identify and advance policies that improve low-wage jobs and
narrow income gaps.
.       Develop a new and diverse generation of labor leaders.

Job description: 
The Strategic Campaign Researcher will help build the capacity in unions
to carry out and use strategic research that can help in organizing,
contract and other campaigns.  Strategic research includes analysis of
industries, firms, markets, and workers and is used to help
organizations design and plan campaigns.  The Strategic Research
Specialist at the UC-Berkeley Labor Center will apply these research
skills to:
.       Educate, train and consult with UC students working on strategic
research projects.
.       Educate, train and consult with Northern California labor
movement organizations.
.       Meet the strategic research needs of the Labor Center and its
various projects.
.       Construct an accessible strategic research infrastructure for
the benefit of the University community, the labor movement, and the
community-based organization (CBO) movement.
.       Identify and build partnerships and collaborations to build
capacity to carry out strategic campaigns
Qualifications:
.       Five or more years of labor movement experience, with at least
three years of strategic research experience.
.       Demonstrated ability to initiate, organize, and execute
collaborative programs & projects.
.       Experience with both qualitative and quantitative research and
analysis, including both web-based and field research.
.       Research and administrative supervisory experience.
.       B.A. or above
Terms of Employment:
This is a temporary 1 year position (July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004)
to replace a staff member who has taken a one year leave; however this
position may become permanent.  The University of California offers
excellent benefits, including a pension and generous vacation.  The
Labor Center is a friendly, team oriented working environment.
Salary:  Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.
Application Deadline:  August 29, 2003

Apply To:       Attn:  John Momper
UC Berkeley, Center for Labor Research and Education
Institute of Industrial Relations
2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-5555
510/ 642-9187

Visit our website at: http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu

The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

3:32:09 PM    comment []

Web photo gallery on Chinese manufacturing, by Zhou Hai

The Unbearable Heaviness of Industry
http://www.zhouhai.com/

From the site:

" Industry provides the impetus for social development .The industrial stablishments upon which modern civilization is built-such as steel-making,imposes a heavy toll on those who take part in the process.These people form the very basis of an enormous infrastructure;yet,they are also seen as outcasts having to endure pain,physical or mental,in this great industrial age.
    In this country,the road to full industrialization is gradually but surely unveiling itself.There was a time when people on this road felt great pride.Now a market economy pervades,and so does a sense of loss and frustration for the labourers.
    We do not know how we become unaware of the unbearable heaviness of inbustry and industrialization.What wealth can they create,what a wonderful world-we tell ourselves.What we do not see is this:In many of the industrial seators,what people have been doing is not only physically demanding.Fumes and dust are but physical proof of the hardship.One may be surprised to notice the absence of machinery where it should play a role.When labour is a source of pride,material return is less of a concern for the labourers.When this pride wears out in the course of time and as money sneaks in to be a standard measure,the glory is lost and survival instincts take over.
    The Chinese industrial labour force is poised on the banks of the mainstream.Victimized by the institutionalized work pace and norm,living in an ever-fixed social space,these people find it hard to fit in.
    While our vision is blurred by the drastic social changes brought about largely as a result of industrial development,there is a need for us to wake up to the heaviness of labour and survival that has been haunting us for so long. "


2:10:46 PM    comment []

Union, newspaper sue UC Regents for hiding investment returns Berkeley, Apr. 1 The University of California, already under scrutiny for management practices, is being sued over its stewardship of employee pension funds.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, April 1 in Alameda County Superior Court by the Coalition of University Employees and the San Jose Mercury News, accuses UC officials of making risky investments, violating the California Public Records Act, and withholding information other public pension funds now disclose routinely.

"UC is flunking math, civics and history," said Karl Olson, the attorney who prepared the brief. "California's flagship educational institution is behind the times and below the standard for full disclosure. Do they have something to hide?"

The Coalition of University Employees asked UC to disclose the "internal rate of return" of venture capital funds last December, on the heels of a decision by the California Public Employees' Retirement System to disclose the same information. The San Jose Mercury News also asked UC to disclose the information after successfully suing CalPERS to force disclosure of the venture capital losses. But UC has refused to turn over the records, even though CalPERS, the California State Teachers Retirement System, the University of Texas Investment Management Co., the University of Michigan and other public pension funds all release returns of individual venture capital funds.

The lawsuit seeks to force UC to turn over the venture capital funds' returns as well as records of closed sessions UC held in 2000, when it adopted a new asset allocation plan and hired an outside advisor, Wilshire Associates; and in 2002, when UC fired its entire equity investment staff and decided to hand out the $15 billion in funds to multiple outside managers.

Joining CUE and the Mercury News in the lawsuit is Professor Charles Schwartz, a retired physics professor at UC Berkeley who has acted as a watchdog over UC's investment activities. His series of critical articles, "What's Happening With the Pension Fund?" are available on-line at http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~schwrtz.

The Coalition of University Employees represents 18,000 clerical employees, including administrative and library assistants, cashiers, public safety dispatchers, and child care workers, at the nine UC campuses, associated medical centers, Office of the President and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
 
For more information, contact:
COALITION OF UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES
State Headquarters: 2855 Telegraph Av., Berkeley CA
(510) 845-2221; Fax (510) 845-7444


2:07:47 PM    comment []

The ILO Library has recently developed a web-based information resource which groups together in a single site links to Labour Force Surveys [LFS] which are available online.  This is a unique information resource which is not available elsewhere on the Internet.

Labour Force Surveys
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/lib/howto/lfs.htm

[excerpt]
A Labour Force Survey is a standard survey of work-related statistics.

The following countries and territories make their Labour Force Surveys available online.
Statistics and meta-data for some countries are also available from the LABORSTA database.

"The ILO Library intends to add further enhancements to this site during the next few months (links to the reference of the printed version, links to another ILO site providing the sources and methods of the LFS, and improvements to the look of the site). In the meantime, it can be used effectively."

Source: IWS Documented News Service, School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University


1:57:05 PM    comment []

Women of Color Make Gains in Employment and Job Status [31 July 2003]
http://www.eeoc.gov/womenofcolor.html

A new U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) study, "Women of Color: Their Employment in the Private Sector," reveals that women of color now comprise 14.5 percent of America's private sector workforce, a major increase from a decade earlier. The employment of each group of women examined African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American grew during this period. Similarly, more women from all four groups obtained employment as officials and managers, though numbers vary widely by industry.

Includes TABLES and GRAPHS.

Table Of Contents
   * Executive Summary
       * African American Women
       * Hispanic Women
       * Asian Women
       * Native American Women
   * Introduction
   * Total Employment
   * Distribution by Job Group
   * Employment as Officials and Managers
   * Movement of Women from White Collar to Management Positions
   * Per Capita Charge Rates
   * Additional Information

Source: IWS Documented News Service, School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University


1:55:55 PM    comment []


Copyright 2003 Lincoln Cushing