Copyright (c) 2009 Cornell University ILR School All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu Recent documents in DigitalCommons@ILR en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:52 PST 3600 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/235 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/235 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:09 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Puma and Adidas AG factory in Cambodia where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on December 25, 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/234 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/234 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:08 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Adidas AG factory in China where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on July 29-30, 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/233 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/233 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:07 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Puma and Adidas AG factory in Honduras, where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on July 12-14, 2006. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/232 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/232 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:06 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Adidas AG factory in Indonesia where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on August 21-22, 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/231 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/231 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:05 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Adidas AG factory in Tunisia where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on July 7, 2006. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/230 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/230 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:03 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Puma and Adidas AG factory in Turkey where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on Novermber 11-12, 2005. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/229 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/229 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:44 PST This document was revised in 2006. The Compliance Benchmarks are a set of standards used by the FLA to monitor companies' compliance regarding Forced Labor, Child Labor, Harassment or Abuse, Non-Discrimination, Health and Safety, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, Hours of Work, and Wages, Benefits and Overtime Compensation. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/228 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/228 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:13 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. The charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Yee Tung Garment Co factory in China where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on June 18-19, 2007. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/227 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/227 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:12 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Acushnet factory in Thailand where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on July 21-22, 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/226 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/226 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:11 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This collection of tracking charts reports on the Adidas AG factories in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Honduras, Indonesia, Tunisia, and Turkey where numerous violations were recorded by auditors throughout 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/225 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/225 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:10 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the American Pad & Paper factory in the United States where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on November 4-5, 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/224 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/224 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:09 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. These tracking charts report on the Antigua Group's factories in Guatemala and Pakistan where numerous violations were recorded by auditors in 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/223 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/223 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:08 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. These tracking charts report on the Ashworth factories in India and Peru where numerous violations were recorded by auditors in 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/222 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/222 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:06 PST The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. These tracking charts report on Asics factories in China, Mexico, Turkey, the USA and Vietnam where numerous violations were recorded by auditors in 2008. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/221 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/221 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:05 PST The Designated Suppliers Program is a system for protecting the rights of the workers who sew university logo apparel. Under the Designated Suppliers Program, university licensees are required to source most university logo apparel from supplier factories that have been determined by universities, through independent verification, to be in compliance with their obligation to respect the rights of their employees - including the right to organize and bargain collectively and the right to be paid a living wage. Licensees may bring any factory they choose into the program, provided the factory can demonstrate compliance with the program's labor standards. The program is phased in over a three year period. Workers Rights Consortium http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/220 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/220 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:04 PST The WRC staff has prepared living wage estimates Indonesia and El Salvador. For each country, a chart is provided that includes a detailed breakdown of the calculations involved and a comparison between the estimated living wage and the current prevailing wage in the apparel sector. Workers Rights Consortium http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/219 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/219 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:03 PST This document provides background information concerning the likely impact of substantial labor cost increases, such as those that would result from the implementation of USAS's proposed Designated Supplier Program, on the retail price of university logo apparel. The evidence available indicates that such substantial increases in labor costs would result in relatively small increases in retail prices. Workers Rights Consortium http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/218 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/218 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:02 PST This letter is written in response to the FLA's opposition to the WRC's Designated Suppliers Program