TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey moved Monday to become the third state
to require companies to offer six weeks of paid leave to workers wishing to care for a new
child or sick relative.
The state Senate voted 21-15 to approve the bill that would offer up to
six weeks paid leave. The Assembly approved the Democratic plan last month and Democratic
Gov. Jon S. Corzine said he'll sign it soon.
"People are served well by having their families near them and
supportive of them in times of great stress," said Corzine, noting that his children helped
him recover from a near-fatal car accident a year ago.
Under the plan, which is backed heavily by organized labor and opposed
by Republicans and business groups, parents could take paid leave anytime in the first year
after a child's birth or adoption.
Workers would be allowed to take paid leave to care for a sick relative
receiving inpatient care in a medical care facility or under continuing supervision from a
health care provider. A health provider could also certify a sick relative needs help at
home.
The program would be paid for through a payroll deduction that
legislative officials estimate would cost workers $33 per year. Workers who take leave would
get two-thirds of their salary, up to $524 per week, with an estimated average weekly
benefit of $415.
Opponents liken the payroll deduction to a tax, and they fear it will
increase if the program doesn't earn enough money to meet its needs.
"Legislators and the governor seem to think our residents and employers
have deep pockets and unlimited resources to fund their bloated bureaucracy, when that is
far from the case," said Jim Leonard of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
The New Jersey program would involve similar policies to those in
California and Washington state. Federal law allows some workers to take up to 12 weeks of
unpaid leave.
California allows workers to take up to six weeks paid leave under a
2004 law. Most who have taken leave in the state have done so to care for a newborn, and
more women have taken it than men.
Washington state has approved allowing workers to take five weeks paid
leave, but lawmakers haven't decided how to pay for the program.
In Maine, the House of Representatives on Monday rejected a bill
calling for paid sick leave, sending it to the Senate. An amended version would allow five
paid sick days.
Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, the New Jersey bill's leading
backer, recalled how his daughter spent 75 days in intensive care after she was born four
months premature.
"My boss understood and allowed me to take off the time I needed," said
Sweeney, a Democrat. "But I can't imagine having to choose between spending time with my
daughter, who was clinging to life, and going to work to put food on the table for my wife
and then-four-year-old son."
The state estimates 38,000 workers annually would take paid leave. New
Jersey has 4.1 million workers.
MD bill to allow part-timer unemployment benefits dies
Apr 07 16:10
By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Part-time employees in Maryland won't be
eligible for unemployment benefits after all.
A bill to expand state unemployment benefits to cover part-time workers
died Monday by a single vote in a House committee. The vote on the legislature's last
working day means the measure dies until next year.
The Senate narrowly passed the proposal last month.
It was backed by state regulators, who say the marketplace has changed
and more people work part-time and should be eligible to receive unemployment benefits.
Businesses opposed the bill, saying it would cost too much and that
part-timers don't need unemployment benefits.
"It's just one more burden on small business," said Delegate James
King, R-Anne Arundel, who owns two restaurants and voted against the bill in the House
Economic Matters Committee. That committee voted 10-10 on the bill, not enough to forward it
to the full House.
The bill would have allowed people who work part-time to receive
unemployment benefits if they become unable to find part-time work. They're already eligible
for such benefits if they seek a full-time job.
"Now, you have a lot more people working part-time," said Susan Bass, a
legislative liaison for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which
pushed for the bill.
Bass told lawmakers that about half the states currently allow
part-timers to receive unemployment benefits.
An activist tracking the bill for workers' advocacy group called the
bill's defeat a setback.
"We're heading into a recession. People are going to be needing this,"
said Jason Perkins-Cohen, executive director of the Baltimore-based Job Opportunities Task
Force.
But lawmakers who decided not to forward the measure also cited the
poor economy. King said businesses can't afford to set aside more for unemployment
insurance.
"This was a win for small business," King said after the committee
vote.
Hopkins pledges $5 million to promote faculty diversity
Apr 07 08:08
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Johns Hopkins University is offering at least $5
million in matching funds over five years to departments that hire and retain top scholars
who are women or from underrepresented minority groups.
The incentive is called the Mosaic Initiative and is intended to boost
faculty diversity at Hopkins.
Provost Kristina Johnson says women account for only 38 percent of
full-time faculty and below 20 percent of full professors. Underrepresented minorities
account for only 6 percent of the full-time faculty and below 4 percent of full professors.
