Federal workers organize to block the sequester

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| By Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times

About 6,000 employees have filed appeals with the Merit Systems Protection Board to block furloughs or recover lost pay that is resulting from the sequester.

As Congress slips closer to a second round of across-the-board budget cuts and government furloughs this fall, federal workers have begun to fight back.

With nearly one in two federal workers facing enforced unpaid leaves of absence to help meet stringent deficit reduction mandated by sequestration, about 6,000 employees have filed appeals with the Merit Systems Protection Board to block the furloughs or recover lost pay. Meanwhile, labor unions are galvanizing public employees across the country to fight the sequester and are taking their case to Capitol Hill.

During a hearing Tuesday morning before the Senate Budget Committee, Jennifer-Cari Green, a secretary at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State and the single mother of a six-year-old son, said that she had struggled to make ends meet under a three-year military pay freeze even before the sequester hit. Now she calculates that her take-home pay will drop from $1,477 a month to $1,008 through the end of September (the end of the fiscal year) as she is forced to take 11 days of furlough -- a 32% reduction over two weeks, or a 4.5% annual reduction.

"I live without luxuries, I don't have cable in my home, I don't go get my nails done, eat out frequently or do any of the things people generally think they will have to cut back on whenever times are tough," said Green, a member of Local 1502 of the American Federation of Government Employees in Tacoma. "I often hear people talk about 'tightening your belt,' but I have very few options available to me."

Instead, she said, she is falling dangerously close to the poverty line, even while she makes too much to qualify for food stamps or free school lunches for her son.

Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, an ardent foe of sequestration, said that Green's dilemma is emblematic of the hardships being imposed by mindless, across the board cuts in defense and domestic discretionary spending that both Democrats and Republicans voted for believing a better budget bargain would emerge.

That bargain never happened.

"At a time when too many Americans are still struggling to find work, civilian defense employees are being furloughed, and small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, our economic recovery and our military preparedness is suffering," she said.

"While I believe there are responsible spending cuts to be made in defense programs," she added, "the current across-the-board cuts and future arbitrary spending reductions over the next eight years as part of sequestration are not the answer."

Short of a miraculous turn-around by lawmakers and the administration Congress appears to be sliding toward a second year of sequestration -- meaning the slashed budgets of the current fiscal year will soon receive an equally unpopular sequel. The same political gridlock that set off the decade-long, $1.2 trillion sequestration last fall has only worsened in recent months. House Republicans and Senate Democrats have proven incapable of agreeing to the basic contours for a fiscal 2014 budget. Nor can they work together on immigration reform, farm legislation and food stamps.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ridiculed the sequester as "stupidity on steroids" on Tuesday because it leaves most departments and agencies with little leeway to find savings without cutting into the bone of government programs or forcing temporary unpaid layoffs.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, agreed the sequester is not the ideal way to go about cutting spending. But he insisted that "the matter that we are facing today has been made substantially worse" by the fact that President Obama prevented his defense chiefs from doing substantial advanced planning to gradually phase in the inevitable cuts."

"And I've heard from many people that the furloughs that may be necessary to some degree could have been avoided in many instances, but it was determined [by the White House] that to do the furloughs . . . was a way to politically drive the issue," Sessions said.

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Only half of workers have a retirement plan

7:30 AM Retirement, workers No Comments

| By Andrea Coombes, MarketWatch

Businesses face steep hurdles in providing retirement plans to their workers, and without such plans, it’s even more challenging to save enough to retire.

Retirement crisis? More like a catastrophe for the 50% of U.S. workers who don't participate in a savings plan at work, many of whom work at small companies nationwide. Those businesses face steep hurdles in providing retirement plans to their workers, according to a new report -- and without such plans, it's even more challenging to save enough to retire.

Just 5% of businesses with one to four employees offer a workplace retirement savings plan, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, the investigative arm of Congress.

The numbers aren't much better for slightly bigger businesses: 18% of firms with five to 11 employees, 26% of businesses with 12 to 25 workers, and 31% of businesses with 26 to 100 workers sponsor a workplace retirement plan, according to the report, which cites Labor Department and Internal Revenue Service data.

"There are a lot of people who really are looking forward to a retirement with not much more than Social Security," said Charles Jeszeck, author of the report and director of the education, workforce and income security team at the GAO.

It isn't as though workplace savings plans are a retirement-crisis panacea. In fact, some workers who have access to a plan at work don't even take advantage of it -- often because they simply can't afford to save. Nine percent of workers at businesses with 100 or fewer employees that offered a workplace plan chose not to participate, according to a 2009 report by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Yet a 401k is a valuable tool for most savers. While those without a workplace plan can opt to set up an IRA, it's a more cumbersome process. You must choose a provider, set up your plan and then make regular contributions to it -- hurdles that can waylay would-be savers.

