Labor Events and Resources Blog

Recently on KQED Forum
Mon, Dec 11, 2006 -- 10:00 AM

The Psychology of PowerForum takes a look at the psychology of power and its effect on our social and working lives.

Host: Michael Krasny

Guests:

Cameron Anderson, professor of organizational behavior and industrial relations at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

Dacher Keltner, professor in the psychology department at UC Berkeley

Deborah Gruenfeld, professor of organizational behavior and social psychologist at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business

URL:
http://www.kqed.org/programs/program-landing.jsp?progID=RD19

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)Changes in Low-Wage Labor Markets Between 1979 and 2005

http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=7693&sequence=0&from=7


This paper documents changes in the lower half of the hourly wage distribution between 1979 and 2005 and analyzes the reasons for those changes. It then describes the characteristics of low-wage jobs and of workers in those jobs, and it examines how the household income of such workers has changed over the past quarter century. The analysis focuses on two periods: before and after 1990. The year 1990 was chosen for expositional simplicity, not because it represented a specific turning point in the labor market. For example, the 10th percentile of real hourly wage rates grew rapidly beginning in about 1995, while the ratio of the median to the 10th percentile of wages peaked in 1988.

News Source: Institute for Workplace Studies, Cornell University

David I. Levine and Jonathan Leonard Feature on the UC Berkeley NewsCenter

IIR affiliates David Levine and Jonathan Leonard received front-and-center attention for their recent study of employee turnover. David and Jonathan studied over 70,000 “front line” employees in more than 800 workplaces. They find interesting and provocative links between employee turnover and workplace diversity. The full story may be found at:

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2006/11/29_diversity.shtml

Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper 06-130

Outsourcing, Offshoring, and Productivity Measurement in Manufacturing
Susan HousemanW.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/wp/06-130.pdf

Industrial Relations Overview of the U.S. [updated 11 November 2006]
By Stuart Basefsky
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/subjectGuides/industrialRelationsOverview.html

Two new thematic areas have been added.
(1) SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
(2) Temporary Service Work [Refers to Employment Service Agencies often called Temporary Agencies]

In addition, many of the already existing elements have been brought up to date.This guide is intended to provide key links for a quick overview of issues, data, and developments in U.S. industrial relations. It is produced in cooperation with the < http://www.eurofound.eu.int/> European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions as an aid to research in international and comparative studies. The resources listed are chosen because they are primarily free and authoritative. Other resources may be found by using the < http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/> Research section of the Catherwood Library web site. The listing of sources is not comprehensive. It is simply a useful place to start.

CensusAmerican Community Survey (ACS)--2005
15 Largest and Smallest Cities
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2006/cb06cn05_table.xls[spreadsheet]

2005 Data User Guide
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm

ACS Media Tool Kit Page
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2004/NewsMediaKit.html

Overview Video
http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/broadcast/video/census_operations/007273.html

Detailed tables
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=datasets_2&_lang=en

Monthly Labor Review Online
April 2006Vol. 129, Number 4

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm

Changes affecting the Employment Cost Index: an overview Richard E. Caroll

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art1full.pdf

With the release of March 2006 data, BLS has updated the ECI to reflect the new industry and occupational classifications systems; rebased the index to 2005; and implemented new procedures to account for missing data and to compute seasonal adjustments

Employment Cost Index publication plans Fehmida Sleemi
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art2full.pdf

The Employment Cost Index has gone through changes that affected publication series; some series were unchanged, some new series were introduced, while others have a break in continuity or are being discontinued

Seasonal adjustments in the Employment Cost Index E. Raphael Branch and Lowell Mason http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art3full.pdf

As part of the conversion of ECI industry and occupation classifications to NAICS and SOC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics used the converted classifications to estimate the seasonally adjusted ECI; in addition, the Bureau improved the methodology and processing of seasonally adjusted estimates

Accounting for missing data in the Employment Cost Index Song Yi
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art4full.pdf

Employers do not always provide all the information needed to compile the Employment Cost Index (ECI); new ECI procedures have improved the methods for dealing with missing values

Introducing 2002 weights in the Employment Cost Index Stephanie L. Costo
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art5full.pdf

Beginning in March 2006, ECI estimates were modified to reflect 2002 employment counts; disruptions to the most-aggregated historical series from this change alone were slight

Report
A visual essay: international labor market comparisons
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/ressum.pdf

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)

Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2005-2006
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/ewco/annualreports.htm

This third annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work­life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. As part of its work programme for 2005, the European Commission presented a series of communications on migration, and extensive debate continues on this issue. The Working Time Directive also remains on the agenda, with continuing discussions on the individual opt-out and on the definition of ‘on-call’ time. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most predominant work-related health problem. A welcome development in the area of health and well-being was the start of negotiations between the European social partners on combating violence and harassment in the workplace. Gender equality received specific attention in several EU policy documents, not least the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs report on the impact of long working hours on reconciliation of work and family life, and the impact on equal opportunities. Another topic high on the agenda is training, lifelong learning and competence development; attaining a knowledge society and a highly qualified workforce forms a crucial element for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.

Introduction
1 - Legislative developments
2 - Policy developments
3 - Official statistics
4 - Trends in the workplace
5 - Quality of work and employment: the social partners

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)

Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2005-2006
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/ewco/annualreports.htm

This third annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work­life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. As part of its work programme for 2005, the European Commission presented a series of communications on migration, and extensive debate continues on this issue. The Working Time Directive also remains on the agenda, with continuing discussions on the individual opt-out and on the definition of ‘on-call’ time. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most predominant work-related health problem. A welcome development in the area of health and well-being was the start of negotiations between the European social partners on combating violence and harassment in the workplace. Gender equality received specific attention in several EU policy documents, not least the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs report on the impact of long working hours on reconciliation of work and family life, and the impact on equal opportunities. Another topic high on the agenda is training, lifelong learning and competence development; attaining a knowledge society and a highly qualified workforce forms a crucial element for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.

Introduction
1 - Legislative developments
2 - Policy developments
3 - Official statistics
4 - Trends in the workplace
5 - Quality of work and employment: the social partners

European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) OnlineCOMPARATIVE STUDY

Employment relations in SMEs [February 2006] (online 12 April 2006)http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/02/study/index.html

This comparative study examines employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 13 of the 'old' 15 EU Member States (the exceptions being Luxembourg and Portugal), three new Member States (Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) and Norway. It looks at: the economic role of SMEs (including employment trends); pay and employment conditions (including working hours, training and HRM practices); interest representation, collective bargaining and social dialogue; and regulation and public policy.

The comparative study was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by EIRO's national centres. The text of each of these national reports is available [at the first URL above]. The reports have not been edited or approved by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.