PathWays PA Policy Blog

In June 2015, the Department of Labor announced a proposed overtime rule which would extend overtime protections to over 13 million salaried workers, nearly 7 million of whom are women . Overtime pay falls under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was passed in 1938 to establish a standard work week and a rate of pay for employees who worked more hours than the standard. Administrative, executive, and professional employees were exempt from the overtime regulations . In the almost 80 years since the law was passed, that exemption has created confusion and given some employers room to classify employees as exempt in order to avoid paying overtime. The Department of Labor proposition would simplify the rules by increasing the salary that workers must earn to be considered exempt and clarifying the rules for determining whether or not an employee can receive overtime. You can read more about the proposal at  http://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/NPRM2015/faq.htm . If you want to let...

Nearly one in four American working mothers need to return to work within two weeks of giving birth. With that starting statistic in mind, let us take a look at what this means for most mothers.  Women who are forced to return to work before they are ready face a great deal of challenges. Many face depression and other mental issues. Physical challenges exist for these women as well. In one case, a mother was forced to pump breast milk in her car during her lunch break because her factory job did not have a lactation room. New children also feel the pain from lack of maternity leave. Without being around their mothers, many children do not develop socially and emotionally as well as an infant who created a stronger bond with his/her mother. So what is the solution? Paid family leave time. Currently, only 13 percent of working people in America have access to paid leave. The benefits to paid family leave are astounding. A 20% drop in infant mortality rate and an increase in ...

One of the best public/private partnerships, Industry Partnerships for Workforce Training , help ensure Pennsylvania's industries and workers have the necessary skills to compete in the global economy. Industry Partnerships (IPs) are coordinated efforts between the state, industries, and local workforce investment boards that target the needs of regional industry clusters. The role of IPs is to identify skill gaps and other workforce needs of the targeted industry sector and to oversee the design and delivery of services to meet those needs. IPs aim to improve job quality by educating workers in skills that pay well and are in short supply, by helping managers learn from each other in adopting competitive human resource practices that improve job quality and career advancement, and by launching training and career initiatives. Since 2005, more than 100,000 Pennsylvanians have participated in Pennsylvania's well-regarded IP programs. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Health...

We're launching a new program called "Second Act" employment training. If you are 50 years of age or older, the Second Act program is a great way to learn new skills and tips for re-launching yourself into the new job market. Second Act connects income eligible seniors (50 and older) with FREE job training, resume help, and interview preparation. To learn more about Second Act, contact Norm Solomon at (610) 543 - 5022, x256 Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 7/11/2013 - 2014 RSVP Competition Has Begun! 6/19/2013 - Ask Congress to Support Meals on Wheels 2/8/2013 - New National Elder Economic Security Standard Now Available

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition Tomorrow, beginning at 1:00PM, the National Skills Coalition will host a webinar on the role of SNAP and employment training. SNAP E&T can help low-income individuals access education and training, as well as critical supportive services that are often otherwise unavailable. On this webinar you'll learn from NSC and other experts how state and local communities can capitalize on this largely untapped resource and take advantage of new opportunities, like recently authorized pilot grants. You'll learn about what is allowed under SNAP E&T and how the program interacts with the larger SNAP nutrition program. NSC and its partners are developing a comprehensive to help states better understand and implement successful SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) programs. Panelists will include:  Rachel Gragg, National Skills Coalition  Ed Bolen, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities  Rick Krauss, Consulta...

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition Last week marked a landmark moment for the workforce field with the U.S Senate passing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 after 11 years. Please consider taking a moment to thank your Senators for taking an important step to modernize our nation's workforce system and ensure that all U.S. workers and businesses have access to the skills they need to succeed in today's economy. Once you've thanked your Senators, please contact your Representative and ask for quick action to bring the legislation up for a vote when the House reconvenes after the Fourth of July recess.