A workplace plan such as a 401k, meanwhile, is easily accessible, and paycheck deductions simplify matters. Plus, for those who can afford it, 401k's and similar plans allow workers to set aside as much as $17,500 per year on a pretax basis -- and even more, for those over age 50 -- versus the $5,500 annual contribution limit for IRAs in 2013.

While large firms are far likelier to offer the benefits of a workplace plan, it's not like you can blame small-business owners who fail to offer a 401k to their workers. They're busy trying to run a business, and creating a retirement-savings plan is complex and time-consuming.

Some of the difficulties business owners cited include the cost of starting a plan, the complexity of choosing investment options for their workers, and the fear of failing to meet their fiduciary responsibilities and facing litigation as a result, according to the GAO report. Read the report as a PDF here.

Small-business owners also cite a lack of worker interest as a reason for failing to start a plan, or for closing their plan. And they say that health-care benefits trump retirement benefits, the report said. When a small business reaches the point where it's making enough money to offer benefits to workers, the first step is usually a health-care plan, the report said. (At this point, it's unclear how and to what degree the Affordable Care Act might change that, Jeszeck said in a telephone interview.)

For this new publication, the GAO compiled data from a number of its recent previous reports and presented it as testimony to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, in a hearing on "Closing the Retirement Plan Coverage Gap for Small Businesses." Watch the July 16 hearing here.

A number of proposals in recent years -- including making it easier for workers to contribute to an IRA and making the retirement savers' tax credit refundable -- have the goal of getting more workers to save for their retirement, but those proposals haven't gained much ground.

"Congress for the last couple of years has focused on the budget. Now there's a big focus on immigration, the debt ceiling -- those more global issues pretty much have gotten the limelight," Jeszeck said.

At the Senate committee hearing, "multiple-employer plans," or MEPS, were discussed as one way to expand coverage among small-business owners. With MEPs, a third-party company pools the retirement-plan assets of a number of employers, thus taking the administrative load and other time-consuming plan tasks off the shoulders of business owners, and potentially reducing overall costs. MEPs have existed for decades, though there's not a lot of data on them, Jeszeck said.

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Workers older than 60 making more than younger colleagues

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Between 2007 and 2010, older workers’ average hourly wages saw a significant bump, while the young workers’ average hourly wages largely stagnated.
People who are still working when they are near or past traditional retirement age are now earning significantly more per hour, on average, than workers who are in their prime working years, according to a new analysis of government data.

That’s a major shift from the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Brookings Institution analysis.

Experts say that’s partly because people who keep working past age 60 tend to be better educated, in better health and – most likely – in jobs that are going well. But it’s also partly because prime-age workers have had such a tough time of it since the nation went into recession in 2007.

“They all look like they’re doing pretty well because the younger people are doing relatively more poorly,” said Gary Burtless, a labor economist with the Brookings Institution and the author of the analysis.

The report, which was funded by the Social Security Administration, found that 60- to 74-year-old men who were still working earned $25.12 an hour, on average, in 2011. That’s more than 20 percent more than the average hourly wage of working men ages 25 to 59, which was $20.55 an hour in 2011.

Working women ages 60 to 74 earned an average of $18.51 an hour in 2011, nearly 10 percent more than the average hourly wage of $16.87 per hour for 25- to 59-year-old women.

The big disparity is a change from years past. In the 1980s and 1990s, the average older men’s hourly wages were about the same as younger workers’ wages, and older women were earning a bit less per hour, on average, than younger women.

Then, between 2007 and 2010, older workers’ average hourly wages saw a significant bump, while the young workers’ average hourly wages largely stagnated, according to the Brookings analysis.

The average wages for both groups fell in 2011, the most recent year for which data was available. All of the figures are in constant 2010 dollars.

The younger workers' annual wages were slightly higher, overall, than the older workers, which Burtless said is because younger workers tend to work more hours.

Of course, there is a significant pool of older people who aren’t working but could really use the paycheck and may be falling short financially. Some may have lost a job and had trouble finding a new one, while others were forced to stop working because of ill health.

The percentage of Americans working past age 65 has been creeping up, but experts say that those who do keep working are generally still better off.

“On average, the case seems to be that the people who are continuing to work are in better health, they have better schooling (and) they have an employer who values their contributions. They’re the most robust and better trained people,” Burtless said. “It’s not the people who are desperate to top up their Social Security check.”

Ronald Lee, a professor of demography and economics at UC Berkeley, said another factor is that today’s older workers are likely to be more highly educated than the older workers of 30 years ago. That means they can likely command a higher paycheck then the older workers in the 1980s and 1990s could.