guidelines regarding the program's impact on countries which bar independent unions, associational rights, living wage, antitrust issues, the selection of DSP factories, and the impact on retail prices. Workers Righrs Consortium http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/217 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/217 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:00 PST This document produced by the Fair Labor Association raises debate regarding the Designated Supplier Program, initiated by the Workers Rights Consortium. Issues of concern include guidelines regarding the program's impact on countries which bar independent unions, associational rights, living wage, antitrust issues, the selection of DSP factories, and the impact on retail prices. Fair Labor Association http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/216 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/216 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:59 PST : The IALI newsletter reflects on the organization's activities in 2008, which included involvement in a number of conferences and reports addressing workplace monitoring, forced labor and human trafficking, workplace stress, migrant workers, and health and safety issues. The newsletter gives a summary plan for the organizations 2009 goals. International Labor Organization http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/215 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/215 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:58 PST The Freedom of Association and the Effective Recognition of the Right to Collective Bargaining are one four fundamental principles and rights at work outlined by the ILO. In this chart the ILO reports on countries' compliance with this regulation by assessing government reporting, observations by employers and workers organizations, efforts and progress made, and challenges impeding the realization of the principle. International Labour Organization http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/214 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/214 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:57 PST The elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour is one four fundamental principles and rights at work outlined by the ILO. In this chart the ILO reports on countries' compliance with this regulation by assessing government reporting, observations by employers and workers organizations, efforts and progress made, and challenges impeding the realization of the principle. International Labour Organization http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/213 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/213 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:56 PST The effective abolition of child labor is one four fundamental principles and rights at work outlined by the ILO. In this chart the ILO reports on countries' compliance with this regulation by assessing government reporting, observations by employers and workers organizations, efforts and progress made, and challenges impeding the realization of the principle. International Labour Organization http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/212 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/212 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:55 PST The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation is one four fundamental principles and rights at work outlined by the ILO. In this chart the ILO reports on countries' compliance with this regulation by assessing government reporting, observations by employers and workers organizations, efforts and progress made, and challenges impeding the realization of the principle. International Labour Organization http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/211 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/211 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:53 PST Workers in China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Swaziland, and Nicaragua filed a suit against Wal-Mart for its failure to monitor factories. The court concluded that Wal-Mart had no legal duty under its 'Standards for Suppliers' or common law negligence principles to monitor its suppliers or protect plaintiffs from suppliers' alleged substandard labor practices. US District Court, Central District of California http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/210 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/210 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:52 PST This letter states the official comments of the ILRF regarding the US Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Colombia. The ILRF maintains that prior to entering into an FTA with Colombia the US Government must require that the Colombian government achieve certain preconditions that will ensure that all workers can freely exercise their right to freedom of association. Bama Athreya http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/209 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/209 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:51 PST This fact sheet compiled by the International Labor Rights Forum addresses the fact that women overwhelmingly occupy the lowest paying and most unstable jobs in the garment and agricultural export industries. This document gives statistics on how weak labor laws hurt working women in Colombia, Peru, Bangladesh, and Chile. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/208 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/208 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:50 PST The International Labor Rights Forum has developed a set of certification standards with the goal of addressing the root causes of factory and farm sweatshop conditions in global supply chains. As a basis to expand upon, certification programs should incorporate a living wage for workers, independent worker organizations, and fair pricing for contractors. This document is a summary of the ILRF's main concerns and recommendations for improving certification labeling programs. International Labor Rights Fourm http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/207 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/207 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:48 PST This study analyses the "White Paper" projects and initiatives taken by the US government to improve labor rights practice in DR-CAFTA countries. Based on a three year study, WOLA has concluded that U.S. funding for projects to strengthen the enjoyment and enforcement of labor rights in the DR-CAFTA countries is insufficient to address institutional weakness and pervasive impunity. In this report WOLA defines labor law reforms needed in the six participating countries and recommends implementation methods. Washington Office on Latin America http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/206 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/206 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:47 PST The ILRF has created this toolkit to be a guide to understanding violations of the right to associate freely. Freedom of association is important to defending human rights such as women's' rights, ending human trafficking and child labor, and migrant rights. The toolkit includes a compilation of case studies of violations as well as success stories of organizing campaigns. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/205 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/205 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:46 PST Employers around the world are creating precarious forms of work to destroy unions, cut labor costs and avoid being held responsible for their own employees. Precarious work is created when permanent, regular jobs are replaced by subcontracted labor and temporary, short-term jobs. Workers around the world are uniting to bring back decent jobs. This document addresses cases of contractual work in Coca-Cola's Colombia plant, Lipton's Pakistan factory, and Nicaraguans working in Costa Rican pineapple fields as well as what workers are doing to resist outsourcing. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/204 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/204 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:45 PST US Government plans to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia are of great concern to the International Labor Rights Forum. The ILRF warns the Colombian government's structural deficits reflected in its ongoing failures to uphold the rule of law predict continued violence against trade unionists. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/203 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/203 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:13 PST This legal complaint was filed by the Conrad & Scherer law firm on April 28, 2009 in California state court in Los Angeles against the Dole Corporation. The suit alleges that the company made illegal payments to right-wing paramilitary groups to intimidate workers from joining unions. The plaintiffs are 51 men allegedly murder by the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) for union organizing or attempting to prevent Dole from taking their land. The complaint contains description of the circumstances under which each of the plaintiffs was murdered. David Grunwald http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/202 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/202 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:12 PST This is testimony to the United States Trade Representative delivered by ILRF on April 24, 2009, explaining recent developments regarding labor rights violations in the Philippines. The testimony is related to the Generalized System of Preferences petition ILRF filed against the Philippines in 2007 based on the widespread attacks on workers' right to organize. Brian Campbell http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/201 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/201 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:11 PST The ILRF filed this request to review the Philippines designation as a beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences due to the Republic's failure to afford workers "internationally recognized workers rights." International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/200 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/200 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:10 PST International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/199 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/199 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:09 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day. Rosemary is an agricultural worker in Peru who was fired on February 5, 2007 for being pregnant. Her testimony recounts the working conditions in the asparagus and grape harvest and describes her daily life. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/198 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/198 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:08 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day In this testimony Malika, a soccer ball varnisher in Pakistan, describes the affects of the factory's change from salary compensation to a contractual basis. Additionally Malika fell ill and was burdened by medical expenses and her daughter's college tuition. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/197 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/197 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:07 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day In this testimony Malika, a soccer ball varnisher in Pakistan, describes the affects of the factory's change from salary compensation to a contractual basis. Additionally Malika fell ill and was burdened by medical expenses and her daughter's college tuition. Moni has worked in a garment factory in Bangladesh since age 14, 21 years. She describes her average day of chores at home and duties at work. She explains the situation of female workers in her factory and the repression she faced while trying to organize a union at her workplace. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/196 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/196 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:06 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day. Mrs. Azra works in a brick kiln in Pakistan along with her husband and six children. In her testimony she details her daily life and conditions of the kiln. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/195 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/195 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:05 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day. Elvira works in a garment factory in the Philippines. In her testimony she describes her daily routine at home and at work. Elvira is helping to organize a union at her workplace and recounts the resistance she is experiencing from management. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/194 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/194 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:03 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day. Jolene works on a farm in South Africa. Her job is to cut apples on a dried fruit production line. In her testimony she recounts what her average day is like and describes the conditions of working at the farm. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/193 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/193 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:02 PST This story is part of ILRF's Mothers' Stories series, which highlights a working mother around the world every day before Mother's Day. Maritza is a sewing machine operator at a Puerto Rican garment factory which produces uniforms under a U.S. Government contract. In her testimony she describes her daily routine and the conditions at work. Her coworkers are trying to form a union and Maritza explains the resistance they are facing from the company. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/192 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/192 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:01 PST This report highlights how Firestone's multiple violations of ILO core labor rights have taken place simultaneously at the Liberia plantation. The issues of fair representation, eliminating child labor, and discrimination are inter-connected. These concerns must be addressed as a whole so as to avoid exploitation manifesting in different forms. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/191 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/191 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:18:00 PST The use of child labor in the cocoa industry in West Africa is widespread. This report by the ILRF reviews the outcome of a significant policy instrumented drafted in 2001, the "Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and their Derivative Products," and concludes with lessons learned and recommendations for companies, governments, multilateral agencies, and consumers. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/189 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/189 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:17:59 PST Major chocolate companies have all made lofty promises, but how many have delivered? Here is an update from the International Labor Rights Forum on who has delivered, and who has not. Companies are rated bitter, semi-sweet, and, sweet according to their commitments to sustainability and improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers globally. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/190 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/globaldocs/190 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:17:58 PST This report highlights the continued use of forced child labor in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan in the fall 2008 harvest. While international pressure from retailers and consumers has had some effect in curbing forced child labor in the production of cotton in Uzbekistan, the practice is still pervasive. International Labor Rights Forum http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/264 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/264 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:17:54 PST [Excerpt] In the summer of 1999, I first visited South Africa at the request of the South African government. The government was concerned about the nation's drastic unemployment situation, which in recent years has been estimated at 12-20% using the standard ILO definition (not working but actively looking for work) and which reached as high as 34% when account is also taken of persons who did not work, did not look for work, but who reported themselves willing to take a job if one were offered. Government believed that unemployment was caused by excessively high wages--excessive, that is, relative to market-clearing levels--so they asked us to estimate, inter alia, the wage elasticity of demand for labor. Note the role of both types of research here: government's core hypothesis came both from talking to business-people, who claimed that high wages discouraged them from employing more workers, and from prior econometric estimates. Gary S. Fields http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/263 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/263 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:07:32 PST [Excerpt] The labour market is central in determining individual and household well-being in South Africa. Therefore, an understanding of earnings and employment dynamics is a key policy issue. However, the absence of panel data has constrained empirical work addressing these issues. This paper makes use of a regional panel data set for KwaZulu-Natal to begin the study of earnings and employment dynamics. The authors find that, on average, working-aged Africans in KwaZulu-Natal experienced large gains in earnings during the period 1993-8. These gains were progressive in nature, with the highest quintile of 1993 earners and those originally employed in the formal sector actually experiencing zero or negative growth in their average earnings. The average gain in earnings varied substantially depending on the employment transitions experienced by labour force participants. Obtaining formal sector employment is found to be an important pathway to growth in earnings, yet not exclusively so. The majority of those who get ahead do so by retaining employment in a given sector or moving into the informal sector. The dynamism of the informal sector over this period is shown to be an important contributor to the progressive growth in earnings. Government policies that seek to increase employment and earnings in the informal as well as formal sectors are recommended. Understanding the constraints preventing the vast number of unemployed from engaging in informal employment is shown to be a key issue for future work. Paul L. Cichello http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/262 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/262 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:03:00 PST [Excerpt] This study uses data from Malaysia's Household Income and Expenditure Surveys to quantify the importance of different factors in accounting for the changes in Malaysia's income distribution between 1984 and 1989 ("Period 1") and between 1989 and 1997 ("Period 2"). These particular years were chosen, because 1997 is the most recent available survey, 1984 is the earliest survey comparable to 1997, and 1989 is important for three reasons: 1. Income inequality fell until 1989 and rose thereafter. 2. Economic growth was slow in 1984-89 and fast in 1989-97. and 3. 1989 is the closest year to the beginning of Malaysia's National Development Policy, which placed heightened emphasis on the eradication of hardcore poverty. Gary S. Fields http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/261 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/261 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:11 PST Welcoming the shift to outcomes which he perceives in the ILO's focus on decent work, the author explores the major issues thus raised. He discusses how to make the notion of decent work more precise in operational terms, and how to develop an integrated approach to economic and social policy in the decent work context, before formulating an empirical approach to assessing the effects of economic growth on decent work. Finally, he outlines a structure for the ILO's planned country reviews of progress towards decent work. Gary S. Fields http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/683 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/683 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:35:08 PST [Excerpt] The world is near the bottom of a global recession that is causing widespread business contraction, increases in unemployment, and shrinking government revenues. Although recent data indicate the large industrialized economies may have reached bottom and are beginning to recover, for the most part, unemployment is still rising. Numerous small banks and households still face huge problems in restoring their balance sheets, and unemployment has combined with sub-prime loans to keep home foreclosures at a high rate. Nearly all industrialized countries and many emerging and developing nations have announced economic stimulus and/or financial sector rescue packages, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111- 5). Several countries have resorted to borrowing from the International Monetary Fund as a last resort. The crisis has exposed fundamental weaknesses in financial systems worldwide, demonstrated how interconnected and interdependent economies are today, and has posed vexing policy dilemmas. The process for coping with the crisis by countries across the globe has been manifest in four basic phases. The first has been intervention to contain the contagion and restore confidence in the system. This has required extraordinary measures both in scope, cost, and extent of government reach. The second has been coping with the secondary effects of the crisis, particularly the global recession and flight of capital from countries in emerging markets and elsewhere that have been affected by the crisis. The third phase of this process is to make changes in the financial system to reduce risk and prevent future crises. In order to give these proposals political backing, world leaders have called for international meetings to address changes in policy, regulations, oversight, and enforcement. On September 24-25, 2009, heads of the G-20 nations met in Pittsburgh to address the global financial crisis. The fourth phase of the process is