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition (NSC) This week, the Senate has passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) , which reauthorizes the the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. WIA is more than 11 years overdue for reauthorization. Organizations who support workforce training programs applaud the Senate for taking an important step to modernize our nation’s workforce system and ensure that all U.S. workers and businesses have access to the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. WIOA could come up for a vote when the House returns from the Fourth of July recess.

From our friends at Keystone Progress On Friday, May 30 from 9:00AM-4:00PM in Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Women and Families Economic Summit will meet and strategize with other Pennsylvanians who care about the economic equality and security of women and families to organize around the local, state and national initiatives to promote these policies. You can be a part of the conversation to devise a coordinated state strategy to bring about the common sense policies that support women and families that we need in Pennsylvania. GOALS: Gather all groups, advocates and committed Pennsylvanians who work on issues facing women and families in Pennsylvania.  Provide an overview of the current state policies on women's economic equality and security, how they impact Pennsylvanians and what we can do to make them stronger.  Help plan and strategize coordination across various groups and goals. This conversation is most valuable if the key members of each group can be coordin...

From our Friends at the National Skills Coalition Congress is making decisions on federal spending levels for fiscal year (FY) 2015. Ask your Representative to restore funding for key workforce, education and training programs to provide workers the skills they need for the good-paying jobs employers need to fill. Under current law, spending caps and cuts will reduce the federal deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next ten years. But these cuts are creating new deficits in core government functions such as education, research, infrastructure and job training. With more than 10 million U.S. workers unemployed, now is not the time to reduce federal workforce development investments. Ask Congress to restore funding for employment, adult basic education, and occupational training programs so that workers and employers have the skills they need to compete.

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition If you support workforce development, please have your organization sign onto the letter asking Appropriations subcommittees to restore federal workforce programs to finally end the sequestration funding. Funding has been partially restored, but your help is still needed to help the programs receive the largest possible allocation. Time is of the essence. The more funding that is able to be allocated to the various departments that oversee workforce programs, that better chance the programs will see needed funding for programs across the country. Please sign on by March 7! Sign Here

From our friends at CLASP and NNSP CLASP and NNSP are hosting a free webinar Thursday from 2:00PM-3:30PM on workforce development systems. In this webinar co-sponsored by the Center for Law and Social Policy(CLASP) and the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP), participants will learn about two successful and complementary approaches that states and communities have adopted to help individuals attain skills and credentials, help meet employers' workforce needs, and strengthen the economic vitality of communities. Sector initiatives (regional industry-focused workforce partnerships) customize solutions for multiple employers and increase access to good jobs for low-income individuals. Career pathways connect progressive levels of basic skills and postsecondary education, training, and supportive services to optimize the progress and success of individuals. Webinar participants will learn about the characteristic strengths of each approach and how they can be combined f...

From our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs  PHI (Paraprofessional Health Institute) and NELP (National Employment Law Project) are offering a webinar tomorrow at 2:00PM to explain and answer questions about the final rule extending minimum wage and overtime protections to home care and the impact it will have for home care workers, services and the industry. Sign up to join here  On December 9th at 3:00PM Direct Service Workforce Resource Center at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will host an additional webinar to explain the features of the recently updated PHI State Data Center , the first web-based tool to provide comprehensive, state-by-state profiles of the direct-care workforce. The latest state-by-state wage, employment, and demographic data available on nursing home aides, home health aides, and personal care aides is readily available on the site, as well as information on legislation/regulation and notable initiatives in each state. Re...

From our friends at CLASP Out of 24 countries, the U.S. ranked 16th in literacy, 21st in numeracy, and 14th in problem solving using technology (or "technology-rich environments," according to the survey). The study found that adults that come from socioeconomically-disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. low-income or poor educational attainment) are more likely to have lower skills. This relationship was stronger in the U.S. than in all other survey countries. Existing research tells us that workers with low basic skills are more likely to be unemployed, earn lower than average wages, have poor health outcomes, and most importantly-pass these traits along to their children. This new data from OECD should act as a wake-up call to policymakers, demonstrating the importance of redesigning our skills development system to improve the skills of our workers and the lives of low-income families, while making America competitive in the global economy. - See more at: http://www.clasp...