He said the fact that prime-age workers are earning less in comparison to their parents and grandparents does raise concerns. People who take longer to get into career-track positions, or who start out earning very low wages, may never make up that lost financial ground.

“There’s a lifetime hit that those generations take," Lee said.

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Firm finds older workers a perfect fit

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| By Karen Aho, MSN Money

Massachusetts manufacturer welcomes the over-65 set for reliable workforce, low turnover.

Bill Ferson punches in at 4:15 a.m. happy to be at work. He rarely misses a day and brings decades of experience to the job.

Who wouldn't want such a gem in their workforce?

If history is any guide, most companies. For one big reason: Ferson is 94 years old. "Ninety-five in September," he chimes, before springing from his chair with a twist to grab another tool. "They're missing out on a lot of knowledge."

Since Rosa Finnegan quit at the age of 101 last year – her family moved – Ferson has become the oldest worker at Vita Needle, a family-run custom needle and tube manufacturer in Massachusetts that consistently churns out record sales while embracing employees whom many other companies toss aside. Half its 49 workers are over 73.

"It works for us," says Frederick Hartman II, a fifth-generation owner who serves as director of marketing and engineering.

As some U.S. baby boomers approach their 70s, often without the desire or ability to retire, much is riding on whether such a so-called elderforce might work for other companies as well.

Many employers would do well to take note of Vita Needle's small Needham, Mass., shop, where rows of seated, graying workers carefully cut, stamp and sharpen tubes by hand. The hollow needles are sold primarily for use in machine lubrication. The company also makes pins used to inflate balls.

"The irony is that we're selling speed," said the company's president, Frederick Hartman. "Don't be fooled by people who have gray hair. We're operating on a time scale of days. Our competitors are operating on a time scale of weeks."

Hartman has long preached the value of moral capital or, in marketing parlance, social responsibility, in attracting customers. Having a reputation for hiring seniors who want to work – as opposed to using machines – helps. Some economists refer to such practices as "humane capitalism."

But goodwill alone won't get repeat customers, nor will it generate productivity that exceeds labor costs. Vita Needle has to compete on the global level.

"We're not stupid. We know that we're making a conscious decision for workers and the community," says Hartman II. But, he added: "There are a lot of benefits we get."

These include:

Loyal workers: Employee turnover is extremely low, zero to one per year. "We were hiring younger people, too. But the young people come and go," says operations manager Michael G. LaRosa.Employees with a strong work ethic: "No one is born with a work ethic. You learn it as you go," LaRosa says. "I think young people should learn a work ethic. I just don't think they should learn it here."Reduced benefits cost: Because workers qualify for Medicare, they do not seek health-care benefits from the company.High-quality work: Nick Poulos, at 20 the youngest employee, says he's learning a valuable lesson from his older colleagues, to "take your time and do it well. Don't rush it. Make sure you get it done right."Reliable workers: It may seem counterintuitive, but older workers take fewer sick days and tend to stay on the job many more years, the company says.
So are these benefits reflected in the bottom line? You bet, says Vita Needle. It experienced record sales in 19 of the past 21 years, with brief dips during two recessions. Sales have quadrupled since the mid '90s.

Could the company achieve high sales with another strategy? Probably. But as LaRosa puts it: "We'd be faced with a different set of problems." He cites as examples higher labor and benefits costs and a less reliable workforce. "And I don't think we'd have 15- to 20-year employees," he says.

While the company offers "market wages" that are not considered outstanding, particularly for unskilled labor, it offers flexibility that's probably unheard of on a shop floor. Workers basically select their own hours and can take time off as needed, even if it means getting up and punching out for a doctor's appointment or a grandchild's school event.

In turn, owners and managers have become adept at managing special health needs, shifting one woman to larger needles when macular degeneration affected her vision, for example, and moving another from accounting to production when early dementia set in.

Employees generally leave on their own when age or health hamper their ability to work, La Rosa said. And while he's had to fire workers – typically younger employees – the company is committed to employment and has not imposed any layoffs since it opened in 1932.

"This is a family business. Its values are people before profit, and yet they still make money," says Warren Chamberlain, 73, who put in a career in welding and spot relief at General Motors until a plant closing forced him into early retirement at 50.

Years later, intrigued by the ever-present "help wanted" sign outside Vita Needle, Chamberlain wandered upstairs to the small shop floor only to think, "This is a daycare center for seniors."

Now he works three- to four-hour shifts in delivering and manufacturing, good exercise and stimulation to supplement his volunteer work.

"When I got here, I wanted to organize everything, make it more efficient. Then I realized that half the people would be gone," he says. "Fred makes a conscientious decision to keep it low-tech and creates an opportunity for seniors to come in and make a living."