dealing with political, social, and security effects of the financial turmoil. One such effect is the strengthened role of China in financial markets. The role for Congress in this financial crisis is multifaceted. While the recent focus has been on combating the recession, the ultimate issue perhaps is how to ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of financial markets to promote the general well-being of the country while protecting taxpayer interests and facilitating business operations without creating a moral hazard. In addition to preventing future crises through legislative, oversight, and domestic regulatory functions, On June 17, 2009, the Department of the Treasury presented the Obama Administration proposal for financial regulatory reform. The proposal focuses on five areas and includes establishing the Federal Reserve as a systemic risk regulator, creating a Council of Regulators, regulating all financial derivatives, creating a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, improving coordination and oversight of international financial markets, and other provisions. Treasury also has submitted to Congress proposed legislation to implement the reforms. The reform agenda now has moved to Congress. Legislation in Congress addresses many of the issues in the Treasury plan but also may focus on other financial issues. Congress also plays a role in measures to reform and recapitalize the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and regional development banks. Dick K. Nanto http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/682 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/682 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:07:40 PST On June 22, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-31). Title I of Division B of H.R. 1256 is the "Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2009". Among other provisions, P.L. 111-31: provides for newly hired federal employees to be enrolled automatically in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) at a default contribution rate of 3% of pay; requires the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to establish within the TSP a qualified Roth contribution program that provides for after-tax contributions and tax-free distributions; gives the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board authority to include mutual fund investment options in the TSP; requires the Thrift Board to submit to Congress an annual report that includes demographic information about TSP participants and fund managers; allows the surviving spouse of a deceased TSP participant to leave the decedent's TSP account balance on deposit with the Thrift Savings Plan, and; increases the monthly indemnity allowance for surviving spouses of deceased members of the armed forces who are affected by certain benefit offsets. On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-84). Title XI and Title XIX of P.L. 111-84 contain provisions that affect the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). P.L. 111-84: allows federal agencies to appoint individuals receiving annuities under CSRS or FERS to temporary, part-time positions within the federal government without reducing the individual's salary by the amount of the annuity, as is usually required under title 5 of the United States Code. requires the computation of an annuity under the Federal Employees' Retirement System to include an employee's unused sick leave in his or her length of service; allows certain redeposits to the Civil Service Retirement System for periods of service between October 1990 and February 1991 to exclude interest payments; requires CSRS annuities for employees whose careers include part-time service to be computed under the same rules that apply to part-time annuities under FERS; allows former employees who withdrew contributions to the FERS at the time of separation from federal service to redeposit those contributions, plus interest, to the FERS in the event that they are re-employed by the federal government; and allows certain service performed as an employee of the District of Columbia to be credited as federal service for purposes of determining retirement benefits. Patrick Purcell http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/681 http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/681 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:17:25 PST [Excerpt] After the long economic expansion that characterized much of the current decade, the nation entered its eleventh postwar recession in December 2007. The unemployment rate, which is a lagging economic indicator, did not start to rise until May 2008 when it jumped 0.5 percentage points to 5.5%. By December 2008, the unemployment rate exceeded 7.0% and well over 600,000 jobs were lost--the biggest monthly decrease since December 1974, when another deep recession was taking place. These labor market indicators and comments equating the latest recession to the Great Depression intensified congressional interest in passage of legislation early in 2009 aimed at encouraging creation of new jobs and warding off further loss of jobs. (See CRS Report R40655, The Labor Market During the Great Depression and the Current Recession.) To mitigate all but one recession since the 1960s, Congress chose to increase federal spending on infrastructure. (See CRS Report 92-939, Countercyclical Job Creation Programs.) But, there are a number of issues associated with using expenditures on public works to quickly create jobs in times of recession. (See CRS Report R40107, The Role of Public Works Infrastructure in Economic Stimulus.) Public works expenditures traditionally have gone chiefly to construction activities (e.g., building highways and bridges, dams and flood control structures) which indirectly increase demand in industries that supply their products to construction firms (e.g., manufacturing). Today, the definition of infrastructure has been expanded to include green jobs, which include those in industries that utilize renewable resources (e.g., electricity generated by wind), produce energy-efficient goods and services (e.g., mass transit), and install energy-conserving products (e.g., retrofitting buildings with thermal-pane windows). A question that typically arises during congressional consideration of economic stimulus legislation is which approach produces the most bang for the buck. In the instant case, this means how many jobs might be supported by federal expenditures on traditional and green infrastructure projects. Once stimulus legislation is signed into law, the focus of Congress customarily turns to estimates of the number of jobs that result as federal funds are allocated to specific activities. Therefore, after briefly examining the trend in employment and unemployment since the recession's onset, the report turns to an in-depth look at estimates of job creation, including the limitations of the methodology often used to derive them and the difficulties associated with developing job estimates for green infrastructure in particular. The report closes with a review of what is known to date about the number of jobs supported by infrastructure spending among other provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5). Section 1512 requires entities that receive ARRA appropriations from federal agencies, totaling approximately $271 billion, to include in quarterly reports the number of jobs created or maintained as a result. Section 1513 requires the Council of Economic Advisors to report quarterly on the effect of ARRA provisions on employment and other economic indicators. Linda Levine