The initial funding for the Mosaic Initiative comes from the office of
President William Brody and from Johnson's office. The university will also seek additional
funding from outside sources.
------
On the Net: http://www.jhu.edu/
LA Labor sec'y: recession provides opportunities for state
Apr 07 15:33
By MELINDA DESLATTE
Associated Press Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana has thousands of available jobs and
could seize the opportunity of a looming recession and rising unemployment nationwide to
attract new and former residents, state Labor Secretary Tim Barfield said Monday.
Barfield is pushing Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposals for revamping the
state labor department and worker training programs to better align the available jobs with
the training provided in programs offered around the state -- proposals up for debate in the
regular legislative session.
As many as 100,000 jobs are vacant in Louisiana and could be filled
today if the state had the skilled workers to offer employers, Barfield told the Press Club
of Baton Rouge. He said the state must improve its skills training for its current
residents, but also could use the openings to entice other people to the state.
"We have a unique opportunity to get people to come back to Louisiana,"
he said.
The hallmark legislation for Jindal's work force development revamp
would replace the Department of Labor with a reorganized Louisiana Workforce Commission,
with new duties that include overseeing and coordinating many of the state's worker training
programs.
The 84-page bill, sponsored by House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown,
would continue the department's current responsibilities of doling out unemployment benefits
and managing other federal labor programs. But it also would require coordination of worker
training programs with other state agencies, would involve contracting with regional boards
for training services and would give those regional boards jurisdiction over federal worker
training dollars.
It would set up a policy council led by business leaders that would
recommend worker training program changes and would forecast the anticipated demand for jobs
by occupation and industry to show what training is needed for workers.
"It's doing a better job of connecting the dots," Barfield said.
The Senate Labor Committee plans a hearing on the proposal on Thursday,
and Barfield said the House Labor Committee will hold a second hearing on the bill next
week.
Jindal also wants to rework state spending on the Louisiana Community
and Technical College System that would dole out dollars per student based on the type of
training they will receive. Barfield said the state should target its money to train
students in high-demand areas most sought by employers.
The idea needs approval from the Board of Regents, which oversees
public colleges in Louisiana, not the Legislature. It is expected to be considered in May or
June by the board.
Barfield said the state also needs to improve its outreach efforts to
middle- and high-school students to let them know that if they don't choose to attend a
four-year college, there are many other "dignified and satisfying" career paths they could
choose -- and how to train for those jobs.
------
On the Net:
House Bill 1104 can be found at www.legis.state.la.us
Employees seek more financial, retirement advice in workplace
Apr 07 09:12
By EILEEN ALT POWELL
AP Business Writer
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Workers are increasingly looking for their employers
to give them access to financial planning and retirement advice, according to a study being
released on Monday.
MetLife's annual employee benefits trend survey found that 49 percent
of workers in 2007 were interested in getting advice at their workplace about saving for
retirement, up from 38 percent in 2006. Those expressing interest in overall financial
planning rose to 44 percent from 30 percent, the study found.
Bill Mullaney, president of MetLife's institutional business, said the
results reflect, in part, the aging of the work force and the greater interest by older
workers in retirement preparedness.
Workers also expressed an interest in company-offered programs such as
life and disability insurance because they "believe the employers do due diligence to secure
arrangements that are, perhaps, more favorable than they (workers) could get on their own,"
he said.
The survey, conducted in the third quarter of last year, found that
among worker concerns were dealing with a sudden income loss, finding the appropriate health
insurance, earning enough "to make ends meet," job security and saving for a child's
education.
Workers liked trying to resolve these issues through their workplaces,
they said, because they felt employers found better products like disability insurance at
better prices than they could on their own. Many also appreciated the convenience of putting
money away for retirement or paying for voluntary benefits through payroll deduction, the
study found.
Mullaney said that besides providing a wider range of benefit
offerings, many employers also were stepping up financial education programs.
It's in part a recognition that benefits "are increasingly important
factors in employees' decisions to join a company and stay with it," he said. "There's a
strong link between those satisfied with benefits and their desire to be with employer 18
months from now."
The survey by MetLife Inc., an insurance and financial services company
headquartered in New York, involved 1,380 full-time workers 21 and older and 1,652 employer
benefit specialists. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.
------
On the Net:
http://whymetlife.com/trendspr
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