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A logo tattoo for a raise? These workers did

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"We call it brand ambassadorship," said Anthony Lolli, owner and CEO of Rapid Realty, a New York based real estate firm that encourages employees to get a tattoo of the company's logo. In exchange for the tattoo, employees receive a 15 percent commission increase for life. NBC's Joelle Garguilo reports.

By Amy Langfield, TODAY contributor
How far would you go for a raise?

Inking a deal with Rapid Realty has a more permanent feel now that the New York City-based brokerage is giving a 15 percent raise to its workers who get a tattoo of the company’s logo.

So far, 40 agents are inked and more are lining up, Anthony Lolli, the CEO of Rapid Realty told NBC News.

One new agent got the tattoo after only a week working for Rapid Realty.

But isn’t that crazy?

“I don’t think so,” Lolli said. “Some people fall in love with the opportunity. They fall in love with the brand.”

It’s actually pretty conservative compared to other people who have tattooed company logos on their person, such as the man who tattooed the web address of a porn site on his face or the woman who auctioned the space on her forehead for $10,000.

Rapid Realty

Agents of Rapid Realty in New York City are eligible for a 15 percent increase in commission if they get a tattoo of the company logo.

But at Rapid Realty, there are no regrets yet and all 40 inked employees are still with the company, Lolli said. Some early adopters are even making plans to touch up their colors.

The tattoos can be any size anywhere on the agent’s body to qualify for the bonus. They’re getting the tattoos anywhere they like: on their thighs, biceps, ankles, wrist, behind the ear and elsewhere, Lolli said. Some have only the RR logo, while others have also spelled out Rapid Realty. “They’re allowed to customize it,” he said.

Since all of Rapid Realty’s 1,100 agents work on commission, the 15 percent boost kicks in each time they complete a deal. Most agents start at a 25 percent commission so a company tattoo will bump them to the 40 percent bracket. Some agents were already maxed out at the 40 percent rate, but still got tattoos even though there was no extra pay in the deal, Lolli said.

About two years ago, Rapid Realty agent Adam Altman was the first to make the commitment after he closed a deal for a tattoo parlor in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A video on the company website documents the event, as the bespeckled, bearded agent adds the stylized RR logo to his existing tattoo collection. He already had tattoos on his arms, legs, back and mouth.

“The company’s been good to me. I don’t see myself going anywhere. If I have it on, it’s gonna force me to keep going and working harder, cuz you know I have that logo on, you know you’re not going to give up. It’s there for life,” Altman says in the video .“Rapid for life.Yo.”

So far, Lolli himself isn’t inked, but is grateful for his agents’ devotion. “It’s very humbling. I have an attitude of gratitude,” he said.

He’s considering getting a tattoo when his company hits a big benchmark of 100 offices. Currently Rapid Realty has franchises in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Long Island and New Jersey. But with 62 locations, he has some time to consider where he wants his tattoo for the 100th.

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American workers are at a breaking point

2:58 AM American, breaking, point, workers No Comments

Cindy Perman , CNBC.com – 4 days

The economy is supposed to be in recovery mode, but you wouldn't know it by the grunts and groans coming from the next cubicle.

A whopping 83 percent of American workers said they are stressed out by at least one thing at work, up sharply from 73 percent in 2012, according to a survey by Harris Interactive for Everest College.

"When you look at all the other economic indicators, there have definitely been some positive signs," said John Swartz, regional director of career services at Everest College. But relief of workplace stress isn't one of them.

"More companies are hiring, but workers are still weary and stressed out from years of a troubled economy that has brought about longer hours, layoffs and budget cuts," Swartz said.

Just 17 percent said nothing stresses them out about their jobs. It's interesting that workers 65 and older were the most likely (38 percent) to be in that group.

Stress is so ubiquitous and so dangerous that the American Institute of Stress calls it "America's New Black Death." You know, that little plague that is thought to have wiped out more than 100 million people in the 14th century.

"If black plague is what killed most people in Europe in the Middle Ages, then stress is what's killing us the most right now," said Dr. Daniel L. Kirsch, the president of the institute.

And while many sectors are still trying to claw back, the stress industry is thriving.

"It's actually a very good time to be in the stress business," Kirsch said. "The stress business is booming!"

So what did workers say is causing them the most agita? Everyone act surprised, it was a tie for No. 1: Low pay and unreasonable workload (14 percent each).

That was followed by annoying co-workers (11 percent), job not in a chosen career (8 percent), poor work-life balance (7 percent), lack of opportunity for advancement (6 percent) and fear of being fired or laid off (4 percent).

One of the biggest problems, Swartz said, is that too many companies are making decisions for short-term benefits and not thinking about long-term effects.