Here is what we're reading as the shutdown continues: How the Shutdown is Impacting Specific Federal Workforce Programs : Based the information that is currently available, here is the National Skills Coalition's best understanding so far of the impact of the shutdown on certain employment and training programs. Domestic Violence Programs See Their Funding End : The Office of Justice Programs, the Office on Violence Against Women, and other federal agencies funding domestic violence programs planned to fund the programs through Friday, October 4, 2013. Since the shutdown has not ended, many programs must rely on any funds they have in hand to see them through the fiscal crisis. If You Rely On Government Websites, Sorry:  Along with the government shutdown has come the shuttering of many websites, ranging from the American Community Survey database to NASA.gov.  If You Rely on Government Programs, You May Not Have Them for Much Longer : As we enter week 2 of the shutdown,...

Tomorrow, July 17, beginning at 1PM join the PA Conference for Women for this month's radio broadcast that is designed to give you the tools you need to successfully manage relationships with your coworkers.  During this broadcast host Sam Ettus and guest Marie Peeler will share insights that will help you learn how to develop meaningful, supportive and successful relationships and build influence and deepen effectiveness with co-workers. Click here to register and learn more.

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) , originally passed by Congress in 1998 and never reauthorized, provides a framework for a national workforce preparation and employment system. Improvements on the law are long overdue. One bill, H.R. 803 passed the House by a vote of 215-202. The Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R. 803) would narrow the range of perspectives on state and local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) by focusing on the representation of businesses with immediate and long-term employment opportunities in industries that are in demand and by eliminating requirements that boards include those involved in one-stop delivery or education and training on a day-to-day basis. The SKILLS Act does not meet the needs of different job seekers. The SKILLS Act weakens workforce investment with every amendment it makes. Considering the high rates of joblessness in the United States, we need to invest wisely in the American workforce now more t...

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families Last week, National Partnership Senior Advisor Judith Lichtman testified on Capitol Hill as the only voice of opposition to the so-called "comp time" bill. Despite its name, the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406) is an empty promise — a smoke-and-mirrors bill — that offers neither the flexibility nor the support that working families need. That's why we must urge Congress to look beyond the misleading name and assess this partisan legislation for what it really is: a bad idea. The “comp time” bill claims to give hourly workers more time with their families by allowing them, through an agreement with their employers, to choose paid time off as compensation for working more than 40 hours in a week. In reality, it would give workers less time, less money and less flexibility. It would erode overtime protections guaranteed by the Fair Labor Standards Act. It would mean a pay cut for wor...

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition : The House this week is set to vote on two bills that would make it difficult for workers—particularly the most vulnerable and hardest to serve workers—to get the training and services they need to get a good-paying job to support their families.  Please contact Congress today!  Later this week, the House is expected to vote on the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R. 803), a bill to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act by consolidating several existing federal workforce programs into a single $6 billion Workforce Investment Fund, eliminating dedicated funding and numerous policy protections meant to help those most in need to get the skills to advance in the workforce. The House is also expected to vote on the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 (H.R. 890), a bill that would prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from providing...

Folks around the country are already feeling the impact of cuts made by the sequester to workforce development programs. These programs are designed to help those out of work get retrained and hired for jobs that are available in this new economy. Programs like this are essential in helping get people back to work and earning a steady paycheck. You can read personal stories using this interactive map and also submit your own story .

Workforce funding is not just another line item in the budget. It is a lifeline to workers and industries all over this country. We've been telling Congress that further cuts will devastate re-employment efforts, but now your stories are needed. Tell your story about what's been lost due to cuts already and what stands to be lost if sequestration is not stopped. We will share these stories to illustrate the need for lawmakers to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not further disinvest in America's workforce. If you have questions, please contact Josh Spaulding .