Acting Secretary of Labor Named

Seth D. Harris, the U. S. Department of Labor's deputy secretary since May 2009, has been selected to be the acting secretary of labor. In an email to department employees on January 24, Harris wrote, "Our goals in the department are stability and continuity as we wait for a Secretary of Labor to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate." Before joining the department, Harris was a professor of law at New York Law School and director of its Labor & Employment Law Programs. He served for seven years at the department during the Clinton administration in key positions, including counselor to the secretary of labor. Harris, who takes office with the resignation of Hilda L. Solis, told department employees in his email that "our mission has never been more important than it is today. Let's work together to carry it out, to help the people and organizations that depend on us, and to continue rebuilding America's economy."

Members of Congress will return to Washington, D.C. this week and begin negotiations on a series of fiscal deadlines needing to be resolved over the next two months. They include:

• Debt Limit: The federal government will be unable to pay its financial obligations starting sometime between mid-February and early March, unless Congress increases its borrowing limit. The U.S. reached its statutory borrowing authority limit of $16.4 trillion late last year.
• Sequestration: In addition to increasing the debt limit, Congress also will address sequestration -- $84 billion in automatic spending cuts -- to both defense and nondefense programs effective March 1, 2013.
• FY 2013 Funding: Congress also will need to resolve funding for government operations for the remainder of fiscal year 2013, as the Continuing Resolution expires March 27, 2013. Without an extension of the Continuing Resolution or passage of an Omnibus appropriations bill, there will be the potential for a government shutdown without funding to continue government operations for FY 13.

 

Wal*Mart the nation’s largest retailer, announced a plan to hire every veteran who wants a job, provided that the veterans have left the military in the previous year and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. 

 

Company officials said they believe the program, which will officially begin on Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, will lead to the hiring of more than 100,000 people in the next five years, the length of the commitment.

42 Days and Counting

The deadline for submitting IAWP awards is just 42 days away! It's time to start compiling those chapter awards - Education, Communication, Chapter Development, Recognition and Marketing and time to start writing an individual or group award - Citation, Merit, Public Policy, Workforce System Customer Service, Lifetime Achievement, Retiree of the Year and Ealton Nelson (non-US members).

All you need to know to start the process can be found in Chapter 5 of the IAWP Handbook. It's easy, just take one award at a time and find someone to be responsible for submitting it. If you have any questions please contact me or anyone on the board of directors.

Secretary Solis

Secretary of Labor Solis announced her resignation on January 9th. In her letter of resignations, Secretary Solis wrote, more than 1.7 million people have completed federally-funded job training programs. Solis said she was particularly proud of enforcement efforts that have saved workers' lives and recovered back wages owed to workers. "Leaving the department is one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart. As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve," Solis said.

Secretary Solis Letter

UI Extension

A year-long extension of unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless was included in the final agreement on tax and spending issues by Congress.  This will preserve benefits for more than 2.1 million people. The $30 billion extension, which was not offset by other spending cuts was part of the deal worked out by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Biden.

New BLS Commissioner

Erica L. Groshen of New York was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2nd as the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She has served at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since 1994, and is currently the vice president and economist in the Regional Analysis Function of the Research and Statistics Group. She also has held a number of other positions, including vice president and director of regional affairs in the Communications Group and assistant vice president in the Microeconomic and Regional Studies Function. She began her career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Groshen, who earned her Ph.D. at Harvard, is a member of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Users' Advisory Committee.

Happy New Year

The "Fiscal Cliff" was finally addressed by Congress over the New Year's holiday.  The bill that was finally passed will protect millions of middle-class taxpayers from tax increases that were set to take effect this month. However, it also will let rates rise on wages and investment profits for households making more than $450,000 a year.  

The bill will also extend Unemployment Insurance to approximately 2 million unemployed workers who are about to lose their federal benefits.  It also delays sequestration for two months to allow Congress to come up with a plan so automatic cuts to federal budgets won't take effect.

 

In my opinion, this wasn't a perfect fix and definitely wasn't a long-term solution.  Congress still has lots of work to do.  I encourage you to contact your congressional representatives and let them know how you feel about cuts to federal programs.