"I think, ultimately, [stress] can have a huge impact and a negative impact," he said. "If workers are stressed out and not feeling good about what they're doing, they're going to reach a breaking point. And the worst thing that could happen is for an organization to lose someone that's valuable. Then, you have to start from scratch … bring in new people. … There are significant costs associated with that."

"In many ways, the workplace is much different than it was a decade ago, and a growing number of Americans are not just sitting back," Swartz said. "They're stepping up and taking charge of their careers."

Of course, it's easy to blame The Company or The Man for keeping you down—and, for sure, they're involved. But most American workers started behind the eight ball, so to speak, before we even got to to the layoffs and heavier workload part.


A separate survey by USA Network (a sister network of CNBC, both owned by NBC Universal and Comcast) showed that just 79 percent of full-time working Americans are in jobs that reflect their true career passion. And roughly the same number admit that they have at some point thought about abandoning their field for something else. Most say they work to pay the bills and survive, while just 13 percent said they live to work.

And just 20 percent of those lucky enough to have their ideal position started off there.

"These findings reflect that many Americans feel trapped in their jobs," said Kurt Warner, a former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl MVP who is the host of USA's "The Moment," a show about giving someone a shot at his or her dream job.

"As someone who went from working in a grocery store to ultimately becoming an NFL quarterback, I encourage everybody to follow their dreams," Warner said. "The key to being happy in your job—and life—is to find your passion and live it. It's never too late to rewrite your life story."

Until then, cubicles across America will be filled with daydreams of better jobs—and winning the lottery.

And in case there were any illusions about employee happiness, consider this: Forty-two percent said if they won the lottery they would be outta here! and find another job; 32 percent said they would quit working altogether and 25 percent said they would stay put.

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Flatulent federal worker's reprimand is rescinded

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A redacted copy of the SSA flatulence reprimand letter was posted to The Smoking Gun website.

By Ben Popken, TODAY contributor
It sounds like a "Dilbert" cartoon come to life, but the Social Security Administration has taken back a reprimand it gave to an employee who was written up for "passing gas and releasing an unpleasant odor" that created a "hostile work environment."

The official charge was "Conduct unbecoming a Federal employee." More specifically, "On September 7, 2012, and continuing, you disrupted the work floor by passing gas and releasing an unpleasant odor."

A copy of the letter, along with a picture of the employee at an amusement park standing next to an actor in a Pepe Le Pew costume, was published on TheSmokingGun.com.

The letter included a timestamped log accurate to the minute, documenting 60 separate-gas passing incidents from the employee in his office in three months, or about 9 per day.

The average person passes gas 14 times per day.

Medical conditions such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and lactose intolerance, can cause sufferers to have chronic gas problems. The employee told management he was lactose intolerant.

"You have submitted medical evidence that you have some medical conditions," the letter read, "however, nothing that you have submitted has indicated that you would have uncontrollable flatulence. It is my belief that you can control this condition."

Several of the employee's coworkers in the "module," or work area, had complained to management about the smell. A supervisor, Deputy Division Director and a Module Manager all spoke with the employee on separate occasions about his need to control his flatulence.

"You said that you would try to pass gas and that you would turn your fan on when it happens," the Module Manager wrote of a discussion that took place on May 18, 2012. "I explained to you that turning on the fan would cause the smell to spread and worsen the air quality in the module."

On August 14th the employee promised to purchase "Gas X" in order to limit his gas output.

Another incident, dated August 15th, noted "you have continued to release the odor and it has become intolerable to work in the module creating a hostile work environment for all your coworkers."

The letter quoted guidelines from the "Annual Personnel Reminder" and "2012 SSA/AFGE National Agreement" which the Module Manager claimed the employee had violated, including "courtesy and consideration while dealing with coworkers" and "refrain from coercive, intimidating, loud or abusive behavior."

If the "misconduct" was continued after the reprimand letter, it could lead to "more severe disciplinary action...including, removal from federal service."

Reached for comment, SSA spokesperson Mark Hinkle told TODAY, "A reprimand was issued to the employee; however, when senior management became aware of the reprimand it was rescinded on December 17, 2012. The agency cannot comment further due to privacy concerns. "

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Workers can not easily take type A in retirement.

4:00 PM easily, Retirement, workers No Comments

Richard Eisenberg, next Avenue
So you are a type A personality: heavy load, status-driven and impatient. How do you think that will work for you in retirement?

Probably not so great after Donald Asher, a Gerlach, Nevada, career counsellors, the type of A pensioner has studied. "Type A not, prevent that type of A retired," Asher says.

Asher, who speaks on this issue across the country, told me that a type A personality in the retirement life is not very well suited.

"You can play only so much golf."
"A type A guy I on a golf course met told me: ' if I was about to retire, I was looking forward to much golf to play." But now that I'm retired, I found you can only so much Golf, play ' "Asher says.

Before going into retirement, are the type of A leader at work often, barking orders and getting things done, if they want, kind and wise, what you want. (Cardiologists Meyer Friedman, who coined the term "Type A personality", said the behavior is partly expressed through "free-floating hostility", but let us not go there.)

Reminiscent of the famous New Yorker cartoon about the dog over the Internet, were retired, no one knows that, a Manager, or a heart surgeon. Uniform, a type of A pensioner looks just like the pensioners and is seen by the people who will find he or she usually otherwise. You will receive no special treatment (Senior discounts aside). You are not surrounded by toady that bend knees, based on your title, because you do not have a title. And how you can get a shock.

In addition, life is if you are pensioner unstructured. Meet fed have not for you at certain times. It is up to you your day, your weekend, your month - should be drawn in your life. It is annoying for a type a.

Rob Pascale found all this out when he from his job running a market research company in Charlotte, NC on 51 adopted the main author of the retirement maze, I wrote a great book about next Avenue, Pascale told me that only a few months after his resignation bleak becoming. "I had low self esteem than if I work was", he says. "I had a lack of structure and purpose in my life."

Withdrawn for five months
The New York Times recently wrote about the similar experience of Alan Siegel, 74, who had been Chairman of the brand-and-corporate-identity consultants Siegel & Gale in New York City. A type A, if there ever was a seal in May and lasts around five months later decided that he hack it could not. He started just seal vision, a company that is competing with which he had founded and the left.

On the question why not retire to enter, said Siegel,: "I can not. I love the interaction with different types of people. I like shake things up, make a difference."

The adjustment is not difficult, only for type A life can be for their spouse become brutal wind up always ordered, if only because of the proximity.

"A woman told me that her husband began demanding she fold the towels differently", Asher says. "she said to him: ' you never care, for 50 years towels folded like me." This is not to go to work. ""

Retirement advice for type A
So what do a type A when retirement beckons?

Start with the construction of a new social network of other retirees, Asher suggests. "The biggest thing is social interaction often, that is missing the type A the four walls of a House are not enough in life" he says. "You can scratch the itch a social network."

Next, find a new form of prestige, replace provided the status of your work. "Maybe it is the Rolling Stones around the world to follow or ride a $365,000 RV," Asher says.

If you are considering an encore career to help others searching for the type of position that plays to your personality. In General, this means a paid or volunteer job as a supervisor with authority.

Finally, Asher says something, add pressure and stress to your life - and this may sound a little strange-. "This is not compatible with the traditional idea of retirement," he notes. "I had a friend who does Ironman Triathlon at 60. "He is creating his own pressure."

Appear for a type A pressure and stress simply make your life worth living.

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Foxconn says underage workers in China plant set up

10:00 AM China, Foxconn, plant, underage, workers No Comments

Taipei - Foxconn technology group, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, has admitted setting of young people at the age of 14 in a Chinese factory, breach of national law, in a case that internally raises further questions about his student program.

Labour human rights aktivisten in China have accused, Foxconn and other large employers in China student internship as a cheap source of labour for production lines where it is more difficult, reduce young adult workers to paid jobs to win.

Foxconn, the trade name of Taiwan's Hon Hai precision industry, said that it had found that some interns at a plant in Yantai, in the northeast of the province of Shandong work under the age of 16 were legal. He did not say, how many were minors.

"Our investigation has shown that the interns in question, who ranged in age from 14 to 16 in this campus for about three weeks had worked," it was said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This is not only a violation of China's labour law, it is also a violation of policy and immediately measures were taken against Foxconn, again to the trainees their educational institutions concerned."

China's official Xinhua News Agency, citing an unnamed government official of the Yantai said that 56 of the underage interns to their schools would be brought back.

The students had used, after Foxconn of development zone asked, where the factory is located last month solve a defect if they were needed, to a deficit of 19,000 employees make Xinhua added to help.

Apple's largest manufacturer
Foxconn is Apple Inc of's largest production partner and makes products for Dell Inc., Sony Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co among its other clients. It said that non-Apple products make the Yantai plant.

Foxconn has the announcement after reviewing Chinese media reports of underage interns under its China workforce of 1.2 million. He said that it had found no evidence of similar injuries at any of its other plants in China.

Foxconn said that with the local government schools participated it the case of Yantai in the intern program, as far as compatible with labour market policy and his lawyer would work.

"But we recognize that the full responsibility for these violations mounting platform with our company, and we have apologized to each student for our role in this action," said the company.

Foxconn and Apple were forced that improving working conditions in Chinese factories, the world's iPads optimally and iPhones after a series of published suicides in the year 2010 and reports of labour abuses, such as excessive overtime, threw a spotlight on the conditions in the plants.

Last month, a riot at a Foxconn plant broke the in place dormitory for migrant workers, the Assembly of iPhones in the city of Taiyuan, about living conditions inside Foxconn.

Foxconn plans to reduce in response to the control of the current 20 overtime less than nine hours a week.

He defended his intern program on Tuesday, say that they made only 2.7 percent of its workforce in China. Internships could be long-term or short-term, carried out in cooperation with schools and other educational institutions.

The average internship about three and-a-half months lasted, it was said.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

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Black workers file charges over noose in locker room

2:20 AM Black, charges, locker, noose, workers No Comments

Three African-American workers at a Siemens Energy facility in New Jersey have filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights after they said years of racial harassment recently culminated in their finding a noose hanging in front of their lockers.

"The complainants ... are pursuing these charges and will be filing a federal lawsuit in the hopes of bringing to light and changing the current climate of open racial discrimination at this facility," Brian K. Wiley, the lawyer representing the employees, said via email.

In January, four-year Siemens employee David Solomon said he entered the workers' changing area and found a noose hanging "right next to my locker." He photographed the noose and alerted his co-workers, Eddie Clarke and Barry Murphy. In an April 4 affidavit, all three testified that they had seen the noose and detailed numerous other instances of racial discrimination.

"I felt (as) though a clear message was being sent to the black employees at Siemens to shut up, do what your [sic] told and stop complaining about being treated unfairly or we would be lynched," Solomon wrote. "Every person in power at my job is white. There are no black supervisors, and no African­-Americans to report this too [sic]."

Clarke wrote in his statement that he had been physically threatened by his supervisor after voicing complaints about a discriminatory work environment in which African-Americans were denied the opportunity for advancement. "My supervisor had previously warned me a few years back that if I complained of racial bias in the workplace any further I would get caught in 'friendly fire,' " he wrote. "The supervisor approached me shortly after and expressed surprise that I was 'still alive.”"

Siemens responded with a statement calling hanging a noose in the workplace a "deplorable, aggressive act" and said the company "promptly notified law enforcement." Company spokeswoman Camille Johnston said via email, "We have been in contact with federal, state and local authorities," without providing details of which agencies.

In its statement, Siemens said it initiated an internal investigation, which it concluded after the company's "corporate security team that included members with 30+ years of experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ... could not find any evidence of how the noose got there."

Wiley countered the assertion that Siemens proactively contacted police.

"To be clear, it was the complainants who contacted law enforcement to report what has happened to them," he said. "While we do not have the ability to know whether Siemens contacted law enforcement as they claim, we can say with certainty that none of the three victims was contacted by any law enforcement agency."

Between 2006 and 2010, the EEOC ordered eight companies to pay a total of nearly $5.2 million stemming from cases of racial discrimination or harassment that involved nooses. The agency's site says it is illegal for race or skin color to impact "hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment." It also says the display "racially offensive symbols" constitutes illegal racial harrassment.

"The company is responding to the EEOC charges as appropriate," Johnston said. An EEOC spokesman declined to comment.

Wiley said no specific amount of damages had been determined for the federal lawsuit he plans to file on behalf of the three men. "There's no real way to quantify" the impact that years — decades in the case of Murphy, a Siemens employee since 1966 — worth of denied advancement opportunities and hostile working conditions had on his clients. "[Siemens] conceivably could be responsible for a large amount," he said.

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Postal Service offers buyouts to 45,000 workers

11:30 PM 45000, buyouts, offers, Postal, service, workers No Comments

The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service will offer buyouts this summer to nearly all of its 45,000 mail handlers, part of a plan to consolidate operations at 140 mail-processing facilities in the next year.

The mail agency, which lost $3.2 billion in the first three months of 2012, plans to begin this summer moving mail-processing activities away from smaller sites to reduce annual costs.

As part of that plan, the Postal Service will offer $15,000 in two installments to full-time mail handlers who take early retirement or leave the agency, USPS spokesman Mark Saunders said on Friday.

Mail handlers are workers who load trucks and move mail containers between processing operations. Part-time employees also will be eligible for separation incentives in amounts based on the number of hours they work.

"The agreement with the Postal Service is intended to provide a financial cushion, and added peace of mind, for mail handlers who might be prepared to move on to the next chapter of their lives by leaving the Postal Service," the National Postal Mail Handlers Union said on its website.

The Postal Service has been hit hard by tumbling mail volumes as more Americans communicate online and by massive payments for future retiree health benefits. The agency has asked Congress to let it end Saturday delivery and make other changes. In the meantime, USPS officials have been looking for ways to cut costs.

The agency needs to reduce its workforce by 150,000 people by 2015, Saunders said. Consolidating and closing processing facilities, which will continue through 2014, could eliminate up to 28,000 jobs and save $2.1 billion a year, the Postal Service has said.

Saunders said he could not speculate how many mail handlers would take buyouts this year, but added that the change "will not affect mail service."

The Postal Service also has said it will offer buyouts to more than 21,000 postmasters this year. Postal officials scrapped a plan to close thousands of money-losing post offices and instead, will reduce hours at 13,000 of the nation's smallest offices. (Editing by Jan Paschal)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters.

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Smaller companies want workers to shape up

7:57 PM companies, shape, Smaller, workers No Comments

A growing number of small business owners are taking a page from their bigger corporate counterparts and implementing wellness programs for their employees to curtail ever-escalating health care costs. Employers can’t just force everyone to eat tofu and do yoga, however.

That’s why Climax Portable Machine Tools based in Newberg, Ore., is taking its time rolling out a wellness program and using a carrot instead of a stick with its 160 employees. The program implemented in the last year is voluntary. Workers are offered incentives, including getting up to $40 back in their paychecks a month, for getting on the health bandwagon. Among the steps being offered are on-site medical screenings, health and nutritional seminars, daily walks and even a company basketball team.

Climax has seen its health insurance premiums rise as much as 30 percent annually, so a wellness program made sense, said Karen Kinslow, the company’s wellness coordinator. “We really wanted to look after our employees and it really helps the bottom line when you do these things,” she explained.

More small business owners are realizing the same thing. A recent MetLife survey found 29 percent of small businesses offered some sort of wellness options, compared to 22 percent last year, and 16 percent five years ago.

Such programs have been shown to pay off for employers. Research from the Partnership for Prevention found that for every $1 spent on worksite health promotion programs, a company can see an average of $3.50 in savings related to fewer sick days and health care costs.  And such programs can be a good thing for employees. An Israeli study showed that employees who engaged in some form of exercise had lower rates of depression and job burnout, according to an article in MyHealthNewsDaily.

But the strong-arm approach to getting workers healthier can run afoul of the nation’s labor laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. Implementing employee health programs come with many restrictions under several key laws – the ADA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Under the ADA, employers are prohibited from requiring an employee to take a medical exam, and you can’t require an employee to participate in a wellness program to qualify for health insurance, said Chris Kuczynski, assistant legal counsel, ADA/GINA policy division for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

When it comes to GINA, he continued, “If you’re going to offer an incentive in connection with a health risk assessment or wellness program, you can’t condition that on whether a person gives you family history or genetic information.”

Employers can’t have blanket wellness policies, which is where companies get into the most trouble, Kuczynski stressed. If a worker is unable to engage in certain exercises because of an underlying medical condition that is beyond his control, such as a thyroid gland disorder or high blood pressure, employers can’t penalize the employee for not participating.

Climax has been cautious when implementing methods to encourage workers to participate.

Kinslow talks to workers individually and helps them come up with other options if they can’t do things like running a 5K. Employees can get points, which translate into dollars, if they attend nutrition or stress-reduction seminars on-site, or even if they take a healthy-eating cooking class. And, she added, some employees may not want their wellness tied directly to work, so they could get points for teaching a karate class to kids, for example.

When providing rewards there are limits, especially as they relate to health insurance premiums. Companies are increasingly offering employees breaks on their healthcare premiums as incentives to participate in wellness programs, but there are strict requirements under HIPAA on how that can be done. The total award must not exceed 20 percent of an employees total coverage cost. Under a provision in health care reform that number will go up to 30 percent in 2014.

As far as medical privacy restrictions, health screenings that are done by the employer must be strictly confidential. “They always have to be careful with where data goes and their access to that data,” said Joe Ellis, senior vice president at CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, an employee benefits consulting firm. “The employer would never see an individual’s data but they could see aggregate data.”

Another problem is potential injuries workers could sustain while exercising during work hours.

Late last year, Ged King, president of The Sales Factory, a marketing agency in Greensboro, N.C., bought four Trek commuter bicycles for employees to use on lunch runs, errands or leisurely rides.

The bikes are part of a wellness strategy King devised to help his staff of 27 get healthier.

His plan also includes rewarding workers prizes -- everything from $25 gift cards to iPods -- if they exercise more, including biking, running, or even gardening. “It makes for happier people who are more excited to come to work,” he said about the wellness program that launched last month. “You can’t be creative if you don’t feel good.”

To deal with the issue of injuries, employees at The Sales Factory were all asked to sign a “Bicycle Release Form” before King purchased the bikes. The release stated that workers were assuming “all personal liability in case of injury”.

Employees were also asked to promise to wear helmets, which he provided, when they take the bikes out. The goal of the wellness plan, King stressed, “is to make sure we’re healthier.”

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